About the show
Ever had that anxiety dream where you’re pushed onstage with no script, no rehearsal, and absolutely no idea what you’re doing? Welcome to The Actor’s Nightmare.
George is a mild-mannered accountant – sensible, calm, and totally untheatrical – who wakes up trapped inside someone else’s anxiety dream. Backstage at a theatre, the lead actor is injured, and George is pushed on in his place. Immediately.
What follows is a theatrical free-fall. George is flung through a scramble of “theatre classics”, completely unprepared – no clue, no cue, not a single line memorised. Around him, titans of the stage cling to their performances with white-knuckle determination while the stage manager, the unyielding force of order, must keep the show on track.
As styles clash and logic exits stage left, George, our unwilling understudy, must somehow survive the madness.
Louise Birgan
Louise has dedicated over 30 years to the performing arts, working across film, television and theatre in both Australia and the UK.
She trained as an actor at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she developed a strong foundation in performance.
In 2021, she wrote, performed in, produced and directed a mid length film exploring how an Australian theatre professional can reach a global audience. The project was a cinematic adaptation of her one-woman play, Waiting For Boris. To date the film has received 12 awards at film festivals around the world, including Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and London along with winning the Best Actor award at the LA Shorts Film Festival. This film highlighted Louise’s ability to blend theatre and film in innovative ways.
Beyond her own arts practice, Louise is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of theatre artists. Through her work as an educator, she shares her expertise in acting, encouraging students to explore the transformative power of the arts.
After more than 30 years in the theatre, I have experienced first hand – and watched in others – the quiet sacrifices artists make to bring stories to life on the stage.
This project is an act of gratitude, a homage to the actor and to the theatre itself.
– Louise Birgan
TBA
Please be advised, there will be a ten-minute lockout at the start of the show. This performance contains violence and adult themes, strobe and flashing lights, and haze and fog effects.
The Company
CAST (in order of appearance)
George Spelvin: Blake Roder
Meg: Claudia Leon*
Sarah Siddens: Lilian Valverde*
Henry: Aidan Grace
Ellen: Zarah Stibbard
Writer: Christopher Durang
Director: Louise Birgan
Costume, Props & Set Designer: Sophie Weller
Lighting Designer: Darcy Duncan
Sound Designer & Stage Manager: Hayley Cantrill
Fight Choreographer: Troy Honeysett*
Voice Coach: Patrick Klavins*
Production Manager: Jared Mcculla*
Production Assistant: Amelie McCarthy*
Construction Manager: Jamie Sellar
Costume Supervisor: Mali Smedts
Systems Manager: Max Bradley
Key
*Guest Artist
** NIDA Staff
Thank you to ResolutionX (ResX) for their hire equipment and to the students from the Diploma of Live Production & Technical Services for their assistance during bump-in.