|
|
|
|
Jottings from the Engine Room of The Nance
As the dust settles at the Irving Place Theatre, the stage is dark and we say, “bye...simply...bye.†Farewell but not forgotten, for The Nance was the biggest show we’ve produced in many a year. The fact that we were able to realise it at all was remarkable. The fact that it was so well done was truly astonishing. Around eighty costumes, complicated settings and numerous transitions all quickly achieved with David Dare’s bespoke revolve, musical numbers, quirky props...the list goes on! What were we thinking?
How was all this achieved? Easy! It just needed boundless energy, creative solutions, dedicated insanity and a large dose of good humour to keep the thing going. Add to that a dream cast, and how could the production not be excellent?
As one of the greasers in the engine room of this Titanic, I’ll leave it to others to present a measured review of the production. We really didn’t get to see much of what was happening on stage. Fortunately we didn’t strike an iceberg but the metaphor is quite apt as this show really was like an iceberg i.e. 90% of it being invisible below the waterline. The visible tip, of course, comprised the cast. Headed by the fabulously talented Phil Lambert, they were truly a delight to work with. The invisible base comprises direction, musical direction, set design, costume design, choreography, sound and lighting design, props; etc, and of course, all those people who realise the designs and work on the production. A multitude of thanks to you all. Specifically, I’d like to single out the monumental efforts of Chris Baldock as director, David Dare as set designer, Janet Provan as musical director, Tony Tartaro as costume designer, Diânne Algate as choreographer, Jason Bovaird as lighting designer, Alex Begg as stage manager; and of course Barbara Hughes for coordinating the whole production.
In closing, please allow me to be partisan and say,  “hi...simply...hiâ€, to my fellow stokers and greasers (Alex, Rob and Andrew):
l-r Rob Edwards, Andrew Wild, Alex Begg & Brian Christopher - The Backstage Boys!
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that barks his hand with me upon the revolve
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in Williamstown now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That played with us upon Nancy Nance's day.â€
(with apologies to William Shakespeare)
Brian Christopher
Assistant Stage Manager
Thanks to Rob Edwards for this photo of Brian which he captioned;
10 am rehearsal and the energy is palpable
Editor's Note
Brian referred to the Production Coordinator role that wife  Barb took on for this show and all that that would have involved. Barb was also responsible, with Colleen Johnson, for all the props for The Nance, a not insignificant achievement. We were amused to read a Facebook posting from Barb, written midway through the run. Barb was referring to the work that she and some of the others also did behind the scenes as Dressers for The Nance - see below. Brian referred to the sheer volume of costumes, superbly assembled under Costume Designer Tony Tartaro's direction. Without the work every performance of the Dressers the quick changes involved would never have been achieved. Thank God therefore for the nine "really good backstage people" Barb honours!
"With five shows a year, it's sometimes tricky to find two or three really good backstage people. For The Nance we've had nine! Thank you Alex Begg, Brian Christopher, Andrew Wild, Rob Edwards, Janet Provan, Maureen White, Elizabeth Buckley, Stephanie King. That's 8.... oh, and me!"
Barb Hughes
|
|
Backstage and after The Nance
|
|
We have seen a variety of photos coming out of The Nance. Here are several special ones, celebrating those fabulous costumes and the sheer joy of being part of an amazing show to long be remembered. Apart from the obligatory cast selfies there's this wonderful picture of the full company (including that amazing back stage team, absent Janet Provan, Jason Bovaird and David Dare). Thank you to photographer/director Chris Baldock and any other photographers associated with the production.
|
|
Auditions - Sitting Pretty
|
|
Sitting Pretty
by Amy Rosenthal
Director: Robert Harsley
Production Coordinator: Brian Christopher
Season: 8-24 September
Auditions: Sunday 3 July 1pm & Monday 4 July 7.30pm
NOTE:
No parts have been pre-cast
No need to learn any part of the script - audition pieces will be available 15 min prior to your audition time.
SYNOPSIS
Unmarried sisters, in their fifties, share a London flat: Nina is brisk, dynamic and gainfully employed: Nancy is plump, self-conscious and suddenly redundant. Urged by Nina and their faithful friend, Max, to find a hobby, Nancy unwittingly stumbles into a job as a model for a group of eccentric life drawing students and their philandering teacher, Philip. Initially horrified to discover that life-models pose naked, Nancy is unexpectedly liberated by the experience, which she keeps a secret from her sister. But her newfound confidence unsettles Nina's self-possession. The sisters move towards an inevitable confrontation as Nina faces her unhappy past and Nancy glimpses at a possible future. This is a bitter-sweet play that unfolds with beautifully humorous twists and turns.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
Please note – all age descriptions are preferred – not set in stone.
