death in the pantheon - 2024
WRITER/DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Growing up, myself, my brother Matthew, and my sister Esther would frequently play a video game called Zeus. In Zeus, you were tasked with building and managing a city in ancient Greece. If you were able to gain favour with a god, they would appear in your city and bless your buildings. That personification of the Greek gods was where this all began.
Over the years, bits and pieces of scenes started to gather and during the COVID lockdown I decided to complete the play. With friends at my mercy, I organised two private Zoom readings and was able to further develop the play.
In 2023, as I was planning what to do for Sydney Fringe, Atlas Adams, who was a significant contributor to the play through his background in murder mystery design, suggested staging Death in the Pantheon and that’s how the ball started rolling.
Our Sydney Fringe production was designed to be a test run to see how the script would work. I was mostly concerned about whether the dramatic elements I had written would hold up to the comedic elements. In that production we had mostly the same cast as this production with the exception of Atlas Adams and Kat Tait last year (who played Ares and Dionysus respectively) and Edward Frame and Daniel Moxham this year (who play Ares and Dionysus respectively).
Our Fringe run went very well where we received a four star review and a nomination for Best in Theatre at the Sydney Fringe. On the back of that performance I pitched it to Kate and Siobhan and they programmed us for Flight Path’s 2024 season.
In the original draft there were a few scenes that I cut due to time for Fringe but as we continued development this year, several actors were interested in revisiting them. In particular these were the Poseidon and Hades chambers scenes as well as some extended conversations between other characters. We found that we enjoyed them and they added more depth to the relationships. I was able to further rewrite them to give them greater significance and thoroughly incorporate them into the play.
While I originally began with a classic comedic juxtaposition between the power and magnanimity of the gods against their pettiness and immaturity, I strongly felt I need to justify why this play now. I wanted it to present something challenging hidden somewhere in there. It’s too easy to mock those in power as imbeciles and write their concerns off as simply greedy. If we don’t humanise our enemies, then we fall into the trap of self-righteousness: our enemies only do evil because they are evil therefore we only do good because we are good. Understanding and having empathy for the people we hate means that we also don’t become misguided in our own quest for what we believe is right. It isn’t excusing their evil but it allows us to learn about ourselves.
There are still many gods that walk amongst us today. They are the things we worship and sacrifice for: ideas, beliefs, relationships, identities. But many of these gods we cling to are no longer helpful to many of us. As someone who is mixed-race and spent their formative years overseas, one of those gods that I feel we worship to the detriment of us humans is nationalism. The idea that Australia could be one coherent identity that we can target and market to for corporate interests. It erases the history of the indigenous people of this land and makes those it deems ‘un-Australian’ into the other, allowing them to be fetishised or ignored.
And I want to acknowledge that killing that god will be very painful. It always is. Right now, it’s been very painful for older generations to live in a world that has become foreign to them. We often make fun of older people who are out of touch but for them, the world they’ve been living in and identify with is being taken away from them and they don’t understand why. That’s why worshiping our own gods is not enough. That’s why we need compassion and mercy.
Special thanks to:
Kat Tait for performing in the production last year
Atlas Adams for performing in the production last year and for his many contributions to and feedback for the script
Yingying Zhang for her photography
Tobias Moore for their photography
Bokkie Robertson for her help during bump in
Jonathon Hartley for his help during bump in
The City of Ryde Council for the use of their venue
Jen Haynes and the School at AIPA for the use of their venue
Sam Haft and Sydney Actors Association for the use of their venue
Kate Bookallil and Siobhan Lawless for their endless support
We estimate that at least 90% of our set is made of repurposed materials.
james hartley - writer/director
James Hartley is an award winning director, writer, and actor of theatre and film. The short play, "The Fox and the Hunter" which he directed and performed in, won Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Writer at Short+Sweet Sydney 2013.
His short films have been screened around the world in almost 100 cities in over two dozen countries; "First Love," was awarded the Audience Prize at the Festival International des Très Courts.
neil parikh - assistant director
Neil is an Indian born Australian and went to University of Canberra where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce. He studied Acting at the Canberra Academy of Dramatic Arts, then went on to study a Bachelor of Performing Arts at the Australian Institute of Music (AIM) and studied the Actors Studio program through the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA).
