Craig Alexander

Notes

Craig's also a father of four, a motorcycle enthusiast, gamer, somewhat-regular meditator, callisthenics practitioner, Wing Chun Kung Fu student, not very successful organic vegetable grower, often house-husband, Connoisseur vanilla ice-cream addict and occasionally finds time to sleep... Best Actor (The Photographer, thehorse.media | Life, Short Poppy Productions) - Canberra Short Film Festival 2018 Best Actor (Dirt, Next In Line Films) - Fleurieu Film Festival 2016 Craig Alexander – Review Excerpts VENUS IN FUR by David Ives – The Street Theatre. Directed by Caroline Stacey. “Every aspect of the Street Theatre’s production is brilliantly realized. There are some outstanding examples of powerfully staged professional theatre emerging on Canberra’s local stages, and Venus in Fur is dressed in the finest theatrical fashion to conquer any stage… At its heart, though, are the performances of Alexander and Richards under the astute and disciplined direction of Stacey. This is a formidable team of artists, who have created an unmissable theatrical tour de force at the Street…Alexander’s Novachek is a victim from the start after a day of unresolved auditions. His power as a first time director of his own play crumbles under the forceful presence of Jordan who then shifts his authority to subservience, bewitched and oppressed by natural forces over which he has no control. Alexander evokes pity and empathy, a confusion of reaction as he wields his characters’ frailties and desperate longings. His delivery of the account of Kusiemski’s beating with a briar by his sadistic Aunt reveals Sacher-Masoch’s beguiling fascination with the pleasure in pain of the masochist. The complexity of performing double roles is surmounted with utter aplomb, as two outstanding actors grapple with Ives’ themes and hold the audience for one hundred minutes of magnificent theatre and skilfully directed ensemble playing. Venus in Fur warrants a far longer season and queues jostling for standbys. In other theatrical Meccas this production would be the talk of the town.” Peter Wilkins, Canberra Critics Circle. "The acting by Joanna Richards and Craig Alexander, under Stacey’s direction, makes the complex transitions between their ‘real life’ roles and their roles as Severin von Kusiemski and Wanda von Dunajew look easy… has worked so well that, bit by bit, we are drawn into sensing the depth of the changing relationship which is the essence of the play – David Ives’ play, that is…This production is top quality from set, costume, sound and light design through to the acting, all showing a true integration of all the theatrical elements not always seen even in major company productions." Frank McKone Theatre Reviews “VENUS IN FUR at The Street Theatre is a very fine production, the best I've seen in a long while. A knife-sharp articulation of the dynamics between men and women, between masculine and feminine, between head and heart and crotch, between the past and the present, between 'truth' and 'fiction'. Powerful performances from Joanna Richards and Craig Alexander, edgy direction, gorgeous lighting, an evocative set, and one of the most understated musical scores I've ever heard.“ - Nigel Featherstone SUMMER OF THE SEVENTEENTH DOLL by Ray Lawler– Pigeonhole Theatre. Directed by Karen Vickery WINNER Canberra Critics Circle Award for Theatre: “For their excellent production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll by Ray Lawler, a welcome revival of an Australian classic with heart.” “The ebb and flow of the two men’s relationship with each other provides both comic and tragic moments; yet their development unites them in an emptiness of existential ennui capturing the essence of an Australiana mostly in denial. This is testimony to the power of the writing, the deft direction and superb performing instincts of [Dene] Kermond and Alexander.” Joe Woodward, City News “The 2017 revival of Ray Lawler's classic Australian drama about the consequence of change in a relationship bristled with relevance with outstanding performances from Jordan Best as the Melbourne barmaid, Olive, and Craig Alexander as the cane-cutter Roo.” Peter Wilkins Top Five Canberra Theatre Picks for 2017, Canberra Times. JACOB MARLEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL by Tom Mula The Street Theatre. Directed by Michelle Higgs “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol poses an actor’s Leviathan challenge. Craig Alexander and director Shelly Higgs have chosen to perform the solo version of Mula’s play. Alexander is faced with the daunting task of playing all characters, plummeting at times to the depths of despair while navigating the treacherous course of his emotional rapids. In the intimate confines of the Street Theatre’s Studio Two, Alexander’s performance is electric, magnetic in its intensity, mercurial in its humour and relentless in its forceful energy. Mula’s two act tour de force demands of an actor exhausting versatility, vibrant imagination, physical endurance and keen intelligence served by a vivid imagination. In Alexander, Mula’s demands are fully realized in a performance that will have audiences captivated by an outstanding stortyteller actor…Alexander offers a performance not to be missed.” Peter Wilkins, Canberra Critics Circle. “Craig Alexander jumps effortlessly between narration and the the characters. Both vocally and physically. Rapidly jumping between them with no bleed of character. It seems effortless but it is hard work and he holds the audience in the palm of his hands for two hours (including interval). With a remote control placed on the ladder and another slipping in and out of his hand Alexander controls the lights and music (even the house lights at interval and the end). Making it literally a one man show: Stage Manager, Lighting, Sound.. and acting… It’s “a tale around the fire” and with a great tale and a great storyteller you can’t lose.” Lynden Jones, theatrenow.com.au