Let's Put On A Show 2024 edition

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 1

2 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Choosing A Show directory: bit.ly/2nEEIxv

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 3

4 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 5

6 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Contents Features ................................................................ 8 Choosing A Show .............................................. 26 Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX ..................... 42 Public Relations ................................................. 68 Other Goods And Services .............................. 75 Sound And Lighting ......................................... 76 Ticketing ........................................................... 112 Bonus Features ................................................ 114 A subscription to Stage Whispers Magazine is the best way to keep up-to-date with the world of theatre. For $39.50 you can receive 12month print and digital access, or 24-month digital-only access. All new subscriptions also come with a choice of double passes, CDs, DVDs, BluRays or books. Find out more at stagewhispers.com.au/subscribe

50

Front cover image: Lauren Lee Innis-Youren as Eliza Doolittle in GSOV’s My Fair Lady (2023).

Photo: Pinni Biber.

79

114 stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 7

Paul Jackson was nominated in the Lighting category for his design of Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Sunday — a fantasy inspired by the stories and myths that surrounded the founder of the Heide Museum of Modern Art, Sunday Reed.

What was the overall look of the lighting that the director asked for?

The lighting design needed to move fluidly between references to actual places like a Toorak sitting room, a bedroom or a lounge at the farm at Heide, and expressionistic sequences that tried to articulate the more ephemeral registers of shared intimate feeling and creative, painterly production.

Why was it important to the story to have this look?

The story of John and Sunday Reed and Sidney Nolan is at the core of Australian Modernism and light is at the heart of all thinking about Australian painting. The play’s aesthetic needed to explore and weigh their significance as cultural figures as well as their fates as highly complex, creative, passionate individuals.

What lighting effects were critical to make this look possible?

The bucolic appeal of the farm at Heide needed to sit in counterpoint to the bold, primary gestures of Nolan’s painting — dappled light of the farm and the oak tree versus the apocalyptic, stripped bare look of the Kelly paintings. Soft, golden sidelight in counterpoint to strips of harsh, bold, deeply coloured light.

How did your lighting link in with the set and costumes?

Sunday was a very integrated design process.

Anna Cordingley doing set and Harriet Oxley doing costume were very generous in their openness to, and interest in, light. We arrived quickly at a fully integrated palette.

How satisfied were you with the end results?

Sunday was a gift for a lighting designer.

Did you have a favourite lighting effect?

Sunday standing in a thin strip of primary yellow will always stay with me.

Anna Cordingley was nominated for her costume designs for Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, staged at the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

What was the overall look of the costumes that the director asked for?

Director Craig Ilott never asserted a look, per se, rather he sought always to champion the human, (Continued on page 10)

8 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Features

Brilliant Theatre Design The Australian Production Design Guild has honoured artists at its annual awards.

David Spicer speaks to nominees in the Lighting, Set and Costume categories.

MTC’s Sunday.

Photo: Pia Johnson.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 9

Features

Sydney Opera House and Red Line Productions’ Amadeus.

Photo: Daniel Boud.

the costume co-ordinators and wardrobe heads were absolute godsends. the actor, the emotion and pathos in the middle of the How did your costumes link in with the set and volume. lighting?

Can you explain why it was important to the story to I had a champion set designer and lighting design have this look? team with whom to collaborate — Michael Scott-Mitchell The Hapsburg Royal Courts informed the nature and and Nick Schlieper — and they concocted a sleek, stark character of the music, while the politics, hierarchies and series of cascading portals which placed the performers behaviours of those courts determined who was in and (and their costumes) in relief. Their world was sharp, who was out. It was important to the story to convey monochrome and abstract. The costumes, in contrast, something of the excess of these times. Remember that could be glittering, sharp and alive, bright and periodthis same Emperor was the brother of Marie Antoinette; aware. rarely has there been a time in history when decoration Did you have a favourite costume? has been so present, so persistent, so pressing. So My favourite costume was possibly that of Wolfgang communicating the essence of the time was vital, as was Amadeus Mozart himself, towards the end of his life finding our own Australian way through those histories. when he’s worked to the bone, totally depleted and What material did you make the costumes out of? practically poverty stricken. All fragile and sweaty. Fabrics Oh, anything and everything. We had many digital clung. Lines were simple. The blue of the breeches prints onto lustred polyesters, sequined and embroidered complemented (actor) Rahel Romahn and we could really patches appliqued onto bodices of chiffons and organza, see him, reach him. Even the oddness of those lines over suits made in satins and velvets and brocades. It would his mic-pack somehow worked for me; it looked infantile be easier to list what we didn’t have on that stage! and pathos-inducing. Exactly (I hope) as Craig had hoped How challenging was it as a project to build? all along.

It was a serious undertaking, so ambitious in its scale How satisfied were you with the end results? and without the framework of an existing company / You can’t help but fall in love with the work that workroom / workforce behind it. Teams all over Australia you’re making, and simultaneously see only its flaws and came to our aid, though. Makers from the north to the issues! I adored this piece, could watch it endlessly and south; all the major companies took on a bit to help us was extremely proud of the team and all that we make our deadline. It was an extraordinary effort, and achieved.

(Continued from page 8)

10 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Online extras!

Explore Isabel Hudson’s set design in this clip of STC’s Hubris & Humiliation. youtu.be/N9UTU5mLHJ8

STC’s Hubris & Humiliation.

Photo: Prudence Upton.

Isabel Hudson was nominated for her set design of the Sydney Theatre Company’s Hubris & Humiliation, which was a queer re-imagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Department, with freestanding timber walls with a powder blue finish with gold gilded mouldings. We have a series of trucks, furniture and props that are revealed through hatches and doors of the set. There is also a Sydney Harbour miniature with a sea and cloud backdrop What was the overall look of the set that the director made from calico. asked for?

How did your design link in with the costumes and The director (Dean Bryant) and I wanted a visual lighting?

On this project I [also] designed the costumes. The language that was fast paced that would also offer surprises to complement the humour and pace in the basis of the stylised world was a contemporary mash up play. The play moves through a series of locations, from a of Regency dress with drag elements. This queer party Brisbane wedding venue to a harbourside mansion, a city was the climax moment of the design, where the Dymocks and the notorious “Baz Bash”. costume and set sat in the same heightened stylised We wanted the space to be delicious and submucous, world. At the end of this scene a giant inflatable wavy and a space with lightness and surprise. We landed on man popped out of the floor as another character in the the concept of a candied magic box ballroom that could end of act tableau, punctuating the exaggerated image.

At times the lighting design [by Alexander Berlage] flip out and reveal new pieces and surprises to transform the space, filled with gold gilt and hyper-pastel colour to was his romantic painting of tungsten light that shimmered with gold gilding. We used wall sconces to sit help define locations. in the period world but also articulated elements of the Why it was important to the story to have this look?

It was important to infuse period with contemporary set with LED lighting details to help heighten the contemporary scenes. for this play, to support and heighten this hybrid story.

We wanted the design to do more than provide a How satisfied were you with the end set? backdrop to the play but to heighten the stylisation of The set was realised beautifully by the team at Sydney the piece. We wanted a space that could move with ease Theatre Company and worked beautifully during the and that fluctuated like a dance to marry with the fastshow. The little surprises were very satisfying, and it was magical to see this space transform with some simple set paced storytelling and create this whirlwind of story. pieces.

What material did you make the set out of?

The set has a CNC parquetry floor that was hand painted by the Sydney Theatre Company Scenic

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 11

Features

Cast members used to be asked to work intimate and hyper sensitive moments out for themselves. Carrie Thiel, a Wellington-based director, fight director, actor and intimacy co-ordinator, told Olivia Greenberg why intimate touching and violence on stage need to be co-ordinated and worked out sensitively.

Johnny Carr and Catherine Van-Davies in Sydney Theatre Company’s Constellations.

Fight director & intimacy co-ordinator: Nigel Poulton.

Photo: Prudence Upton.

12 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

My first actual kiss was a stage kiss. I was 14 years old, and I was playing Liesl in The Sound of Music. Luckily for us, the young man playing Rolf and I were good friends. Being community theatre, we all knew each other and the director was also a family friend of mine.

But I don’t remember there being any process around it. It was just assumed that we would do this thing, and I think we just got on with it. We never really talked about it. Looking back now, and certainly moving forward, I think it’s important that directors, in collaboration with actors, establish why the moment is in the script, and all are given the opportunity to say, “what are we comfortable with and how do we want to tell this story?”

You don’t have to have lip to lip contact to tell the story of love or attraction. There’s a myriad of ways to tell that story, through body language, eye contact, or other types of touch or kiss.

No one should be making assumptions about anyone coming into a creative process. You can’t assume people’s lived experience, sexual or otherwise, based on their age or gender presentation, or what boundaries they may have — we don’t know what people are coming in with.

That’s why we have to check in and have a process around these sorts of moments. We need regular conversations. People might be fine with the content, but then they also might discover as they go that they’re not fine, and then feel unable to back out because they’ve already said yes.

When I’m teaching intimacy best practice, I use a version of the five pillars that were established by Intimacy Directors International. These include Context, Consent, Choreography, Closure, and clear, concise Communication which sits before, during, and after all those steps.

Before anything happens, there must be clear communication and everybody must know the context of the story. If you’re asking a designer to design sets or costumes, they are going to take into account many aspects of the script, along with the vision of the director, which will influence their design. It’s the same when we’re blocking any scene. You’re looking at the wider context. You’re looking at the motivations and intentions of the characters to inform the action.

Once you start working with violence or intimacy, lines can get blurred unless there is a structure in place.

What’s the context of the moment? What’s the wider story? Where does the moment start? Who’s initiating it?

Where and how does it end? You want to have a robust discussion about that and understand why you’re doing the things that you’re doing.

How it is structured really depends on the actors. You might have one actor say, “I’m fine with whatever.” But the other actor says, “I really need this marked out. I need to know the specifics of what we’re doing.” The aim is always to create a safe, repeatable, and effective moment of storytelling.

It’s important that you have these conversations.

Many directors are hesitant to actually put time into direct intimate moments, because they either do not have the language for it or are unsure of how to go about it.

This is precisely how the role of the Intimacy Director was born. Intimacy Directors can lead this process, identify any power imbalances and act as an advocate for cast and crew, while choreographing moments that sell the director’s vision. I always ask directors what their nonnegotiables are. If they have a particular vision, what are the things that they absolutely must have?

Things like if actors must have lip to lip contact or if they have to be fully or partially nude . Those are the things that actors need to know before they even agree to doing a role.

Often actors are left to figure out those moments for themselves. Which can lead them to feel anxious because they don’t know what is required of them, what exactly the scene will entail, how long it will take, etc. If there are no parameters and we are not talking about how the moment informs the story, then they can be left feeling like their own sexuality is on display, or even that they are being taken advantage of.

This is what happened to me as an actor, which led me to retraining as an Intimacy Director a few years ago.

After many years working behind the scenes as a performance and fight director I got back on stage myself, and I had to play an intimate moment with a fellow cast member.

We were only a week away from opening and we had never rehearsed or even talked about this moment — not even the broader context/scene. I finally said to the director, “What is the expectation here? What are you planning?” To which they replied, “You can go work that out for yourselves.” Sending two actors to privately work out a moment of intimacy for themselves is simply not a professional or appropriate practice, so I sought some (Continued on page 14)

Opera Australia’s Miss Saigon.

Photo: Daniel Boud.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 13

(Continued from page 13)

help from colleagues that were doing this work at the time, and now, after training as an Intimacy Director, I have a robust practice to help others with scenes like this.

I approach intimacy directing in a very similar way to fight directing. I create a risk assessment, break down what I’m seeing in the script and talk to the director about their vision before sitting down with the actors.

Ideally I am brought on at the same time as other members of the design team, so that we can work collaboratively and communicate throughout the design and rehearsal process. The worst thing is when (and this has happened so many times) directors make assumptions that an actor will be fine with a particular thing, and then discover that, no, not at all. My main rule is don’t make assumptions.

We’ve heard stories now of people that very much felt taken advantage of, and coerced into doing things that they would have otherwise not said yes to. As actors, we are often trained to say “yes”, but I think it’s important that somebody is there to help people express their boundaries and choreograph action that is going to best tell the story.

Early on in my career as a Fight Director, I would create choreography, then pass it on to whoever I was working with. That’s an inappropriate thing to do in intimacy because we want to ensure actors work within their personal boundaries to find the appropriate action for their characters.

I have adapted my fight directing with this in mind as well.

Intimacy Directors aim to facilitate a space where people feel confident to voice an authentic “yes” or an authentic “no”, creating a safe emotional and physical space for people to be brave and creative.

We are not mental health professionals. Many intimacy directors come from movement, acting and directing backgrounds. While we have a lot of awareness and training around mental health, we don’t work as mental health practitioners. It’s also worth noting the importance of the stage manager, or a production manager, who is present for all the rehearsals.

Your stage manager would be taking the notation and running those rehearsals, and running a call before each rehearsal and show. Just like you would have a fight call to review choreography before each show, this gives a chance for the actors to check in and talk about things like, “Hey, how did that go for you last night?” So actors have an opportunity to say, “I felt like we rushed this part,” or, “Today I don’t want to be touched in this place. Can we adjust it?” It also gives the stage manager an opportunity to note any discrepancies in the choreography.

Communication is key — at the beginning, middle, end, and all throughout the creative process. If everyone is on the same page, you will have a more enjoyable experience.

14 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Photo: Chelsea Hideki.

Find out more info, or arrange a workshop at intimacycoordinatorsaotearoa.co.nz/carrie-bio

stagewhispers.com.au/training

Features

Blackout Theatre Company’s The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (2023).

Photo: Maria Gorelik.

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame How do you stage a musical which has Quasimodo swinging down from Notre Dame? The Blackout Theatre Company rose to the challenge to stage the NSW Premiere of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame musical, a production described by Stage Whispers reviewer Nicole Smith as “Five star entertainment”, daring her readers to “see just how damn good community theatre can be”.

Directors Ciewern Newell and Luke Quinn recall their journey to the stage.

The first part was getting the “Yes”.

“I have been applying for five years straight and never heard back. Six months after another application was sent, we got an email saying: ‘approved’. Then there was this feeling of being overcome with ecstatic and looming fear — can we pull this off,” says Luke Quinn.

One emergency meeting later, the committee agreed to bump the next round of shows which were locked in, in favour of Hunchback.

Immediately the focus turned to the design. Hunchback is a staple

around the amateur scene in the and transition from one part of Paris northern hemisphere, but elsewhere it to another,” says Cierwen Newell. has rarely been seen live. A daunting The rehearsal materials had challenge was how to fit the facade arrived, and it was even more of Notre Dame into the Pioneer overwhelming. The 129-page Theatre with its 4.5m roof. production handbook which Disney Long-time committee member prescribes is an astounding resource.

John Hanna birthed what became the It gives absolute detail on every design. A two tier set with the famous reference, every source material, every cathedral arches framing a 10 metre character, every required prop, special 4K LED screen with just enough space effect and more. below to fit a choir.

The script is not so prescriptive and “When Luke and I saw the set, it requires the director to assign lines to was instant love — fusing technology and the grandeur of Notre Dame, (Continued on page 16) allowing the scenes to come to life

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 15

Features

“Cierwen came up with such a suppressed and “outcasts”, they are straightforward medium of using portrayed with a positive outlook on (Continued from page 15) pegs with the cast’s photos on a small life, in all their adversity, and gave so table, and we blocked them into much love and laughter to their the ensemble, which is an arduous position to give us our bearings,” says scenes; we initially struggled to task.

Luke. convey this.

We started simply by giving the We would call each other at the The stagecraft was intense, ensemble lines to the core start and end of each rehearsal, needing to convey heights with cast congregants, hoping to distribute briefing and debriefing each scene placement while working with levels them fairly, although this meant until we found our groove once we of stairs, with a sense of depth in needing double the number of mics. started knuckling down with the cast Notre Dame and travelling through The show demands a large cast about their role in the show.

Paris. with classical vocal skills and the Act 1 was problematic, as The stage directions call for a fire ability to shape a scene with their sustaining the audience’s investment across Paris, with Quasimodo presence and storytelling. We split the for such a prolonged duration was swinging down from Notre Dame to large ensemble into three factions: hard. Four of the six big numbers are rescue Esmeralda in one fell swoop congregants, gypsies and choir. This in this act, including the 12-minute off a burning pyre. We achieved this allowed the three factions to hone intro, ‘Bells of Notre Dame’, the through the congregants narrating their strengths without compromising penultimate ‘Out There’, the the lines directly whilst Quasimodo their role. spellbinding ‘God Help the Outcasts’, was off-stage. When music reached a The congregants are the and the best villain song of all time, climax, he fended off the cathedral storytellers of the scenes, the gypsies ‘Hellfire’. Between these big numbers, guard to rescue Esmeralda in a wellare the life and energy on the stage, we initially struggled with ‘Top of the timed, choreographed fight scene. and the choir is the cornerstone of the World’ and ‘Tavern Song’. Something For the fire in Paris, we used Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s wasn’t clicking. ‘Top of the World’ is custom made hand props of LED fire score. This did provide its challenges essential in showing how kindness torches in combination with with integrating the cast as a whole can change a person’s outlook on life. projections on screens masked by the unit; we were determined to make “We re-blocked this scene three façade of Notre Dame. Scenes visited this cast a family. times, and it ended up being my earlier were now charred, Once we were ready to start favourite scene in the entire show by smouldering or even still on fire. blocking, it was exceptionally the end,” says Luke.

Intimacy and trust between the challenging to work simultaneously ‘Tavern Song’ features the most cast is a must, with love versus lust with the number of bodies on stage, prominent dance number in the show, being a core theme. ‘Tavern Song’ has allowing everyone their moment. showing the Romani people’s many intimate moments, with a experience. Even though they were passionate kiss between Esmeralda

16 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Blackout Theatre Company’s The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (2023).

Photo: Maria Gorelik.

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame Request a perusal or apply for the rights from MTI mtishows.com.au/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame and Phoebus, which lasts for nearly Sitzprobe came, and we were half a minute, very awkward to block crying at how compelling the score at first blush. and music were to hear live. There Multiple battle scenes take place were collective ‘Oh My’ moments and demand even more trust between amongst the cast and crew during the cast and crew, with swords Matt Herne’s (Quasimodo’s) incredibly sometimes wandering off from the powerful numbers. props table because of how fun it was Once we got to the bump-in, hell (a good stage manager is screaming broke loose (as it always does) with at the thought of this). the intricate technical designs and There is also the very confronting challenges. Construction of the set scene titled ‘The Assault’. The and technical elements presented moment where Frollo attempts to many challenges when first installed. sexually assault Esmeralda in his Redesigning the location on the go lustful rage. Both actors, Joshua to adjust to what wasn’t right while Rogers and Dylan-Hayley Rosenthal, re-blocking to adjust, plotting lighting were incredible to work with, and and sound, and getting the cast used trust was no issue. This scene solidifies to the space felt like it had control of the show’s stakes. Frollo is the us, and we were at its mercy. monster.

We would be on two hours of We planned on much revision, but sleep, arrive at the theatre at 9am and we only managed to get three nights go home at 11pm each day until of it due to the amount of material to managing to wrangle back control learn. It was glorious once we began two nights before we opened with running the show in its acts roughly such a sense of relief that the show three weeks from opening, watching was ready and everything everyone the cast stop thinking, be in the had created was so worth it. moment, and enjoy.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 17

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist Lesley Reed cast an all-female acting ensemble for her production of this absurdist comedy, which also starred a lift, a bomb and a false leg.

The Beginning The biting Italian political satire Accidental Death of an Anarchist had long intrigued me. Based on the bombings in Italy in 1969, institutional corruption and a tragic death in custody, I was fascinated with the involvement in political activism by the play’s author, Dario Fo, and how much this linked him to the actual events behind the play.

With institutional corruption and custodial deaths still happening worldwide, I was delighted that The Stirling Players was also excited about the potential of this classic play and scheduled the Ed Emery English edition for the company’s 2023 season.

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist.

Photo: Brian Donaghy

18 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Behind The Play: An Amazing True Story In 1969 there was widespread political and social tension in Italy. On December 12, 1969, a bomb exploded in the Bank of Agriculture, Milan. Many people died. More bombs then exploded in Rome. Leftwing anarchists across Italy were arrested by right-wing Italian authorities. One, Guiseppe Pinelli, was interrogated at the central police station in Milan without any evidence of his guilt. On December 15, Pinelli plummeted from a fourth-floor police station window.

Police present at Pinelli’s interrogation gave several different versions to various enquiries into the

truth about Pinelli’s death under interrogation. There was much press and public speculation about a coverup. Well-regarded left-wing activist of the time, playwright and public figure Dario Fo also questioned the truth, as did a left-wing journalist.

Although aware of Fo’s leftist activity, when authorities discovered the play he was now writing was a farce, they took their eyes off him. However, while written in comedic disguise, the play was an expose of the political corruption and probable coverup behind Pinelli’s death.

People flocked to Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist when it opened in 1970 in Milan. Uproar occurred on the realisation that the storyline was a startling reflection of the recent real events in Milan. It involved a ‘maniac’ using disguise, quick wit and deception to outsmart bumbling police. Prosecutions for the 1969 bombings went on for decades. Right -wing, not left-wing, activists were eventually found guilty of the 1969 bombings. Some truths emerged on the circumstances of Pinelli’s death, but police weren’t charged.

Features

The Main Challenge The major challenge for all contemporary stagings of the play, decades after the events behind it occurred, was to engage and immerse audiences who had no personal experience of the play’s underpinning events. Would they respond only to the comedy and not think further about the many dark, underlying themes?

Director’s Vision I wanted to leave our contemporary audiences with aching ribs from laughing at the absurd comedy, but also with plenty to take home in terms of the play’s relevance in our times of oft-reported deaths in custody, fake news, worldwide extremism, and political corruption.

I also saw an opportunity to enhance the inherent absurdism, by casting all the male police with female actors, with them looking and acting as males. I saw this casting choice also as a strong means of commenting on power and its misuse, both in global terms and in the workplace, where males tend to have power unafforded to most women.

Roles, Auditions And Casting Male characters in the play include a Maniac, a Superintendent of Police, two Inspectors and two Constables (constables played by same actor).

There is one powerful female character, Feletti, a journalist.

Auditions were held a year in advance to secure strong actors, with very good performers attending. The key role to cast was the Maniac, a wily, agile, trickster. Central to the action, he uses disguise and is the inquisitor, constantly questioning, challenging, and outwitting police. He was Fo’s invention and, unlike some other characters, not based on a real person.

Danii Zappia, an experienced actor and drama teacher, shone at auditions and was cast in the role.

Character Development, Commedia Dell’Arte And Slapstick The play’s author, Dario Fo, was an expert in the mediaeval Italian

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist.

Photo: Brian Donaghy

comedic form of acting, Commedia dell’Arte. Some of its characteristics include the use of physical comedy, masks and recognisable character types. These stock characters reflect various levels of power, a strong theme in Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

During the audition callout I was contacted by Doctor Corinna Di Niro, Australia’s leading expert on Commedia dell’Arte. Adelaide-based, she was keen to contribute her expertise to help the production.

While we both agreed Accidental Death of an Anarchist was not a

Commedia play as such, we knew it contained an essence of the form in its characters, its physicality, use of disguise and trickery. Corinna provided a useful workshop in Commedia dell’Arte to the actors. She also put forward her views on which classic Commedia character most likely correlated with each character in the play.

Actors worked to develop key characteristics relevant to, but not dependent on Commedia dell’Arte.

We also researched Fo’s likely ‘reality’ (Continued on page 20)

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 19

Features (Continued from page 19)

basis for each character — for example, Inspector Pissani was likely based on a person present at the interrogation of Pinelli and who was said to have a penchant for forcing detainees onto high windowsills during interrogations.

Physicality was key to the farcical nature of the play. Actors were drilled in the short, choreographed song and dance elements and, for slapstick, by an expert trained in physical comedy.

The result was very funny to watch and exhausting yet rewarding for actors, who had ensured good physical fitness prior to rehearsals.

including physicality, the costuming, hair and facial appearance were also key to each character.

Costumes, such as male suits, were well achieved and wigs, including a hilarious ‘combover’ one, were used where needed. Facial hair and makeup for correct male bone contour needed to be realistic, and we achieved this through the skills of work experience students from an Adelaide makeup academy.

Lesley Reed.

Set And Props We set the play in its original 1970 ‘view beyond’ we used fine scenic timeline and place, Milan. Several of design on a large rollup canvas. our actors were of Italian heritage and Actors worked in full view of so accents were no major issue. audiences and with backstage help to The play is set over two floors in ‘roll up’ the scene change in Act One, police headquarters, with a shift up to from the first to the fourth floor. To the fourth floor following the first add to the illusion of multiple floors, a Creating Male Police Using Female scene. A large frame, strong enough ‘lift’ was present and the floor Actors to hold an actor, was built in the number above the lift for the new 4th Creating believable ‘males’ was a upstage flat, with its window sections floor setting after Act One, Scene 1 challenge. While each actor had the opening out into a void. Beyond the was also changed by an actor in an talent to achieve ‘male’ personas, void, rather than projection of the amusing sequence during the scene change.

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist “...the scene transition for the first to fourth floor is an amusing piece in The Stirling Players. Sep 8 - 23, 2023. its own right...” -Stage Whispers Stirling Community Theatre, Stirling, South Australia. review.

Props were a challenge, with a Key Production Credits ‘bomb’, false leg and hands among Director: Lesley Reed the items needed, all of which were Assistant Director: Sally Putnam achieved creatively.

Production Manager: Tim Williams Stage Manager: Bronwyn Chapple Our Contemporary Touches Props: Leah Klemm Dario Fo was aware that future Slapstick Coach: Bronwyn Palmer productions of Accidental Death of an Choreographer: Vanessa Redman Anarchist would need to reflect each Singing Coach: Sarah Bradley production’s times in terms of the Commedia dell’Arte workshop: Corinna Di Niro themes. He publicly gave this his Set Design: Erik Strauts and Eleni Taylor blessing. We endeavoured not to Lift Design: Andrew Phillips make the contemporary relevance Scenic Design: Lilita Daenke and Kathy Wurst overwhelming but did focus on recent Sound and Lighting: Paul Tossell worldwide deaths in custody a little Costumes: Gilian Cordell towards the end of the play.