Nancy
Mid 50s. Author states “plumpâ€. I wouldn’t be so rude. But…… has just been made redundant and is feeling defeated. There is one scene where the character is to pose nude. Don’t worry. The nudity will be suggested rather than graphic.
Nina
Nancy’s sister. Also mid 50s. Slender, dynamic. Employed in the arts area and is somewhat oblivious of Nancy’s plight. Energetic and go-go-go.
Max
Mid 50s. In love with Nina but is making no headway. Devoted to the sisters and tries to make their life as easy as possible. Handyman type.
Philip
Artist and art teacher. Late 40s. Loves the women – to a fault. Moves from one to another with barely a pause. Talented artist – with an artistic block.
Zelda
Sassy, attractive, 20ish. Philip’s latest girlfriend. Full of confidence with a brittle streak.
Josie
Art student. Brittle. Elegant. Late 30s. Art student and one of Philip’s exes.
Sylvia
Art student. Stately, mid 60s. Has a son in “high placesâ€, but we never find out how high.
Martin
Art student. Mid 40s. Thin, harassed, browbeaten, doesn’t want to be in the class.
Important - WLT Audition Requirements
When attending an audition at WLT, please bring with you an Audition Form, already completed with a non-returnable head-shot with your name written on the reverse side. Click the Button below to obtain the Audition Form.
|
|
|
To book an audition appointment or for any further information please Click the Button below to email the director, Robert Harsley.
|
|
For Pete's Sake
Ah May. It’s a funny old month. It’s not warm any more but it’s not cold. The days aren’t long but they’re not as short as they’re going to get. It’s not yet the end of autumn but any self-respecting deciduous tree has already lost its leaves. It’s an in-between kind of time isn’t it? The good thing is it’s half over.
Congratulations to all those involved in The Nance. What a stylish, complex, full-on production it was. The cast was awesome but special congratulations to those who worked behind the scenes both before and during the season. It was a mammoth undertaking and your hard work really paid dividends. I get the feeling that it’s a show that will stay in people’s minds for quite some time.
But we’ve already moved on. Ellis has conducted his auditions for the next show and has attracted a wonderful cast. It’ll be great to see Shirley Sydenham back on stage, such a versatile lady, and it’s great to welcome Rosalin Shafik-Eid back to the WLT stage. We love welcoming new faces to the WLT family;welcome Sass Pinci. Great to have you aboard!
Auditions are a curious beast. I think for the majority of actors (and maybe directors) they’re seen as a necessary evil – it’s a painful step you need to take in order to get to the fun stuff. I don’t think many people actually enjoy auditions but some are definitely less enjoyable than others.
For those who have never experienced an audition process, I think there are about as many ways of running an audition as there are directors! I think the most common kind of audition in community theatre these days is the individual audition, using excerpts from the script as audition pieces. The actor books in for a specified time and then it’s just him/her and the audition panel.
Some directors do small group auditions using people who are auditioning for different roles to read against each other. These can be less threatening than individual auditions, but you don’t get the same individualised attention. Some directors still use ‘cattle call’ auditions where all auditionees are in the same room and audition one at a time in front of all the others. Whilst there’s safety in numbers, this style can feel a bit intimidating – especially if you’re asked to go first!! I once saw a director use a cattle call audition process but then eliminate auditionees one at a time rather like an elimination round from a reality television program. Survivor – Community Theatre. That style really hasn’t caught on…..
The important thing is that a good audition should give the actor every opportunity to shine. But there are a couple of things the actor can do to help their case. Number one – read the script beforehand. All of it. Know the character you’re auditioning for. Number two – relax. The director is nervous too and wants you to succeed. Number three – if you book an audition time show up.
Whatever style Ellis engages for his auditions obviously works! Shirley, Ros and Sass congrats on surviving that process. Now comes the fun part! We’re looking forward to seeing the results of your hard work.
See you in the foyer!
Peter
|
Members & Friends
We start Members & Friends this month with sad news of the passing of Life Member June Lownds. After posting this on our Facebook page tributes have flowed from many with their fond memories of June. She has variously been described as talented, elegant, lovely, remarkable and somewhat of an "all rounder" in terms of her diverse contributions to WLT over the years. On Facebook Maggie McInnes summed up June thus; "Wonderfully kind lady, generous on stage, great fun, talented in all sorts of ways. Remembered with love." Ellis Ebell hosted last Sunday's 70th Anniversary event where he performed an excerpt from Barefoot in the Park, the first production in our Albert Street theatre. Ellis was in this original production with June and as he reprised his lines he could hear June saying her lines. This, some 43 years later and the same day that she passed away. We remember dear June elsewhere in this edition.
