Eumundi Voice - Issue 98, 25 July 2024

MEET A LOCAL

Never too late to create

Facing retirement years should not mean an end to creativity. Like many youngsters who dream of being an actor, Maria Karambelas’ parents insisted she get a ‘real job’.

In 1970 her family moved from London to Sydney and at 19yo Maria joined Channel 7, performing various freelance tasks including production assistant and coordinator for local networks. She established a business called Calling All Crew in 1990 and for 32 years provided TV production staff wherever they were needed.

Chasing her own dream, she appeared in shows such as Water Rats, Home and Away, All Saints and several TV commercials. Maria said, “Don’t blink or you’ll miss me.” Maria has also performed in many local theatre productions. “Theatre is a favourite medium as you have to get it right first go!”

Maria met husband Bill while working in the same building. “He was forever eating noodles in the kitchen and I was making umpteen cups of tea!” After marrying they lived in Sydney until increasing high rises and traffic drew them to Tewantin in 2019.

Maria’s talents and experience immediately made her a valuable member of Noosa Arts Theatre as an actor and director. Having always dabbled in writing, she further tested her creativity in the One Act Playwriting Competition – writing Unsocial Media – where two teenage girls face meltdown when their mobile phones won’t function. It didn’t win, so Maria cut it to 10 minutes and entered it in Shorts on Stage at the theatre, before reworking it as a film script. Renamed Down Time, it was shortlisted in this year’s SunnyCoast Showdown.

Sydney colleague Anita Poteri, former director and producer of the hit show House Hunters International, and now living in Kin Kin, agreed to head production. Filming began with her

team of Director of Photography Owen Smith, Camera Operator/Gaffer David Aponas and Sound Recordist Travis Brown. Noosa Arts Theatre actors Ali Lambole and Robert Boesch joined the original cast of Sienna McRitchie and Ava Crozier to play the frustrated parents.

Inspired by the Sunshine Coast region, new friends made, and Sydney ones relocated here, Maria’s dream has become a professional short film. Its growing popularity on YouTube inspires her to create further.

“My main objective was to give people something to laugh or smile about. There's too much sadness in the world at the moment. I have other projects in the wings and after the wonderful feedback this first film has received and I'm revving up the keyboard as we speak!” Maria is proof that it’s never too late to create. View Down Time at: t.ly/chImO.