Futcher and Howard have now added the absurdly funny “Cutting Loose” to their impressive list of achievements in the last six years.” – Rave Magazine, Brisbane
Perhaps the most accidental production in Matrix’s history, Cutting Loose, came about as a result of a concerted attempt by a group of Brisbane’s independent companies to save the wonderfully atmospheric Princess Theatre from eternally going dark. With only six weeks from conception to opening night, Cutting Loose required three intrepid actors willing to improvise and learn lines in a high-pressure rehearsal period, and late night writing-up of the material they engendered; the result was an innovative, surprising piece of “raw” theatre for our audiences. Using the Princess Theatre in an unusual configuration, playing partly on stage, and partly on the audience level to represent an unusual converted warehouse apartment, Cutting Loose delighted audiences with its rich characters, dialogue which had the stamp of authenticity from improvisation, and a memorable climax involving twenty litres of fake blood cascading down the steps from stage to auditorium. We’re sorry to say that the Princess no longer serves its original purpose, and now functions as a community church.
Dates: 8th-25th March, 2000
Venue: Princess Theatre
Directors: Michael Futcher and Helen Howard
Designers: Michael Futcher and Helen Howard
Scenic Art: Diane Leak
Lighting Designer: Geoff Squires
Composer: Phil Slade
Fight Choreography: Scott Witt
Stage Manager: Arminelle Fleming
ASM: Tristan Fleming
Set Construction: John Futcher
Cast:
Elise Greig: Alison Parker
Ingrid Mason: Janey Fitzgerald
Melissa McMahon: Dru Miller
People came out laughing from Matrix Theatre’s latest coup-de-theatre…Michael Futcher and Helen Howard along with their cast of three notable Brisbane women actors, have devised a most entertaining piece which they rightly describe as a black comedy cum thriller..”
– Rave Magazine, Brisbane