Hairstyles: Kathryn Stevens Makeup: Students of Media Makeup Academy International Audience And Critical Response Publicity: Les Laub and John Graham Audience and critical response to the play, its comedy and its darker Cast themes was pleasing and reward for Maniac: Danii Zappia the detailed planning and Superintendent: Georgia Stockham considerable dedication by all Inspector Pissani: Anita Zamberlan Canala involved.

Inspector Bertozzo: Olivia Jane Parker Constables: Ashleigh Merriel Read Stage Whispers’ review of Feletti: Kyla Booth the show at bit.ly/3SXd6QB.

20 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Choose from 1,300 plays at our online store

booknook.com.au stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 21

Features

Social Media Marketing Strategies Marketing guru Rachel Klaver explains the best ways for theatres to market themselves on social media.

Marketing can often be one of the most challenging jobs to get right for theatre groups. The biggest issues are a mix of the sense that “We all know how to post something on Social Media”, the rotation of people as committees and time commitments change, and how often there’s the biggest focus on promotion, without getting people all warmed up to buy tickets first.

As a marketing coach, I often recommend that theatre companies take time to create a strategy that can work through the changing hands of the team, and help create consistency.

Keep your colours and branding consistent. I love colour and fonts, so I’m all good with a little chaos! But you need to have clear rules about what fonts, and what colours you’ll use. I recommend having a theatre Canva account, and putting some of that all-important budget into having the pro version so you can use it to store your

Stage Whispers Directory premium listing: $20 Get noticed on the Stage Whispers website with a premium listing at a great price stagewhispers.com.au/directory-central 22 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

brand colours and fonts in there to make everything more consistent.

If you’ve got a designer in your team, get them to make you some templates in Canva. These can help take your content to a new level and make it less stressful for whoever’s in charge of the marketing.

Embrace video! Video helps you reach past your current audience — and you can grow your audience. Get your teams to sing trending audios, do some funny voice overs and dance to show what you’ve got!

If you’re not sure you have anything interesting to post, I want you to think about all living more like goats in trees! I’m not sure if you’ve seen the photos of the goats in trees in Morocco (it’s worth a Google), but I am captivated by them! They are doing something I think is so cool, and different!

Here’s the thing. They’re just being themselves. They’re going about their day, doing their tree climbing and leaf chewing thing, staring out into the shimmering light surrounding them, and they don’t think, “I’m doing this so people will love me!”

People love the little stories, the little events, the moments, and images that help feel they are part of our stories. So don’t worry if your post is just about another rehearsal, or a costume fitting, or perhaps a meeting about lighting. People will love it. Because you’re a goat, in your tree, and they are here for it!

In my book Be a Spider, Build a Web, I teach that we want to build a sticky web with our social media content that helps people come, stay and want to buy from us. To do that we need to drop back on content that’s heavily promotional all the time, and include posts that help people build a hunger to buy those tickets, or even sponsor us. That’s the kind spider way.

What your content plan needs to include:

1 2 3 4

A really clear outline of the three or four core values of the theatre, and how these are lived and breathed in everything you do. This helps anyone creating the content to make sure it’s in alignment with the content. For example, you could have “inclusive”, and then you need to check if your content is demonstrating this.

A clear and consistent posting plan. One of the biggest mistakes is ramping it up on promotional posts, but not having posts that help people more naturally interact with your content in between these posts. There’s also a feast or famine in posting schedules. I normally recommend using a social media scheduler, and choosing your frequency and then sticking to it. It can be three or more times a week, but posts should be published around the same time every week.

The plan also needs to have a range of content. Yes, to upcoming notices about your next show!

But add in behind the scenes images, photos of the cast and crew, taking people on a journey.

You can also give up history or facts about the show. If you’ve sold sponsorship postings as part of your offer, then have a set “Sponsor time” every week so you can plan and schedule these in advance. You can also choose a time to profile a cast or crew member, and introduce them to everyone. All of these posts bring in the human aspect and help people feel more connected to your whole journey. I recommend having set days for each type of post, to make sure you get the right split.

Make sure you take time to create some posts about frequently asked questions. These can be easily reused with a little tweaking for each show. They could include where to buy tickets, what time people should get to the theatre, how to sponsor your company, and perhaps how to become a part of future shows.

Rachel Klaver.

Get a discount on Rachel’s book at mymapitmarketing.com by using the discount code BEASPIDERDISCOUNT stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 23

Each year the Sydney Festival stages 90 productions in 30 days. John Bayley, the Head of Production, is in charge of keeping the cast, crew and audience safe. He shared his tips on stage safety during a Stage Whispers TV live webinar sponsored by The Association of Community Theatre and Marsh Insurance.

“The first thing is to take responsibility for the fact that you’re going to have some risks,” John Bayley warns, “so you need to plan for those.”

He recommends thinking about and identifying risks when designing a show, when you first get to a theatre, and during bump-in. It’s imperative that a written record be made of these risks (i.e. with a checklist), the impact of them be reduced, and that any unavoidable or newly discovered risk is properly communicated.

“At the Sydney Festival we have what we call a ‘toolbox talk’, where at the beginning of the day everyone gets together to talk about risk.

“The other thing to remember is that the show does not have to go on. All companies should rehearse a show stop if an imminent threat to safety is identified during a performance.”

Marsh Insurance, which offers a public liability insurance scheme in conjunction with The Association of

Community Theatre, recommends all on stage watch out for the following: Personal injuries: Slips, trips and falls



Spilled drinks, food, water leaks and wet floors.



Wires and cables running along the ground.



Props and other items in thoroughfares.



Steps are lit, have contrasting edges and handrails.

Overhead props, lighting and sound



Make sure equipment is properly secured, and check danger areas before raising/lowering.

Fire hazards



Heat sources near flammables, including heat from lighting and sound.



Electrical components tested and tagged. Connections are secure and fitted correctly.



Pyrotechnics, flares, and other naked flames are a fire hazard.

Online extras!

Catch the webinar with John Bayley on Stage Whispers TV. Scan or visit fb.watch/leqTY9HEOe

24 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Features

Rehearsal

Bump-In

“When you first bring a cast on stage they are thinking about other things,” John explains. “The microphone is there temporarily, but if it was a fixture the cable should have tape over it to reduce the trip hazard. There are also loose chairs. They should always be taped or cable tied together in groups of at least four, in case the audience has to leave quickly.”

“The dangers include getting up ladders using tools and machinery,” John warns. “People on stage may not be aware of the live edge. If you see that orange line, that is the top of a fence that the STC puts in. If you step off, you would have something to grab onto. This is worth doing at a Bump-In, even if it is just a line as a visual prompt to the danger.”

Lighting Rigs

Performance

“We require people at Sydney Festival to wear a high vis vest, whether they are inside or outside,” John says. “As you can see, people are not visible.

High vis vests are very cheap and we use them at the Sydney Festival because it reminds them of the situation they are in.”

In this picture, John explains a production specific safety measure for Manifesto.

“The designer wanted a nice row of curtains behind nine drummers on raised platforms. We installed a railing behind the platforms so that the drummers would have something to hold onto when they stepped back.”

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 25

Choosing A Show

Online extras!

For more listings, check out the Stage Whispers’ directory on our website. bit.ly/2nEEIxv Will Manukia and cast of Kinky Boots.

Photo: Grant Leslie.

26 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Featured Businesses See more listings online at bit.ly/2nEEIxv

Australian Plays Australian Plays is a national organisation based in Hobart, a not-forprofit incorporated association providing services to playwrights by publishing and licensing plays and by promoting and supporting their work with producers and educators nationally and internationally.

Founded in 1979, we constantly seek ways to maximise our resources and find innovative ways to promote, curate, connect and champion Australian plays and playwrights. australianplays.org David Spicer Productions David Spicer Productions manages the rights to Musicals and Plays in Australia and New Zealand suitable for small or large cast. Genres include Australian musicals, Rock Musicals, Juke-Box Musicals, Operetta, Farce, Dinner Theatre, Drama, Comedy, Pantomime and Youth theatre.

The company’s most popular shows in 2019 were We Will Rock You, Back to the 80’s, Ladies in Black, Masquerade, Popstars, The Boy From Oz, Disco Inferno, Australia Day, Essgee’s Pirates and Song Contest.

PO Box 2280, Rose Bay North, NSW 2030 +61 2 9371 8458 david@davidspicer.com davidspicer.com.au Judith Prior Comedy Scripts Australian Comedy Writer, Director and Producer of Musical Theatre, Theatre Restaurant, Dinner Theatre, School and Youth Theatre Musicals for over forty years.

A collection of hilarious comedy scripts, successfully performed in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Judith’s earthy, sometimes slightly naughty sense of the ridiculous, guarantee her scripts will appeal to all ages.

Dinner Shows have suggested music titles, or choose your own music. Juke Box Musicals include sheet music arrangements for band, rehearsal CD, and backing track.

All of Judith’s work is managed and distributed by David Spicer Productions of Sydney. davidspicer.com.au Sample scripts available at davidspicer.com.au/author/judith-prior +61 4 2752 7003 judith@judithprior.com Maverick Musicals From theatrical classics to exciting originals and award-winners, Australia’s longest-running theatre publishing company, Maverick Musicals and Plays is thrilled to share with you our vast array of productions from musicals, plays, theatre restaurants and drama resources. Browse our collection to find popular shows such as Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book and Man of Steel, and wonderful originals like Shifty Crooner, Creepytown and Kill Jill. We welcome you to download complimentary perusal kits to help you choose the perfect production for your needs.

PO Box 516, Maleny, QLD 4552 +61 4 2747 7338 maverickmusicals.com

Choosing A Show directory: bit.ly/2nEEIxv

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 27

Music Theatre International (MTI) Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences.

MTI’s Broadway Junior™ shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.

MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City with additional offices in London (MTI Europe) and Melbourne (MTI Australasia).

Suite 2, Ground Floor, 20-22 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205 +61 3 9581 2222 enquiries@mtishows.com.au mtishows.com.au OneMusic Australia OneMusic Australia is a joint initiative between APRA AMCOS and PPCA, just like a duet. The two Australian music bodies have come together to give you easy legal access to all their works, sound recordings and music videos. Now you’ll pay one licence, in one place Locked bag 5000, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012 1300 162 162 hello@onemusic.com.au onemusic.com.au Origin Theatrical ORiGiN™ Theatrical manages the theatrical rights to many of the greatest musicals and plays in the world drawing on the rich catalogues of Concord Theatricals (R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark), The Really Useful Group, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, Dramatic Publishing, Nick Hern Books, Playscripts, Broadway Licensing, Cressrelles Publishing, Playstage Senior and Warner/Chappell Music Australia.

ORiGiN™ represents Australian written hits Shout! The Legend of the Wild One, Dusty The Original Pop Diva, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Atomic The New Rock Musical, Seven Little Australians and many more.

ORiGiN™ also represents a diverse concert library catalogue.

Level 1, 213 Clarence Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 +61 2 8514 5201 enquiries@originmusic.com.au origintheatrical.com.au oztheatrical.com Playmarket Playmarket represents over 2000 plays by New Zealand playwrights.

Our collection includes comedies, dramas, short plays, musicals and plays for children and youth performers and audiences. They also have an online bookshop selling a comprehensive collection of manuscripts and published books.

Suite 4, Level 1, 35 Cambridge Terrace, Te Aro, Wellington, NZ 6011 +64 4 382 8462 nathan@playmarket.org.nz info@playmarket.org.nz playmarket.org.nz 28 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Read scripts, listen to music and order free catalogue at: davidspicer.com.au david@davidspicer.com (02) 9371 8458

Our Most Popular Musicals

Choosing A Show directory: bit.ly/2nEEIxv

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 29

Mother And Son The rights to the latest touring edition of Geoffrey Atherden’s Mother and Son are newly available for community theatres through David Spicer Productions. The script is a contemporary adaptation of the beloved ABC TV series. In this extract we publish scene four.

Living Room. Another day. MAGGIE has a grill tray and a packet of fish fingers which she empties onto the grill tray. MAGGIE exits to the kitchen.

We hear the sound of the griller being lit. Whoomp! You could get the idea that the gas has been on for a while.

And that it’s on a high heat. The house landline phone starts to ring.

MAGGIE enters in a bit of a state as she hunts for the phone. It’s not on its base. She checks her pockets. She listens for the direction of the ring. It’s on the couch. No it’s not. It’s on the drinks trolley. No. There it is, on the What? Yes, yes, I haven’t table. MAGGIE picks it up and presses forgotten. Still looking. to answer.

[Now MAGGIE gets and sorts through some papers behind the sofa. From MAGGIE: Hello? - Yes, speaking. the kitchen, the smoke alarm switches Very well thank you. And how are to full on. MAGGIE reacts to the you. - Who did you say? Rita. noise.]

Hello, Rita.

MAGGIE: [raising her voice] Hello, [MAGGIE settles for a nice long chat.]

Rita, can you hear me? There’s a My day? I’ve been looking for terrible noise going on here. That’s children’s books. I’m going to be a shame because I found a very reading to children down at the nice postcard. From Robbie. library - Pardon? Ah yes, I like the What’s that Rita? Yes I can hear sound of saving money. - Plan? the noise. Dreadful. Some people Ah… well, my plan is to go down have no consideration. to the library and… Oh, for the [MAGGIE’S attention is taken by the telephone. My plan is to use it as front door which opens and ARTHUR little as possible. That’s how I save enters.] money. - The most recent bill? ARTHUR: Mum! What’s that noise?

Where would I find that?

MAGGIE: Yes, dreadful, go and see [MAGGIE starts to look around but what it is. I’m on the phone. doesn’t get up.]

[ARTHUR hurries to the kitchen.]

Sorry, what bill was that? - Phone MAGGIE: [into the phone] Can you bill. Not the gas bill? - Gas was last hang on for just a minute? week. That was a very nice man.

ARTHUR: [off] Mum! There are flames Do you know him? - Oh I see. Yes, coming out of the griller! completely different.

MAGGIE: [into the phone] I think the [From the kitchen, the sound of the house might be on fire. Won’t be smoke alarm starts intermittently.] long.

Now, Rita, while I’m looking, have [MAGGIE puts the phone down. From you seen any good movies lately? the kitchen, the sounds of Arthur What about television? - I’ll tell clattering at the stove and then you the one I like, that gardening dropping the grill tray.] one, but wouldn’t you think they’d ARTHUR: [off] Ow! Shit! God! Mum! do something about his hair! -

30 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

[MAGGIE picks the phone up again.]

MAGGIE: [into the phone] I’m not hanging up. I’m just putting the phone down for a minute. I’ll be back.

[MAGGIE puts the phone down and crosses to look in at ARTHUR.] MAGGIE: Dear me, Arthur, looks like you’re trying to send smoke signals.

ARTHUR: [off] Dear me, Mum, looks like you’re trying to burn the bloody house down.

MAGGIE: Don’t be a silly.

[ARTHUR enters holding the grill tray with a tea towel wrapped around the handle. On the grill tray are some charred fish fingers.]

ARTHUR: What’s was this?

MAGGIE: It was going to be your dinner. I think it might be spoiled unfortunately.

ARTHUR: Slightly.

MAGGIE: Never mind. We can scrape off the burnt bits.

ARTHUR: We’re throwing it out.

MAGGIE: I’ll have it. I don’t mind a bit of whatsaname.

ARTHUR: No, we’re throwing it out.

[ARTHUR locates a waste bin.]

MAGGIE: If your father saw you doing that…

ARTHUR: You can’t do this, Mum. You can’t start something and then forget all about it. Next time you’ll burn the house down and I don’t want to come home and find you like one of those.

[ARTHUR holds up one of the charred fish fingers before dropping it and the others into the bin. MAGGIE looks disapproving.]

ARTHUR: What were you doing that you forgot about this anyway?

MAGGIE: Nothing.

ARTHUR: When I came in, you were on the phone.

MAGGIE: No, I was… Oh! Yes, yes. I was...

[ARTHUR puts the grill tray into the sink. MAGGIE looks for the telephone.]

MAGGIE: Where did I put it, did you see?

ARTHUR: No. MAGGIE: Big help you are. Never mind, here it is.

[MAGGIE picks up the TV remote and holds it like a telephone.]

MAGGIE: Hello.

ARTHUR: Mum, that’s the TV remote.

MAGGIE: Is it? Oh yes.

[MAGGIE finds two more remotes.]

ARTHUR: And that’s the DVD. And that’s the Pay TV. MAGGIE: All these things we’ve got, I don’t like all these things.

[MAGGIE puts the remotes down and then spots the telephone.]

MAGGIE: Here it is.

[MAGGIE picks up the phone and speaks into it.]

MAGGIE: Hello. Sorry to keep you, Miss…. Hello? Hello! Huh. Hung up.

[MAGGIE puts the phone down again.]

ARTHUR: Don’t put it there. Put it back on the base.

MAGGIE: [mimicking] Don’t put it there. Put it back on the base.

ARTHUR: Who was it?

MAGGIE: I didn’t get her name. A very nice young girl and we were having a lovely chat about…

[MAGGIE remembers something important and changes her mind.]

MAGGIE: Nothing.

[ARTHUR crosses to her.]

ARTHUR: You were having a lovely chat.

MAGGIE: Yes, very nice.

ARTHUR: About nothing.

MAGGIE: Yes. ARTHUR: I can believe that. But this chat about nothing, was it anything to do with our gas account?

MAGGIE: No, nothing to do with gas.

ARTHUR: Or telephone or electricity?

Choosing A Show directory: bit.ly/2nEEIxv

Garry McDonald and Ruth Cracknell in the ABC TV series.

MAGGIE: No, no, nothing like that.

ARTHUR: Because I know you took down the sign to remind you but we have a strict rule.

[ARTHUR retrieves a sign he’s had made which reads: IF ANYONE RINGS ABOUT GAS ELECTRICITY OR TELEPHONE HANG UP He reads it out to her.]

ARTHUR: If anyone rings about gas ARTHUR/MAGGIE: electricity

Script Extract

ARTHUR: or the ARTHUR/MAGGIE: telephone ARTHUR: Hang up!

MAGGIE: I don’t like to be rude.

ARTHUR: You don’t have to be rude.

You say, No thank you, very politely, and then you hang up.

MAGGIE: That’s rude.

ARTHUR: That’s it. I’m going to ring up and put you on the Do Not Call register.

MAGGIE: No, don’t do that. Then no one will ring and I’ll be here all day on my own and I won’t have anyone to talk to. stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 31

Choosing A Show

32 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Choosing A Show directory: bit.ly/2nEEIxv

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 33

Music Theatre International mtishows.com.au Eurobeat - The Pride of Europe

opportunity for every production to put its own stamp on how each entry is interpreted and presented.

Out of all the songs that you’ve written for the various versions of this show, do you have a favourite?

I must say I was really happy to use the song ‘The World Is My Dance Floor’ in this new Eurobeat. I wrote this song about thirty years ago as an homage to one of my favourite disco tracks from the ‘70s, From New York To LA. For more information and licensing inquiries, please visit mtishows.com.au/eurobeat-pride-of-europe.

Origin Theatrical origintheatrical.com.au

Music Theatre International, Australasia has announced the release for licensing of the musical The Curious Incident of the Eurobeat - The Pride of Europe.

Dog in the Night-Time Stuart Hendricks, Managing Director of Music Theatre

By Simon Stephens. Based International, Australasia, said that “Eurobeat - The Pride on the novel by Mark Haddon. of Europe is not just a musical; it’s a celebration of Full Length Play, Dramatic diversity and the joyous expressions of individuality Comedy, Present Day, witnessed at the Eurovision Song Contest.”

Contemporary. Cast: 5M, 5F The show is performed with backing tracks, making it Christopher, fifteen years accessible for groups of all sizes. old, stands beside Mrs Shears’ The audience actively participates in the show by dead dog. It has been speared voting for their favourite performance. Votes are tallied, with a garden fork, it is seven and in true Eurovision-style, the audience are guided minutes after midnight, and through ‘live’ crosses to each country, leading to the Christopher is under suspicion. declaration of a winner.

He records each fact in the MTIA interviewed the composer Craig Christie. book he is writing to solve the What is your favourite part of the writing process? mystery of who murdered I find creating a clever rhyme very satisfying. I’m a real Wellington. He has an extraordinary brain and is stickler for proper rhymes in my lyrics, and when you can exceptional at maths, but he is ill-equipped to interpret find the right words to match a particular melodic hook everyday life. you have created, there’s a real feeling of achievement.

Christopher’s detective work takes him on a When did the idea of Eurobeat first come about? frightening journey that turns his world upside-down.

It was in November 2003 that the original show was origintheatrical.com.au/work/12832 put together with songs by myself and Andrew Patterson in a riotous, chaotic co-op staged at Chapel Off Chapel Ruby Moon under the title Eurovision - the Musical (which we had to

By Matt Cameron. Full change for copyright reasons).

Length Play, Drama, Mystery/ So what’s the idea behind this new version of Thriller, Contemporary. Cast: 1M, 1F. Eurobeat?

In Flaming Tree Grove, life The new version of Eurobeat, apart from reflecting some of the recent trends and ideas of the actual appears to be picture perfect.

Security and privacy are competition, was created to celebrate diversity. It was suggested to me by a colleague in London who wanted to coveted and seclusion is its put together a Eurobeat-style show using existing songs own reward. Until the day when little Ruby sets off to for a pub venue popular with the LGBTQI community.

What does our theatre community have to look visit her grandmother at the end of the cul-de-sac and is forward to in this new version of the show? never seen again. The Over-the-top songs, the opportunity for hilarious interpretations of the numbers and cultural stereotypes, neighbourhood fractures into and of course, the audience voting for the winner at every grief and suspicion in the search for answers to a terrible deprivation. Then a parcel arrives on her parents’ performance. Eurobeat - The Pride of Europe also introduces some characters that fans of Eurovision will doorstep... origintheatrical.com.au/work/12858 recognise — the straight-faced officials, the confusing cultural references and characters — and provides the

34 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Gretel The Musical Book and Lyrics by Jason Tremblay and Suzan Zeder.

Music and lyrics by Jenn Hartmann Luck . Full Length Musical, Drama, Comedy, TYA. Cast: 1 to 4M, 2 to 6F. Before there was Hansel, there was Gretel! Based on the Russian source that is the origin story of the tale, this musical focuses on the girls and women at the centre of the adventure.

Featuring folk/rock music, the songs capture the darkness but also the humour and humanity of Gretel’s journey to fetch the skull of undying light from Baba Yaga, one of the most fascinating witches of all time. origintheatrical.com.au/work/12856 MILF - The Musical Created by Sally Knight.

Full Length Musical, Romantic Comedy, Australian, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary.

Cast: 3F, 3M + ensemble.

MILF the musical is a comedy following the journey of mother and wife Kate Esther, a successful fashion designer turned popular fashion influencer known as @FashionEsther, loved and hated for her honest no holds barred content.

The musical is about Kate’s whirlwind personal life, her mother’s venture into the world of online dating and her sister Cleo’s divorce. MILF the musical showcases the highs and lows of her journey, the challenges she faces, and her unwavering determination to succeed. origintheatrical.com.au/work/10072

Choosing A Show David Spicer Productions davidspicer.com.au The Jungle Book Written by Briandaniel Oglesby. Cast: 11 + ensemble.

Mowgli struggles to fit in with the wolves, monkeys, and even the humans on his journey to discover where he belongs, in this new imagining of Rudyard Kipling’s classic.

Masks, puppets, a trip to the Starbucks in the cell-phone-obsessed city make this new adaptation of The Jungle Book a delight. davidspicer.com.au/shows/jungle-book Masquerade Written by Kate Mulvaney.

Based on the book by Kit Williams. Music by Mikelangelo and Pip Branson.

Cast: 9M, 8F. In a wondrous world of riddles and hidden treasure, bumbling Jack Hare is on a race against time to deliver a message of love from the Moon to the Sun. Bringing to life Kit Williams’ iconic picture book, Masquerade stars a talking fish, a tone-deaf barbershop quartet, a gassy pig, a precious jewel and a few mere mortals. davidspicer.com.au/shows/masquerade

Community Theatre Insurance The Association of Community Theatre and Marsh Insurance have announced that there is no change in the cost of their public liability and personal accident insurance policies for 2024.

The policies are specifically designed for Community/Amateur Musical and Theatrical Groups and Choirs that are members of the Association of Community Theatre (ACT) or members of interstate groups that are affiliated with ACT. Public liability insurance of 20 million dollars is provided for $800 a year and personal accident cover of up to $100,000 for $625. Both policies as a package have a cost of $1060.

The Chief Executive Officer of ACT Ros English says despite inflation affecting other insurance policy premiums, the Marsh insurance products are being kept down for community theatres.

“The policy is great value compared to similar products in the market and profits from the scheme are used by ACT to fund training and capital works for community theatre companies.”

For more details, please visit jltentertainment.com.au/act

Choosing A Show directory: bit.ly/2nEEIxv

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 35

36 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Let’s Put On A School Musical Ten top tips from Maverick Musicals and Plays for your next school musical.

rehearsals - no matter how good they are.

Encourage cast blogs.

Flood the area with posters and try for coverage on local radio.

Constantly remind the school of the forthcoming production via your social media pages, websites and newsletters.

Offer a prize to the student who sells the most tickets.

Rehearsals Give cast your rehearsal/ Rope others in! performance schedule before starting Rule One - do not try to do it rehearsals. alone. Beg, plead, cajole or blackmail Send the schedule home to others to be involved. parents as soon as you can, with a Your ideal production team should note asking for their co-operation. consist of a producer to pull your Design the rehearsal schedule so Performance team together, director, musical that only those required attend Always have a ‘preview’ afternoon director, set designers, sound/lights specific rehearsals. which is, in fact, another valuable tech team, set builder, costume It is a good strategy to call the dress rehearsal; this time with an person and advertising/media whiz. audience. Primary schools are usually chorus first and work on the music.

Always make rehearsals fun for chorus happy to see your High School Apply for the rights early and give them plenty to do. production.

Aim to have approval from the representatives of the musical six Costume Post performance months prior to your first rehearsal.

Supply forms (with the rehearsal No matter how amiable you are Carefully note the legal obligations in schedules) that require the character/s feeling towards the cast, never attend the contract. All contracts will have measurements asap and pass on to a cast party if held at the home of a rules about respecting the author’s your costume department as soon as student!

