A unique, one-off theatrical experience—rehearsed readings from Spoon River Anthology interwoven with live music. Sweetly melancholy, darkly funny, lighthearted yet mysterious, reflective yet raw.
Banned for years in Menard and Fulton counties, Spoon River Anthology was groundbreaking upon its release. Written by Edgar Lee Masters, this poetic masterpiece gives voice to those resting beneath the soil of Spoon River Cemetery—nostalgia mixed with unfiltered emotion, secrets laid bare, lives and longings revealed.
Praised by literary greats like Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot, Spoon River Anthology remains as haunting and beautiful as ever. Now, brought to life at Dubbo’s Black Box Theatre.
Content Warning: Contains adult themes and sensitive subjects.
Get ready for a fast-paced, no-holds-barred sprint into playwriting! In just two hours, you’ll go from a blank page to a short, stage-ready script, perfect for performance in a black box theatre. No overthinking. No endless rewrites. Just pure creative energy and a story that demands to be told.
What’s the deal?
A high-energy workshop designed to get words on the page—FAST.
Learn how to generate ideas at lightning speed and craft compelling scenes.
Keep it lean and mean—a 1 to 2-page play with big impact.
No tech stress! Bring whatever you like to write or type on, but a Google account is recommended for shared resources. Tech support is NOT included—we’re here to write, not troubleshoot!
Where? Black Box Theatre, Dubbo When? April 3, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Cost? $30 per person Barrier to entry? If cost is stopping you from joining, reach out to Studio 138—we want everyone to share their stories!
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about getting it DONE. Are you in?
Romance Rules Film Festival 2025 – A Fantastic Night of Film
The Romance Rules Film Festival at Studio 138 was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a night of short films exploring romance in all its forms. There were plenty of laughs, moments of reflection, and a great sense of community as we enjoyed films from around the world.
The audience favourite ended in a three-way tie:
• Little Issues – Directed by Jerah Milligan (USA)
• The Meaning Of No – Directed by Reid McGowan, Mik Gojic (Australia)
• 26 eXes – Directed by Tess Lafia (USA)
Congratulations to these filmmakers for their outstanding work.
Thank you for being part of this celebration of storytelling. We look forward to welcoming you to our next event.
We had a terrific night at the screening for the 2024 Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci Fi and Horror Fest screening. The audience loved the incredibly diverse genre short films from around the world.
Congratulations to the category winners (see below). As per the rules, we have reserved the right not to award winners in a small number of categories.
A big thank you to filmmakers Kalina Davis (“Hidden Prey”) and Julianna Purnell who attended the screening in person.
We’ll be opening entries soon for the 2025 season.
Official selections screened at the event
‘They’re Coming’ Country of origin: United States Director(s): Camy “Cameron” Arnett
‘Unit 17: Week 3’ Country of origin: United States Director(s): David Kaye, Theresa Stefaniak
‘Reboot’ Country of origin: China Director: CHRIS QI YAO
‘Hidden Prey’ Country of origin: Australia Director: Kalina Davis
‘Lab Rat’ Country of origin: Australia Director: Ben Hargreaves
‘La Soglia’ Country of origin: Italy Director(s): Nicolò Tonani, Sofia Gasparetti, Simone Colombo
‘I Was’ Country of origin: Italy Director(s): Matteo Capatti, Lorenzo Mazzucchi
‘Demon Dog’ Country of origin: Australia Director: Juliana Purnell
‘Ruined Date’ Country of origin: Mexico Director: Antonio Rotunno
‘Doom Scroll’ Country of origin: Australia Director: Roy Weiland
‘Moonbeans: A Tale of Two Astronauts’ Country of origin: United States Director: James G. Maynard
‘The Missing’ Country of origin: Australia Director: Lovejeet Singh
‘The Man in the Red Pants’ Country of origin: Australia Director(s): Liam Govan, Hassibullah Kushkaki
‘Delivery’ Country of origin: United States Director: Braydon Leadbetter
Category award winners
Poster for “The Missing”
Audience favourite – “The Missing”
Short film – Horror / Thriller – “The Missing”
Short film – Sci Fi – “Lab Rat”
Director – Lovejeet Singh “The Missing”
Actor – Alex Botto – “The Missing”
Song / score – Paul Shrofel (score) “Hinter-Land”
Production design – “The Man in the Red Pants”
Sound design – “I Was”
Mobile phone / tablet film – “Demon Dog” & “Hidden Prey”
Trailer – “I Was”
Poster – “They’re Coming”
Screenplay – horror / thriller – “Chrysalis” by Lachlan Anderson-Schmidt
When: July 16 – 19, 2024, 10 am to 2 pm (school holidays)
Cost: $385 (inc GST) per student (payment plans available)
Where: Studio 138, Unit 1 – 54 Mountbatten Drive, Dubbo
Discover the magic of screen acting with our intensive, hands-on workshop designed for aspiring young actors! Over four exciting days, you’ll immerse yourself in the world of film and learn from an experienced actor and director. This is your chance to shine on camera, develop your skills, and star in a short film project that will be shared online and submitted to film festivals.