--oooOOOooo---
It's overseas travel-time again for some of the WLT tribe. Lois Collinder, who very ably directed our 70th Anniversary event last weekend, has jetted off to Canada. Judi Clark has been in Canada for a couple of weeks. Now we're wondering if Robyn Legge is also going to head to the land of the Maple leaf, because the three are the Ladies Who Lunch trio (they organise our Pleasant Sunday Afternoon Entertainments). Barb Hughes had no sooner hung up her many The Nance hats: Production Coordinator, Dresser, Props etc etc, than she too jetted off to North America and at the time of writing is in Boston headed for New York to meet up with ex WLT President Celia Meehan. Look out for some traveller tales from both Judi and Barb. Speaking of The Nance we will not quickly forget the beautiful realisation of the character of Ned by New York actor Ziv Gidron (pictured here with Director Chris Baldock).  We notice on Facebook that Ziv flew out of Australia last Monday after one day to recover from the show! We wish Ziv all the best and look forward to welcoming him back to WLT one day. WLT President Peter Newling and Alex Almond are imminently heading north to the sun, warmth and humidity of Bali, as is Cues & News Editor, Frank Page at the end of the month. Don't despair, they're all coming back.
--oooOOOooo---
A few weeks ago, Emma Hunt and Shirley Sydenham (pictured above with Gabe) went to the book launch of Gabe Bergmoser’s first novel Boone Shepard, which has now become Readings’ best selling young adult fiction book. It’s turning out to be an epic year for Gabe, what with winning an Emmy in November last year - the Sir Peter Ustinov Award for Best Television Screenplay, the publication of his first novel and in a few months the New York opening of the stage adaptation of the script for which he won the Emmy.
From Readings’ newsletter:
Is your life sadly bereft of evil plots, secret fortresses and suspicious experiments? You might want to rectify that by picking up a copy of Gabriel Bergmoser’s debut novel Boone Shepard. A young journalist is sent to investigate a missing persons case deep in the Scottish Highlands but the mystery takes a strange turn that becomes all-too-personal for Boone. Perfect adventure fare for fans of Indiana Jones and Tin Tin.
|
|
Vale - June Lownds
Ellis Ebell remembers June.
 My first encounter with June was when I joined WLT in 1963. We were doing a leaflet drop in the area for the play The Same Sky. I remember it was a cold, drizzly day and June invited all of us back to her place in Franklin Street, Newport. She was kind and welcoming. The next production was The Ballad of Angel’s Alley. I had a minor role and June played one of the ‘Molls’. I remember her rendition of ‘T’was ever thus for a woman’. In fact, I have this photo (right) of her hitting me with a chamber pot!
 Following this, I appeared with her in productions of The Man; The Boyfriend; and A Dead Secret and then, of course, we opened the new theatre in Albert Street with Barefoot in the Park. Over the years we shared the stage many more times. She was an absolute delight to work with and I learned a lot from her in those early years.
 She was not only a very good dramatic actress but her timing for comedy was superb. She was the recipient of the Cordell Award for her performances in Five Finger Exercise and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. (pictured right June with Les Terrill in The Gazebo 1974)
June was also blessed with a beautiful singing voice and she played many leading roles with what was then The Williamstown Light Opera Company. Many people still talk about her performance as Mrs Lovett in CLOC’s production of Sweeney Todd.
I think June’s last performance with WLT was as Ethel Thayer alongside Vin Foster as Norman Thayer (pictured below) in On Golden Pond in 1986.
She was made a Life Member of WLT for her services to the theatre. Not only did she perform, she made costumes, worked front of house and was always available to help dress a set or do some upholstery! June was also a Life Member of the Victorian Drama League.
She was also creative in other areas; she was a member of the Westside Potters and her pottery was sought after as were her water colours.
I so loved her home in Franklin Street, Newport that I bought it when she and Doug (her husband) decided to move to Hobart to be close to her son John and his wife Sue and their many grandchildren.
June’s health deteriorated and she moved into care after Doug’s death some years ago. She attended WLT’s Down Memory Lane -1946-1967 earlier this year, when John and Sue brought her over for that event. It was a delight to see her and she even sang in the courtyard in her wheelchair.
She will long be remembered by many at WLT.
Ellis Ebell
Editors Note:
The following is part of an email from June's son John Lownds conveying the sad news of her passing.
