‘Brand Spanking New’, described as ‘an annual celebration of New Australian playwriting’, is currently playing at Newtown’s New Theatre.

Over two weeks ‘Brand Spanking New’ explores monologues, short plays, sketches and excerpts from longer pieces. This year’s season features new works by writers of the quality of Ian Wilding, Rebecca Clarke, Alana Valentine, Catherine Zimdahl, and Kate Mulvany.

I went along during the week to catch the plays from the first week. The season started on a high note with all the performers coming out on stage and performing a choreographed dance sequence celebrating the art of creative writing. Paul Matthews’s set for the season, a large tree with branches and leaves extending everywhere, with different writer’s notes atached, was a strong design statement.

Ned Manning’s ‘Black and White’ started the evening with a poignant piece depicting a young woman trying to educate her partner about the Great Depression as she shows him pics of Australians going through those terrible times.

Kate Mulvany’s ‘Chicom’, perhaps a quirky spin off of ‘The Hurt Locker’, featured the thoughts going through the minds of four soldiers, three men and one woman, who suspect that one of them has been trapped by a land mine. Plenty of suspense is mixed with wry observations and humour.

Fleur Beaupert’s ‘Band Practice’ observed a quirky romantic encounter on a street corner between a young woman hanging out with her mobile phone and a young guy doing wheelies with his pushbike. The piece was neatly played by Kailah Cabanas and Thomas Mittelheuser.

Anna Lise Phillips’s ‘The Pash Off’, another wryly observed encounter, was delicately played out by Georgina Symes and Tim Walter.

Katie Pollock’s drama ‘One Percent’ stood out, featuring an interesting scenario where a man who has been assaulted discovers why the young boy who witnessed the assault was unable to provide any assistance.

Week 2 of ‘Brand Spanking New’, featuring eight new plays in this celebration of the theatre of ideas, commences on Wednesday 3rd November and plays until Saturday 6th November, 2010.