What you may see there, you intentions (sticking to the script), how rehearsals begin. may later be required to explain. you can promote the work both onParents are more inclined to help Have a thank-you meeting for the line and in print, videography and use make the costumes if you send cast and everyone involved, including of production materials. material home that is cut out ready front-of-house and back-stage for sewing. workers. This can be a special lunch.

Selecting the right school musical Have a short break, then start Don’t pick a musical solely because Sets and props looking for a suitable show for next you like it. Make sure it can be done Make sure that the cast know the year. well by your students.

Putting on the school musical is a Commonly five or six girls for each positioning of each set and give them an improvised stage set so they are bit like child-birth, and when you get boy will be the audition ratio, so used to moving around it. it right, you forget the pain and recall choose material that will give girls Get actors used to using any handonly the joy - and find yourself doing something worthwhile to do. props in the show. Improvise it all over again. if they not yet constructed.

Auditioning Select relevant scenes that will give an indication of the student’s ability.

Avoid choosing students who have other commitments that will prevent them from attending

Advertising Create an ‘event’ on social media and encourage the cast and crew to like and share - upload fun rehearsal shots, but not too many!

Origin Theatrical recommends the highly entertaining podcast Afternoon Tea With Miss Patrice. misspatrice.podbean.com

Choosing A Show directory: bit.ly/2nEEIxv

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 37

Choosing A Show

Wild Bill from The Cowboy Show.

Theatre Restaurant Not So Naughty Writer Judith Prior explains how she has adapted her plays for the times.

Writing comedy today is quite a challenge. Many of the jokes we laughed at twenty years ago would be considered cringe-worthy today.

Some of you may be familiar with my very popular theatre restaurant scripts, available through David Spicer Productions. These were all written many years ago with adult audiences in mind, and, as expected, many of the jokes are quite risqué.

To reach a wider audience, and so that I could take my grandchildren to see all my shows, I have adapted some of my funniest and most popular scripts to a more politically correct format, leaving in (almost all) the very funniest jokes. These new scripts have all been performed here in Bundaberg, and were very well received by appreciative audiences, both young and old. Each show has one simple set and runs for one hour. They may be split into two 30 min acts with an interval or run continuously.

The Cowboy Show is adapted from Jest at the West and Jest Call Me Cowboy. Fun and games at the Silver Slipper Saloon. Can Maggie May pay her mortgage? Will the movie director from the city cast his movie using the local characters? Can the Sheriff avoid the amorous advances of Little White Dove?

The Egyptian Show is adapted from Wink at the Sphinx. Can the Pharaoh marry off his two daughters, Fatima, and Charisma? Will the magic carpet really fly for the ancient genie?

One Way Ticket To Australia is adapted from Sailing South. The prisoners are not looking forward to landing in Australia but many an adventure causes hilarity. The prisoners make a mockery of the inept captain and his first officer.

The Golden Wedding is adapted from Uncle Jack.

Socialite daughter Claire has organised a huge social event. Dad announces that mum has left town, with his brother Jack. Gran is deaf and keeps interrupting, and somebody has spiked the punch. The slightly tipsy Vicar is valiantly trying to keep order. Just your average happy family celebration.

For show or licensing information, and to explore the entire Judith Prior library of shows, please visit davidspicer.com.au/author/judith-prior

38 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Choosing A Show directory: bit.ly/2nEEIxv

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 39

Choosing A Show Music Theatre International mtishows.com.au

record, the show comes to life in his apartment. The comedy blends two lovebirds on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not -so-bright hostess, gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and a sleepy chaperone. mtishows.com.au/the-drowsy-chaperone-jr

Evil Dead The Musical Evil Dead The Musical takes all the Origin Theatrical elements of the cult origintheatrical.com.au classic films The Evil Heathers The Musical Dead and Evil Dead 2 and combines them Book, Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin for a crazy, funny, and bloody theatrical Murphy. Full Length Musical.

Cast: 9F, 8M. Updated version experience. from the 2019 West End You don’t need to be a fan of Evil Dead production.

Heathers The Musical is the or horror or musicals to love this show. As long as you like having fun, this show is for you. Is it scary? No! Is it gory? darkly delicious story of No. This is a pure comedy start to finish. Plus, it’s the only Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, show with a “Splatter Zone” — a section of the audience beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most that gets covered in fake blood. And with this combination of blood, jokes, cheesy effects, and awesome powerful and ruthless clique at musical numbers, Evil Dead The Musical is unlike any live Westerberg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica show you’ve seen. falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid J.D. mtishows.com.au/evil-dead-the-musical Finding Nemo KIDS Love Never Dies Music by Andrew Lloyd Disney’s Finding Webber. Lyrics by Glenn Slater.

Nemo KIDS is a 30Additional Lyrics by Charles minute musical Hart. Book by Ben Elton. Full adaptation of the Length Musical. Cast: 4F, 5M. beloved 2003 Pixar The greatest love story of movie with new all time continues in Love music by awardNever Dies, Andrew Lloyd winning songwriting team Kristen Webber’s sequel to The Anderson-Lopez and Phantom of the Opera.

Be transported to New Robert Lopez. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid York’s playground, Coney Island, where the masked phantom has been hiding Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to amongst the freaks and sideshows for 10 long years, Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic yearning for his one true love and musical protégée, Christine Daaé. adventure across the ocean. mtishows.com.au/disneys-finding-nemo-kids Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert The Musical The Drowsy Chaperone JR. A Broadway Junior Written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott. Full Length adaptation of the Musical. Cast: 4F, 9M. Tony-winning musical comedy, The Drowsy Based on the smash-hit Chaperone JR. is a movie, Priscilla is the heartwarming, uplifting adventure loving satire of the Golden Age musical. of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus A man shares with searching for love and the audience his favourite record: the friendship. With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes 1928 musical The Drowsy Chaperone. As he plays the

40 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

and a hit parade of dancefloor favourites, this wildly fresh and funny musical is a journey to the heart of fabulous!

Head Over Heels Creator & Original Book: Jeff Whitty. Adaptations by James Magruder. Music & Lyrics by The Go-Go’s. Full Length Musical, Comedy.

Cast: 5F, 3M. Head Over Heels is the bold new musical comedy from the visionaries that rocked Broadway with Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Avenue Q and Spring Awakening. This laugh-out-loud story is set to the music of the iconic 1980’s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s, including the hit songs, “We Got the Beat”, “Our Lips Are Sealed”, “Vacation”, Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You”.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Broadway Version) Music by Richard Rodgers.

Lyrics and Original Book by Oscar Hammerstein II. New Book by Douglas Carter Beane. Full Length Musical, Comedy. Cast: 5F, 4M. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is the new Broadway adaptation of the classic musical. This contemporary take on the classic tale features Rodgers & Hammerstein’s songs, including “In My Own Little Corner”, “Impossible/It’s Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago”, alongside an up-todate, hilarious, and romantic libretto by Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane.

David Spicer Productions davidspicer.com.au We Will Rock You (Eventually) David Spicer was excited to attend the performance of We Will Rock You by Act Three Productions in Palmerston North New Zealand.

As you can see from this extraordinary t-shirt, the production was announced in 2019 and cancelled three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Choosing A Show directory: bit.ly/2nEEIxv

Mother And Son With the ABC releasing a new series, the stage version of Mother and Son is having a renaissance.

There are 10 productions of the edition by Geoffrey Atherden on stage in 2023/2024.

The Fine Art of Deception

By Carl Caufield.

Cast: 3M, 2F. A comedy thriller about money, art, and friendship.

Suzanne Faith, a glamorous former model, partied in the 1970s with Mick Jagger. She established a London gallery with her late husband. Her impressive private collection includes a portrait of herself

by Francis Bacon which is worth millions of pounds. A handyman attends her beautiful Chelsea home to do a simple repair job on some steps. What could go wrong? davidspicer.com.au/shows/fine-art-deception The Watsons

By Kathyrn Attwood. Adapted from the unfinished novel by Jane Austen. Cast: 6M, 7F. Jane Austen abandoned her novel The Watsons in 1805. This completed stage version received its premiere in 2017, to mark the bicentenary of the author’s death.

Described as a ‘sparkling adaptation’ of Austen’s work, critics praised this ‘sharp and witty’ script and its ‘beautifully differentiated characters’. davidspicer.com.au/shows/watsons The Hardcase Hotel

By Devon Williamson. Cast: 3M, 6F. Set in the last resort luxury hotel for the wild, weird and wacky rich who have been banned from the five-star hotels of Europe. Today, a guest has been murdered, and with the hotel cut off by flash flooding, Juan Carlos is going to have to find out which of the oddball guests is the killer and why. davidspicer.com.au/shows/hardcase-hotel

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 41

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX

Online extras!

For more listings, check out the Stage Whispers’ directory on our website. bit.ly/2ma7wNZ WAAPA’s student production of Strictly Ballroom (2019).

Photo: Jon Green.

42 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Featured Businesses

See more listings online at bit.ly/2ma7wNZ Ballarat Lyric Theatre Ballarat Lyric Theatre has over the years compiled an extensive range of costumes. Their costume hire offers a wide range of individual costumes, or sets of costumes from many shows.

882 Humffray Street South, Mt Pleasant, Ballarat, VIC 3350 +61 4 3970 0219 hire@ballaratlyrictheatre.com.au ballaratlyrictheatre.com.au Bankstown Theatre Company Hire Bankstown Theatre Company have an extensive range of costumes, from complete productions to something one-off. Check out pictures of the costumes in the Past Productions section of the website.

They also have a large range of backdrops, furniture and properties that might be just right for your next production including many specialty props such as razors and barber chair for Sweeney Todd, or a cow and chicken for Into The Woods.

PO Box 502, Bankstown, NSW 1885 +61 4 8186 9858 costumes@bankstowntheatrecompany.com edward@bankstowntheatrecompany.com bankstowntheatrecompany.com Centrestage Costumes Centrestage Costumes has been dressing and providing props and makeup for the creative industries since 1985. Our Brunswick store provides 1000s of costumes and props to choose from as well as a fully stocked theatrical makeup department. Our team has 50 years of combined experience in the industry. We arrange hire and sales across Australia.

788 Sydney Road, Brunswick, VIC, 3056 +61 4 1810 1860 +61 3 9384 6957 centrestagecostumes@gmail.com centrestagecostumes.com CLOC Musical Theatre Costumes are available for hire to any company, school or individual anywhere in Australia, from individual costumes right through to complete production sets.

CLOC also has a large selection of back cloths available for hire at very reasonable rates. To see the backcloths in stock, go to cloc.org.au and click on the tab ‘Hire’.

The following full stage sets are also available for hire - Mamma Mia!, Kinky Boots, Strictly Ballroom, Les Misérables, A Chorus Line, Mary Poppins, 42nd Street, The Phantom of the Opera and Jekyll & Hyde.

CLOC is one of Victoria's largest and most successful non-professional music theatre companies. Over the years, the organisation has developed into a vigorous, community based, arts provider. More recently CLOC has developed a prominent role as a hirer of costume sets and stage scenery throughout Australia.

PO Box 3250, Mentone East, VIC 3194 1300 826 788 cloc.org.au Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 43

Costumes Without Drama Costumes Without Drama make and hire costumes mostly for school productions. With in excess of 12,000 barcoded and inventoried items, Costumes without Drama provide a unique costuming experience for teachers. Where possible teachers have access to the costumes up to two weeks in advance of the performance. We launder on return. You are welcome to come in and browse, see samples on the website, or email for more information and/or pictures of available costumes.

Unit 6, 13 Molan Street, Ringwood, VIC 3134 +61 4 1143 1430 info@costumeswithoutdrama.com.au costumeswithoutdrama.com.au Cyclorama Projects Cyclorama Projects design, build and install cyclorama walls for a range of industries and businesses. The company specialises in creating the perfect seamless background for clients around Australia.

Cyclorama has spent years perfecting cyclorama walls with design, integration, and functionality in mind. +61 4 2284 8880 info@cycloramaprojects.com.au cycloramaprojects.com.au GMS Costumes GMS Costumes cater to other Musical Societies, Theatre groups and schools and are able to hire complete show costumes for many productions.

The shop has operated successfully with approximately 10,000 costumes to choose from for hire. New costumes are continually being made for each new production and added to our selection. The shop offers a wide variety of costumes for all occasions.

Mon - Fri: 10.00am - 4.00pm - Costume Hire is by Appointment only 262 Henry Parry Drive, North Gosford, NSW 2250 +61 2 4324 1305 gosfordmusical@bigpond.com gmscostumes.com.au Masks & Puppets Plus Masks & Puppets Plus supplies theatre companies, drama in education, masquerade parties and promotions. Inspired by a trip to Venice, proprietor Tessa Wallis has designed and constructed masks and puppets in this specialised field for over 20 years. Each mask is individually handcrafted using quality materials.

Masks have a strong theatrical tradition. Mythological Masks like those worn in early Greek amphitheatres or Commedia dell’Arte masks worn in the streets of Verona are available as well as Neutral, kabuki, animals, witches, masquerade and fantasy masks. +61 4 8824 6840 tessa@masksandpuppets.com.au masksandpuppets.com.au

44 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

NJW Designs NJW Designs is a multifaceted design and fabrication hub specializing in the event and entertainment industry. From professional theatre houses to local musical productions and everything in between.

NJW Designs has a multi talented team with skills in design, drafting, fabrication, automation, installation and technical management.

Taking a project from concept right through to market is where they excel. Limited only by imagination, NJW Designs make creative visions a reality.

15 Caravan Street, Wendouree, VIC 3355 +61 3 5338 1431 njwdesigns.com.au Packemin Productions Packemin Productions are the leading producers of quality Pro/Am Musical Theatre in Sydney, Australia. We are known for our huge sellout shows at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta and The Concourse in Chatswood. Over the years, Packemin has compiled a range of costumes and sets from our shows which are hired to productions across Australia.

Our range includes Shrek (sets and costumes), Mamma Mia! (sets and costumes), Jesus Christ Superstar (costumes) as well as costumes for numerous productions including Annie and Oliver!

PO BOX 80, Northmead, NSW 2152 +61 2 8005 1154 +61 410 502 110 info@packemin.com.au packemin.com.au Scenic Studios Scenic Studios specialise in theatrical painting of scenic backdrops and theatre scenery. They also hire backdrops and drapes for theatre productions and sell scenic paints designed for painting soft and hard scenery. Contact Pavla to discuss how they can help with your next production.

1B Fink Street, Preston, VIC 3072 +61 3 9484 3422 scenicstudios@scenicstudios.com.au scenicstudios.com.au Shine Trimmings & Fabrics Shine Trimmings & Fabrics are leading retailers and wholesalers of quality fabrics and trimmings specifically for Dance, Calisthenics, Ballet, Ballroom, Swimwear & Activewear, Fashion, Ice Skating, Festival Wear, Fancy Dress, Burlesque, Circus, Costumes, Cosplay, Millinery, Set Design, Shows & Productions.

They ship nationwide across Australia and beyond. The team at Shine have backgrounds that span costume making, fashion design, dance and cosplay and are extremely talented, dedicated and passionate for this industry. Making your creation shine!

421 Graham Street, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207 +61 3 9646 0072 +61 3 9646 7288 info@shinetrimmingsfabrics.com.au shinetrimmingsfabrics.com.au

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 45

The Costume Dept & The Staging Dept Stage School Australia has a proud 30+ year performing arts history.

During this time we have developed a huge inventory of over 12,000 high quality costumes, sets and props for our own productions, which are now available to schools and theatre companies.

23 Allen Street, Moreland, VIC 3058 +61 3 8199 8344 admin@costumedept.com.au costumedept.com.au The Party Warehouse The Party Warehouse is a passionate business, with an extensive range of costume accessories, costume kits and props to suit a wide array of themes. They are constantly adding new products to their range and offer prompt and friendly service. With Australia wide shipping and fast dispatch, The Party Warehouse is the perfect choice for making any character come to life.

PO Box 1372, Thuringowa Central, QLD 4817 +61 4 1984 8880 sales@thepartywarehouse.net.au thepartywarehouse.net.au Theatre Star Theatre Star specialise in the manufacture and supply of curtains, backdrops, screens and associated products for the entertainment and event industries. We are a committed team of creatives and our whole focus is to provide the highest quality theatre and studio curtains, manufactured from the best available fabrics available in the quickest turnaround time.

Theatre Star are proudly Australian owned. Contact Rod Paton for more information on their products and services.

Factory 3, 10 Industry Circuit, Kilsyth South, VIC 3137 +61 3 8761 6927 sales@theatrestar.com.au theatrestar.com.au Transtage Transtage are able to supply the highest quality stages that are safe and robust, all while being lightweight, user-friendly and transportable.

Whatever size your project, you can rest assured that we will find a staging system to suit your requirements.

In addition, we are always mindful of our clients’ budgets. We work hard to find the most cost-effective solution for your event.

14B/8 Gladstone Road, Castle Hill, NSW, 2154 1300 712 066 info@transtage.com.au transtage.com.au

46 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Subscribe now!

Subscription Form

Subscribe to our print edition and receive one of the following gifts. Visit stagewhispers.com.au/subscribe Please nominate three choices, as supplies of some gifts are limited.  Murdoch Mysteries: Series 15 - DVD Set  The Mighty Boosh Live - 2 DVD Set  LennoNYC - Special Edition Blu-ray  Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show - Blu-ray  Life With Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows - DVD  The Miracle Club - DVD  Broadway Cast and Musical Theatre CD Lucky Dip More choices at stagewhispers.com.au/subscribe DVDs & Blu-rays courtesy of ViaVision

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

SUBSCRIBE AT stagewhispers.com.au Name: .....................................................................

Address: ..................................................................

Phone: ....................................................................

Email: ......................................................................

Please nominate your 1st, 2nd and 3rd free gift choices below:

.............................................................................................

Send your money order, cheque, credit card details, or request for invoice to:

Stage Whispers, PO Box 2274, Rose Bay North, NSW, 2030.

ABN 71 129 358 710

 Visa  MasterCard  American Express Expiry:......./........

Credit Card Number: .................................................................

CCV Number .............................................................................

Signature: .................................................................................

Sign me up for (tick applicable box):

6 issues  Print and e-mag for $39.50 OR  E-mag only for $24.95 12 issues  Print and e-mag for $70 OR  E-mag only for $39 18 issues  Print and e-mag for $95 OR  E-mag only for $55 (GST inclusive where applicable)

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 47

Therry Theatre’s Home, I’m Darling (2023).

Photo: Andy Trimmings.

Home, I’m Darling Director Jude Hines takes us through the challenges and rewards faced during the ambitious staging of Home, I’m Darling for Therry Theatre at Arts Theatre, Adelaide.

Award-winning British playwright Laura Wade’s Home, I’m Darling is one of the gems of theatre that was dealt a cruel blow by COVID-19.

Written for much loved actor Kathryn Parkinson, it was extensively workshopped by Theatr Clwyd in Wales, opening in 2018.

It moved to London, promptly winning two Olivier Awards, one for the Best New Comedy (2019). Within months, theatres went ‘dark’ all over the world and consequently, the run of this brilliant original comedy was cut short. Scheduled by both Melbourne and Sydney theatre companies, it just squeezed in for 2020 in Melbourne and was shelved until 2021 in Sydney, when theatre gingerly returned to our stages.

As a director, I regularly check the West End and Broadway for new and 48 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

interesting plays and this captivating, amusing and often visceral play resonated powerfully with me as both a woman who works, and a mother.

The writing is explicit and powerful. Sentences with no full stops create dialogue that tumbles without pauses, the conversations are rich and often pithy and the post WW2 journey of women is a timely reminder that everything that both men and women have achieved is hard won. Amidst this is a love story where a couple, Johnny (Stephen Bills) and Judy (Alicia Zorkovic, who is in every scene) opt to live the life of the ‘50s in their perfectly pastel, Barbielike house. I was ‘hooked’, and a three-year quest to work with a company who believed in this very provoking play enough to gain amateur rights was my challenge.

Therry Theatre celebrates 80 years of community theatre in 2023. It has been the training ground for television, theatre and international stars including Brian Wenzel from A Country Practice, Hugh Sheridan from Packed to the Rafters and renowned producer Robert Stigwood. It’s run completely by volunteers, many of whom wear several hats, including award winning Lighting Designer Richard Parkhill. Unlike other Adelaide companies, Therry has a 10-man team, many retired specialists in other fields, who construct the set at the start of rehearsals, thus ensuring that the cast rehearse on the set, allowing workshopping and workable blocking.

The fantastic ‘50s ‘wallpaper’ and checkerboard floor were, in fact the work of Mark Rogers, retired nurse, now book illustrator, who hand painted both. The two-storey set was ambitious, expensive and quintessential for Johnny and Judy.

And so, Home, I’m Darling became the perfect play to celebrate Therry’s 80-year journey and contribution to South Australian theatre.

After gaining the rights, plays take To complicate their task, the play many months in the planning, and has two characters who live in the whilst we had auditions in January ‘50s (Johnny and Judy), two who live 2023, over the months of in the ‘now’, but flirt with the look preparation, for many reasons, I had a and lifestyle of the ‘50s, Fran (Jessica 50% cast turnover before rehearsals Corrie) and Marcus (Adam Schulz), began. This turned out to be and two powerful women, Alex (Lani serendipitous because audiences are Gerbi) and Sylvia (Deb Walsh), who clear that all six characters are put the rabid into feminism, each beautifully drawn and convincingly epitomising strong, powerful modern portrayed. women. The result was three different Prior to beginning rehearsals, each costume styles that meticulously actor discussed their vision and supported the story. Our local daily background for their character, and to paper commented, ‘Costumes from support becoming a ‘50s person, girls Gillian Cordell and Sandy Faithful are were given rehearsal stockings and sensational.’ They were ‘chuffed’. rope petticoats, and the men explored Set Designer Gary Anderson was handling hats. clear from the outset that his greatest Because this is such a visual show, opportunity was creating an Adelaide costumers Gillian Cordell additional ‘character’, a set that and Sandy Faithful began the process transported the audience into the by researching the looks and styles of feel, style and detail of the 1950s. As the eras of this play. Gillian researches early as January, he sketched a twoand sources costume gems; Sandy story English house that was perfect loves to sew, obsessively ensuring that to allow Johnny and Judy to be a real actors feel and look good in clothing couple who could create and live their to support them in giving their best perfect fantasy. performance.

It was to be where Johnny was her Seemingly joined at the hip, both ‘rock’ (rather like her idol Rock love those aspects, and for this show, Hudson), and she, channelling Doris scoured Therry’s wardrobe Day, could make perfect canapés, department, Op Shops, private create soothing cocktails, and collections and, using 1950’s paper welcome him home, his slippers ready patterns, created beautiful gowns that at the door, into their perfectly clean looked brilliant on the actors and and decorated home. Gary against the set. commented that the usual challenge

Home, I’m Darling Request a perusal or apply for the rights from Origin Theatrical origintheatrical.com.au/work/12585

Therry Theatre’s Home, I’m Darling (2023).

Photo: Andy Trimmings.

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

for non-professional companies is always budget, and so he trawled Op Shops, markets, on-line sites and friends’ homes to gather the vinyl chairs, breadbins, Laminex topped kitchen table, mustard green china cabinet and other bric a brac to build his ‘50s set and Judy’s perfect ‘doll’s house’.

Ironically, it was Lani Gerbi, who plays Alex, a very successful emancipated female Real Estate Manager, who opted to knit the Dolly Varden teapot cosy! A local critic described the set as ‘mind-boggling’ and a number of audience members queued to photograph the ‘50s memorabilia and the hand painted ‘wallpaper’.

I bordered on losing my sense of humour when it came to Properties, and fortunately started collecting things back in February. This is a play about ‘50s behaviour and culture, thus, it felt like endless cups of tea and eggless cake, made by me (as one cast member who has to eat cake is allergic to eggs), cocktails, salt dough devilled eggs and meat and three veg meals were crucial parts of the story.

Detailed photos of every setting in situ ensured that each piece was preprepared and in place. Note to self: look at the Props list before reading any more plays. Three teams, including cast, rotated through props (Continued on page 50)

Therry Theatre’s Home, I’m Darling (2023).

Photo: Andy Trimmings.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 49

while ‘Que, Sera, Sera’ became the done courtesy of skilled Production favourite sing-along song. and Technical teams, a cast of six management, plating cakes, pouring Home, I’m Darling also gave me an highly skilled actors and one of drinks, mixing the glue-like instant opportunity for several of my Adelaide’s oldest and most respected mash, resetting tables and furniture, professionally trained actors to be theatre companies. in dimly lit precision. seen doing important, albeit unpaid What have I learned? The old Scene and costume changes took work. Reviewer Mark Wickett said, adage that ‘the play’s the thing’ still time, so I used the top 10 number ‘It’s a beautiful examination of the holds true, because in this play, as in one hits from 1950 to 1959 to bridge benefits and pitfalls of nostalgia, with others, the play becomes our focus, scenes and entertain the audience. the pervasive attitudes that should our passion, and hopefully, our gift to ‘How much is that Doggie in the have remained back there. It shows us our audiences.

Window’ was a huge crowd pleaser, the still-growing need for equality between the sexes.’ So, my job was (Continued from page 49)

CLOC Costumes Walking through the aisles of CLOC Musical Theatre Company’s Costume Resource Centre (CRC) is a stroll through centuries of style, fashion, colours, history and memories.

This collection has well over 12,000 items from 107 productions over 59 years stored, catalogued and managed. It includes dresses, coats, suits, shirts, bowties, shoes, hats, bags, gloves, scarves, jewellery, wigs and everything in between.

Leading the dedicated CLOC costume team of loyal sewers and milliners is a formidable duo – AwardWinning Costume Designer/Co-ordinator Victoria Horne and her off-sider Melinda Peebles. Vicky’s designs have won numerous Music Theatre Guild awards, for the

Victorian amateur theatre premiere productions of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Strictly Ballroom, and Mary Poppins. Other costume collections available include Jersey Boys, Catch Me If You Can, Kinky Boots, Les Misérables and Mamma Mia! Vicky and Melinda are working on CLOC’s current production, CHESS, before turning their attention to next year’s Billy Elliot, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of CLOC Musical Theatre.

For more details visit cloc.org.au/cloc-hire.html

Anyone who has seen a CLOC show in recent years will attest to the success of Vicky’s vision and her team’s artistry, skill, talents and commitment to excellence. If you’re looking for an incredible selection of costumes available to hire, CLOC’s collection is a fabulous place to start.

