Lighting it up

Last week was a true thrill, as at long last we were able to share with the island our production of the play Talking With Earlier this year I took the plunge into the local theatre scene by joining the lights crew, learning from Bowen’s lighting master Ian Davidson Rehearsals began in April with our inspiring director Jackie Minns, and Thursday to Sunday we were able to bring it all home to the Collins Hall crowds Thank you to everybody who came out over the four days, we hope you had a good time and enjoyed the show!

Talking With consists of a series of monologues spanning a range of themes, many of which have no doubt played a role in our own lives The seven actresses who delivered them - Laurel Bailey, Annie Arbuckle, Lorraine Ashdown, Claudia Schaefer, Laurie Beesting, Kat Stephens, and Tina Nielsen - were incredible on-stage, and a joy to work with each day

As was the rest of the ensemble, including of course our director Jackie and my office neighbour Frazer Elliott setting the stage A special thanks to our stage manager Maureen Sawasy, whose cues from the seat next to me allowed for the lighting transitions to go off smoothly throughout our shows

And a big thank you to Ian too, whose passion for his craft is evident (particularly in the amount of tinkering that takes place during show prep and often into the show itself ) Ian announced three days before opening night that he had a prior commitment for our first show and would not be there I think the stunned look on my face was eclipsed only by the one on Jackie’s But Ian and I went through a detailed rehearsal on Wednesday night, and 24 hours later - though fairly nervous - the show went off without a hitch (or at least not one visible to the audience.) Ian was back for the next three nights, and while he felt I had done well enough to keep working the board, it was comforting to have him with ‘Moe’ and I at the crew table for moral support. I’m still not sure if this was all part of a larger plan by Ian to chuck me into the proverbial deep end of the theatre tech scene, but either way I learned a lot, and had a ton of fun. I can’t wait to work on many more shows with Ian, and all of the amazing people involved in this show, in the future. It was a pleasure to get to know you all!

Of course the play would not have been complete without our furry castmate Frank Our feline friend gave a pair of show-stop- ping performances Thursday and Friday before deciding he was going to go out on top, with his name in lights Frank the Cat passed peacefully on Sunday morning with his parents, our director Jackie and show animal wrangler David Cameron Frank’s quiet resolve and loving nature were unforgettable additions to the set, and he will be truly missed by everybody who knew him

On an unrelated note, we are all likely aware of the devastating fire which took place last week here on Bowen A much-loved and special family has lost their home, and there are many ways we can all help out in the aftermath There’s a pair of events this month (see Pg 12 Calendar), and a GoFundMe which has had an amazing response, and continues to grow This QR Code will take you to it, and donations can be made at First Credit Union as well We all have you in our thoughts going forward, and it’s clear this island is more than ready to rally and help

- Alex Kurial, Editor

Letters To The Editor