Neil’s recent stage acting credits include: Christ Almighty (Joseph, Roman Soldier, and Barabbas) 2023, Othello (Roderigo) 2022, Breathless (Jason) 2021, by Deborah Mulhall, directed by Shondelle Pratt and Springloaded (Jason) 2021, by Jon Glass, directed by Benjamin Murray.
He is also the host/producer of the creative podcast Chookas Podcast.
brenton amies - “hermes”
Brenton is a comic actor and occasional writer/producer with a background in fringe theatre, improv, and sketch comedy. He has spent the better part of the last decade touring fringe and comedy festivals including Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
He has picked up awards at theatre festivals - such as taking away Best Production at Short+Sweet Sydney for the play “Out of the Woods” and also winning Best Original Script and Best Production at the Canberra Festival of one act plays with Who the Hell is Martin Copper? which he wrote and directed.
He has appeared in TVCs for KFC, Telstra and Kayo and is featured in season 2 of Colin From Accounts.
shiva chandra - “Hephaestus”
Shiva began his training at The Actors Pulse where students are trained in the Meisner Technique. He trained there for several years under the guidance of industry professionals like Aaron Glenane, Terry Serio, and Melissa Bonne. He has also trained in the Alexander Technique privately with Barbara Robertson for three and a half years.
Shiva has worked both on stage and infront of camera with Death In the Pantheon being his second play and the second time he’s worked with the play’s director James Hartley. Shiva’s debut play was The Lovely Bones at New Theatre. He was also a co-producer and actor in the Storehouse Stories monologue show funded by City of Sydney, American Express, and Bombay Sapphire. Shiva was also part of the NSW Government Winter Ad campaign to keep people safe from Covid in 2021 which aired throughout the state.
natasha cheng - “athena”
Natasha Cheng is a multilingual Australian born Chinese actor based in Sydney. She is an Australian Institute of Music graduate. She completed a Bachelor of Performance - Dramatic Arts with Distinctions. Since graduating in 2019 she has been in a number of projects, notably KXT Theatre Company’s production of Sensitive Guys as Amy/Pete, a production of Antigone at Io Myers Studio UNSW as The Leader both in 2020, Lunch with Bernays at KXT in 2021 and writing and producing her own play called We’re All Terrible Let’s Watch TV 2022. She has also been in a number of short films and made appearances in films and TV, more notably in Home and Away and the upcoming Marvel Movie - Thor: Love and Thunder. She is very excited for the great rise in diversity in film and theatre and looks forward to expanding her horizons in different projects.
bendeguz devenyi-botos - “Hades”
Bendeguz graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Stage and Screen Performance at the Sydney Theatre School in 2012.
Among his more recent stage work includes working in the multi-season run of Murder Mystery at Elizabeth Bay House with Applause Entertainment and critically acclaimed 2022 Fringe Festival run of Death in the Pantheon. In the past he has worked in acclaimed productions such as the experimental Dinner and a Show, Quack with UTS Backstage, Artology Remix Les Demoiselles d’Avignon with the Art Gallery of NSW, Footsteps on Water with ANF, as well as a number of other past productions with organisations including the Genesian Theatre Company and the Australian Theatre for Young People.
His camera credits include short films including “Double Take”, “In Memorium Gerard Buchanon”, “Jordan”, “The Adventures of Dead Girl”, and was nominated for ‘The Best Use of Character’ for his performance in “Redzone” for the 48 Hour Film Festival. He also starred in the Web series “The Reaper” and “The Drive”.
EDWARD FRAME - “ARES”
Edward is a Sydney based actor/singer currently managed by Phoenix Talent Management. After starring in multiple high school stage productions, he went on to study a Bachelor of Business while also maintaining his connection with the arts by studying acting and improvisation at James Cook University.