CLOC’s Catch Me If You Can (2023).

Photo: Ben Fon.

CLOC’s Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert (2021).

Photo: Ben Fon.

50 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Scenic Studios In Focus Scenic Studios specialises in theatrical painting of scenic backdrops and theatre scenery.

They also manufacture scenic paints and hire scenic backdrops around Australia for school productions, small theatre organisations and live events.

Their scenic hire range includes over 200 hire backdrops which are all professionally hand painted and manufactured in their studio. Scenic backdrops give depth to the scene and allow for lighting tricks, creating the atmosphere you desire for your performance.

The company has standardised the size, 12m wide x 6m drop, to fit most theatres and school auditoriums.

Shows available include Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast,

Annie, Frozen and Alice in Wonderland, whilst themes include ballrooms, forests, skies and cut cloths.

All can be found under backdrop hire on their website at scenicstudios.com.au. They also have sequin drapes, slash curtains, lame curtains and crush velvet drapes.

The company says by hiring scenic backdrops you are supporting the art of scenic painting and helping the environment, as nothing will end up in the landfill after your production.

Scenic Studios paint with their own manufactured scenic paints which are acrylic and designed to paint theatre backdrops, scenery and stage.

Paints come in 0.8L, 2.2L,4L and 10L or 15L. If you are painting a backdrop, scenery or stages you can purchase scenic paints online at scenicpaints.com.au or buy a scenic paint touch-up kit to test them first.

They also stock special effects

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

products like membrane, texture and glazes.

The company’s scenic paints and scenic backdrops, all made locally, are environmentally friendly and can be shipped Australia-wide.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 51

An Aladdin’s Cave Of Costumes Stage School Australia’s Costume Department and Staging Department teams run two large warehouses side-by-side with props, staging and more than 10,000 costumes and accessories for hire.

Ranging from adorable prepaged kids costumes to adult-size period dress, the company is a one stop shop for teachers and parents.

Stage School Australia offers everything from full staging and costume packages for 100+ students, to intimate studio plays, with discounts for government schools. Customers can tour both warehouses in Melbourne, with options for adding small, beautiful props to accentuate costume selection, or go the full kit-andkaboodle with packages such as The Addams Family, Les Misérables, Wizard of Oz and Beauty and The Beast.

The range of sizes, quality and scope of costumes is extensive.

Stage School Australia has Disney and animated classics including Beauty and The Beast, Shrek, Aladdin and Madagascar, as well as Broadway favourites such as Les Misérables and Singin’ In the Rain.

The company also has an extensive selection of vintage and period costuming for plays and films, from medieval costuming for 52 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

VCE Shakespeare to 1920s jazz-age costumes for Chicago, plus contemporary shows including Bring It On and Legally Blonde.

Managed by a small but passionate team, many of the company’s staff have worked professionally in the performing arts industry, from large scale commercial musicals to The Australian Ballet.

Costumes are mostly hired by schools, but they also hire to film &

TV productions, independent theatre and corporate events. Clients include The Wiggles, Channel 10 and Theatre Works.

One of the company’s most popular sets of props and costumes is from The Addams Family production staged professionally as a Broadway replica in Australia. The attention to details in the spooky historical ancestors and the eccentric Addams Family members is incredible!

Get in touch with Stage School Australia’s friendly team today to discuss your options on (03) 8199 8344. stagingdept.com.au

Setting The Scene A show-stopping backdrop is a great way to set the scene in a stage production.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

Backdrops Fantastic supports theatres and schools staging a play, musical or a dance recital. The company has hundreds of unique and exclusively themed backdrop designs for hire, including popular musicals and drapery.

The available stock is displayed on the company’s website backdrop gallery with new musical and theatre backdrop designs launched in September.

Their latest series of scenic hand-painted backdrops are inspired by scenes from Aladdin, Shrek, Frozen, Mary Poppins, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Grease, South Pacific and The Nutcracker.

The musical and theatre series allows the option of hiring one scenic backdrop or multiple scenes from the story line, that can be interchanged by production crews between scenes.

Backdrops Fantastic Australia specialises in transforming venues large and small into fully immersive themed environments. They proudly deliver their unique backdrops across Australia and New Zealand.

Give the team a call on (07) 5520 2311, email sales@backdrops.com.au or visit backdrops.com.au

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

Mary Poppins.

Shrek.

Aladdin.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 53

Roadside Rubbish Becomes Stage Treasures Veteran theatre creatives Bob and Col Peet featured in a recent episode of Stage Whispers TV on mastering prop and set building.

The brothers, now based in Adelaide and Sydney, warned that it is very dangerous driving behind them on council clean-up days.

One of their favourite habits is picking up some roadside trash to save it for a time when they can make it into a stage prop.

“We have made pot stands into a buffet, and very ordinary chairs into glamorous pieces,” said Col. Bob described how he found beautiful chairs in a clean -up.

“I stopped and picked one up. I then got an email from someone who wanted four chairs. The next morning I went back. There were the other three chairs under the rubbish. I was able to rebirth them with black upholstery.

Later we turned one into the wheelchair in Wicked. It all comes apart.”

Another time Bob found a gold couch on Facebook Marketplace at the home of a drag queen.

“So, it was appropriate that it became purple, which I

got from a bedspread. That ended up being a lovely piece for The Producers,” he said.

The brothers are big fans of giving community theatre casts a look at set model boxes early in the rehearsal process.

In the video they showed off their latest masterpieces.

“I do a model box at a ratio of 1: 25. When we build it, the cast say the set looks just like the model,” said Col. The Stage Whispers TV Live Broadcast is sponsored by the Association of Community Theatre, which partners with Marsh Insurance to offer non-professional companies public liability insurance policies.

For more information visit communitytheatre.com.au

Stage Whispers TV

Watch Bob and Col Peet’s full interview with David Spicer. Scan or visit youtu.be/amsozdVVq1s

stagewhispers.com.au/training 54 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Spectacular School Sets Adam Lindberg has designed and built sets for over 150 school productions since he graduated from the NIDA design course in 1996. He explains why he enjoys working in the education sector.

My first gigs were with regional production of West Side Story, theatre companies and designing for featuring a dynamic six metre metal conferences and dinners. see-saw. The whole production was Whilst I got a creative kick out of staged around the set piece as it corporate events, the pressure was rotated 360 degrees and tilted up and immense. I remember one huge down, at times with actors riding it as corporate event staged over two days at the then Telstra Dome in Melbourne. The venue notified us that all the elements had to be rated for exterior wind loading, even though the roof was to be closed. Suddenly my construction cost blew out by $150,000.

I took a punt, showed my portfolio to a few private schools and got a job staging a season of Two Weeks with the Queen at Shore School in Sydney.

The studio theatre where we mounted the show was a brilliant space. Shore’s Creative Arts it moved. The production was also department was vibrant and fortunate enough to feature a motivated to stage professional level sweeping and almost filmic lighting productions. I realised there was a design by renowned artist John market in education for a good Rayment. designer who could also construct Maintaining creative relationships within education has been the sets. With Christopher Reynolds and Daughters Of Venice.

For details please visit adamlindbergdesign.com.au his successor David MacSwan we did some fantastic productions and made some brave decisions.

You can give concepts a try within schools that would not be attempted in the professional world. One of my favourite designs was our 2002

foundation that has kept my company, Adam Lindberg Design, going for almost 30 years.

I have been fortunate to create productions with passionate and committed drama educators who could easily be professional directors

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

working in the industry, but they have decided to work in schools.

In 2007 I committed to drama in education and accepted the role as Production Manager at Cranbrook School in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

Into The Woods.

I work full time as a Production Manager on their Creative Arts program, managing venues, logistics and a student production crew, as well as designing and realising lighting, sets and other technical aspects of the productions. In my holidays I design and construct sets for other clients. I am always looking for new challenges within the education sector.

A current challenge is the increase in cost for materials. The base materials such as plywood and pine cost 200% more than last year, and up to 300% if supply shortages force you to use a higher grade than you need.

In response to increasing costs, and to inspire teachers to continue to provide their students with amazing sets to perform on, I am promoting a staging product called Multi Set. The package is a modular product that can be assembled in multiple configurations and is suitable for a range of projects. I conceived and constructed Multi Set in response to my most frequently received request over the last 20 years … “Can I have levels?”

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 55

Miola Theatre’s Begotten.

Chester The Suitcase With His Own Baggage Suitcases conjure up so much symbolism - travel, escape, journey. Brisbane-based independent company Minola Theatre is a collaboration between Kat Dekker and Bianca Butler Reynolds, branded after their famous namesakes, Shakespeare’s Minola sisters in Taming of the Shrew. Bianca tells Beth Keehn all about Chester, their beloved red suitcase and star of all their major productions to date.

“Chester is kind of a third party in Minola Theatre. In 2019 we were preparing for two productions, Highway of Lost Hearts by Mary Anne Butler, and my own onewoman show, Begotten. Both plays required a central suitcase prop. We set about casting a standout piece of luggage that would be versatile enough to suit both parts.

“We found Chester at the Camp Hill Antiques Centre.

He was a bit bland and brown and in need of surgery, but we fixed him up, painted him red and, with transformed confidence, he was ready for a life on the stage! He’s already starred in four Minola Theatre productions. And when he’s not on stage, he’s usually multi-tasking as our props storage, or acting as a bookcase at Kat’s flat.

“We love Chester because he is larger than life, certainly bigger than today’s average-sized suitcases, and he’s quite sturdy as a supporting player. He has solid wood and steel reinforcements which make him more stable than most suitcases. He can carry weight - we can 56 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

sit on him; we can stand on him - he’s always reliable.

“Because he was an old suitcase, we have had to perform surgery on him a few times. His latches sometimes give out and his lid gets a bit squeaky, so he’s definitely had some remodelling in the last two years.

“As well as Highway of Lost Hearts and Begotten, Chester starred in our evening of three one-act plays, Love Triangle, including Half an Hour by JM Barrie. Chester was outstanding as an item of luggage belonging to one of the characters.

“When we were planning Begotten as a live show (after performing it as a radio play during lockdown), we used a big pile of clothes as a set piece, which we were going to store in a laundry hamper, but when we started blocking we realised that the laundry hamper just wasn’t as versatile.

“Chester has so much more to offer our group and I’m sure he will return for other roles in the future.”

NIDA 3rd year costume student Avril Bradbury-Hoath dedicated her research project to women who lost their lives making watches and costumes.

What is the theme of the costume?

The theme of the costume is invisible poisons in textiles with a specific focus on the tragic story of the 1920s “Radium Girls” who painted watch dials, with radium paint, for the Radium Dial Company.

Why did it interest you?

The topic of poisons in fabric throughout history and the health effects on the people who wore them fascinated me. Examples of this include arsenic used to dye dresses in the Victorian era and mercury used to stiffen hats leading to the term the “mad hatter”.

It was when I was listening to the podcast “My Favourite Murder”, which covered the story of the 1920s Radium Girls who painted watch dials with poisonous radium paint, that I decided to create a costume to draw attention to their tragic story.

In summary, the girls who were employed to paint watches in the 1920s were being poisoned. The watches, used by soldiers in dark trenches, were painted by the girls using radium paint for its night-time glow. They were instructed to use a technique called “lip pointing”, which required the painter to place the tip of their brush in their mouth before dipping the brush in the paint, to produce a finer brush stroke.

After their shifts working at the factory, the girls’ clothes would glow in the dark when they were walking home, due to the radium paint particles coming in to contact with their clothing. They became known as “the ghost girls”.

Essentially, the girls were slowly poisoned by the radium in the paint, became ill and eventually died.

What is the dress made of?

The under layer is made up of a black linen, cupro and tencal blend. The outer layer is made from 100% polyester taffeta, which has newspaper articles from that period of time printed on it and which glows in the dark. I chose this fabric as it was commonly used in the 1920s for the robe de style and it is also suitable to run through the

sublimation printer which heat sets the newspaper articles onto the fabric.

The dress is finished with UV paint (non-poisonous) to create the glowing effects of the radium.

print from a special paper onto textiles.

To ensure that the underdress aligned with the overdress and to also fasten the cape, I used magnets, which I covered with fabric to fasten them in the perfect position.

When painting the fabric with the UV paint, I used the lighting studio.

NIDA Technical Theatre students assisted me by rigging UV lights so that I could see the paint I was applying.

How long did it take to make it?

I spent approximately 67 hours on

Applications to study at NIDA in 2021 close on October 31 apply.nida.edu.au Any unusual processes to create it?

To create my newspaper fabric, I had to produce my pattern to fit the newspaper articles into the exact shape of the garment. I then used Photoshop to edit and adapt the articles I found in the archives of the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune to ensure their best position on my pattern pieces.

The newspaper articles need to be warped slightly in order to create a visually straight line on a 3-dimensional body. I created my very own newspaper fabric by using the process of heat setting, which transfers the sublimation

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

my project. This included 40 hours on pattern making, cutting, fitting and construction, 24 hours creating my newspaper print using Photoshop, and three hours spent in the lighting studio painting.

How do you look after glow in the dark costumes?

Glow in the dark costumes created with UV paint need to be heat set at 160 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes to lock the paint into the fabric permanently. I would choose to hand wash the costume delicately and let it dry naturally.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 57

On The Buses Community Theatres are facing their biggest technical challenge yet building their own buses for productions of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.

CLOC in Melbourne, Willoughby Theatre Company in Sydney and Platinum Entertainment in Perth take us for a peek under the bonnet.

the iconic bus Priscilla CLOC’s Priscilla including were well on the way. then - well, we all know Is Pure 1960s what“And happened. Rehearsals,

costumes, sets, the bus and the Karen Greenwood reports that Priscilla, the most expensive set piece production all came to a grinding ever constructed by the company, is a halt.

“As community restrictions eased replica of a 1960s Leyland bus. this year, CLOC decided to resume “In early 2019, which now seems Priscilla rehearsals and preparations for an extended season in April-May like ‘a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away’, Melbourne’s CLOC Musical 2021. With excitement, enthusiasm, Theatre started preparing for a visually masks and sanitisers, all departments and aurally spectacular production of - cast, crew, costume team, set builders, props makers - reconvened.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, “Amongst the tasks to be scheduled for May 2020. Rehearsals completed was the construction of began in February, and by March, Priscilla, the titular bus and, in her costume making and set building own way, leading lady and co-star of

58 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

the show. The bus, the most expensive single set item ever constructed in a CLOC show, is designed by the co-director Chris White.

“Our Technical Director Grant Alley and his assistants Justin Karakai and Peter Turley translated Chris’ design into a life-sized steel framework. They solved all the mechanical challenges in making the bus sturdy whilst being able to fit under the gantry that spans the width of the stage. It also moves upstage, downstage and revolves on cue, as well as being totally portable and transportable for future hire.

“Chris, a petrol-head from way back, emphasises that from the outset that his aim was to make a life-size

CLOC. Photos: Ben Fon.

Online extras!

CLOC takes their custom-built “Priscilla” for a quick spin. Scan or visit youtu.be/D481rvPdLfE

CLOC’s production of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert played from April 30 to May 22, 2021 at the National Theatre Melbourne. cloc.org.au bus with accurate proportions “The bus remains onstage during comparable to an old Leyland bus the show, masked by onstage cloths from the 1960s/70s. and projections, and will be operated “Amongst the features on the bus remotely by a crew member. are real air horns, working headlights “Audiences will also be treated to and indicators, an actual steering spectacular costumes, headdresses, wheel from an old tramway bus, a lights, sets, choreography, a parade of cocktail bar, beaded curtains, clothes famous 80s disco hits - and of course racks - all the kitsch decorative Priscilla herself, who will be her own comforts of home - and of course, the special star of the show. With great famous stiletto shoe perched on top of excitement, CLOC cannot wait to the bus, recreated from the welcome audiences back to rediscover memorable opera scene in the Priscilla the joy of live musical theatre.”

(Continued on page 60) movie.

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 59

Willoughby Theatre Company.

Catching The Bus To Willoughby

Peter O’Sullivan reports that Sydney’s Willoughby Theatre Company has included secret entrances on their Priscilla.

“The Willoughby Theatre Company was set to put on the spectacular show last year, but like all groups was forced to postpone due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“As the first community group to put the show on in New South Wales, the company has spared no expense to bring this larger-than-life adventure of three friends aboard a battered old bus bound for Alice Springs onto the stage. Their epic journey is a heartwarming story of self-discovery, sassiness and acceptance, and features some of the biggest pop hits of all time.

“At the heart of the show’s design is the big pink bus. It is a showstopping set piece that has had audiences internationally cheering as it makes its grand entrance in act one.

“To bring the overall vision of show’s director Adam Haynes to life, Willoughby engaged multi-award winning Queensland designer Josh

60 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

McIntosh to develop and construct the bus.

“Using 200 metres of steel in the frame, Josh has had to build the bus as lightweight as possible to ensure it can be moved easily and quickly by cast during and between scenes. The final bus only weighs approximately 350kg.

“Unique touches have also been added by Josh, and the bus comes

Willoughby Theatre Company.

complete with working head and taillights, conventional bi-fold bus doors and removable side panels to create its different looks throughout the show.

“There are even secret entrances at the rear to hide the dressers for those impressive 20 second onstage quick changes for the three leads as they take the audience on their journey across the outback.

impact from the moment it arrives on the Concourse stage.

“We’re also looking forward to seeing the bus tour the country after our production has finished.”

For theatre companies interested in Priscilla set hire, including the bus, email Nikole Music nikolemusic@hotmail.com

“All of the external lights are being changed to LED fixtures controlled by wireless DMX. Our bus sits permanently on a revolving stage, which has power running to the bus via a slip ring.

“The LED screens are also controlled via wireless network, as indeed are PA monitors, so the singers can hear the music whilst inside. So, as you can see it’s a technical wonderland.

“Instead of strengthening the roof, we completely removed it and replaced it with staging deck on Trevor Patient from Platinum Entertainment in Perth is recycling an ‘scaffold’ poles. Access is via a set of steps that roll on and off from the old school bus to create his Priscilla. side.

“When I went to pick it up, I “When I commenced planning for the musical, I had to decide whether noticed that it had a familiar logo.

“I started chatting to our cast to build, hire or buy a set from about the bus and discovered that another company. this very vehicle was driven by a cast “I hunted around on Facebook member Chris Gerrish when he taught Market Place and found a bus at a at Newman College, the school where wrecker’s yard.

“Our resident bus mechanic gutted it was from.

“Further investigation has revealed the vehicle, and our crew is refitting it that certain cast and crew members for use on stage.

“We’re putting LED screens in the would have ridden on the bus as students, so they will be very bus windows along one side so we comfortable with the familiar can change the colour and add text. surroundings.”

Priscilla Goes West

“Before even hitting the stage for the first time, the bus for the Willoughby Theatre Company production is already in high demand by other community groups.”

Willoughby Theatre Company director of Priscilla, Adam Haynes, said, “We can’t wait for audiences to see his spectacular designs, including the bus which we know will create

Platinum Entertainment.

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 61

Getting A Handle On Props Livia Greenberg went behind the scenes of NIDA’s production of Sweeney Todd and spoke to Gaia Stein — a 3rd year NIDA Props Student — about their work on the show.

I walked down a long corridor backstage at NIDA and everywhere I looked was either a prop or a student in costume, as they prepared for their winter production seasons.

An actor walked by in a pirate hat with sparkles, next to him a wall of masks. A stampede of “techies” poured out of one door after being let out on a break.

One of their ambitious productions in the season was Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by Constantine Costi with musical direction from Andrew Worboys and choreography by Shannon Burns.

For a prop maker, the “part melodrama, part Grand Guignol blood-fest” is an exciting project.

NIDA Props Student and Prop Master Gaia Stein is familiar with gory shows, having also worked on

62 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

GS: “The hand was made from a the play Eat Me, that had a fake heart ripped out of someone. silicone called transil [translucent silicone rubber], to provide the Two of the props she is particularly proud of are the iconic translucency of skin and add flexibility for heightened realism. It Sweeney Todd meat grinder and a fake hand, both made with silicone was made from a live cast of an and gel. She used a mold and actor's hand using skin-safe silicone. finished it with sculpting and paint. Since the transil sets so quickly, if LG: What was the process of you mix it, it becomes lumpy and doing props for the show? meat-like, so I was able to use the cure-time to my advantage to make GS: “Well, it's a big and complicated show. I think there's the hand look severed. over 250 props. And obviously a lot “The meat that goes into the of it is reliant on mechanisms and grinder is made from a jelly-wax, things that make things happen, like which means it's reusable and can all the blood stuff and the (barber’s) be melted down and reformed for chair. A lot of it was trial and error, every performance. Because it's so and trying to look at past shows soft, it also makes it easy to grind, which is perfect.” and figure out how they did stuff.

(A major challenge) was trying to LG: Did anything go wrong along the way? If so, what did you not stain the costumes (with fake blood).” learn from it?

LG: What was the process of GS: “The hardest part of the production was the [fake] blood and making the hand/meat grinder? trying not to stain the costumes.

NIDA’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Photo: Phil Erbacher.

NIDA props student Gaia Stein with her hand/meat grinder prop.

In NIDA’s BFA Props and Effects, you will learn to become an adaptive and multi-skilled designer-maker, ready to join the arts and entertainment industries in areas including theatre, film, exhibitions and events. Learn more about the course at nida.edu.au/study/undergraduate/props-and-effects

GS: “I've put a lot of detail into the props. In Joanna's bedroom was a table, and in this version of the show, she's very obsessed with birds. And so I carved a little bird “I found that as the show went people coming into the room and into her side table. And I did a on, I became quicker at problemgoing “Eww!” and getting whole bunch of little inscriptions solving and figuring out solutions to disgusted.” that she's done in her bedroom.” issues that I hadn't foreseen.”

LG: In terms of the chair, what LG: What are the career LG: Did the dark content of the went into making that work? prospects in terms of props making? script affect your prop making in GS: “The chair was made solely GS: “Since prop-making is so any way? by one of my very talented broad, and our skillset is so vast, our GS: “The designer decided to go classmates, but the entire frame was career prospects are endless. for a more realistic look with welded so that it could support the Whether it's advertising, film, TV everything, so things like meat as weight and movement of the actors shows, theatre, or even store-front well as the blood and stuff were going down the chute.” displays, we have so many included. It was actually fun just LG: Is there anything you’re possibilities.” seeing people’s reactions to things proud of that the audience may not that I was making. I just enjoyed notice?

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 63

Bay Area Childrens’ Theatre’s James And The Giant Peach.

One easy version of getting everyone to understand the “True North” of a show is a Pinterest board with images and links to audio. For When I speak to audiences of non- tell that particular story is the instance, when I directed the premiere theatre folks, I often find myself director’s decision. The director of a of the TYA version of the musical making the distinction that theatre is production has a curatorial obligation James and the Giant Peach with book a collaborative art form. The painter to interpret the story that the

by Timothy Allen McDonald and or poet can work solo, but the theatre playwright has written with a lens music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and maker requires a team of creative that brings out something new and Justin Paul, I used images that people all working towards one single interesting for the audience. captured the overall feeling of the storytelling mission. The director of In a pre-production process, it is production that I wanted to present the production holds the this vision that unites the team and — colour, texture, era, tone — but responsibility of keeping all of the begins the task of using the creative also, specific costume silhouettes that brilliant creative minds working on superpowers of each individual spoke to me. the show pointing in the same theatre artist in their area of expertise I also put in ideas that didn’t yet direction. to make sure that the final production have a full resolution, but that I was So, how does a director work to all lives in one world. The director’s playing with in my head. I found an ensure that the audience member is role is to be an adept and agile image of an umbrella that inspired me seeing one unified artistic voice, not a communicator, using many different to present the seagulls. As we worked whole bunch of disparate viewpoints? forms of communication to bring together as a team, it became clear The director must establish the “True along the entire team. Visuals, written that seagulls out of umbrellas were North” of the play or musical. This is word, spoken word, audio — not going to work, but we ended up not the staging or the casting or the whatever tools the director can find using umbrellas — parasol size, couch upstage right, but is the will be helpful because all of the midsize and patio size — as the peach overarching, driving concept that will different designers are likely different itself. keep all of the collaborators working types of learners. A set designer likely The joy of the “True North” towards the same vision. is a visual storyteller and visual collaboration is it allows for divergent “True North” can be thought of as processor of information, where a thinking, which is one of the primary the central storytelling idea that the dramaturg is more likely to connect strengths of the creative mind. All director is bringing to the script. The deeply to words. The director has to ideas can flow and be out there to script and music are supplying the be fluent in multiple languages of grow. The director is not saying, “This storyline and characters, but how you artistic communication. is how it must be.” Instead, the

Award winning Director Nina Meehan explores the process of setting the stage for a production involving young people.

64 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Online extras!

See the results of the staging choices for James And The Giant Peach youtu.be/J3iMNnLpQIk director is using the concepts presented as an invitation to allow each artist to bring their own brilliant creative ideas into the production.

All of this is lovely and great, but for most of us in the theatre world, we are working with resource constraints. Maybe you are working in a black box theatre and there is no room for big set pieces or you have a limited budget and have to costume the show based only on what can be found in the storage room. These constraints are completely normal in our world. The good news is that it’s these constraints that can actually make the job of the director, and therefore the collaborators, easier!

The “True North” concept can be daunting without any limits. It would have been great in my production of James and the Giant Peach to have a full skyscraper to grow from a trap in the stage and meet a giant flying peach, but the space I was working in at that time had no trap and no fly system. These constraints led me to my “Anchor Point” for the production, or the element of the design or production element that is fixed and therefore the thing you build everything else off of.

Another example. In a recent production of the Jungle Book I was working on, the show was being performed in a theatre where set pieces were not an option. I decided to use pre-created projections from

Nina Meehan is the Founder and former CEO of Bay Area Children’s Theatre, the largest TYA company in California.

She was an invited guest speaker at the Australia Junior Theatre Festival in 2022.

Broadway Media to bring settings to life with visual storytelling. As a result, the “Anchor Point” became those projections. The colour palette and tone were all set, but there was still a “True North” that I created that focussed on the vibrancy of the world and the jazzy style of the music. But, the hard work was done because I had settled on an “Anchor Point” early on in the process. My job as a director was actually simpler, but still artistically relevant and fulfilling.