What You’ll Experience:
Master Vocal Performance: Learn essential vocal techniques to bring your characters to life.
Act for the Camera: Perfect your acting, voice, and movement skills tailored specifically for screen performance.
Engaging Exercises: Participate in fun and interactive acting exercises that will enhance your abilities.
Improvisation Skills: Build confidence and spontaneity through improvisation, a crucial skill for any actor.
Character Development: Dive deep into script work to create compelling and believable characters.
Film Set Insights: Gain valuable knowledge about the inner workings of a film set and what to expect.
Collaboration: Work closely with fellow participants to complete a professional short film project.
Overcome Nerves: Learn practical techniques to manage performance anxiety and deliver your best.
Special Highlights:
Short Film Screening: Family and friends will be invited to a special screening of your completed short film approximately two weeks after the workshop.
Expert Guidance: The workshop is led by a qualified and experienced educator with a current Working With Children Check, ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment.
Join us for this transformative experience and take the first step towards your acting dreams. Spaces are limited, so enrol now and let your talent shine!
Students will need to bring their own lunch, snacks and drinks (no energy drinks).
About the facilitator
Erifili Davis is an experienced actor, writer and director and 2024 Dubbo Cultural Person of the Year. Her short films have been screened at film festivals around the world. She is also an experienced educator and has a current Working With Children approval.
We’re excited to announce our February 2024 monthly semi-finalists of our Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror Fest. Our semi-finalist films will be in consideration to be selected for our live screening in October 2024, where the annual winners for each category will be announced.
“Nobody’s Business” is a short film written and directed by Erifili Davis.
Set in the 1920s, “Nobody’s Business” is about underworld queen Evelyn who must choose between her love and her reputation. The film It will be shot in Dubbo on May 26, 2024.
Everyone involved will get an IMDB credit and catering will be provided on the set.
We are auditioning for the following characters:
VINCENT (major role) – male, 25 – 55 years old, charming, charismatic, the life of the party. He loves Evelyn but has an underlying resentment about being a ‘kept man’ (small payment to selected actor)
BODYGUARD 1 (small speaking role) – male or male presenting, any age, tough and loyal to Evelyn (small payment to selected actor)
NON-SPEAKING BODYGUARDS (unpaid)
CLUB PATRON EXTRAS (non-speaking) – 18+, all genders, (unpaid) – let us know if you have a special talent!! (unpaid)
NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY – come along and have some fun!
We are also looking for musicians who may be interested in playing the jazz songs to be recorded as part of the film.
Auditions will be held this Sunday, March 24, 1 pm to 3 pm. If this time doesn’t suit, let us know and we’ll make other arrangements.
Auditions will be held at Studio 138’s new premises – Unit 1 / 54 Mountbatten Dr.
If you’d like to audition and find out more, click the link to fill out the form:
We’re excited to announce our January 2024 monthly semi-finalists of our Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror Fest. Our semi-finalist films will be in consideration to be selected for our live screening in October 2024, where the annual winners for each category will be announced.
Join us for the 2024 screening of the Romance Rules Film Festival. We have a great line-up of short films from around the world all about romance – the good, the bad and the ugly!
