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backshed  projects - then, now, soon!

13/05/2008

April 2008

  • The Video Diaries ... Series One  ("Scamus Animalus" ) 
    has finished production and is being marketed to radio stations around the country. 
    Beautifully put together by Max Thrower in Bellingen, with voices recorded in Sydney and Adelaide.
  • The Video Diaries ... Series Two  ("Stonehenge or bust" ) 
    is currently being written. Six episodes done and Video has only reached Corsica - could be 20 episodes! We welcome the talents of Paul (PJ) Johnstone and Lucy Suze Taylor to our team of players for Series Two. Once again Anna Steen, Robbie McGregor and Luke Sumner will be sharing their range of voices, alongside Peter and Hugh. 
  • Senile Delinquents ... still looking for production partners to assist in getting it to pilot stage.
  • The Cafe Village by the Sea and other poems ... production underway for a spoken word CD of about 30 poems with soundscape. Written and read by Hugh Wade in musical partnership with David Chambers and some fabulous guest musicians.
  • The Garden ... a short film by Brent Williams and Dejay Vi Ngyuen.
    Starring Peter and Luke Sumner, as father and son, with art direction and production design by Hugh Wade.

 

August 2007

  • For Peter, this month sees the completion of "Baba's Birthday" and the beginning of  work this month on research and writing for a documentary relating to environmental change.
  • Hugh is providing narration for "Most Shocking" on Network 7 and has recently completed Set design and Art Department duties on a short film called "Grace", written and directed by Nicole Tanzabel and starring Maggie Dence and Jan Kingsbury. He also provided a couple of stock characters - the litturgy-reading mourner and the white-coated arm of a doctor!
  • Together, the greying renegades are working on pre-production for a new podcast series, "The Video Diaries", which follows the exploits of Video, an investigative reporter for the New Roman Times.
  • The pilot for "What's That" (or Senile Delinquents) is being appraised by several potential partners. Keep alert.

 

April 2007

How the months fly by!!!

  • backshedman podcast, poetry and pictures up and running on a regular weekly basis, with slow but steady increase in numbers of people interested in receiving the weekly newsletter.
  • Hugh still voicing the Tourism NSW television campaigns and has recorded two episodes as narrator for "Milly and Molly".
  • Peter appeared as the Governor in the recent documentary celebrating "Our Sydney Harbour Bridge". He has also completed editing "Baba's Birthday", and is now focusing on writing short silly comedy for the backshedman podcasts.
  • We are also refining and script editing a pilot episode for our television comedy series, (working title "What's that?"), and hawking it around to potential producers.

 

November 2006

  • Fingers crossed - we have written a treatment, a couple of episodes, and several storylines for a half hour TV comedy ... and people are interested!
  • Peter has nearly finished editing the documentary "Baba's Birthday" and Hugh will soon start recording as the Narrator for an animated children's series.
  • More later.

 

July 2006

  • "Under Mulga Wood" to be released on Audio CD in August through ABC Enterprises.
  • Hugh is one of several readers of  "Great Australian Fly-fishing Stories, again for ABC Enterprises, and to be released on Audio CD in ABC shops later this year.

 

March 2006

  • Peter return from directing a documentary in India and will be putting it together painstakingly over the next few months. Short film project simmering in the background waiting until we all can afford to give it the time and space it warrants.

  • Hugh roadtesting poetry and photography for the next little while. 

  • " diversify to survive" ... new 21st century mantra

   

February 2006

  • Hugh is appearing in a one-off performance of "Spell" by Daniel Damiano, a New York

  • Part of the "Wild Card" section, this ten minute piece appears with nine others on February 4th at the Seymour Centre Downstairs theatre commencing at 3pm.

  • Directed by Sibylle Meder and co-starring Lee Gaynor, this black comedy explores issues of aging, illness and death in a humorous way.

 

November 2005

  • Peter has been busy preparing for a theatre production of "The Castle" - adapting the script, designing the set, selecting actors and directing the production. He has also appeared in "Jessica", a couple of TV commercials, several voiceovers and will be embarking on a documentary in India early in 2006. He also has found time to direct and appear with Hugh in backshed productions' new project, tentatively entitled "Futility embraced". First shooting day is November 23rd.
     

  • Hugh has been involved with ABC enterprises this year, having been given the offer to read some of Jim Haynes's "Great Australian Racing Stories" ...  "What do you do with them on Sundays", a tale of droving in Queensland and the Northern Territory in the 1950's ... and "Cobbers" also by Jim Haynes, published and unpublished stories and poems from Gallipoli.

  • He has also continued his voiceover career with more work for Tourism NSW, Sports Ears for the cricket, RTA and many others.

                            

June 2005

  • Radio National will be broadcasting "Under Mulga Wood" in two halves during August.
    Air dates: Sunday August 21st and August 28th at 3:00 pm on Radio National

  •  The wonderfully talented Sunny Grace has come on board the film project as Producer, freeing Hugh to make silly props and concentrate on production management.

  •  "Speakin' Out" a short documentary  about "the mysterious Life of the Voice-Over artist" by Christopher Mill and Matthew Walker screened at the SnowyFest film festival last weekend. Features interviews with Hugh, Robbie McGregor, Jenny Wilson among others.

March 2005

  • Pre-production commences on next short film project, based on a story by the French writer Georges Perec, from his fantastic novel "Life: a user's manual". Working title - Futility Embraced -

February 2005

  • Peter and Hugh reprise their roles in an abridged version of  Will Christie's "Under Mulga Wood".
    The play was recorded by ABC Radio for broadcast later this year. 

February 2004 

  • Peter Sumner and Hugh Wade join a quality cast in several performances of "Under Mulga Wood" ...Will Christie's 'Imitation' of Dylan Thomas's endearing "Under Milk Wood"

January 2004

Hugh appears in "Eureka" a short film by Kent Boswell

 

February 2003

Cirque du Psyche - a short film directed by Peter Sumner, produced and edited by Hugh Wade.

Shorter than four minutes ... longer than a piece of string ... More current events than shock therapy. 

Who is the man behind the balls, and why does he only drink blue? 

It' s the doctor's day off - at Cirque du Psyche! Where are we and who are these people?

   

January 2003

  • "Dialogue for two wheelie bins" by Steve J.Wood
    Directed by Hugh Wade, performed by David Baldwin, Ian Swallow and Alice Osborne

    Once again Newtown Theatre was the venue in January 2003 for a season of  "Short & Sweet".

Described by the author as a symbolic farce in one act, "Wheelie Bins" features two actors of advanced years decrying their lack of work and what glories could have been theirs in a perfect world. 

Crisp dialogue, music and rubbish ... what more could a theatre patron want?

 

       January 2002

        "Good Sometime" by Bruce Shearer

This was featured at the Newtown Theatre in January 2002 as part of the season of short plays "Short and Sweet".

Performed by Hugh Wade and directed by Peter Sumner, it is a 10 minute piece of wonderful surreal nonsense. The only character is a head on top of a black box, who moves around the stage alternating between friendliness and bad attitude towards the audience ... the "body".