Stirling Players Premiere Local Comedy-Drama.
During May 2013, Stirling Theatre (WA) presents the premiere of a new play by Stirling Players’ resident playwright, Peter Flanigan, which he describes as a comedy-drama with a few current social issues thrown in for good measure.
Is it possible to “get away from it all”? Maybe; maybe not. A Country Retreat, written in 2010, is set in a rural area of the south west of WA and presents real characters in believable situations; a play for our time.
The two main characters are Ros and Gary Grayson, "tree changers" who have just moved to the country. Other characters are their new neighbours Marty, and Kate and Maurice Mainyard, Bernice, Gary's sister, Carla, Ros's daughter and her partner Brendon, Rita, Gary's mother, two unexpected visitors, Steve and Eddie, and Detective Bratton.
This premiere production will be co-directed by Flanigan and Jann Rutherford.
Peter has been writing, directing and acting in plays and musicals during a long career, beginning in student days at UWA, and has continued in community theatre, both in the city and country, and with a large number of high schools throughout the state. After three years in Narrogin, where he was a member of Narrogin Repertory, he joined the Stirling Players in 1972, then a young, enthusiastic group staging plays in the old Progress Hall in Scarborough. It was on this tiny stage that many of his plays and musical revues were first performed. It was also during the early 70s that he founded the local newspaper The Hamersley Gazette, which later grew into The Stirling Times, part of Community Newspapers.
In the 1980s, he was invited by TAFE Extension to write a course in Practical Drama. This resulted in a text book, Play Production – A Practical Approach, a series of lessons, and the simultaneous publication of six of his plays. Later publications have included two books of one act plays, The Rout of Randolph Rockheart and Other Plays and Seven One Act Plays. Many of these plays have been performed by theatre groups and schools in WA
Past productions of his original full length plays include The Rocks (2004), There’s A War On You Know (2006), Gordon Booth (Deceased) (2008) and Gone A Million (2009); one act plays The Burglar, The Curse Of The Mummy, The Candidate, The Rainy Day Is Now, Slightly Breathless, The Man Next Door, Grete and Mandy. He also wrote and directed Murder, Mayhem and Mirth (A History of St George’s Cathedral) in 2005.
Performance dates: May 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at 8 pm; matinees May 12 and 19 at 2 pm. Bookings open on Monday, April 8 from Morris News on 9440 1040. Tickets $20 Adults, $18 Concessions, $16 Members.
http://www.stirlingplayers.com.au/
Images: (top) The Company - Standing: Peter Francisco (Marty), Ursula Johnson (Rita),Jason Forbes (Det. Bratton), Fran Gordon (Ros), Peter Boylen (Gary), Christine Ellis (Bernice), Paul Anderson (Maurice), Janet Brandwood (Kate), Jim Chantry (Steve) and Gino Cataldo (Eddie). Seated: Alexandra D'Ulisse (Carla) and Kieran McDonald (Brendon). (The pumpkins feature in one scene, grown by Gary in his new garden.) Lower - Peter Flanigan with Jann Rutherford.
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