The key to all of this is to communicate early and often. And

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

then communicate more. The director’s voice brings the team together and while for some people it can feel intimidating to be the leadership voice in the room, particularly in a collaborative process, the more clear and defined the director is early on, the more creative room the design team will have later in the process. The director is not in charge of managing and deciding every detail, but instead, setting the table with all the tools that the designers need to cook an exquisite storytelling meal.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 65

Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.

Falling Ceilings And Revolving Audiences NIDA scenic construction students push creativity to a new level in live productions

NIDA’s June Student Productions Season sent audiences on a spin with innovative scenic construction.

A production of the play Perfect Stranger placed the audience on the revolving stage, while Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again collapsed the full set during each performance, including the ceiling.

Perfect Stranger was written by Hilary Bell and directed by guest director Kate Champion.

“The challenge was to stage this play with 35 characters and 34 locations as a live theatrical experience,” said Kate.

“I was drawn into the visceral effect of its sense of perpetual movement. Even when reading it you sense it swirl about you with its intrigue and mystery. Intoxicating stuff but how do you stage such a play?”

Set Designer Hayden Relf and Costume Designer Hannah Taylor (both BFA Design for Performance year 3) met with Kate to tussle over how to bring this story to the stage.

“We wanted to avoid the

66 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

audience witnessing the many changes of scenery. We wanted the various scenes to seem to appear out of nowhere. We landed on the exciting idea of putting the audience on a revolve to create the spinning perspective from within!” said Kate.

The audience capacity was limited due to the maximum weight that the revolve could take.

“It was an incredible feat for the whole team, from the very demanding build of the set to lighting and sound design, quick changes and agile prop requirements.

We also made the actor Ebony Tucker disappear in a puff of smoke and had Amy Joyce enter through a waterfall.

“My favourite moment was at the beginning of the play - the lights go down - Harrison Quast (BFA Acting year 3) enters as the old man, slowly walking in from the left of our vision then very gradually something unnerving happens - are the walls moving? Collectively the audience realises that the seating bank is turning - priceless. I even heard one woman quite audibly say ‘what’s

happening!’. It was like being at the start of a ghost train ride and that was just the beginning!”

Heather Fairbairn directed Alice Birch’s exposure of patriarchy in Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. The play disrupts accepted models of storytelling by deconstructing language, character and form. The production was designed by Angelina Meany (BFA Design for Performance year 3).

Assistant Director Alexei YmerWelsby explained that “the concept behind the stage construction was to have the performers deconstruct the set by literally ripping it apart - a metaphor for their ‘deconstruction’ of patriarchal norms at the centre of the play.

“In rehearsals, we used a full-scale mark-up of the scenography so we could choreograph in a detailed and controlled way how the actors would go about pulling off cabinets, inverting tables and smashing plates.

In the performances, this precision enabled the actors to safely go about ‘destroying’ the set while giving the

audience the impression that it was entirely spontaneous and anarchic.”

Matthew Hinton, in his final year of the BFA (Scenic Construction and Technologies), worked as the Constructions Supervisor. He explains that “the set was a dollhouse aesthetic pink room. It looked pristine from the start, but by the end of the show, most of the walls were stripped, cupboards were tipped, and a ceiling section had caved in.

“Working on a set that has to be pulled apart twice a day had unique challenges!” said Matthew.

“I learned a vast amount about prototyping and the ongoing development of ideas. I worked with a designer and our props supervisor Rachel Hallett (BFA Properties and Objects year 3) to ensure that each aspect of the set moved and fitted together as seamlessly as possible. A clear highlight was the first time that we dropped the ceiling in the space.

Weeks of planning, building and installing all culminated in one moment of a test and justified the hundreds of hours the team had put into the production.”

Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.

Perfect Stranger’s revolving set.

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 67

Public Relations

68 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Featured Businesses AB Publicity AB Publicity is a dynamic public relations agency specialising in the arts/entertainment industry. We pride ourselves on having a hands-on approach. We go that extra mile, we love a challenge, we provide comprehensive reporting, and, above all, we provide results – ‘spreading the word’ to ensure our clients sell tickets.

PO BOX 1658, Lane Cove, NSW 1595 +61 4 1394 9140 amanda@abpublicity.com.au abpublicity.com.au Drama Queen Graphics Drama Queen Graphics specializes in theater branding and graphics.

Need a design for a specific show?

Browse our Existing Collection of Plays/Musicals for your title - or order up a brand new Custom Design.

Is it time for a brand makeover?

We’ll rebrand your theater’s visual identity to better communicate who you are and what sets you apart.

We create digital graphics, websites, logos, brochures and more…all the marketing materials you will need to engage your audience.

Demand attention! jimg@dramaqueengraphics.com dramaqueengraphics.com IP Publicity IP Publicity specialises in publicity and promotions for the performing arts and other entertainment events, a small and highly skilled team based in Sydney and led by Ian Phipps. From large scale productions and high profile artists where the media communication needs to be managed strategically, to smaller productions which require a niche, targeted approach, IP Publicity has strategies and the experience to ensure that entertainment events are well promoted to media and the general public across Australia. IP Publicity provides strategic media placement in all media outlets, promotional activity and a substantial media and celebrity database for opening night red carpet coverage. +61 2 9368 1474 ian@ippublicity.com.au ippublicity.com.au Jessica Bendell Publicity Jessica Bendell is a leading Melbourne-based publicist, specialising in arts and entertainment publicity. With 20 years publicity experience, including nine years as the Media Manager at Arts Centre Melbourne, Jessica established her own publicity consultancy in 2018.

PO Box 9056 Brighton Victoria 3186 +61 4 1236 9015 info@jessicabendellpublicity.com.au jessicabendellpublicity.com.au

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 69

Neil Ward Publicity Neil Ward Publicity Pty Ltd (NWP) is one of Adelaide’s leading arts and entertainment publicity companies, specialising in publicising high end, film, arts and entertainment events in Adelaide since 1994.

93 George Street, Norwood, SA 5067 +61 4 3809 5580 +61 8 8361 3577 neil@neilwardpublicity.com.au neilwardpublicity.com.au Promotix Promotix is an Australia wide papering service for the theatre and entertainment industry.

Their team has an extensive history in theatre and event production, and a passion for encouraging people to explore and experience new and exciting Australian shows and performances.

They can provide distribution of your complimentary tickets to our enthusiastic and reliable member database; word of mouth publicity; and honest and unbiased feedback from our members who attend your show. Their service is completely free for you to use and their office hours are 8am - 10pm 7 days a week. Contact Catherine Hutchison to discuss your ticketing needs.

Suite 13, Level 4, 150 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205 +61 3 9376 4933 catherine@promotix.com.au promotix.com.au Sirmai Arts Marketing Sirmai Arts Marketing delivers elegant, economical, effective publicity.

Plus a whole lot more... because publicity, after all, is only one piece of the marketing pie.Our approach is built on strategy, not whim. It embraces all platforms, all media, on a horses-for-courses basis.

Managing director Geoff Sirmai is a communications guru with 30 years' media experience as print journalist, radio presenter, TV producer & reporter. He also comes from a professional performing arts background - with degrees in music and Australian drama. How many publicists can offer all that?

Sirmai Arts Marketing: publicity plus!

964 Anzac Parade, Maroubra, NSW 2035 +61 2 9345 0360 +61 4 1266 9272 geoff@sirmai.com.au sirmai.com.au

SPARK 2023 OUR SCHOOLS RESOURCE KIT IS A MUST-READ FOR EDUCATORS IN THE PERFORMING ARTS stagewhispers.com.au/spark 70 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Theatre companies big and small wrestle with the dilemma of where to put their marketing dollars. Lyndell Pond, newly appointed Managing Director of advertising agency ACMN, speaks to David Spicer and offers some advice.

Lyndell Pond has worked with some of the world’s best-known musical theatre producers including four years as Marketing Manager for impresario Cameron Mackintosh. In London, she worked on various long-running West End shows, including Les Misérables, as well as tours of Miss Saigon and My Fair Lady.

are behind us. Strong waitlist/databases are a helpful yardstick now, but if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that there are lot of variables - such as unpredictable clashes with other events - that contribute to the success of a show, so it’s never a lay down misère.

You can never become complacent in marketing - every day there is something more you can do, review, or tweak.

LP: It depends on the budget and the show. TV is a great medium for live theatre if you have the luxury of having impactful creative, however the way broadcast is consumed these days, you don’t have to buy Free To Air, when there is Broadcast Video on Demand, YouTube and social platforms to convey your message to targeted audiences through video. Radio is also a great medium, particularly in Australia, but David Spicer: In Australia, for a major production, what are the key again, you need good creative.

Lyndell Pond. tools to marketing a show?

DS: What shows are ACMN promoting in 2021?

Lyndell Pond: It all starts with some solid research and data, which enables LP: We are so proud to be involved in taking Come From Away to a much you to put together a strategy for your broader audience of Australia. Moulin placement, creative and messaging.

Once you nail those things, the Rouge! The Musical is beyond exciting application of that thinking, through all with the new and different approach to the channels - be it on- and off-line music, I think we are going to see new media, social, direct marketing - should and different audiences in the Regent always be anchored in that overall Theatre. And speaking of different strategy. audiences, how could I forget Magic DS: How do you recommend clients Mike Live? We love working for GFO split their spending - direct mail, digital and Opera Australia on their or print? commercial musicals and this year we LP: If I had to choose out of these are thrilled to have been appointed to three, it would be digital and direct look after the Tony Award winning email, over print. The purchase funnel musical Rodgers and Hammerstein’s DS: What are some examples of the Cinderella. has become very important in recent variables? years and the power of digital in both DS: Do you only work with clients on awareness and conversion is critical. But LP: Broadway and the West End large-scale productions? have been great indicators for us, but it a highly qualified database will also LP: Not at all, we are involved with is never a given. Finding out how the deliver you very, very strong results big tours, smaller/quicker tours, events when a show has specific campaign show is going to resonate with that are one-nighters in multiple Australian audiences is key. We have messages to share. markets and long-running musicals or DS: How much does it cost to sell a great options now in digital to test exhibitions and everything in between. big musical in Sydney or Melbourne? creative and messaging, not to mention Our digital offering means that we have the power of research and data, which marketing and advertising options to LP: Like any retail brand, owning a marketplace requires a significant can all help to get an early indication on suit any budget. investment. I think the most important the success of a show, or at least how DS: What is your favourite show? we should tackle it from a marketing element to any campaign is less about LP: I always waver on this one as we spend and more about full integration perspective. are spoilt for choice, but today I am where owned, earned and paid media DS: For very small theatres - say going to choose Come From Away. community or independent in a major are all working in harmony. That way, When it opened in Melbourne recently, the actual advertising dollar is not city - where do you recommend they it was an inspired celebration of the spend their marketing dollars? responsible for all the heavy lifting. reopening of a show, a theatre and a LP: Always digital advertising, and a city and I am still buzzing with DS: Do you know very early if a show is going to be a hit or miss? strong PR and social strategy. excitement. Live theatre is back. Please, DS: What about a regional city LP: We used to know when we come out, Australian theatre lovers, counted the pencils at the end of a where TV and Radio is cheaper. Should there is a lot to love about live groups launch, but I think those days they spend their money on them? entertainment!

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 71

The Art of Publicity Sydney Publicist Geoff Sirmai provides his top ten tips for gaining media coverage.

what’s-on listings and feature articles.

They invite and liaise with opening night guests including reviewers, VIPs, and celebrities you might want involved.

You’ve done your flyers, Advertising is still transparently bombarded your friends and family, spammed your network and flooded yourself blowing your own trumpet and social media like Facebook, all the usual suspects, yet your sales Instagram or Twitter will only reach are stalling. What are you doing to those - at most - a few degrees of reach new audience? separation away. Remember, as the In my view the number one Bard might have said, “A Facebook priority on your list should be public ‘like’ doth not a ticket sale make!” relations (‘PR’) or media publicity.

Media coverage through publicity Just as marketing (paid advertising, reaches new audiences. Press and banners, posters, flyers and direct mail) and social media networking are electronic media coverage carry the weight of editorial approval or ‘third important in promoting a show, party endorsement’, complementing media publicity - which involves, your more transparent selfessentially, free editorial - is promotion. indispensable in getting known in a Your creative team also appreciate crowded arts and media world. coverage which rewards them for A publicist arranges free editorial: press articles, radio and TV interviews,

Geoff Sirmai is director of Geoff Sirmai Arts Publicity.

Read more and download the free booklet ‘You And Your Publicist’ (which includes a comprehensive guide to timing, photos, reviews, writing a media release and much more) at sirmai.com.au 72 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

their efforts and gains them wider recognition.

Ideally you should engage a professional publicist: they have the skills, the comprehensive, up-to-date contacts and the dedicated time to cut through the competition.

Plus the regular, close relationships with media associates that will make all the difference. That will leave you the time and space to get on with your main business... that’s show business!

However, whichever way you decide to handle your media editorial publicity efforts - whether with a dedicated company/committee member or a professional - don’t forget about it! It’s a vital part of your promotional toolkit.

Top Ten Tips Start early: Give yourself and your publicist time to place the stories Vary your approach to suit the medium: One style doesn’t fit all. Match the ‘angle’ with the outlet - is it a local paper, radio, ethnic or arts specialist? Give your publicist ideas and angles, Make your release newsworthy: Try and ‘hang’ your release on a hot current issue or feature interest beyond the play’s obvious theme.

Remember: what you think is interesting may not be so to every journalist or editor, who is second-guessing their reader’s agenda, not yours. It’s a competition for space.

Great photos: Quality promotional and production shots will double your coverage. Not cheesy posed shots, but dramatic, powerful or funny ‘moments’. High resolution (300dpi) for the press and low res web versions (72dpi) to preview.

Don’t over-hype: Passion and ingenuity and originality, yes… absurd hyperbole, no. No-one likes a rip-off.

Invite opening night guests and the press: Make a buzz, make a splash.

Give away tickets judiciously: Don’t look desperate but do give away a few ‘comps’ (say on radio or through competitions) in exchange for coverage. A full opening night will set you on your way.

Don’t be afraid to invite reviewers: But be ready on opening night if you do.

Cross-promote: Do complementary offers to another company’s audience in exchange for access to theirs. Negotiate mutual leaflet drops. Remember: a theatregoer at any other show (but especially at the same venue) is your best target audience.

Measure your success: Do you poll your audiences? It’s worth slipping a short survey in the program to see how they found out about the show. Offer an inducement to maximise returns - a prize, a discount voucher etc.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 73

Woftam Productions’ Mamma Mia!.

Community Theatre Insurance The Association of Community Theatre, in partnership with Marsh’s Entertainment & Leisure Insurance broking team, have developed a tailored and affordable insurance program for the industry.

The core insurance policies are: Public Liability Insurance ($750 stand alone, or $540 if purchased with Voluntary Workers Insurance for a combined cost of $990) This covers the activities of rehearsal and staging of theatrical or musical performances including theatrebased workshops and promotion of performances ($20 million limit with market leading extensions and sublimits).

Volunteer Workers Personal Accident Insurance ($450) This policy provides significant lump sum payments, weekly benefits and other compensation outlined in the policy in the event of accidental death, permanent disability and temporary disability for all board members, committee members and unpaid individuals engaging in activities on behalf of the insured theatre group.

Money Insurance ($140) This provides cover for loss of up to $5,000 of the theatre group’s money whilst in the possession of an authorised person or at the box office.

All policies are renewed annually on December 31 each year and premiums payable are pro-rated up to 6 months to the renewal date.

As part of the partnership, Marsh rebates a portion of all premiums back to the association every year. The funds are used to promote theatre company performances, professional development and advocacy.

By buying insurance as part of the Association of Community Theatre group, theatre companies enjoy stable premiums and consistent coverage over a long period, thereby avoiding fluctuations in pricing and coverage compared to a purchase on a standalone basis.

The partnership fosters collaboration, with the Association of Community Theatre working with Marsh to constantly improve the coverage and address any emerging needs of its members.

Theatre companies must be a member of ACT to participate or be a member of an affiliated umbrella organisation in states outside of NSW.

You can find more information at jltentertainment.com.au/act 74 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Other Goods And Services See more listings online at bit.ly/3iPWYL7

Book Nook Book Nook is Australia’s oldest performing arts specialist bookshop, stocking play scripts, drama theory and teachers’ resources, speech and arts texts / biographies. They supply drama teachers and speech & drama teachers (from schools and private studios), as well as actors and students (especially seeking monologues for audition pieces), etc.

They have specialist knowledge and are available for consulting. A client can describe the qualities of the text they need and be given a number of options to choose from that fill their need, or that are compatible with their requirements.

PO Box 2274, Rose Bay North, NSW 2030 +61 3 9758 4522 stagews@stagewhispers.com.au booknook.com.au Easy Stagecraft Easy Stagecraft offers practical in-school technical theatre workshops tailored around lighting, lighting design, sound and stage management, with all resources needed brought to your door!

You don’t need a theatre to be able to enjoy the practical learnings of technical theatre. Everything is completely customisable for varied class sizes and teacher involvement. When fused with the custom-built e-learning platform for remote teaching, the program can now be offered to students in a self-guided capacity, from any device, anywhere.

Training for teachers as professional development on technical tools, equipment and resources is also available.

PO Box 6115, Wantirna, VIC 3152 +61 4 2297 220 daniel@easystagecraft.com.au easystagecraft.com.au Gosling Productions Gosling Productions specialises in schools and amateur theatre production management, live streaming services and technical solutions. This is perfect for schools, dance companies, theatre companies or anyone who wants to live stream a production, and have everything looked after for you. With over 20 years’ experience in technical production, you are in safe hands.

Gosling Productions also specialises in theatrical consultations for new builds, refurbishments or “spruce ups” of theatrical or dramatic venues in both schools and commercial environments. Architects, principals & builders - call today to avoid costly mistakes seen all too many times!

PO Box 6115, Wantirna, VIC 3152 +61 4 2297 220 daniel@goslingproductions.com goslingproductions.com Hadley/Series Australia Hadley/Series Australia is the leading manufacturer of high quality theatre seating. Amongst many Performing Arts installations and major theatres are Cairns Performing Arts Centre, His Majesty’ Theatre Perth, Her Majesty’s Theatre Adelaide, Theatre Royal Hobart, Pilbeam Theatre Rockhampton. Please contact us for an obligation free quote and discussion 68 Salamander Way, Salamander Bay, NSW 2317 +61 4 1243 5089 hadley@hadleyaustralia.com.au hadleyaustralia.com.au Other Goods And Services directory: bit.ly/3iPWYL7

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 75

Sound And Lighting

Online extras!

For more listings, check out the Stage Whispers’ directory on our website. bit.ly/2nEHzGK 76 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Lighting Design at WAAPA. Photo: Stephen Heath.

Featured Businesses

See more listings online at bit.ly/2nEHzGK Artlux Artlux provides high quality custom and standards, gobos and projectors made in Italy by Goboservice, for multiple applications such as advertising, events, weddings, architecture and safety projections.

Artlux is an Australian lighting service supplier of high quality gobos and projectors.

Contact Daniela Galante for information about Artlux products.

Botany, NSW 2019 +61 4 5027 9460 artlux.com.au B.S. Sound PA Hire B.S. Sound PA Hire can provide hire of Headset mics, Lapel mics and other cordless mics and wireless audio links.

Shotgun microphones. Digital mixers up to 32 channels, delayed speakers, low profile fold-back monitors, etc. LED Lighting; flat par, ground row and follow spots. Projectors & screens also available.

All hires need to be booked in advance. Hires can be picked up if you have your own crew. We can also deliver, set up and operate if required. Technicians have Working With Children Check cards. All electrical equipment is Test & Tagged. Contact Mark Barry for all enquiries.

25 Cromwell Street, Glen Iris, VIC 3146 +61 3 9889 1999 +61 4 1999 3966 bssound@bigpond.com bssound.com.au Clearlight Shows Specialising in theatrical lighting hire and sale, Clearlight Shows is well known for being a one stop theatrical lighting shop. Their staff have years of practical experience and are able to assist you with any queries you have.

The products imported are known internationally for their quality, reliability and value for money.

All products they sell are supported by in-house technical staff. They also offer equipment training and maintenance.

Clearlight Shows aim is to assist you in purchasing or hiring theatrical or architectural lighting equipment and accessories.

They also stock gel filter, lamps and spare parts. Contact John McKissock for all your lighting hire and sale needs.

5 Horscroft Place, Moorabbin, VIC 3189 +61 3 9553 1688 sales@clearlight.com.au hire@clearlight.com.au clearlight.com.au Creative Film and Theatre Solutions Creative Film and Theatre Solutions are the Exclusive Wholesale Distributors for Australia and New Zealand for Rosco Inc products.

Products include Lighting Filters , LED Fixtures , Dichroic Glass Filters , Lighting effects equipment , Fog and Haze Machines , Flooring , Scenic Paint , Green and Blue Screen Paint , Fire Retartants and backdrops for film,television and broadcast Unit 2 , 42 Sawyer Lane, Artarmon, NSW 2064 +61 2 9906 6262 sales@cfats.com.au

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 77

Don’t Forget The Tech Crew!

Leah Crockett, creator of Tech Crew HQ, explains the importance of training your crew to ensure that your show is a success.

It’s four weeks ‘til showtime — training. Technical theatre training time to bring in the technical crew! doesn’t have to be laborious and Uh-oh, how do we train our new expensive, but it does have to be Tech Crew members so that they will theatre specific and it must have be ready for the show? safety at its core.

If you’ve ever been involved with a That’s why Tech Crew HQ was school production you will know that invented; Tech Crew HQ is online students relish being involved in all training specifically designed for tech aspects of a production — even if crews to give them skills and they are not performing on stage. knowledge in the areas of lighting, However, too often we bring in audio, safety, stage management and students with no other theatre vision. Being online means that Tech experience and give them a slap-dash Crew HQ is accessible 24/7 and introduction to working backstage. features lots of videos and interactive This approach often leads to activities so that learning the skills for difficulties communicating, increased the next production is quick and safety issues and some very tedious engaging. technical rehearsals.

Tech Crew HQ is flexible enough A well-coordinated backstage crew for individuals to learn on their own, is the unsung hero behind every or for group training sessions. seamless performance, and the key to Tech Crew HQ is theatre and live a great backstage crew is great event specific, utilising Australian

78 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

theatre terms and standards, as well as showcasing Australian and New Zealand live event professionals in its regular webinars.

As more schools and community organisations access training through Tech Crew HQ, we are hearing of great things happening backstage including increased professionalism of the crew, higher confidence when operating shows, more efficient technical rehearsals and a focused approach to staying safe backstage.

If we take the time to train our technical and backstage crew effectively, shows will run smoothly, safely and these creative collaborative experiences may even provide students with a career pathway into professional theatre and live events.

Let’s Put On A Show

Tech Crew HQ also provides face to face training for schools, colleges, community organisations and school holiday workshops. The next scheduled workshop is at North Sydney in January.

Contact techcrewhq@inspiredproductions.com.au or techcrewhq.com

Online extras!

Discover how Tech Crew HQ can give your school crew the skills it needs. youtu.be/SpR-qMu4GRE

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 79

School Musicals: To Buy Or Hire?

Mark McDowell, the co-owner of Your Show and Costumes Without Drama, shares his tips on budgeting for a school musical.

Calamity Jane.

80 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Budgets for school musicals are usually set in stone, that is: “the same as last year”. The bean counters will tell you the maximum you can spend and that is that. Some schools see musicals as a promotion of the school, and are therefore generous in financial support and less concerned about balancing the books.

All shows have different pressures on the budget. It is a constant battle to between choosing a show that is popular and one that is tried and tested but not as known to the students. As much as you want to do a particular show for artistic reasons, you have a responsibility to aim to break even. Remember there are many reasons why shows flop on Broadway or in the West End, but mostly it’s because they are not very good.

My motto is whenever possible try to break even and they will leave you alone. If you make a profit, try to spend it on something that will save you money on your next production.

If you have a principal or accountant who will try to help relieve the pressure by investing some capital money, make sure you spend it wisely. They will probably look at the big ticket hire items from last year’s show and inevitably instruct you buy 20 radio mics. This is not a good idea and will come back to bite both of you. Unless you have a trained ‘Theatre Tech’ to maintain them, they will let you down and you will end up hiring them anyway.

Also, you only use this number of mics once a year; the rest of the time they sit in the cupboard deteriorating. I’m not saying don’t buy radio mics, I’m just saying cap it at six in total.

If its lights you want to buy, then first make sure that your infrastructure can support them. Moving lights require maintenance and there is no use buying them if your lighting console can’t drive them.

Budget wise, look at each show that you are considering and check out the following details.

How many locations are in the production? Can this be done with a basic set and more lighting or props? Can I hire the set?

Barnum.

Let’s Put On A Show

Drama Vic trade show.

Contact Mark McDowell for a quote at: yourshow.net.au / costumeswithoutdrama.com.au Call 0412 580 977 or email mark@yourshow.net.au How many different sets of costumes does each cast member require? Does much need to be made or can it be hired? Can it be purchased from op shops?

How many radio mics? Can this be reduced by more swaps or using corded mics with careful choreography?

Will this suit the show?

Can more students be put into the orchestra to save on hiring all professionals?

Do you need moving lights? Moving lights require extensive programming. Most schools have lots of students keen to be involved, but not on stage. Can they be follow-spot operators? Every spoken line or sung lyric in a professional musical has a follow spot on the actor.

Remember follow spots don’t need to look like a hardedge circle of light following an actor around the stage.

They also don’t need to be at 100 percent intensity.

Once these questions are answered you can adjust department budgets to suit the chosen show.

Don’t worry about doing a play or musical that has been done before at your school. As long as it’s over six years ago, you will have a different cohort, and may in fact get the old cohort buying tickets to compare. You also may find that you have some resources around from the last time you produced it.

Choose wisely and remember, ‘If it breaks even or makes money, it will continue to happen’.

Stage Whispers Directory premium listing: $20 Get noticed on the Stage Whispers website with a premium listing at a great price stagewhispers.com.au/directory-central Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 81

Factory Sound Factory Sound is Australia’s leading supplier of professional audio equipment. For school productions, amateur theatre and professional acts, our range covers microphones, speakers, mixing consoles and all the bits in between. With a large showroom in South Melbourne and experienced, knowledgeable staff on hand to answer questions, you can be assured of swift solutions and the best price available. After 25 years serving the pro audio needs of Australia’s entertainment industry, it’s no wonder so many people say “go to Factory Sound, you’ll get looked after.''

