PANTO PRODIGY!
The author of this year’s pantomime is 13-year-old Matilda Dickson. Stanwell Park Arts Theatre’s Beth Farmer reports. A longstanding tradition, the panto is our biggest event and always goes off with a BANG! Written by 13-year old Matilda Dickson, directed by her dad Matt and produced by her mum Rhiannon, this year’s show is truly a family affair. I sat down for a chat with one of SPAT’s busiest members. How did you come to be involved in SPAT? Years ago my grandmother was a founder of SPAT so it’s in my blood; I didn’t have much choice about it! Four years ago I was in the chorus of my first panto, Babes in the Wood, and I was hooked. What are you involved in altogether? Apart from panto, this year I was in SPAT Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, SPAT Singers’ Love and Other Frustrations, and I play tenor saxophone in the SPAT orchestra. It’s been a busy year! Tell us what inspired you to write Liesl and the Lost Melody? I like to write and I’ve tried writing scripts before,
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my dad gave me a hand to smooth out some of the creases! I took some ideas from The Goodies, Star Wars, The Sound of Music, and the story is based on Cinderella, with a twist. Give us a rundown of the plot. I play Liesl, a girl with a beautiful singing voice, who lives in Stanwell Park which is ruled by the evil Baroness Shrader. In a fit of envy, the Baroness bans music so Liesl escapes to Thirroul to try and bring the music back to Stanwell Park. There are ghosts, fairies, songs and silliness, and a big plot twist to keep you guessing! Sounds scary! Who is it suitable for? Anyone! The humour will appeal to kids, the songs will appeal to the parents. n At the CWA Hall. 7, 8, 14, and 15 Dec at 7.30pm; 9 & 16 Dec at 3pm. $20 adult, $15 concession and $55 family (2 adults, 3 children) at spat.org.au. 2508 UP NEXT: BLOCKBUSTERS TO THE BEACH Following on from the incredible success of our last outdoor music event, Beatles to the Beach in September 2018, SPAT Music are excited to announce their next musical offering will be Blockbusters to the Beach, coming to the CWA Grounds on Saturday, 23 February 2019. Musical Director Alison Garvie says “We learned some valuable lessons from our last concert, even though it was a phenomenal success. This time we will start at the more family-friendly timeslot of 4.30, and to tie-in with our theme, we hope to follow it up with an outdoor movie straight afterwards.” Rehearsals will start on Tuesday 20 November at 7pm at the CWA hall. Contact Alison Garvie on agarvie@aapt.net. au and keep an eye on spat.org.au. 2508