Mum passed away peacefully on Mother's Day. Sue visited with her on Wednesday and found her happy and well. We received a call from the nursing home late that night to say that she was unwell and had been given an injection and was sleeping. About 2 am Thursday we received another call, she had deteriorated and was being taken to Royal Hobart Hospital. Our son Justin beat us to the Emergency Department - we knew that she was dying. Later in the day she was transferred to palliative care in the Whittle Ward where she received wonderful care to ensure that she was comfortable and without pain throughout. Our daughter Kylie flew in overnight from W.A. and her sister flew in from N.S.W. We played CD's such as The Sound of Music, The Glory of Gershwin, and Bryn Terfel's Something Wonderful, Mum's favourite, a gift from Les Terrill. Till her last day she was mouthing the words or tapping the tune with her fingers on her chin. Music brought her great comfort. She passed from this life with Sue and I, her grandchildren Kylie, Justin and Elizabeth and Justin's wife Meghan by her side at 1pm.
Those who lovingly looked after June at Glenview commented that she had been so much brighter since her return from Melbourne and Sue and I had noted it too. We will be forever grateful we took Mum to the WLT 70th Anniversary celebration, Down Memory Lane - 1946-1967. Even though she couldn't remember having attended or who she had seen I believe it triggered something in her subconscious memory, perhaps taking her back to the stage where she belonged and gave so much to others over so many years. It took her into a joyous place over the last three months of her life.
I believe Mum lives on as a Spirit, awaiting the Resurrection. I would have loved to have been on the other side of the veil to observe the joyous reunion with Doug, her parents, Tom and Milly, her sister Barb, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. She would have been greeted too by her beloved thespian friends Alec and Nell Colville, Ken and Gwladys Winfield, Ivor and Dot Porter, Vin Foster, Grahame Murphy, Gary Metcalf, Lorraine West and many, many others.
|
|
|
A Bakery Doth a Theatre Make
What a delightful afternoon’s entertainment! It was Mothers’ Day, the weather was capricious but the warmth inside the theatre was evident in the laughter and applause that greeted an honour roll from WLT history… Ellis Ebell (pictured right) was host and performer, and sharing the limelight were Ray Hare, Rosemary Hare, Maggie McInnes, Marian Sinclair, Les Terrill and Bryan Thomas. Legends all. And there were legends whose names cropped as performers, directors, designers, movers and shakers of that era. Names like Laurie Gellon, in attendance in the audience, Brian Crossley, Vin Foster, Grahame Murphy and others. Holding scripts could not dim the talent that demonstrated why WLT’s daunting gamble in buying and converting a bakery was one that paid off in trumps.
  
The afternoon's cast of WLT luminaries took us through excerpts from Barefoot in the Park, the opening production in the new Albert Street little theatre in 1968, along with the following titles;
Relatively Speaking - 1972
Lysistrata - 1975
A Bunch of Ratbags - 1976
Journey's End - 1980
Equus - 1981
Present Laughter - 1985
Afterwards, people lingered over afternoon tea and bubbles, browsed the archival display and swapped stories. Thank you as ever to Shirley Sydenham, Peta Ripper and Bernadette Wheatley for refreshments and Frank Page for bar duties. Many stories! Thank you Judi Clark, Lois Collinder and Robyn Legge … you three put months of work into ensuring a wonderful afternoon was had by all, Lois and Robyn at the helm on the day, and Judi in spirit from Canada.
Ellis and Lois enjoying a post show post-mortem.
To see a broader selection of photos from this event click the button below and with thanks to Shirley Sydenham, Irene Fullarton and Frank Page for these images.
|
|
|
Adrienne Williamson, who is doing the gala bookings, informs us that bookings are coming in steadily. There’ve been bookings from WLT members, subscribers, friends. There’s even been one from New York!!
You can book in a group, a couple, as an individual….all combos are welcome!
Click on the Button below to submit your email booking to Adrienne.
|
|
|
From the Archives
More scanning this month and we've been looking at 1963-1968. Click on the Button below to go straight to the History page of the WLT website. Scroll down to see the latest items from the Archives.
One of these items relates to Barefoot in the Park, our opening production in the new Albert Street theatre in 1968.
|
|
Diary Dates
 If I Should Die Before I Wake
by Rebecca Lister
Director: Ellis Ebell
Season: 30 June - 16 July
Open Rehearsal: Sunday 5 June 3.30pm
Sitting Pretty
by Amy Rosenthal
Director: Robert Harsley
Season: 8-24 September
Auditions: Sunday 3 July 1pm & Monday 4 July 7.30pm
|
|
From the Editor
....and just because I can! In the final throes of preparing Cues & News on Friday afternoon I had to pause and enjoy this last light over Lake Daylesford, from my desk.
Cheers, Frank
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kirk Alexander performed with distinction as Efram, the wise clown in charge of the Irving Place Theatre. His on stage burlesque skits with Chauncey were delivered with remarkable comic timing and contrasted with the humanity and concern he displayed when warning Chauncey of the dangers posed by LaGuardia's imminent purge.