Contact Artie Jones for audio sales, project design and installation, and first-class advice.

75-85 York Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205 +61 3 9922 1000 +61 3 9690 7077 sales@factorysound.com factorysound.com Gobotech Gobotech Pty Ltd have been manufacturing gobos in QLD since 1996. Today a world leader in their field they can work with you to take your custom design to projection success.

You can also select from a massive range of stock images for a great result on a budget. Gobos are manufactured in stainless steel, black and white glass or full colour glass. The latest 2019 stock gobo catalogue is now available to download from their website.

3/4 Northward Street, Upper Coomera, QLD 4209 +61 7 5573 3177 sales@gobotech.com.au gobotech.com.au grandlighting.com.au HME Services “Engineered Solutions for a Creative World”, HME Services is a mechanical and control engineering company that designs and automates machinery for the entertainment industry.

With locations in Sydney and Brisbane we also have a high level capabilities for Audio Visual/Light design and venue integration which enables HME to be the one stop shop for many of our clients.

Our strength is designing and building our own products to safely solve unique hoisting, rotation and translation challenges presented by our clients. Resulting in a large product range that we have proudly supplied and installed into venues throughout Australia and New Zealand.

64 Harley Crescent, Condell Park, NSW 2200 1300 USE HME (873 463) sales@hmeservices.com.au hmeservices.com.au

1/17 Blue Eagle Drive, Meadowbrook, QLD 4131 1300 USE HME (873 463) sales@hmeservices.com.au hmeservices.com.au

LifeLike Atmospheres LifeLike Atmospheres mission is to be the industry leader and ultimate provider for sound, lighting and audio/visual solutions Unit 2/46 Mitchell Road, Cardiff, NSW 2285 +61 2 4915 9615 info@lifelike.com.au lifelikegroup.com.au

82 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

5 Pope Street, Ryde, NSW 2112 +61 2 8880 6766 info@lifelike.com.au lifelikegroup.com.au

Training Up In Tech Does your school or community group have students or volunteers who are interested in working backstage? Outlook, one of Victoria’s leading audio and full production companies, is putting out the welcome mat.

Outlook is offering an opportunity for students, who don’t want to be on stage, to train alongside some of Melbourne’s best radio mic technicians or be mentored in mixing sound front of house.

Outlook is one of the only companies that allows such involvement.

“All staff who work directly with students have current Working With Children Checks which provide teachers and parents that added level of security,” said company owner Jack Jones.

“Whether it’s from day one of rehearsals or just before production week, working with an Outlook experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Outlook also offers work experience for those students who are looking at production once they have finished school.

Jack Jones’ love of theatre began in 2010 at his high school.

Outlook was the sound supplier for all the Junior and Middle School

productions, as well as other major school events.

His first production working alongside Outlook and its founder Greg Ginger was Carey Baptist Grammar School’s Middle School production of Oliver! in 2010. From then on, Jack was hooked. “Ï was the first student to mix a musical at Carey in 2015, which was Crazy For You. After I left school, and with the encouragement of the whole school’s Theatre and Music Department, I went on to study at the

Showcase Victorian College of the Arts and worked part-time at Outlook.”

His passion continued throughout the pandemic, when he took the massive step to purchase Outlook.

Jack isn’t the only staff member who came from Outlook’s Schools Program. Over 30 percent of Outlook staff were students at schools or community theatre groups that have hired the company’s services.

“So, giving your students that one opportunity that they wouldn’t get elsewhere could change their lives forever. And isn’t that what education is meant to be about? Teach them something that they can’t get elsewhere?

“Have you got an upcoming production? Lock us in now to support your students to the full potential.”

Jack Jones (left) from Outlook Communications providing technical instruction to a student.

Contact Outlook Communications on (03) 9495 1755, 0431 818 620 or jack@outlookcomms.com.au

Stage Whispers Directory premium listing: $20 Get noticed on the Stage Whispers website with a premium listing at a great price stagewhispers.com.au/directory-central Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au/training stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 83

It Keeps On DASHin’ Ross Hopkins from Creative Film and TV highly recommends a new hand held LED light, the Rosco DMG DASH. Don’t let its size fool you, the battery-operated DMG DASH can produce up to an incredible 500 lumens of output - all from a fixture that’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

DMG DASH features Rosco’s patented six-chip MIX® Technology enabling it to produce the same colour-quality and True Rosco Color™ gel matches that other MIX lights do!

Each DMG DASH Kit ships with a set of beam-shaping accessories, including a flat diffuser panel, dome diffuser, eggcrate, and a gel holder for adding any Rosco gel or diffusion material desired DMG DASH is controlled from its on-board 1.3” OLED user interface, via the free myMIX® mobile app, or through optional wireless DMX by LumenRadio to provide CRMX and W -DMX control. It charges using a standard USB type-C connector and lasts three hours at 100% intensity.

The DMG DASH Quad Kit includes four fixtures and four sets of accessories. The kit also includes a DMG DASH LINK that can connect all four lights together into one unit!

DMG DASH is constructed from a lightweight aluminium alloy with an IP54 rating to provide a shockresistant and weatherproof housing.

It takes a thrashin’ and keeps on DASHin’!

For more information visit dash.rosco.com 84 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Online extras!

Find out more about the versatile and portable DMG DASH. Scan or visit youtu.be/WkqZuZkimPs

1,300 Scripts

booknook.com.au

Loud And Clear Loud And Clear’s specialty is providing professional audio solutions for theatre and corporate events.

They provide a complete service including production design, hire and operation of all equipment for any production. From the simple hire of a single radio microphone, to a full scale sound system for a musical with 40 radio mics and an orchestra of 38 players in an 800 seat auditorium. Their staff are passionate about theatre and customer service. Contact David Betterridge to discuss your audio needs.

PO Box 334, Mosman, NSW 2088 +61 2 9439 9723 info@loudandclear.com.au loudandclear.com.au LSC Lighting Systems LSC Lighting Systems has an extensive network of distributors and dealers. The LSC product range is extensive and covers diverse market sectors, such as live performances, traditional theatre, corporate theatre, worship, educational, television, film, exhibition and architectural lighting. Equally, the customer profile for LSC products is quite diverse, encompassing some of the world's best known Opera Houses and Theatres, major Touring Production companies, National television studios to local community theatres, schools and churches. Where you require good, reliable lighting control for your show - you will find the name LSC. 65-67 Discovery Road, Dandenong, VIC 3175 +61 3 9702 8000 info@lsclighting.com.au lsclighting.com Moving Light Productions Moving Light Productions (MLP) is one of the leading production companies in Victoria and now Australia. Moving Light Productions has provided lighting designs for shows and companies such as London’s West End International Touring show Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Play That Goes Wrong (Australian Tour 2017), Les Misérables (Launceston, Tasmania), Avenue Q (Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne & Crown Theatre, Perth), Wicked (Launceston Tasmania), In The Heights (Australiasian Premiere), Jon English’s Paris - A Rock Odyssey (2017).

With many years of experience in professional theatre and independent theatre, Moving Light can design a light show to suit your needs whether its using the in-house standard rig through to a LED and Moving Light Rig incorporated with LED Screens. They can customise package lighting with designers that will suit your school production or concert. With the innovation of LED Screens Moving Light Productions has access to the highest quality of high resolution LED Screens that can be used for any type of production.

They are passionate about what they do and their staff will be on board with your production all the way through to the bump out. All staff at MLP are willing and wanting to work closely with your staff and school giving you the most professional result. Contact Jason Bovaird to discuss your next production.

Factory 10, 22 Makland Drive, Derrimutt, VIC 3030 +61 4 0955 2936 jasonmovinglights@gmail.com movinglight.com.au

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 85

Transforming A School Hall Trent Pickles from the LifeLike Group explains how his company transformed a tired school hall into a state-of-the-art AV facility that springs to life at the push of one button.

St Joseph’s College in the Sydney suburb of Hunters Hill came to us to upgrade their school hall that was, in a word, abominable.

The facility was straight out of the 1980s — a hodgepodge of random lights, half-working sound, an old projector drumroll screen on stage, dilapidated curtains and the bio box was in a mess.

Our company works on projects that range from simple upgrades to a full-scale system overhaul.

In this case we gutted the entire hall and our team of experts came up with a solution to combine simplified, intelligent scene control — of sound, lighting and audio visual.

86 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

The space is used regularly for assemblies, rallies, exams, mass and performances.

Now the system can change-over from a simple school assembly to a full theatrical production at the touch of a button.

The most visually striking feature of the upgrade is the screens. On the stage is a 12.5 metre wide by 4.5 metre high LED wall, surrounded by two 4 by 2.5 metre screens.

There is a new motorised curtain rig. We reinforced the ceilings and installed five motorised lighting bars.

The lighting rigs comprise 20 ETC LED lights and 18 Axcor washes and spots

and the new sound system is a 24 element MARTIN line array.

In the bio box is an Allen & Heath AVANTIS sound console, an ONYX NX1 lighting console, and a Blackmagic DESIGN vision production suite.

There is an overarching Q-SYS control system for simplified operation by any user.

Staging & Theatre Tech

A teacher who knows nothing about tech can simply press one button, and it will turn the lights on, turn the video walls on, open the stage curtain and get the sound ready for presentation.

Some of our clients have gone on to use the theatre control technology to integrate site-wide school paging and audio-visual distribution.

St Joseph’s College is over the moon at the upgrade. It cost over a million dollars but we have also completed upgrades for other schools for less than $50,000 Our team has a wide range of solutions available, all dependent upon existing equipment, operational requirements and budget.

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

For more information reach out to the expert team via email info@lifelike.com.au or call Sydney (02) 8880 6766, Newcastle (02) 4915 9615 or Melbourne (03) 9118 8201. lifelike.com.au

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 87

Behind The Scenes With Debora Krizak

88 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Behind The Scenes With Debora Krizak Acclaimed performer Debora Krizak is writing a special series on the unsung heroes of live theatre. For this edition she is focussing on sound designers and operators.

When it comes to performing, that balance, it’s important to consider the age old saying is true - “you’re only as positioning of the speakers in relation good as your soundie”. Over many to the performer. years touring the country in rock “You never want speakers bands, major musicals and cabaret, positioned behind a performer. If we my overall experience on stage has have the capacity to place a lot of often been dictated by whether I can speakers throughout the theatre at a hear myself clearly - as well as my low volume, we can achieve the same fellow actors and musicians. natural aesthetic without losing any It’s a delicate balance that takes energy or clarity.” great skill to get right. What the Often this must happen in careful audience hears and what a performer negotiation with directors and hears are often vastly different. choreographers, as speaker Having just completed a season in positioning can impact sightlines.

Audiences need to see the performers Packemin’s We Will Rock You at Riverside Theatres in western Sydney, I from every angle and no spoke to sound designers Chris Neal choreographer wants to set a ten Debora Krizak.

Photo: Claudio Raschella. minute tap routine where feet are (We Will Rock You/Eclipse Lighting and Sound) and David Grigg (Pippin/ obscured. So, who and what wins out Sydney Opera House). in the end?

“It’s a negotiation process Chris operates his own audio/visual company and has produced We Will band or orchestra the audience between us all and ultimately we have notices big time. to decide what’s best for the show,” Rock You in an arena. David - a In a rock band, this is commonly states Chris. working musician - has emerged as one of Sydney’s most in demand overcome with the use of on-stage I’d love to be a fly on the curtain fold back monitors and a corded or for that debate, however Chris and I sound designers.

Chris says, “On stage, I’m acutely cordless handheld mic. The performer do agree on amplification. Too often I aware of the challenges performers can directly hear themselves in the see a musical and the first thing that foldback wedge and the sound lets it down is the sound balance. have hearing themselves. We now engineer has control of the volume of Different styles of musicals can have in-ear monitoring which the monitor. In-ear monitors are an require more conservative sound eliminates the need for bulky fold added technical innovation as the mixing but I still like to hear the back wedges on stage and helps to control the spill of sound from the singer can control the exact mix of singers ringing straight through the voice and instruments they require in middle of a swelling orchestra. stage to auditorium.” their fold back.

Perhaps it’s the former rock chick in In WWRY, where we had a live rock band on stage, hearing myself While the consensus is that they’re me. great, I’ve never been a fan of in-ear A musical requires designing a and being able to pitch a tune was system for amplifying a live orchestra paramount. Initially there were some monitors as they create a slightly more superficial environment. There is or band, usually in an orchestra pit challenges, but by our first preview, Chris had our voices equalised, effects something about being connected to beneath the stage, with live vocals the audience, and being able to hear from the cast moving around a stage. were programmed and by David adds that this means every incorporating some vocal into the side what is happening around me.

“Not everybody understands the instrument has one or multiple -of-stage speakers, we were able to microphones positioned in front of sing comfortably, without the risk of craft of what we do as sound designers - they just expect the end them, and each cast member has a blowing out our vocal cords. result to be good,” says Chris Neal. He wireless microphone positioned on When a performer can’t get adds that to achieve the right sound (Continued on page 90) enough volume to sing over a loud

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 89

technicians that there’s a problem with a particular mic. their head somewhere. Whereas a live During my stint in Cabaret, we lost band may use a handheld mic, microphones in the thick of the show theatre performers have radio on opening night. With many sound microphones carefully positioned in desks now being digital, it can take wigs at the top of the hairline or time to reboot. In this case they what’s referred to as a ‘Madonna mic’ stopped the show. The lead at the side of the mouth. performers left the stage, to pick up Often there are several mics for where they left off ten minutes later. each lead performer in case one David adds that there are plenty of becomes redundant (malfunctions) other challenges that sound designers due to sweat, loss of battery or even face. physical damage. When this happens “You’re trying to get the show it’s the sound operator’s job to switch sounding the same from every seat in mics and communicate to mic the theatre, with the music having plenty of impact, yet having clear and easy to understand vocals. At the (Continued from page 89)

same time, you also want to avoid feedback which is caused by amplifying microphones too loudly into poorly positioned speakers. Once you have that designed, next comes the creativity of vocal and music effects, triggered sound effects, and programming.”

David recently made the transition from musicals to straight theatre which he says requires more creativity.

There are no live instruments, so most of the design is in the sourcing of music, atmospheres and sound effects that help support the storyline. With a play the sound bed is pre-recorded or pre-programmed. The potential for error or last-minute changes is real.

“During the final rehearsals you may have to record sounds, shorten a piece of transition music, or even change the location of a scene. All of these are time consuming, and you become particularly good at letting your creations go if things get cut.”

Well, getting “cut” goes hand in hand with our profession. It’s good to know that putting yourself out there doesn’t just resonate with performers.

“Sound is incredibly personal. You have got to have a thick skin. What one person says sounds fantastic, another may say is too loud.

Achieving optimal sound balance is ultimately a collaborative effort and it’s our job to manage all of that.

When a show settles and everyone is working at their peak, that’s when we achieve the perfect balance.” said Chris Neal.

Mic Drop What’s it like working with stage and musical performers?

David: “For the most part it’s a joy. You’re working with passionate people to achieve their vision and when you have mutual trust, it’s an absolute ball.”

Any advice for up-and-coming soundies?

David: “Networking. Say hello to everyone and be a good energy to be around. Get to know everyone you work with and be kind because I promise you, you will see them again.”

Chris: “Get yourself involved in live theatre. Find a theatre group - watch, help get involved. Break down the things you like and don’t like. Watch and learn.”

Most valuable personality trait?

David: “Patience. Remember you’re making art. Art takes time and patience.”

90 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Taking Charge Artie Jones from Factory Sound estimates that more than a quarter of a million disposable batteries could end up in landfill after being used in productions each year in Australia. He says there is a better alternative.

Batteries, maths and landfill When it comes to the best way to power your wireless systems - alkaline battery or rechargeable - there are many factors to consider. The saying “Less is More” is the key.

A wireless microphone system that’s used for three performances, then put back in the cupboard until next year, equates to fewer performances, but a greater risk of battery leakage inside the wireless transmitter.

The risk of battery leakage from a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable battery, however, is negligible, even if left inside a device for a prolonged period.

productions, theatre restaurants, nor the thousands of bands that use the same wireless systems and in-earmonitoring systems.

If you load your BA2015 into the Sennheiser bodypack, then drop it into the L2015 charger after the gig, it simply will not over-charge.

Similarly, if you put the bodypack into Brand-specific rechargeable batteries the charger without the correct If you are the person responsible BA2015 battery in place, it won’t for wireless microphones, the very first charge. The safety nets are in place to thing you’ll notice is how quickly ensure there is no danger of damage. alkaline (single use) AA batteries With a lifecycle of around 1000 disappear. It might be because the AA discharge / charge cycles, using the batteries have been ‘borrowed’ by correct NiMH rechargeable battery students and co-workers, as they fit a pack in the wireless transmitter, the variety of other devices. battery is highly likely to last for the Generic rechargeable AA batteries same number of performances as the offer the ‘double-whammy’ of not wireless itself. Because they’re a only being desirable to the borrower, unique shape, they are unlikely to be they also may not deliver the borrowed as well. (approximately) 1.2V per cell Smart RF (wireless) technicians How much landfill is acceptable? consistently throughout the charged keep a spare rechargeable battery for Let’s imagine a typical user of state. each wireless device, and they will wireless microphones - the annual Once your battery level drops, also find a way to document the life school production. A small-toalthough the wireless will remain on, of each battery. Get ready to buy medium sized production, with a the actual RF performance - the another one after around 800 handful of shows and a couple of quality of the wireless transmission charges. tech rehearsals, could consume 140 will suffer greatly, leading to dropouts If all theatres and performance batteries for a production. and possible interference. venues around the world approach There are around 8000 schools in battery usage the same way, imagine Australia. If just 15% of these attempt The safety net and convenience factor how much less landfill we would an annual production, 168,000 With single-use alkaline batteries contribute each and every year. batteries would be used. Add to that giving us a landfill concern, and a few end-of-year concerts, and it generic rechargeable batteries would be a very conservative estimate possibly not performing ‘up to of 250,000 batteries heading to scratch’ , there are great reasons to landfill annually. choose a wireless-specific This figure doesn’t include rechargeable (such as BA2015 for amateur theatre, professional Sennheiser, or SB900A for Shure).

For all your wireless microphone system needs (including spare batteries) get in touch with the friendly staff at Factory Sound at factorysound.com or on 1800 816 244.

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 91

Tony Award-winning lighting designer Howell Binkley (1956 - 2020) discussed his work on Hamilton during a 2018 webcast at livedesignonline.com. David Spicer has selected some of the highlights, illustrated here with images from the Australian production.

The show starts with a warm white sepia look. There is no blackout during either the first or second act - the machine starts and does not stop. There’s a lot of storytelling ground to cover - ballads, love stories, battles - so every song has a unique signature to avoid repetition.

It is not until Hamilton goes to war that some colour is integrated.

There is a lot of isolation in the course of the action. The leads are broken up in different settings. The wood in the set has a major impact. It takes colour beautifully.

92 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Online extras!

The Australian cast of Hamilton.

Photos: Daniel Boud.

Watch the full Howell Binkley webcast at Live Design Online. Scan or visit bit.ly/3vdNSyv

King George has his own motif. It is a vibrant off-the-chart look that is comic relief after a battle to break all the tension. The director came up with the idea that when he says “blue” the lights switch accordingly.

The fabric of the girls’ dresses works favourably. They take colour well and are vibrant. Low side lighting is used to drive the sculpting of the dancers. The cream colour of their costumes take the light beautifully.

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 93

Multi-award-winning Nick Schlieper talks to Martin Portus about the rigour and magic of lighting our landmark operas, plays and dance works for four decades.

STC’s Saint Joan (2018).

Photo: Brett Boardman.

94 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Nineteen-year-old Nick Schlieper Away, both of which went to New angles, very cold light, all things very first plugged into his craft alone York in 1988. He remembers Roger unfashionable then.” backstage at Doris Fitton’s old Kemp’s three model houses signifying Home he may be, but Nick was Independent Theatre in North Sydney the three families intersecting in also staggered at the absence in in 1977.

Away.

Germany of expressive techniques in It was a time in Australian theatre “It was played in tight areas and lighting design. Images of German when the lighting guy was usually one was the first time I had to create a theatre may look stunning, but the of the mechs. Nick was the naturalistic pool of light in an lighting was fixed.

Independent’s resident stage abstracted stylised space yet evoking a The idea of leading the audience’s manager; restless, he began eye, lighting the actor and expanding sense of place. And I approached it experimenting every night during the from an incredibly simple point of on the emotion was becoming show by shifting around the lights. view - of standing under a light bulb, essential to Nick’s story-telling toolkit Actors learnt to just work around it. but expanded.” back in Australia but, then at least, it Schlieper has been playing with German director Harald Clemen was foreign in Germany. light ever since, earning - and “Germans called it dramaturgical commissioned Nick to light a show at demanding - a respect for the the prestigious Schillertheater/ Berlin lighting, and actors even said to me precision, invention and storytelling just before the Wall came down, that they resented me doing their job role of his craft, and his very distinctive signature in lights.

It’s no surprise that painters are his first inspiration - think Turner and Edward Hopper and Nick’s own late brother. Michael Schlieper, Nick’s senior by 11 years, would work on his canvases through the night at the family home in Chatswood. Every morning, getting ready for school, Nick would observe the added layers, the depths appearing from new light and colours.

“I think I learnt most about lighting design and light from that exposure, watching him painting and then, growing up, talking to him about it, and watching his style change radically over a few decades,” says Nick.

“He started out as a wildly abstract painter, went through a very figurative, so-called Teutonic, social Bangarra’s Bennelong (2017). commentary period and then ended Photo: Daniel Boud. up painting landscapes but with a great facility for technique, which I learnt from him.” which was, he says, like “dancing on a for them. It was best to do it under Nick’s start in stage management fluoros and with the house lights on! volcano “ with the arts integral to also added a practical insight into the everyone’s fervent conversation, and It was a Brechtian hangover.” logistics of theatre - and the required part of the arsenal between East and Times have changed. Nick went on diplomacy. He was soon responsible West. to work regularly across Germany, and for casts and crews far older than he, “And at the theatres I suddenly notably at the Salzburg Festival: he’s calling shows, later operas, with the just returned from there, lighting a understood where my aesthetic had big companies in Sydney, Brisbane come from - it was like coming brilliantly urbane contemporary and Adelaide. Finally as a production home,” says Nick, whose family version of Médée. For more than a manager, young Schlieper always had immigrated from Germany. decade he’s taught lighting design in work …until, that is, he put out his “In Australia I was jokingly Munich and he went on to see shingle as a freelance lighting criticised for my work being very WAAPA in Perth establish Australia’s designer.

Teutonic, very stark, without much one major lighting course.

The jobs were few but, somehow, colour. I spent a lot of time making But ‘dramaturgical’ remains his he scored the lighting gig on the STC’s people look right, not nice - which is best descriptor. He rejects all jobs Summer of the Seventh Doll and not the same thing. I do use very steep

(Continued on page 96)

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 95

half hours.

And it was all the harder, given his block about Wagner, one he suggests is common in many Germans.

“It just makes me very uncomfortable, to the base of my spine, since it’s so laden with his vile thoughts…. so learning what I find fairly repugnant music was a challenge.”

Still, five years out, he joined the creative team, all of them leaving behind their phones and locking themselves away in a Blue Mountains retreat.

“But at the end of that week at “Camp Wagner”, we’d only got as far as the first five minutes of the first opera, and most of that was the prelude! time and place, then they’d all look “Still, all that time we were (Continued from page 95) the same. And once you answer that addressing the whole framework with unless he’s included from the start in question, you find the environment in the same question - why are we doing that first collaborative planning with which you’ll do it.” this work yet again and why in the director and other designers. He All this was well tested when Nick Adelaide?” reads the script or score over and over and his frequent collaborators, This landmark Ring had massive, again and, he says, he eschews tricks director Elke Neidhardt, and set and strikingly lit set pieces, but here again and focuses his lights only on costume designers Michael Scott for the lighting designer the priority advancing the meaning of the work.

Mitchell and Stephen Curtis, started was story-telling, of not losing sight of “We start with that simple planning what was Australia’s first full the human stories over time. question - why are we doing this production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. It “We always made sure that after work? It’s all the more vital a question was premiered by the modest sized fabulous visuals we came back to a when it’s a classic. I’ve done five State Opera Company of SA in 2004, permeable box with no scenery in it, productions of Macbeth; if you don’t but years earlier Nick was getting his just lots of light and that light in those ask why you’re doing it here at this head around a score lasting 16 and a interludes, even more than usual, with Nick Schlieper at the lighting desk for Love Never Dies (2012).

Photo: Jeff Busby.

Médée (2019).

Photo: Thomas Aurin.

96 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

a focus all about the singers.”

With a set that filled 38 shipping containers (an average opera may fill three) and a lighting rig with a thousand lamps, this was the biggest theatre show ever staged in the country. Oddly for the celebrated designers, the job offers then dried up.

“You’re so easily pigeon-holed by this industry. I think we were branded as, they only do huge now!”

Nick however did join another trusted collaborator, director Simon Phillips, in 2006 to create the stage version of the film hit, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

“I’m not drawn to musicals but I was keen to get over my prejudice that they’re all flash and giggle and not much craft.”

With a colour palette beginning with hot pink, he was also repainting his reputation as a master of stark white light. Nick’s starting point with Priscilla was that every scene have the sparkle, the heightened colours, as though viewed through the lens of a drag show - just like back then at the famed Imperial Hotel in Newtown,

MTC’s North By Northwest (2016).

Photo: Jeff Busby.

Sydney. He admits that the lighting took a leap elsewhere, especially with the introduction of Brian Thomson’s magically inventive bus and a huge tech budget. And Nick finished up with a lighting plot of 2,500 cues.

The arc of Nick Schlieper’s career has seen an ever-growing respect from audiences, critics and industry colleagues - for the craft of a lighting

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

designer, and an astonishing shift in the technology at their fingertips.

“I’ve seen manually operated desks replaced by computer boards; football -sized globes replaced by ones golfball -sized; and colour temperature and heat emissions have changed so much we can have an expanded palette of (Continued on page 98)

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 97

Ring (2004).

