Shakespeare in Saigon in Strathmore
It’s a love story with a difference. It’s Pygmalion in Footscray with a nod towards Educating Rita. A retired English Literature teacher (with a penchant for the Marx Brothers) falls on hard times. He meets a newly arrived young woman, one of the original boat people from Vietnam. Neither speaks the same language. How they communicate is a mix of mirth and misunderstanding until along come the words of a playwright called Shakespeare. As a one-act play with three characters, Shakespeare in Saigon was wonderfully successful. Now re-written as a two-act play with six characters, STAG is staging the world premiere.
STAG (Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group) welcomes back writer/director Cenarth Fox to present his new play Shakespeare in Saigon. Fox has previously presented his original plays Betty’s Birthday, Scrubbers and The Merry Widows for STAG and has had successful seasons of several other original plays and musicals of his throughout Melbourne.
Fox is an Australian playwright, composer, author and director whose plays, musicals and books are performed and sold around the world mainly in Britain, North America, Africa, New Zealand and Australia. He is also a highly skilled director.
STAG’s cast features Shirley Cattunar, Carmel Behan, Alastair Rice, Ai Diem Le, Sarah Cooper and Kaye Mills. Settings are by Tony Leatch, with lighting by Rob Mc Donald.
STAG presents
Shakespeare in Saigon
By Cenarth Fox
Directed by Cenarth Fox
At STAG Theatre
Strathmore Community Centre, corner of Loeman and Napier Streets, Strathmore
(Melway Reference: 16 H 10)
Thursday 12 November to Saturday 14 November; Thursday 19 November to Saturday 21 November @ 8pm
Sundays 15 and 22 Novmember@ 2pm
TICKETS: $20 adult, $15 concession, $2 discount off full price tickets for groups of 10 or more
BOOKINGS: 9382 6284
www.stagtheatre.org/reservations
STAG THEATRE
Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group Inc. (STAG) is an unsubsidised, amateur community theatre company established in 1955. Each play’s run usually features seven evening performances and one Sunday matinee. This pattern is sometimes altered, for example, for children’s plays and pantos to allow for additional matinees.
Images: Ai Diem Le who plays Thanh Nguyen. Photographer; Al Burkun
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