Stage Whispers begins a news series on community theatre enthusiasts and their contrasting day jobs.
Meet Tom Sweeney, Community Relations Officer for Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium by day and President of the Willoughby Theatre Company and Director extraordinaire by night.
What does your day job involve?
I have to market a cemetery and crematorium, and most people say why bother? Well we have competition down the street and a name change to promote.
Phoenix Ensemble (Queensland) brings Rogers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music to Beenleigh’s Pavilion Theatre on 14 October.
Directed by Tracey Hutley, the production will play over five weekends – including two matinees – in what promises to be a blockbuster season for the renowned ensemble.
For Tracey, a large part of the show’s enduring appeal – aside from memorable songs and music – is the amazing story of Maria von Trapp.
ANIMATION, puppetry and live music are coming together this October for a 90-minute version of Shakespeare’s classic All’s Well That Ends Well at the Old Mill Theatre from October 23 to 29, 2011.
Directed by Sarah McKellar for the North Sea Boat Terminals Theatre Company, she says it will still be Shakespeare’s words – but different to other productions seen in Perth before.
“It’s an innovative, slightly crazy version of All’s Well That Ends Well,” McKellar said.
BuSTCo, the Deakin University student theatre group (Vic), will present “13” by Jason Robert Brown as their major musical production for 2011, at the Kel Watson Theatre from September 28 to October 2.
“13” opens in the not so distant future, where Evan Goldman, a Jewish-American man transports us back to the year preceding his Bar Mitzvah (Bar Mitzvah: the Jewish rite of passage from boyhood into manhood at the age of 13)
One beach house; two married couples … it’s going to be a long, long weekend!
John’s jumpy, Chloe’s hyper, Sam’s sulking and Sally’s upset - but for once they have time to think about life’s big questions in Mixed Salad Productions’ SA premiere of Terrence McNally’s play Lips Together,Teeth Apart from October 20 to November 5.
The Regals Musical Society (Sydney) will present Annie from October 14 – 22, in a production with a look inspired by the films of Tim Burton.
Originally to be performed at Rockdale Town Hall, the production will now be staged at Sydney Technical High School Auditorium following the discovery of asbestos issues during recent renovations.
Michele Lansdown, who will play the role of Miss Hannigan, spoke to Stage Whispers.
Normanhurst Uniting Church Musical Society (NSW) presents Man of La Mancha from October 7 – 22, 2011.
Man of La Mancha is the story of Miguel de Cervantes, a failed author and poet in 16th century Spain. Imprisoned to await trial by the Spanish Inquisition, and placed before a mock court of his fellow prisoners, he attempts to save the manuscript of his book by giving a performance of the story - the tale of a man who imagines himself to be a gallant Knight, Don Quixote de La Mancha.
Licorice Allsorts, iPads and Cyndi Lauper aren’t images usually associated with Gilbert and Sullivan’s perennial operetta favourite, The Mikado – but the Gilbert and Sullivan Society has been turning Japanese in the strangest way for its next production.