(Continued from page 97)

Nick Schlieper spoke to Martin Portus for a State Library of NSW oral history project on leaders in the performing arts; the full interview is now available on amplify.gov.au

colour gels. And importantly we can now have a whiter, less yellow light.

“At first with computers doing a lighting fade we missed the skill of a strips everything to an empty space, impact to dancers. It makes bodies good operator, but now these have a often with a revolve, defined with little look fantastic and faces so much more control which is incredibly sensitive. set or clutter, and so often dramatised interesting and more present.”

You can virtually move a host of lights by cross lighting.

Nick has lit six notable shows by throughout a show without the Their recent credits also include Bangarra. With Patyegarang and the audience being aware of what you’re Chinamerica, with its complex most recent, Bennelong, he’s lit doing.” storytelling across countries and Stephen Page’s significant shift to a A negative for Nick is LED decades; the epic dramatisation of dance theatre storytelling involving technology. He argues it reduces the Ruth Park’s Harp in the South; Brecht’s points of view both indigenous and colour ring spectrum to just 70%; with Arturo Uri with Hugo Weaving; colonial. the missing 30% so critical because “In terms of the practical, it’s White’s ghoulishly vaudevillian A that’s the light most sympathetic to Cheery Soul; and Shaw’s St Joan. He about being very careful about colour skin tones, to lighting the actors and just finished lighting Simon Phillips’ and choosing the optimum angle for telling the story.

STC production of Stoppard’s The Real dancers … but with the episodic story It didn’t stop him, however, of Bennelong I also had to be wary Thing. employing a huge back wall of white He remains a big fan of white light about leaving the audience with a light in the STC’s Cat on a Hot Tin and cross-lighting, and his reasoning, clear dramatic structure.”

Roof. The lighting bank initially He’s getting over being what he of course, comes back to what’s true simmered and then blasted direct into to the performers. describes as “the whitest thing the audience, suggesting the fireworks possible in that context, yes Aryan “It solves the age-old problem of - and raw emotions - that climaxed at people standing next to each other even! the end of the play.

“It’s a very useful reminder - as if talking as we do in real life, by lighting Nick has the perfect collaborator in along the axis they’re speaking to each it’s needed - of how strongly you can STC artistic director Kip Williams, other. feel being the ‘other’, and useful to whose own stage signature often have the boot on the other foot.”

“And it gives such a sculptural 98 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Riedel Riedel Communications designs and manufactures the most pioneering communications solutions for a theatre environment.

RIEDEL also provides real-time networks for video, audio, data and communications for theatre, pro-audio, event and large venues, sports, broadcast and security applications worldwide. RIEDEL Australia offers a large rental operation that provides radio, intercom, event IT solutions, fiber-based and wireless audio & video transmission systems.

2/38 Morley Avenue, Rosebery, NSW 2018 +61 2 9669 1199 australia@riedel.net riedel.net State Automation State Automation is dedicated to the design and manufacture of state of the art lighting control and automation systems for the entertainment industry.

Our lighting and stage solutions are helping some of the world’s most prestigious venues. We tailor your needs and expectations a solution that is reliable and cost effective in the long run. Everything is possible is our motto!

Factory 25 / 191-195 Greens Road, Dandenong South, VIC 3175 +61 4 3707 7580 info@stateautomation.com stateautomation.com

stagewhispers.com.au/directory-central Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 99

We Will Rock You A Lighting Designer’s Diary

Jason Bovaird from Moving Light Productions and Daniel Jow designed the lighting for We Will Rock You, staged by Centrestage Productions in Geelong, using 800 lighting and vision cues in a combination of state of the art and old school rock lighting. Jason explains how they achieved this combination.

My first question to the production trusses were way too big or only team was whether they wanted to moved at one speed. replicate the professional production or After months of investigation I do something new. found the perfect design from a The director Paul Watson created a company in Melbourne - Lighting Lab. wonderful new set design that evoked The company had been testing a the feeling of Wembley Stadium. It prototype from China - 1.5 metres in comprised a semi-circular row of seats diameter with variable DMX speeds. It that gave the feeling of the last was perfect for the show, given that it remains of the stadium. This allowed required a “laser cage” to rotate us to have four 3-metre lengths of regularly. hanging truss to create the feeling of We put 230 beam “sharpies” on light towers. These pieces of truss had the truss as they would give a strong ray-cans hanging off them to also thin beam like a laser and also had create the old school rock feel that some great gobos that would be used Queen had in its earlier days. for many other scenes.

I wanted to add a design element The most impressive moment that to the rig that had never been used the truss was used for was the opening before in a musical of this size and scene when director Paul Watson researched ways to incorporate wanted to create the feeling of the cast revolving truss and moving lights. The member being chased by helicopters. problem was that most of the revolving This moment had the rotating truss 100 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

revolving fast, with the sharpies in an open white to create the feeling of helicopter blades rotating.

A show of this size - with over 800 lighting and vison cues over 60 moving lights along with 150 generic fixtures - cannot be plotted in a normal production week due to the time in the theatre and the experience of the cast and crew.

It was decided to pre-visualise the show in a vison suite a week beforehand. Moving Light Productions engaged the services of Nathan Aveling from Starlight Productions and their factory. Nathan spent two weeks drawing up the scaled venue plan. He then created the lighting design in Vectorworks, which allowed the creative team to sit in virtual mode and begin plotting the cues of the show.

Being able to design the show in the visualisation suite with the director allowed us to be able to spend extra time on each of the cues and get the show almost perfect before we bumped into the theatre.

This allowed us to spend more time

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

Jason has just returned from London having taken over Lighting Design of the hit West End show Peter Pan Goes Wrong, produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, which opens in New Zealand before its Australian Premiere in Melbourne in December. His team will also design the lighting for Melbourne Luna Park’s “Luna Dark” Halloween event. movinglight.com.au

incorporating three LED screens: two thin 4-metre LED screens and a centre 8 metre x 4 metre large central screen into the production.

These screens provided all the story -telling content, ranging from “live feeds” through to moving images, still images and text. The screens were able to provide wonderful images during the show that also added the extra design element.

Putting all this together created powerful imagery that allowed the creative team to provide the audience with a strong, visually entertaining production.

Technical details: The story has an element of the old world and new world of Rock and Roll which needed to be shown through the use of parcans, moving lights, LED cans and lasers. The lighting rig consisted of 24 x Bumble Bee 330 spots, 12 x 230 Beam Sharpies, 12 x 60 watt LED Profiles, 30 x 8 watt LED Cans, 64 x Par VNSP Cans, 15 x 1500 watt Blinders, and 12 x Ray Cans.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 101

Lighting Rig’s Quick Change Creating one lighting design and rig is a tricky enough challenge, but Pip Morey, a NIDA Third Year Technical Theatre Stage Management student, had to create one universal grid for two shows.

NIDA’s Festival of Emerging Artists is always frantic, and to make it more challenging I was working on two spectacular shows that were complete opposites. One was a contemporary take on Caryl Churchill’s Hotel, a piece of largely physical work which had a cast of 10, and the other, Burning, a new indigenous work that explored the struggles and trauma indigenous Australians have endured over hundreds of years, told through young eyes.

Each piece had obvious lighting needs, such as having a general wash state as well as some face light, but both shows also needed to be able to interact with the lighting, letting it be a part of their stories and not just a complementary factor. Given that the two shows were performed each night, only 40 minutes apart, I had to make the overhead grid as universal as possible. I was lucky enough to have a mixture of tungsten fixtures as well as some LED and moving light fixtures. This allowed me to leave room for experimenting with different colour combinations and shapes when designing the grid.

Hotel explored themes of loneliness and escape. It had ten characters, each of them with their own storylines and motivations. My lighting would need to support them as well as act as a clutch the audience could hold onto throughout the performance.

The first image (above right) was shot during the opening sequence.

Each character enters the one hotel room, one by one, with their own motivations. The woman in the image immediately walked into ‘the bathroom’ where the bright light comes on. It mimicked a real bathroom light, but also, because of how bright the light was, the audience was almost blinded for a moment. When the human eye became used to its surroundings, audience members were able to look 102 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Hotel.

Photo: Lisa Maree Williams.

Hotel.

Photo: Lisa Maree Williams.

into the mirror and see the woman’s reflection. A cold stare, one of questioning and doubt, which set up her character for the entirety of the production.

The second image (opposite page below) shows the scene we called TV, and I like to call it the calm before the storm. It is the last moment before we would explore some of the characters’ own personal hardships and struggles. Although this scene was set late at night, I still wanted the audience to be able to see the characters’ faces and reactions, their interactions with their respective ‘partner’ or the reactions they feel alone in a hotel room, whether it be a positive or negative experience.

The final image (above right) is from one of the final moments of the play. All the characters but one have left the hotel and we are left with a single woman who has been the most mysterious character thus far. The lights chosen drained all the colour from the stage. I thought that these

Hotel.

Photo: Lisa Maree Williams.

(Continued on page 104)

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

Hotel Director: Eve Beck Set and Costume Designer: Hayden Relf Sound Designer: Jessica Pizzinga Production Manager: Madeline Picard Stage Manager: Zoe Davis Head Electrician: Cameron Russell

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 103

Burning.

Photo: Lisa Maree Williams.

lighting fixture for Burning, do a gel anger and fear constantly. I knew that change in the boom lights and a focus through my lighting choices I could would be perfect for the last act, as change in some of the overhead enhance these feelings, both for the the character begins to explain her lighting. audience and for the cast onstage. reason for being in the hotel, Burning is a new First Nations piece This scene (above) was set in the exploring themes of depression, which confronts the pain afflicted on heart of country. Three women of loneliness and desire to disappear.

First Nations people. It plays with the indigenous descent are in their own Colour is so full of emotion and as a highs and lows of human emotion, personal ‘happy place’ - safe to do lighting designer so much of my job is going between happiness, sadness, and act as they please. They danced displaying how the characters are feeling onstage through the lighting.

Burning.

As show ends, essentially all the colour Photo: Lisa Maree Williams. is stripped from the stage, the costumes and even the actor, and we are left with this yellow monochromatic state which just displays different tones of the same yellow.

Both shows had completely different approaches to the script.

Hotel relied heavily on a sense of realism, whilst Burning existed in a blurred world, between real and metaphorical. The transition between the two shows was only 40 minutes.

We had to completely bump out one set and get in the new one, also allowing the cast warm-up time within that time frame. Within the lighting changeover, we would remove the set electrics from Hotel, add a floor (Continued from page 103)

104 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

and played with each other, interacting where there was no sense of danger or threat. It was a joyous scene which marked the calm before the storm. I wanted both the audience and the cast to feel safe in this scene. That’s why I chose really warm side lighting which complemented the purple and pink tones of the overhead wash, in turn creating this almost imaginary world where the characters can be truly comfortable with themselves and each other.

This scene (opposite page below) was the peak of terror of the piece, depicting the rape and murder of one of the women. I chose to make it as cold and dead as possible. With the stark white lighting, there is no place for the women to hide - no safety, no shelter - they are truly exposed to their tormentor and eventual murderer. The main lighting choice was a bright light coming from the back of the stage; this acted as an almost blinding light for the audience and through that they saw the man enter.

This scene (right), which followed immediately, was a monologue spoken by our ‘woman’ character, describing how sick and tired black Australians are of the pain and discrimination they have faced for hundreds of years. The text was so powerful that I wanted the audience to be solely focused on our women and what they were saying. Each had their own spotlight, with our main women having two tones of blue and purple. Blue correlated with sadness and depression but also accentuated facial features and expressions. The audience could see every emotion shown and every pause they made throughout the monologue.

Lighting is a tool that can enhance a space and bring an audience into the space and the story. Doing one show at a time can be hard enough, but doing two shows in the same venue, at the same time, brought way more challenges than expected. By creating a universal grid that could work for both shows, I was able to focus more directly on the shape of the light and the story it creates.

Burning.

Photo: Lisa Maree Williams.

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

Burning Author and Director: Amy Sole Set and Costume Designer: Angeline Meany Sound Designer: Jordan Magnus McCarthy Production Manager: Madeline Picard Stage Manager: Grace Sackman Head Electrician: Cameron Russell

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 105

Queensland Lights Shine Bright Speaking to Queensland’s top lighting designers, Beth Keehn puts the spotlight backstage in a new occasional series on the magic of stage lighting. This edition she speaks to Matilda Award winner Jason Glenwright.

The Little Red Company’s Your Song.

106 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Online extras!

Experience The Little Red Company’s provocative Your Song. youtu.be/AbcUId4S--4

To illuminate means to make something visible, bright, but also to clarify. Lighting designers do all of that on stage - and more. They can plan lighting rigs for a play, a dance performance, ballet, circus, puppetry, or an opera that can enthral and guide an audience through a dramatic story. They can also create spectacular light shows for an event, a performance space, building or landmark structure; and they collaborate closely with other members of the creative team to devise shows, create concepts and fill spaces with wonder.

Those who work in lighting design create magic. To learn more, I have been speaking to the best of Queensland’s professional practitioners, recognised at the 2022 Matilda Awards for excellence in their craft.

Matilda Awards Chair, Jan Irvine, explained: “Audiences will not necessarily be aware of what the lighting design does, but they will feel it. Lighting is not just throwing light on stage; it is creating magical moments defining time space and place. Lighting can draw attention to what we see in a moment and help us understand how it should be interpreted. Matilda Award judges look for lighting design that helps drive the progression of the story. We also consider the degree of difficulty and how the lighting works together with other design elements of a production.”

Jason Glenwright was this year’s winner for Best Lighting Design for his work on The Little Red Company’s Your Song, a tribute to Elton John.

But he also made the shortlist for lighting Queensland Theatre’s production of David Megarrity’s The Holidays - two very different shows.

Jason said: “Your Song is a very flamboyant lighting design - when you think of Elton John, it’s colourful, it’s rock and roll! And The Holidays is almost the opposite - a play about a family going to a beach shack. But for both, I come back to the same way of lighting a show - stick to the (Continued on page 108)

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 107

(Continued from page 107)

narrative and the conceptual idea behind it.”

Coping with evolving technology is a big part of the lighting design role.

Jason pointed out: “Technology has increased vastly over the last 10 years - it feels like a new piece of lighting comes out every two weeks! But I have great relationships with some lighting hire companies so I can see what new tools are available. It is fantastic that we have LED lights and are able to create theatre that conserves energy and power.

Automation can also give us more flexibility to create more. In the past, the choice was more limited. These days we can create something like Roald Dahl’s The Twits (shake & stir) which is lit with a full LED and moving light show - which means we can shape everything and link lighting and sound cues with much more precision.”

On working with the other creative team members, Jason said: “Collaboration is the key in creating great theatre. While I am generally the last person to enter the rehearsal process, I will be a part of the initial discussions with the director, cast and crew, so the collaboration starts early.

The lighting and sound works hand in hand and we can use the technology to support the other creative elements.

“On Your Song, the lighting worked well for the style of the show - but also with the blocking, and with the music - it lit the costumes, it lit the actors beautifully and was well timed to the music. But also, importantly, the 250 lighting cues were well called by Rebecca Easterman, an amazing stage manager.” that supporting theatre at high school Jason was an Emerging Artist with is important.

“I still go and work on high school Queensland Theatre Company and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Technical shows to work with the kids and the production) degree from Brisbane’s lighting - at the moment I’m doing Queensland University of Technology Singin’ in the Rain at Anglican Church (QUT). But the first time he saw Grammar School and Lord of the Flies theatrical lights was at high school at Brisbane Grammar School.” when he went with his mates to see Does he have any advice for young the Rock Eisteddfod at Brisbane’s people interested in pursuing lighting Entertainment Centre. He still believes design?

108 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Shake & Stir’s The Twits.

Photo: Morgan Roberts.

“No one in my family was ever in a theatre show or had a link to the theatre - but my Nanna owned a light shop that sold fittings for home interiors - and Dad owned a light shop too. So, while they are completely different, something I learned from my Dad that I take to my theatre work is - Only put light where you need it!”

Online extras!

See Jason’s work on display in Queensland Theatre’s The Holidays. youtu.be/01f3GUY1s38

Jason’s upcoming work: Roald Dahl’s The Twits shakeandstir.com.au Skyfall thelittleredcompany.com An Ideal Husband laboite.com.au

Queensland Theatre’s The Holidays.

Photo: Morgan Roberts.

The Little Red Company’s Skyfall.

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 109

Sound Advice Artie Jones from Factory Sound shares his tips for trouble-free use of wireless microphones.

Troubleshooting Wireless No matter how big or small the stage may be, wireless microphones are the essential first ingredient to help bring an intimate and detailed sound to the audience.

A well-designed system will always make the complex appear simple, and reputable wireless manufacturers have done huge amounts of ‘heavy lifting’ to make the set-up of a clear channel as easy as touching a button (or two).

Online extras!

Factory Sound can keep up to date with all of the latest in pro audio gear.

Dreaded Dropouts youtube.com/FactorySound There’s nothing worse than an unexpected ‘drop out’ of the wireless signal. It leaves the audience disappointed, while often proving to be unsettling for the performers.

More Antennas = More Headaches For inexperienced operators, there is nothing An unfortunate side-effect of having multiple channels surprising about wireless interference and drop-outs, if of RF running concurrently for a performance is that not the golden rules of wireless tech haven’t been followed only will the active channels have their own frequency before every show. signature taking up space in the RF spectrum, but extra nodes in between those frequencies will appear - kind of Rule #1 - Scan, Scan, Scan like a reflection - and this effect of intermodulation will It is the most basic rule to follow, and it costs cause, in some cases, interference to your wireless nothing!

With the maturing of wireless microphone technology channels.

Reducing the amount of antennas around the stage over the past decade, the process is simple. It involves area will actually decrease the amount of intermodulation, pressing a button on the wireless receiver (which will and so a well-designed Antenna Splitter is a great way to normally be placed at side of stage, or at the mixing desk maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of any multiposition), allowing it to find the most clear frequency channel wireless system. available. Then you simply sync the wireless microphone (or bodypack) to the same frequency, and voila, the system is ready for soundcheck, and the show.

The number one cause of wireless interference is failure to follow Rule #1. It doesn’t matter if the wireless system, or systems (more on that later) worked perfectly when you first pulled them out of the box, the fact remains that a scan will be the best way to avoid any problems.

Managing Multiples Sophisticated productions usually involve more than just one wireless system, which introduces a whole range of potential Radio Frequency (RF) concerns.

Adhering to Rule #1 when you are dealing with many wireless systems will involve a little more concentration, and large-scale set ups will usually involve a laptop with some kind of Wireless System Manager on-board, to assist with frequency scanning, channel allocation, and monitoring of RF integrity.

110 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Cables And Other Considerations Are you using the right cable for antennas? (50ohm, not 75ohm). Are the antennas in the right position? Can you select frequencies for your area that actually minimise the amount of intermodulation?

Managing wireless microphones can seem complicated, but really, follow Rule #1 and follow it often, and when it’s time to expand or refine your system, get in touch with RF specialists for advice.

Oh, and fresh batteries for every show!

Factory Sound is Australia’s largest supplier of professional audio equipment.

For sales or hire please visit factorysound.com, email sales@factorysound.com, call 1800 816 244 or stop by their showroom located at 75-85 York Street, South Melbourne.

Advanced Wireless Tips Artie Jones from Factory Sound follows up his Sound Advice from last issue, where Rule #1 was ‘Scan, Scan, Scan’, this time focussing on the successful, hassle-free integration of multiple wireless systems.

(Missed the first instalment? Visit bit.ly/2VUkuMq.) Antenna Splitter When using a good quality wireless microphone system, it will have True Diversity technology, meaning that the receiver will determine which of the antennas is receiving RF (radio frequency) the best, and instantly switch to that antenna. True diversity provides a constant signal, no matter where a performer moves on the stage.

The problem with multiple wireless is, with two antennas per system the abundance of antennas can cause extra cases of Intermodulation (interference between radio frequencies). A good quality antenna splitter will allow you to use just two antennas to pick up all the wireless RF signals on stage, and then feed those signals to the relevant receiver in the rack of RF goodies.

Not only is it neater, it also improves RF performance.

Types of Antennas Generally, there are two kinds of antennas to choose from - Directional or Omnidirectional. In a smaller theatre (especially relevant in a multipurpose auditorium), omnidirectional antennas may seem easier to use, because their performance it is not dependent on specific orientation. Unfortunately, you may also end up getting interference from sources that aren’t relevant to your audio, including nearby LED panels or LED lighting.

Directional antennas have the advantage of being able to focus on an area, thus rejecting sources of interference. They are also able to reach (pick up signals) farther in the direction they’re pointing than what is possible with an omnidirectional antenna.

Antenna Placement Best practice for theatrical stage settings is to place your two directional antennas 3 metres apart, pointing in towards the talent hot spots. This will ensure overlap of the ‘lobes’ of your antenna pickup patterns, helping to maintain the true diversity of your wireless system.

They can either be positioned both at the front of stage, or both at the back of stage. Get them up high, but not too high. Somewhere between 2m to 3m is ideal, and remember, mounting them on some lighting truss could cause unwanted RF interference.

To Boost, Or Not To Boost?

This is one of those “a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous” situations. Products that come under the Antenna Booster category do not help ‘boost’ the effective reach distance of your receiving antennas. Correct placement is the best way to cover your stage area.

Antenna boosters are very useful to counter the detrimental effects of having a long cable run. Boosting helps negate the attenuation of your signal that occurs between your antenna and splitter, when a long cable run exists.

However, for most smaller stages, where 15m of good quality antenna cable (stranded, solid core, low loss, 50 ohm) is adequate, using any Antenna Booster will adversely affect the signal, causing your audio signal to be degraded, and losing some of the ‘top end’ brilliance.

As always, get in touch with RF specialists when it’s time to expand or refine your system.

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 111

Ticketing

Online extras!

For more listings, check out the Stage Whispers’ directory on our website. bit.ly/2n4aqnu

112 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Featured Businesses

See more listings online at bit.ly/2n4aqnu 356Tix 365Tix is an Australian-owned online ticket agency for shows, events and workshops. 365tix works 365 days a year to provide customer service from 9am-9pm.

You can choose pick-off-the-plan seating, promo code discounts, merchandise sales, flexible terms of classes and more. There are no lock in contracts or set up fees. 365tix provides clients with free online marketing support which includes access to our own extensive database of customers. Contact Eloise O’Toole for information. +61 4 0016 1125 +61 7 3266 9885 manager@365tix.com.au 365tix.com.au TicketHost Sell your event tickets online, great value, exceptional service.

Reclaim your life and let TicketHost handle the ticket sales for your event. Just register your event details and they will have your online box office up and running in minutes. Their ultra-low fees mean you won't find a more cost-effective option. TicketHost suits all event types from School Productions and Theatre Companies to Sporting Events and Business Conferences. +61 3 9011 3221 info@tickethost.com.au tickethost.com.au

stagewhispers.com.au/directory-central Ticketing directory: bit.ly/2n4aqnu

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 113

Lucy Durack.

Bonus Features

114 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

‘Never work with children or animals’ goes the saying. A desperate Debora Krizak, locked down in a COVID-19 hotspot, seeks help from a professional doggie stage trainer Peta Clarke and music theatre star Lucy Durack.

Please know, today was a good day, even though I don’t know what day it is anymore. It doesn’t matter apparently. Not until we reach 80%.

It’s almost 11am and a flutter of excitement comes over me as I switch on the telly in anticipation of the daily press conference. For a split second, it feels like opening night nerves but then my mind catches up and I realise I’m still in my PJ’s, slurping unapologetically on my cup of instant coffee.

I’ve been thinking long and hard about my ‘Behind the Scenes’ feature this month but it seems somewhat futile to spotlight the fabulous work being done by my peers when, let’s face it - the lights are off and everybody’s home. So, I’m coming to you live from my locked down LGA in Sydney where Gladys has finally closed Bunnings and every parent in lockdown grapples with the reality that home schooling is like being trapped in an episode of Survivor.

It’s time for P.E. and the twins have been instructed to do something “physical”. They both look pale and unengaged so when they plead with me to do the latest Gladys workout posted on Tik Tok, who am I to say no? I can’t sugar coat this whole fiasco any longer. If they want to attempt a burpee every time Gladys repeats herself, they can knock themselves out. While they’re at it, they can knock me out too and wake me up when we’re at 70% - just so I

have enough time to primp and preen Peta has been training animals in myself before we reach that magic film, TV and theatre for years. Some 80% and are released back into the of her credits include professional wild. stage productions of Legally Blonde, In the meantime, I’ve been lured Annie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and into the online world of puppy scams. feature films such as The Invisible The kids thought we should utilise our Man, Top End Wedding and the soon time in lockdown to get a puppy. to be released My Life Is Murder. She Feeling sorry for them, I start knows that picking up poo is par for browsing the net. This proves to be a the course. Likening her profession to welcome distraction from arguments “running away and joining the with anti-vaxxers on Facebook who circus”, Peta initially studied for a claim that Ivermectin is the cure for degree in child psychology, but it was coronavirus. Lockdown brings out the animal behaviour that piqued her worst in us all - especially the interest. I asked her what traits an scammers - but like all the antianimal trainer needed in the vaxxers, they underestimate the power entertainment industry. of proven research. I digress...

“You need to have good problemWe welcome our new puppy solving skills as well as the ability and “LuLu” into home detention, and I patience to observe animal behaviour. suddenly remember what it is like to You also need to have the backbone be locked up with a destructive to say no when a job is not in the best toddler. Nothing is off limits and I interest of the animal. You are the have unwittingly become the sole animal’s voice and need to ask all the carer of a weeing, pooing, chewing questions for them.” ball of brown chocolate fluff. Luckily, I I ask Peta what she thinks about have nothing else to do - thanks the saying ‘never work with children Gladys. The cuteness factor lasted an or animals’. Her response - “You’ve entire day for the kids until LuLu never worked with us!” decided that bedspreads and pillows Her passion and love for animals were the ideal place to do a number clearly outweighs the challenges. A two. workday for Peta can be anything It was time for some serious puppy from working with writers, to training. But where do I start? Time to producers and directors, actors and call in the big guns, which leads me animal owners, as well as making sure to my next artist in spotlight - animal her animals are trained to the script. trainer Peta Clarke from “We Do Animals”.

(Continued on page 116)

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 115

Bonus Features

“Like actors, we have to audition our animals. It’s all about confidence and bounce back. They need to be able to take anything the ‘make believe’ world can throw at them.”

