The Basement's reputation as a hot-house for new talent is emphatically confirmed by a blast of youthful energy that has teams of young actors, each with their own writer and director, devising three short plays.
The plays are all set in motion by the same opening lines and the teams have come up with intriguing variations on an open-ended scenario in which four party-people try to coax a reluctant stay-at-home to join them for a night on the town.
First up, To Cassette, offers a wry commentary on the courtship rituals of Kiwi youth - ranging from the anxiety-ridden awkwardness of a geeky first date through to the crudely utilitarian, down-to-business approach.
Writer Brad Johnson displays a great ear for naturalistic dialogue with fluid overlapping conversations capturing the shambolic flow of a pre-party drinking session.
The sharply drawn characters provide plenty of opportunities for the cast and Jatinder Singh convincingly represents the alcoholic fuelled machismo of a Kiwi Casanova while Peter Coates is engagingly sweet as the love-struck nerd.