Upon moving to Sydney and beginning a career in the arts, he studied screen acting at the Sydney Actors Association (SAA) with Sam Haft and has since also studied under the tutelage of Marcus Graham (Acting) and Steve Dula (Singing).
Edward has previously worked with director James Hartley in This Modern Coil performed at the Pop Up Theatre in Redfern. He was also a part of Borderlands at the Sydney Fringe written and directed by Tommy James Green, also making a vocal appearance in sci-fi horror film Latency written and directed by James Croke, and in New York International Film Awards winning short film “This Should Be Banned” written and directed by Marcus Graham.
susan jordan - “hera”
Susan is an experienced stage and screen actor. She loves working with new people and stretching herself as an actor, and has performed in many theatrical genres including outdoor productions of Shakespeare, children’s théâtre (Toad of Toad Hall and Kids Club); street theatre (Happiness Stan, The Rocks); pub theatre in The Orient Hotel; immersive theatre (Deadhouse: Tales of Sydney Morgue – Louisa Collins). She started a long association with the New Theatre in Newtown in 1982, and has appeared in 14 productions there to date, as well as numerous other independent theatre ventures.
Highlight theatre performances include: Death in the Pantheon and Home Country (Sydney Fringe 2023); Mispoken (Wise Words Productions); Inner Weather (Chippen Street Theatre); Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 (Streamed Shakespeare); A Passage to India (Genesian Theatre); Vincent River, Metamorphosis (Throwing Shade); Traitors, Nell Gwnn, Neighbourhood Watch, (New Theatre); Fee Fi Fo Fum and Tales of Dark Knitting (downstairs Belvoir Street Theatre). Film and TV highlights include: Spook Siblings, Tunks Productions; The Sharehouse, AFTRS; Under the Sun (web series) Taste Creative; Deadly Women and True Crime, Beyond Films; The Money or the Gun, ABC. In 2006, she co-produced the radio program “Give My Regards to Stalin” for ABC Radio National’s Verbatim.
Susan has trained with Bill Pepper, Anthony Barclay, Kevin Jackson, Eamon Flack, O'Punsky Theatre, Jo Briant, and physical theatre through Shinbutoh, and Alicia Gonzales’ Le Coq based The Clown Institute. She is a proud member of MEAA, and thrilled to be invited back to recreate Hera.
jessie lancaster - “aphrodite”
Jessie is a Sydney based actor and received her Bachelor of Arts (Acting) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
Prior to WAAPA, Jessie trained at the Actors Centre Australia in the 2015 foundation program and studied a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours).
Most recently, Jessie toured and performed nationally with CDP Theatre Producers in their 2022-2024 musical production of The Gruffalo’s Child as ‘Mouse’ and their 2023 production of Mr Stink as the swing for Chloe.
Other theatre credits include: Poetry in Action (touring performer 2020-2021), Anne Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor (New Theatre, 2022), Anna in Ginger. Black. Brunette. Blonde. (Rogue Projects, 2019), Gwendolen Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest (WAAPA, 2018), Jacques in As You Like It (WAAPA, 2017) and Elizabeth in Holy Day (WAAPA, 2016).
Film/TV credits: Ruby in Spud (AFTRS, 2024) Billie in Bernice (Madeleine Wighton, 2023), Jessie in Ghoul Power (Imogen Ross, SF3 film festival and Etihad airways in flight entertainment, 2019), Joey Filch (WA Screen Academy, 9NOW, 2018), Amy Raw (WA Screen Academy, 9NOW, 2018), Spin Class Woman First Things First TVC (Department of Health, 2020), Featured Student Edith Cowan University TVC (2017-2018).
Outside of acting, Jessie writes poetry for the online platform Brainshnacks.
DANIEL MOXHAM - “DIONYSUS”
Daniel is a stage and screen actor from Perth and is a 2018 graduate of WAAPA’s Diploma of Screen Performance course. He most recently appeared in Christ Almighty at the Seymour Centre and the feature film Wild Butterfly.
cam ralph - “poseidon”
Cam Ralph is an actor and voiceover artist represented by MCSM and EM Voices respectively. Some of his most notable performances include Australian icon Blinky Bill in The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill (2014), Giggle Fangs and Hoot Pa in ABC’s long-running Giggle and Hoot (2014 - 2018) and Lucky the Leprechaun in Spotify’s “Lucky Charms” US promos (2022).
