Blitz Magazine

THE MOTHERF**KER WITH A HAT

Tap Gallery

Any play with the F-bomb in the title reckons it’s more than a little bit edgy, so I was worried it might just be self-consciously cool and needlessly vulgar. Thankfully, my worries were utterly unfounded.

This play managed to be both young and fresh, as well as completely professional.  Jackie, a former drug dealer, has just come out of prison and things are looking up. Until, that is, he finds the hat. Never before has an accessory caused so much havoc; from the moment he finds it, everything he thought he knew is called into question.

The experienced Australian cast nailed the street-wise American accents, and even the styling convinced us that we’d hopped on a plane and landed on the dodgy side of Chicago. The highlight was a touching scene between Jackie and his cousin Julio, which gave heart to the witty dialog and pacey action. 

Tickets start at $25 for students, but if you go on a Wednesday it’s 2 for $30! I cannot recommend this highly enough - grab a mate, and for the equivalent of two overpriced beers in town I can guarantee you’ll both have a night you’ll remember. TAP Gallery is well worth a visit on its own- cafe by day and deliciously quirky bar by night, it has enough charm to make the play worth a go before the curtain is even up.

Ruth Bader

High Distinction

The Credeaux Canvas @ Tap Gallery

Struggling artist Winston and his flatmate Jamie are strapped for cash (sound familiar, anyone?), so they decide to con a rich art collector, Tess, with a forgery of a painting by the famous Jean-Paul Credeaux. Jamie volunteers his girlfriend Amelia as the nude model, and it’s not long before their already delicate world starts to fall apart.

 The opening night got off to a nervous start, but blossomed into a performance full of laughs, charm and more than a little sexual tension. Jennie Dibley (as Tess) gave the stand out performance; a veteran amongst graduates, she had my plus one and I in tears one minute and cackling with laughter the next.  

 It was sexy, pacey and funny throughout, and we got rather more than we bargained for as it wasn’t just Amelia who got her kit off in the name of art and forgery. 

If you’re not used to spending your beer money on plays and want to give it a go, this is a great place to start. The deliciously quirky TAP Gallery (just off Oxford Street) is worth a visit in itself. It’s around $25 for concessions, so for the price of a couple of bottles of wine you get to have a great night out (and actually remember it all), and you’ll be able to tell your mum you did something cultured on the weekend. 

DISTINCTION

Ruth Bader

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A WORD FROM THE WISE

These guys obviously love uni (they’re still here!) Blitz gets educated on uni, life and joining the circus.

Prof. PRUE VINES (Director of First Year Studies, Faculty of Law)

If you can think back to when you were at university, what would you have done differently?

I would have managed my love life better (or at least paid less attention to it).

Did you ever consider leaving (or ‘running away’ from) university to join the circus?

I have never considered running away to the circus, although I have thought of running away to be a hairdresser.

What performer would you be if you were in the circus?

Now that I consider it, it would be quite attractive. I would love to be a trapeze artist (I do know a couple of trapeze artists - they spend a lot of time cleaning windows).

Prof. RICHARD BUCKLAND (Associate Professor, School of Computer Science and Engineering)

If you can think back to when you were at university, what would you have done differently?

I would have found more fun in everyday life. I still would have taken university seriously, but not too seriously.

What do you love about UNSW?

The caring staff and the amazingly warm and talented student body. I’ve been involved with many universities and I’ve come to realise that UNSW is very special.

 Did you ever consider leaving (or ‘running away’ from) university to join the circus?

Being a lecturer is pretty much the same as being a lion tamer.

What performer would you be if you were in the circus?

The lion.

Luke Vu (School of Psychology Tutor and recipient of the 2012 UNSW Faculty of Science Staff Excellence Award)

Advice to UNSW students?

Once you find what you love, don’t expect it to be easy, expect it to be challenging. 

What do you love about UNSW? 

Love is a strong word. I come here for the coffee.

Did you ever consider leaving (or ‘running away’ from) university to join the circus?

Leave – Yes. Circus? No.

What performer would you be if you were in the circus?

Trapeze artist. There’s something beautiful about people flying through the air.

Prof. Louise Ravelli (School of the Arts and Media)

If you can think back to when you were at university, what would you have done differently?

 Slept a bit more!

Did you ever consider running away from university to join the circus?

 Uni is my circus. I came from a small country town and was the first in my family to attend university, and when I got there I thought I was in heaven.

What performer would you be if you were in the circus?

Definitely a contortionist: that’s how most academics feel these days, squeezing ourselves in and around the hoops of teaching, research and the ever-pernickety and meaningless administration. 

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