For Pete's Sake
It’s March. Autumn is upon us. Easter is around the corner. Season one has left the building. Big congratulations to Kris and her team for a wonderful production. What a way to start the year.
I was chatting to a patron in the foyer after the show one night. She confided in me that she rarely gets to go to the theatre as other priorities tend to take over. At one stage during the conversation she said, “You’re so lucky – you get to hang around with all these wonderful, friendly, professional peopleâ€. I was chuffed that, when she said that, she was indicating our Front of House staff.
She’s right, you know. Our Front of House people are amazing. Along with our hard-working ticket secretary, they really are the face of the company to the general public. Ably coordinated by Bob Harsley and Peta Ripper, our army of FoH volunteers is well trained and very willing to donate their time and energies to ensuring that the theatrical experience of our patrons is first class. We can put on the best shows in Melbourne but, if the FoH experience is lacklustre, it will seriously jeopardise our patrons’ capacity to have a great night out. And that’s what it’s all about.
For those who have never done FoH at a community theatre, here’s an inside tip…… It’s actually quite fun. You get to work alongside some amazing, talented, community minded people. You get to meet and chat with our regular patrons as well as those coming to the theatre for the first time. Once the audience is safely in their seats and the doors are closed, it’s a great opportunity to sit back in our foyer or courtyard with a glass of something and chat to the people you’re working with. It’s a lovely way to spend an evening.
So to all our FoH vollies – a heartfelt thank you from the company and from those that benefit from your service. For those who haven’t joined us, but have often thought you might like to give it a go, come along! It’s gotta be better than watching Gogglebox.
See you in the foyer!
Peter
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Chris Baldock delivers a compelling performance as her oncologist husband, Ian. Described by Juliana as a philanderer who is about to divorce her, Chris brings extra dimension to the role with his palpable mix of exasperation with and concern for his ailing wife. The scene where they confront the speculation as to who hit whom first is one of the most compelling in the play.
Clare Hayes has a trio of roles as ‘the Woman’ and succeeds in making each one distinct both physically and intellectually as she portrays a doctor named Cindy, the estranged daughter and a stranger who now owns the Cape Cod beach house which is the eponymous Other Place. There is irony in the fact that Juliana mistakes this stranger for her daughter and the change in attitude from alarm at the home invasion to concern for the delusional woman was convincingly conveyed.
Wesley Forke capably filled the more bland roles assigned to ‘the Man’, as a nurse and notably the research assistant who becomes the unwanted son-in-law.
umbrellas added to the discomfort! After lunch 