When: February 16, 2024 @ 7.30 pm Venue: Black Box Theatre, Western Plains Cultural Centre, 76 Wingewarra Street, Dubbo, New South Wales, 2830 BYO: Drinks & snacks Some films include adult themes, sexual references and occasional coarse language
Tickets: $12 each (including GST) online and at the door
Featured film (non-competition) “Greek Philosophia And Chickens”
We are so excited to present the award winning short Greek Philosophia And Chickens, written by Despina Moraitu Politzi, directed by Aimiende Negbenebor Sela and starring Germaine Gaudet (How to Successfully Fail in Hollywood, River of Ghosts), Brian D Cohen (Nash Bridges, The Rookie), Lukas Hassel (Blacklist, Slapface, Limitless) and Lainie Kazan (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Gigli, Tango Shalom).
Part drama, part comedy with a hint of romance, Greek Philosophia and Chickens follows a sixty-something best-selling romance author who, feeling invisible as woman, hires an assassin to take her out. An encounter with chef/restaurant owner, Niko, and his vivacious waitress mother, Katina, from whom she learns a Greek philosophy/saying that really gets her thinking maybe…?
Official Selections
Beta Days, dir Dan Walls (Australia)
A Rose in the Mud, dir Kailey McComas (United States)
Bud, dir Jamie Martinez (United States)
For a Moment, dir Coco Tolentino (United States)
Dear Heartbreak, dir Ffion Pritchard (United Kingdom)
The Holidaze of Noelle Snow, dir Courtney Anne McLaren (United States)
Slow Dating, dir Adam Szudrich (Australia)
TutuTango, dir Dorothee Elfring, Michael Finbar Sheehan (United States)
All official selections will be eligible to be voted as “Audience Favourite”.
Finalists
Category winners will be announced at the end of the screening.
Fell Purpose is a short film based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth and made in Dubbo with local cast and crew. A dark fantasy, we’ve also added a bit of a twist to the story. The project was led by women, both on-screen and off.
Whilst production has been completed, your support will allow us to enter film festivals around the world. You’ll be kept up to date with screenings and we’ll let you know where it will be screened and how to get tickets, giving you the option of attending in person (if you would like!)
We have several different sponsorship levels. Please note: all are GST inclusive. A Tax Invoice can be provided on request.
Please note: to be listed on the IMDB page, your name will need to comply with IMDB requirements. Usually this means providing a first name and surname with more than one letter in each name. Your sponsorship is appreciated but does not entitle ownership of the project.
Your name on the IMDB listing under “Special Thanks”
You name listed on the one-screen credits of the film under “Special Thanks”
Updates on the film’s film festival run (via email)
Use link below for secure payment via PayPal. Please allow up to 2 business days to confirm the name for your IMDB and on-screen credit and to issue a tax invoice. PayPal account will appear as QuickSmart Publishing & Media.
Your name on the IMDB listing under “Associate Producer”
You name listed on the one-screen credits of the film under “Associate Producer” with a maximum of 2 other names on the screen
Updates on the film’s film festival run (via email)
An exclusive “supporters-only” streamed version of the short film during the film festival run and prior to public release (available from December 2022 for 6 months)
(optional) A shout-out for you or your business on the Studio 138 business page
Use link below for secure payment via PayPal. Please allow up to 2 business days to confirm the name for your IMDB and on-screen credit and to issue a tax invoice. PayPal account will appear as QuickSmart Publishing & Media.
Your name on the IMDB listing under “Executive Producer”
You name listed on the one-screen credits of the film under “Executive Producer” – your name will appear om its on own on the screen
Updates on the film’s film festival run (via email)
An exclusive “supporters-only” streamed version of the short film during the film festival run and prior to public release (available from December 2022 for 6 months)
An A4 poster of the film (including postage if you are not located in Dubbo)
(optional) A shout-out for you or your business on the Studio 138 business page
Use link below for secure payment via PayPal. Please allow up to 2 business days to confirm the name for your IMDB and on-screen credit, confirm delivery arrangements for your poster and to issue a tax invoice. PayPal account will appear as QuickSmart Publishing & Media.