Cam has trained extensively with Kim Farrant, Acting Mastery, AMAW and NIDA, and has performed in numerous live/theatrical roles including Nicky in Avenue Q (North Shore Theatre Company, 2019), Brent Lyall in Managing Carmen (Lane Cove Theatre Company, 2019), Lord in The Mona Lisa Five (Upper Crass Theatre Company, 2020) and Mr. Mint in The Murder at Elizabeth Bay House (Applause Entertainment, 2022/2023).
dean tuttle - “zeus”
Dean trains with Eric Morris and the Actor’s Kiln, and performs and directs Mis-Spoken a regular night of monologues and live music at Misfits bar in Redfern. Most recently he was on stage in Stoned Ape at the Bondi Pavillion, Death on Thor Bridge at the Genesian, and True West at The Factory, Marrickville.
VICTOR KALKA - SET DESIGNER
Victor is a freelance designer and director. In 2019 Victor established the indie theatre company Virginia Plain that debuted with a new adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Select credits include:
Director: Grain in the Blood, Chef, The Pitchfork Disney, Twelfth Night [heads or tails], The Cherry Orchard (Virginia Plain); Radiant Vermin (Studio Sputnik) The Merry Wives of Windsor (New Theatre) A Delicate Balance (Sydney Classic Theatre Co.); Brothers Karamazov, Tender Indifference, and Red Cross (Arrive. Devise. Repeat.); Constellations (Chippen Street Theatre) Debris, Bitch Boxer and Grounded (Sydney Fringe Festival); Titus and The Seagull (SUDS); and Cowboy Mouth (Backspace Theatre).
Designer: Ear to the Edge of Time (Sport for Jove); Things I Know to be True, Once in Royal David’s City (New Theatre); Wit (Clock and Spiel Productions); Fuente Ovejuna!, Ditch (Dream Plane); Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (Montague Basement); The Street of Crocodiles and Image of an Unknown Young Woman (AFTT); A Westerner’s Guide to the Opium Wars (35 Square); Antigone and Wyrd (Ninefold).
Training: B.Perf Australian Institute of Music, and B.A. University of Sydney.
PARIS Bell - LIGHTING DESIGNER
Paris
MERLIN PENNA - PROPS DESIGNER
Merlin
MARICA FUMANTI - STAGE MANAGER
After completing a Bachelor of Film Studies at the University of Perugia, her hometown, Marica completed a Master's in Live Entertainment in Milan. She previously worked for the Italian theatre company TIEFFE and various performing arts festivals throughout Italy before moving to Sydney.
Previous productions include: The Secret of Chimneys, A Passage to India, Home Chat, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, My Family and Other Animals, The Park, The Chocolate Roster, Christ Almighty.
KEVIN RODRIGUEZA - MARKETING
Kevin’s theatre journey started in 2016 as a reviewer for Sydney’s local scene. Through his involvement in productions, he realised his true passion for Marketing where he’s launched his career. Kevin’s theatre portfolio now involves Directing, Marketing and his Stage Debut in 2024.
TOMMY JAMES GREEN - FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER
Tommy James Green is a Gadigal-based actor, playwright and fight choreographer. He's one of the stars of BBC/Stan's television series Ten Pound Poms and his original short play “Scratch” won a record-number of awards at Short+Sweet Sydney, the largest short play festival in the world, in 2013, including Best Script. His latest plays Christ Almighty and Portrait Unknown, both musical comedies, premiered at Sydney's Seymour Centre and London's Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, respectively, to glowing reviews. As a fight choreographer, Tommy imbues his knowledge of Historical Martial Arts with the playful exhibitionism of theatre; extracting story and character through movement, often with a comedic edge.
JAMES SHEPHERD - ADDITIONAL PROPS AND COSTUME SOURCING
James