A male playwright and his female characters

The next production from STAG (Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group) is Scrubbers, by Melbourne playwright and composer Cenarth Fox, at the Strathmore Community Hall from May 31 to June 9, 2012.

Five women clean a large multi-storey office building and every night before work, chat in their tea-room. Each woman has some sadness in her life which ‘disappears’ thanks to an amazing activity. Money troubles, lousy relationships, career failure and a difficult family history are replaced with a great bond of friendship. The scrubbers sing, dance and laugh their way into people’s hearts. They also throw in two other surprising and delightful ingredients with their unique form of entertainment.

STAG welcomes back writer/director Cenarth Fox to present his musical play Scrubbers. Fox has previously presented his original play Betty’s Birthday for STAG and has had successful seasons of several other original plays and musicals of his throughout Melbourne.

Cenarth Fox is an Australian playwright, composer and author whose plays, musicals and books are performed and sold around the world mainly in Britain, North America, Africa, New Zealand and Australia. He told Stage Whispers.

“Over the last 40 years I’ve written many plays with strong roles for women. Scrubbers is a typical example. Women make seriously interesting characters. They often have great depth to their lives with an ability to make us think. I’ve written plays about Agatha Christie, Georgina Hogarth [sister-in-law to Dickens], Mary Doyle [mother of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle] and Sue Du Val [leading Australian chef and hostess].

“Moving On, a one-woman musical and Resting, a one-woman play, are other shows which both allow female performers to seriously explore the human condition in drama, comedy and song.

“And then Scrubbers, an all-female musical, gives five women the chance to strut their stuff. This musical was first staged in Canada in 2000.

“The plot involves five women from different backgrounds, of different ages and personalities and each with their own sadness. There are problems with marriage, addiction, careers and family, but by joining forces, the women’s lives are transformed. They create an unusual performing group. They sing, act and dance but offer two other brilliant and unique services. Only the Scrubbers do what they do.

“Many productions in Britain, Australia and New Zealand talk about the show’s great roles for women, about the brilliant songs and about the rave reviews from audiences. Having a simple set and backing CD make staging this musical a breeze.

“People ask me about the experience of directing my own plays and musicals. I started doing that in 1974 and nothing’s changed. It’s always a challenge. It still takes loads of hard work to stage the best quality show.”

Scrubbers had its premiere season in Canada in 2000 and has since had many productions in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.

Images: (top) back row from left: Theresa Brancatisano, Michelle Tanner and Margaret Rawlinson & front row from left Helen Wentworth and Francesca Ferra-Macri; (middle) From left

Helen Wentworth [guitar], Theresa Brancatisano, Margaret Rawlinson, Michelle Tanner and Francesca Ferra-Macri (lower) Theresa Brancatisano and Francesca Ferra-Macri. Photographer: Anita Fox.

STAG presents Scrubbers

Written and directed by Cenarth Fox.

Strathmore Community Centre, corner of Loeman and Napier Streets, Strathmore

Thursday 31 May to Saturday 2 June @ 8pm

Sunday 3 June @ 2pm

Wednesday 6 June to Saturday 9 June @ 8pm

Bookings: (03) 9382 6284

www.stagtheatre.org/reservations

More Reading

Community Theatre Seasons 2012 - www.stagewhispers.com.au/community-theatre/community-theatre-seasons-2012

More Community Theatre - www.stagewhispers.com.au/community-theatre