Introducing Anna
27/07/2010 - 31/07/2010
Production Details
A chatty fast food worker who’s doing her best to stay afloat financially and looking for a tiny bit of hope. Life’s a bitch right now but despite how much she’d really prefer to get out of that uniform, she plugs on, hoping that she can come up with a trick or two. Yet no matter what she does to fill those holes somehow its never enough…
Originally created as a 10 minute piece for Short and Sweet Festival in January, Introducing Anna has now been fully developed as a play in its own right.
For Anna it’s been one of those days. You know the ones where you’re working two jobs just to pay the bills. You’re rushing from one place to the next with a bag full of stuff because you can’t decide which outfit to choose and your hair’s gone feral. On top of that, the boss kept you late at the first job so now you’re running late for the second and all you can think is “where the hell is my bra?”
Watch as Robyn Paterson – in her first solo show presented at The Basement – takes the art of doing a double shift to new heights and teaches you tricks on how to earn money.
Dates: July 27th – July 31st
Show times: All shows at 7pm
Tickets: Full Price $18 Concession $15 All Thursday Tickets $10
Send Booking Details to: introducinganna2010@gmail.com
Frankly hilarious and finally pithy yet profound
Review by Nik Smythe 28th Jul 2010
Robyn Paterson wrote and performs a brief, charming, hilarious solo play about Anna, an affable, attractive young woman from Perth living in Auckland and working two jobs, one at Denny’s and one from home.
There’s a bit of kafuffle on this occasion as she’s only recently moved to her present lodgings, which are a total mess, and she’s late back from one job to tidy up in time to do her other one, which involves visitors …
The programme offers some telling background info on Paterson’s journey in creating this extraordinary theatrical snapshot – conceived as a kind of cathartic purging of an ended relationship. Director Patricia Phelon’s remarks about the joy of working with a ‘fun, quirky beautiful character’ are easily understood from this hilarious introduction to Anna.
Dressed to kill for the occasion (once her Denny’s uniform’s off) and unquestionably attractive, it’s remarkable how altogether unsexy Anna can be with all she’s got going for her. Much of the humour involves Anna’s clumsiness, whether it’s dropping her dinner (a hot microwaved meat pie) or injuring her hapless client, it’s all rather embarrassing but we’re still on her side, enchanted by her frank humanity and unshakable innocence.
Anna has obviously been doing this gig for a while and is not intimidated by fantasy roleplay. That I can easily imagine the unproffered details between those she does provide is testament to the depth of Anna’s character and the sympathy she elicits.
Considering her experience in the field, it’s clear Anna possesses a profound ability to maintain her sense of self in the face of all adversities. Unapologetically frank and with little to no pretensions to the sensual, vampish qualities one might expect from your average call-girl, her innocence seems unbreakable – the part that wasn’t broken some time ago, that is.
I’ve said too much already; this is a play for watching. Things happen and there’s an ending, pithy yet profound, and we are left to understand something about relationships, society and humanity that you won’t get in quite the same way unless you experience Introducing Anna for yourself.
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