This is beginning to resonate with me. All actors are experts at bouncing back and we’ve all worked with overconfident types. Perhaps there is a career in this for my LuLu after all. She seems to bounce back effortlessly when I pull her off my brand new, white duvet.

Whilst some animals may impress with their ‘audition’ skills, performing the task consistently, night after night, requires specialised attention to detail. Some of that training includes scent work, where an animal relies on their sense of smell in locating objects and is rewarded with a treat at the other end. On movie sets, where a trainer may not be able to reward the animal immediately, a clicker is used and the animal instantly recognises that the treat is coming. Stick training is also used for specific sightlines on set, but the main tool used by most animal trainers is repetition.

Peta was the animal trainer responsible for the roles of Bruiser and Rufus in the 2013 musical Legally Blonde, starring Lucy Durack as Elle Debora Krizak and LuLu. Woods. I asked Peta what it is like for animals to work with actors’ eight (Continued from page 115) everyone’s pet. Every day, every show-a-week schedule. interaction, every time they are “The dogs know the difference “At script development stage, we exposed to something in their between a rehearsal and an actual offer insights into the natural environment - we are shaping their show. It’s as obvious to them as it is behavioural repertoire of the species response to it.” to us. We make sure all the training in question, creating believable animal So, how is an animal selected for a work gets done before and during action on screen. We liken ourselves career in the entertainment industry? rehearsals so that we can maintain to puppeteers and love creating Surely, they’re not subjected to hours consistency on stage. Things can fall behaviours and actions that evoke an of unpaid auditions and self-tapes apart very easily. The repetition of the emotional response from our from the doghouse? I recently same thing can be a massive help, but audience, which helps to establish the discovered that LuLu’s father is, in if things do go wrong, or something animals as strong characters within fact, a performing toy poodle. Clearly changes, it can be a huge hindrance. each story.” the universe thought we needed One of the funniest things that Perhaps the most important another locked down performer in happened was when my little training aspect is to instil a confidence our house. When it comes to Chihuahua, who played Bruiser in in the animal to feel comfortable and choosing the right animal for the job, Legally Blonde, had a cameo at the settled in their work setting. The Peta considers the overly confident end of a scene and had to walk on set emotional and physical well-being of and enthusiastic character traits and cock his leg on a tin can and walk Peta’s animals is paramount. perfect opportunities to cast the right out. He was listed in the credits as the “We are consistently thinking animal. Sometimes the best trained Pissing Dog.” about real world exposure. A film or dog isn’t the best performer because As actors, it can be both a theatre set can be a scary and unusual they are ‘over trained’. challenging and rewarding experience place for an animal. It’s not for to work alongside animals on stage.

116 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

But how do they develop a rapport with their human co-stars while learning to navigate uncharted territory? I spoke with Elle Woods herself, Lucy Durack, about how this impacted her show preparation and rehearsals.

“I felt very lucky. Each morning I would have at least an hour to get to know and play with all the dogs learning how they worked while playing and rehearsing. Only those of us who worked with the dogs on stage were allowed to play with them, so it felt like a great privilege!”

How do the cast on stage adapt their performance when things go awry? I remember seeing a preview performance of The Wizard of Oz when Toto proceeded to lick the lead actress for an entire song. It made for wonderful viewing but I’m sure the sentiment of the song was completely lost on the audience.

Lucy recalls the time when one of the understudy dogs had to have knee surgery and a new little dog was brought in to start the bonding process with the actors. Lucy said that one of the perks was being able to take the dog home for the night in order to fast-track the training. Being familiar and comfortable with a lead actor is a necessity when it comes to delivering scenes together. But just like human actors, the dogs all bring their own personalities to the role and respond to varying types of positive reinforcement.

“The Chihuahuas would always perform for food and the bulldogs would perform for hugs! They all had such interesting and different personalities. Quinn was lovely and a bit more reserved, Audrey was a bit of a princess and Sparrow was legitimately a star - reincarnated from Hollywood!” says Lucy.

Star power aside, having witnessed the antics of my very own puppy over the course of a week, I think animal trainers themselves deserve a Helpmann. Whether it’s treats or hugs that motivate these cute and complex creatures, I’m still a long way off getting this ‘Ugg boot obsessed’ puppy of mine to “Pissing Dog” credit status.

It’s A Dog’s Life Most memorable job description?

Peta Clarke: Rat Trainer. I trained 100 rats for Mel Gibson’s movie Hacksaw Ridge!

Stage or Film?

Peta Clarke: Theatre is one of my favourite places to work. I love the sense of family and camaraderie amongst the cast. The actors often come into the dressing room to spend time with the dogs every day. There’s a consistency with theatre that the dogs respond to well.”

Biggest “fur” pas Peta Clarke: Not warming up one of the Chihuahua’s voices before a show and he couldn’t bark on cue!

Lucy Durack as Elle Woods with Bruiser in Legally Blonde (2012).

Photo: Eva Rinaldi.

Online extras!

Meet Lucy Durack and Bruiser at the launch of Legally Blonde. Scan or visit youtu.be/dVVR02xa7Wg

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 117

Bonus Features

Into The Woods Director Kimberley Shaw thought she was out of the woods when COVID-19 restrictions eased in Perth during the final rehearsals for the musical Into The Woods in July 2021. Then came a dripping sound as the heavens opened. Was their production alright on opening night? Read on to find out.

The Stirling Players’ Into The Woods.

118 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Into the Woods had a conventional rehearsal period, or at least a COVID-19 conventional rehearsal period.

We auditioned in January, had an excellent turn-out that saw about 200 people audition over four days, and were thrilled with our chosen cast.

Planning to start rehearsals the week before Easter, Perth’s February lockdown had little impact on our production.

April’s lockdown affected us slightly. The Stirling Players’ production preceding ours, To Kill A Mockingbird, was shut down on its projected opening night, costing us three early rehearsals. Mockingbird opened a week later, extra performances were added within their scheduled run, and they closed only a day later than originally planned, meaning just one extra rehearsal in an alternative venue.

Rehearsing in masks was tricky but not impossible - especially relatively early in the rehearsal process. With a flight attendant set designer and another flight attendant in the cast, there was always a risk that one of them might have to go into isolation. Ironically, during this period, our Rapunzel’s Prince, flight attendant Zac, was forced to skip a rehearsal while waiting for test results, but it was because he shopped at Coles at the wrong time.

In the theatre on the morning of Sunday June 27th, we received the announcement that masks would become compulsory within the hour. I ran to the chemist (thankfully only a couple of doors away) to pick up a packet of masks (and inform the pharmacist that she may be in for a busy afternoon). Actors, crew and orchestra members who arrived without having heard the news were handed a mask, and we did our best to do a masked sitzprobe.

The next evening we were in rehearsal when our phones started pinging with messages that Premier Mark McGowan was about to hold an unscheduled press conference. I sent stage manager Mollie out to listen, then paused rehearsals to tell the cast that we were going into a four-day

The Stirling Players’ Into The Woods.

lockdown from midnight. We completed that rehearsal, knowing it would be our last for the week, and hoping desperately that we would be clear to rehearse properly for ‘Hell Sunday’ (tech, dress and orchestra) the following week. We had a Zoom rehearsal midweek - but as many know, time delays make rehearsing a musical on Zoom only moderately helpful at best.

Our set was almost complete, save for a small amount of painting on the stage floor - a specialty job that our set designer Wayne had planned to do himself. Having returned from Northern Queensland, Wayne was thrown into two-weeks’ isolation, meaning that not only would he need to make other arrangements to get the floor painted, but sadly, he would miss opening night.

News came the following Friday that lockdown was ending, but there was now a limit of twenty people inside a venue for the next three days.

We had planned a full day rehearsal for the Sunday - the first time that we would properly combine cast and orchestra, implement sound, do full lighting, and have full dress. With

eighteen in the cast, an orchestra of fourteen, a crew of three, stage manager, lighting designer, sound designer, and costume designer, even operating without committee members and any other helpers we would be well over the limit.

We determined that we could make it work. We started with a crew rehearsal, using the time to set up the sound, rehearse quick set changes such as manœuvring grandma’s bed, trying out our flying (Cinderella’s birds, her dress drop, and the growing beanstalk) and rehearsing only actors that had tricky stage business involving the crew.

The crew and sound designer went home, and the plan was then to run the show twice with the cast (using Rehearscore) and then send most of them home and rehearse the orchestra. Stage Manager Mollie was keeping a careful tally of the number in the building, calling cast members in as the crew departed. It was raining steadily, so she had people wait in their cars until called.

(Continued on page 120)

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 119

Bonus Features

(Continued from page 119)

Floodwater at Stirling Theatre.

The Stirling Players’ Into The Woods.

120 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Running a little late, we ran Act One and decided to break for lunch.

We had just given the five-minute call to resume when Mollie queried, “Can anyone hear dripping?”

Our band was to be housed in a craft room just to the right side of the auditorium. Sound designer Aaron had spent the morning session laying microphone cabling, so the floor was covered in cabling and orchestra seating nicely laid out.

We suddenly had two major leaks in that room’s ceiling, one beneath a join in what was once two rooms, the other in a skylight. Cast scrambled to find containers to catch the considerable drips and I climbed up to remove the black masking from beneath the skylight (getting very wet in the process). Suddenly we realised that flood water was coming through the two external doors to the room.

“Rip up the cables!” Mollie cried, and within seconds two hours of Aaron’s careful work was yanked from the floor.

“It’s coming in the foyer!”

Actors rushed to find fabric or towels to try to block the flow of water now pouring into both our orchestra room and the foyer. We opened the costume storage area to find that water was coming under the door there too.

Suddenly actors were everywhere, stemming the flow and getting things off the floor in the three rooms now affected. Phone calls were made to Aaron, the club President, and the Rangers (it is a council building).

Outside the foyer doors, water was five or six cm deep, and drains were not coping. Actors ran out into the rain to attempt to clear drains, with others building a makeshift dam across a path down which water was cascading like a river. We managed to keep the water out of the auditorium, while the stage and dressing rooms, being on ‘higher ground’, stayed dry.

The rain flow slowed, and about two hours later we had the orchestra room mopped out and sort of dry, an industrial dryer “on the way” from the council and rehearsal resumed - albeit

The Stirling Players’ Into The Woods.

Kimberley Shaw is also Stage Whispers’ tireless Perth reviewer. She could not review her own production, which Breanna Redhead described as “delightfully charismatic”. stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/woods-15

late. Stirling Council found us two large industrial driers to dry the foyer and sent a magic machine that with actors who were still literally when I had arrived and reassured me sucked the bulk of the water from the dripping. We only managed to that it was watertight. Suddenly we carpet. The orchestra was kind complete the one run. heard a familiar dripping. enough to squeeze into what was Due to the restrictions, we had to Rushing to find something to essentially a large cupboard on the rearrange our tech week rehearsals catch the drips, there was flooding other side of the auditorium (not at slightly. We skipped our Monday tech under the doors once more. Within all comfortable), and the Roleystone rehearsal, then moved everything seconds the band room was flooded Theatre (whose own temporary back a day. By Tuesday we were and although I attempted to get theatre space had flooded that allowed full rehearsal capacity everything off the floor, this time it weekend) lent us curtaining to although actors needed to be masked was simply too fast, especially with dampen the echo in that space. when not on stage, as did crew and only two of us in the building. We Having spent the day on an non-wind orchestra - and we finally managed to build walls to stop the unsuccessful search for a new power managed our first tech and dress. water entering the auditorium, but source, a plethora of Perth theatre Council workers worked on the the band room flooding was deeper, people offered us keyboards, with roof most of the week, and we were extending through the foyer and Taui Pinker driving his beautiful and assured that it was repaired - that the toilets. I had sent an urgent message precious keyboard to us an hour previous weekend had been a ‘once in to the group chat - I think it was before curtain. a decade’ occurrence and that we simply “Help, flood!” - and within a While we remained nervous for didn’t need to worry. short time we were being inundated the rest of the run, and a team of After a successful preview that by cast, Stirling Players members and actors led by our Cinderella, Grace, went as smoothly as we could hope, their friends. flood barricaded the theatre between we were looking forward to Opening Despite the efforts of many, we every show, we were lucky enough to Night. were unable to open that night. We enjoy a successful, well received and Ever the nervous director, I arrived couldn’t guarantee that we wouldn’t completely sold-out run. at the theatre in the early afternoon, flood again, the foyer carpet was I am very thankful to have had a just to do little jobs and offer any help completely sodden, we needed to cast and team who smiled through to front of house. make arrangements to ensure that adversity, laughed instead of cried Around 3pm I was helping our orchestra would remain dry and and remained kind to each other committee member Elaine prepare the we had managed to drown (and kill) through a very stressful last couple of auditorium. It was raining, so we the power source to one of the weeks. To miss multiple rehearsals were occasionally checking the band keyboards. and face such major upheavals would room ceiling, even though the roof Thanks to the generosity of others, break many shows, but this team was repairmen had been at the theatre we were able to open, albeit a day simply awesome.

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 121

Smithy.

Simon Denver is represented by Maverick Musicals.

This year the company, founded by Simon’s family, was proudly taken over by new owners Rachel Fentiman and Howard Tamplin. Between them they have over 50 years of theatrical experience.

“We believe we have the best job in the industry: helping you, your school or theatre group discover the best play for your needs,” they told Stage Whispers.

“It’s our privilege to guide teachers, directors, producers and everyone in-between, all over the globe, to find that perfect play. We will help you narrow down plays that have the right cast size, theme, genre and whatever else you’re looking for to make your play a roaring success.”

For samples and online rights applications visit maverickmusicals.com

The Benefits Of Youth Theatre

seemed like an impossible journey over a frighteningly short time frame.

Pride You soon learn to take a pride in your work. No matter whether you are chorus, lead or backstage you Simon Denver, the writer of Man of Steel, shares his trade secrets. should take pride in your work and Years ago, I read the results of an be taken. You have to learn to trust strive to constantly be better. A chain international survey on fear. The your co-workers from the get-go. You is only as good as its weakest link. greatest fear facing an individual was forge an effective working Your pride in yourself and your not Thermo-Global Nuclear War. relationship with people, whether you project should make sure that this is Neither was it cancer, terminal illness like them or not. You must learn to not you. or extinction-level events such as trust early and completely. asteroids, volcanoes, tsunamis or Confidence climate change. The eventual winner Teamwork Any show is a monumental left them all in its wake. Divorce, The more disciplined and achievement in its own right. This losing your job and the rehearsed any theatre team or achievement gives you confidence in aforementioned fears were all in the ensemble is, the better the result. yourself. I recently went to a youth shadow of the undisputed number Getting something right is never easy. theatre reunion. Dozens turned up. one: the fear of public speaking. No If it was easy then everyone would One of the common topics discussed wonder the rest of society looks upon always get everything right. It sounds over a few refreshing ales was performers in a strange way. It's not strange but the more disciplined the confidence. Many claimed youth that we don't have this fear - it's rehearsals, the more the team has fun theatre had given them skill sets, led because we have learned to rise above and finds solidarity. It's never a case of by confidence, to guarantee they'd it. And how? Here is a recap of what learning your place in the team, it's never fail a job interview. belonging to a youth theatre, or about realising that the team actually being in a school musical or play, needs you and it isn't quite the same Adaptability should teach you. without you, and vice versa.

A great skill set to hone. The more theatre you do, especially Trust Camaraderie improvisation, the more you learn to All theatre is a huge trust exercise.

The friendships you make in youth think laterally. Theatre tends to And just as you are trusting everyone theatre stay with you for life. Why? present us with almost inconceivable will get their bits right, they trust that Because you share that special time problems that need us to come up you will get your bit right. When that "outsiders" just don’t understand. with some incredible solutions. It working to a deadline you don't have You were part of a highly emotionally teaches us how to explore a situation time to develop your "relationship" charged project which had what from more than one viewpoint. In with everyone; certain shortcuts must short - it keeps you on your toes.

122 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Bonus Features

The Brief History Of A Fake Cigarette Can one prop alter the mood of a play? Director and writer Jacinta Sciusco believes it can, in the right hands.

providing the queen with ease and calm.

The first time I saw it, I was freshly Stagecraft is a vital thing. It can adapted and directed by Cole graduated, in my first year of Uni, and add to or detract from a play. The McKenna. astonished at the props, sets, and messy, untameable wig; the fake but The old, forgotten Facebook event costumes stored away in the Union delicious looking burger; the reads: “A party in the 1920s is our Building of La Trobe University. The unbalanced theatre flat; props aim to window into the lives of New Yorkers drama department of my small-town bring realism to the stage. and newlyweds Roland and Claire. high school, great as it was, couldn’t A favourite prop of mine made its The play delves into a world of compare. The array of painted set debut on the stage of a University decadence and ruptured mundanity, designs, props from sunglasses to theatre, where the seats were slightly exploring strained relationships and plastic flowers, costume pieces uncomfortable, but the performance the pain that comes with having to belonging to clowns and made up for it. hide who you are.” businessmen; they all waited there, The fake red glow of a cigarette Like many plays at La Trobe perched in their places, as if standing prop captures the eyes of the Student Theatre, The Drag explored silent in the wings of a theatre for the audience under the stage lights. It’s a serious topics, centred around moment they could finally take a step quiet moment. Even the audience, LGBTQ+ rights in the 1920s. It’s no into the light. sitting shoulder to shoulder in the question then that Menzies Theatre In a comedic play about a crashsmall black space, feel the frozen housed a meaningful exploration of landed plane, where three vacationers energy of the scene. The actor holds hiding and emerging, and smoking and a pilot get stranded on an island, the prop between their fingers. This was a way for characters in The Drag the cigarette was passed between has been rehearsed so many times to support conflict and conversations Elliot and Corbin, childhood friends that even the cigarette knows its cues. with one another. who never quite grew up. Under the Stay still, get picked up, dialogue, Rolly, a married and closeted warm lights of the Menzies Theatre, it dialogue response, someone takes a homosexual man finds a place where brought laughter to a crowd of drag. A beat is taken as the character he is accepted and free to be himself strangers who would, in the years to sucks in a quiet breath, lips pursed amongst his gay friends. The cigarette follow, become dear friends. and ready to bring the cigarette to is held by a beautifully dressed drag Next, my first time directing one of their waiting mouth. queen, who holds it up towards her my plays. Any working creative knows It was easy for this cigarette to lips throughout the heated discussion. how it usually goes; doubt while rocket to fame. It enjoyed a stunning The sequinned glow of her red dress writing it, crippling doubt while role in the Moat Festival (2019) and her bright red lipstick rehearsing it, and at the end of production of The Drag - inspired by complement the fake flame. She takes (Continued on page 124) the life and plays of Mae West, a drag. The cigarette plays its role, stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 123

(Continued from page 123)

closing night, the embarrassment of your dear work being perceived. It was an intergenerational commentary on society, culture, and the state of the world, called X and Above. The cigarette was in each rehearsal, each bump in and bump out, always waiting but always ready. Picture a nine to five bank employee, drained to the point of exhaustion, desperately huffing a cigarette during break time.

From opening to closing night, the cigarette had registered the warmth of lights on its surface at the same hour for a week. It had known what it was like to be held, to be placed at arm’s length, and greeted warmly when needed. And as it rested in the still storage room, it began to collect dust. It’s foil flame no longer shone so brightly. It didn’t move in months.

Unbeknownst to the cigarette, it had many siblings scattered under chairs, behind theatre flats, stuck in tiny crevices, long forgotten, and misplaced between bump ins and bump outs. They sit, to this day, waiting to be found, amongst the growing dust of a vacant and distant life.

Passed from fingertips to fingertips, characters take drags to feel like they can breathe. Sometimes they take puffs to look cool at a party.

Sometimes they light up before dropping life-changing news onto those they love. But mostly, they pass the prop between friends, bonding, and they enjoy their time together with one another. And though these cigarettes get misplaced, forever lost, and badly broken, it is in these moments that the audience will remember the shining red glow crystallised in the scene, until the next performance.

Jacinta Sciusco is a third-year creative arts student at La Trobe University, where she studies theatre and writing.

She’s a long-time member of the student theatre community where she writes, directs, and acts in plays and performances.

124 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Digital Scenery For All Scenic projections are becoming more affordable for community and school theatre, bridging the gap between cinema and live performance.

Working with a tight budget? Has your rehearsal and production time been significantly reduced due to COVID-19 shutdowns? Music Theatre International, Australasia (MTIA) and Broadway Media are offering digital scenery for MTI’s top titles in Australasia.

Scenic ProjectionsTM are full-show digital scenery packages that can be projected onto a screen or surface behind onstage performers as a backdrop.

The product follows the official licensed script. Harnessing the growing utilization of projection design as a core element of theatrical design, Scenic ProjectionsTM is projected digital art and animation that moves seamlessly with - and enhances - the action onstage.

A popular title is The Little Mermaid Junior. Product manager Brianna Spicer describes the style as

“cartoonised realism”.

“We show visible paint strokes with simplified shapes and softened background elements, garnering inspiration from various concept art pieces of underwater scenes and ships.

“The Little Mermaid JR package helps make the musical more immersive. The ocean surface changes from calm to stormy depending on what is happening. In the palace hall scene, the sunset and colour change help to indicate that Ariel has run out of time. Any opportunity to help make the story clearer is taken advantage of.”

Broadway Media combine their projection cueing software with beautiful artwork that includes all the scenes, settings and special effects in the script. Scenic Projections will be available in animated or still image variants for MTIA’s most popular full-

For more information about Scenic Projection Show Packages, visit broadwaymedia.com/shows/music-theatre-international-australasia For additional information on MTI and licensing, please visit mtishows.com.au

Bonus Features

length and Broadway JuniorTM titles.

“Scenic Projections is the tool you need to elevate your production values, all from the touch of a button and at an affordable price. We are excited to keep offering you new resources to bring the magic of theatre to your school or community,” says Stuart Hendricks, Managing Director of MTI Australasia.

Broadway Media says there is no steep learning curve to use its digital scenery as the product is supported by free how-to resources and customer support.

“We are a mission-driven company, serving a global theatre community. Our decision-making centres around one simple question, ‘does it make participation in the performing arts more accessible?’” says Quentin Sanford, President, Broadway Media. “Through our products, our partnerships and advocacy, Broadway Media is dedicated to the universal access to the joy of theatre-making, regardless of space, place, or budget.”

Easily project scenic backgrounds like these from your laptop.

Costumes, Props, Sets And SFX directory: bit.ly/2ma7wNZ

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 125

Bonus Features

Welcome To The Moulin Rouge!

A Spectacular, Sparkling Diamond

Alinta Chidzey as Satine with the cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Photo: Michelle Grace Hunder.

126 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

As Sydney prepares to welcome Global Creatures’ Moulin Rouge! The Musical to the Capitol Theatre (with other cities to follow), I had the opportunity to interview Associate Lighting Designer Gavan Swift about the design elements that went into creating the theatrical masterpiece.

It’s a smorgasbord of sensory delights with the mantra of such a production being ‘more is more’. The set, lighting, sound, and direction are all designed to captivate and overwhelm the senses. From the moment the audience walk into the venue, they are presented with a vision that encompasses the entire theatre.

Moulin Rouge! is unlike any show that Gavan has worked on.

With a show of this magnitude, the first challenge was how to fit all the scenery and equipment into Melbourne’s Regent Theatre.

“It was tight,” Gavan states. “As for rehearsing the show and bringing it to life onstage, I wouldn’t say it was challenging; it was exciting. We were in the middle of another extended Melbourne lockdown. While theatres and businesses all around us were

closed, Global Creatures managed to keep the production moving ahead and we rehearsed, documented, and honed the show up until the point when we were meant to have an audience. There are occasions when the mixture of circumstance and personnel combine to create something special, and the tech process was like catching lightning in a bottle. Luckily, when we were able to open, the audience response was testament to this process.”

Lighting designers are storytellers.

It’s their job to craft atmosphere, direct the audience’s attention, follow and enhance the emotion of a scene, and provide the basic illumination to assist the performers to tell the story.

The brilliance behind Justin Townsend’s original lighting design is that it beautifully crafts and supports this story and can provide the spectacle and energy that elevates the production to the next level.

I asked Gavan to describe how some of those design elements are captured in this pair of production stills from Melbourne’s beautiful Regent Theatre.

Alinta Chidzey as Satine and Des Flanagan as Christian in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Photo: Michelle Grace Hunder.

Sound And Lighting directory: bit.ly/2nEHzGK

Inside The Elephant “The opulence of Satine’s boudoir inside the elephant is a great piece of theatrical design. The over-the-top décor evokes a place of seduction, where men of means are enticed and bewitched.

“It’s a challenging set to light as, working from downstage to upstage, the elephant cloth needs to be seen, and lit in a way which emulates the large elephant on stage left, without drawing focus away from the performers. Inside the elephant the atmosphere is warm and decadent.

Beyond the elephant, the garrets of Paris can be seen, bathed in a midnight blue light with the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the background - a sky of stars with a romantic moon, dominated by the instantly recognisable ‘Lamour’ sign.

“Within this set there are scenes, romantic songs, a comedic song selling the new show to The Duke and then the transformation that carries the show towards the Act 1 finale. All needed different lighting treatment.”

(Continued on page 128)

Online extras!

Enter a world of splendour and romance in Moulin Rouge! The Musical youtu.be/vmUoIjyaIS8

stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 127

Bonus Features

Moulin Rouge! The Musical at Regent Theatre, Melbourne.

Photo: Michelle Grace Hunder.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical Playing at Regent Theatre, Melbourne until February 2024. moulinrougemusical.com/australia the Regent Theatre’s architecture were all up lit with LED wash units to Welcome To The Moulin Rouge make the theatre itself part of the “When the audience enters, they scenic design. There’s practically no are met with Derek McLane’s part of the auditorium untouched by incredible set that consumes the scenery and lighting on Moulin entire theatre. Every part of the Rouge!” theatre is touched by scenic detail, big Ahead of transferring Moulin and small, and is therefore also Rouge! into Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, treated with light.

Gavan was halfway through tech “The swags of red drapes are week for Harry Potter Part One. I followed by swags of LED festoon, asked him what he loves the most which also continue along the walls about the industry and his of the theatre right up into the dress contribution to the theatre. circle. The faces of the proscenium, “Personally, I love the variety of passerelle and access runways have being a theatrical lighting designer.

Gavan Swift - Associate Lighting Designer, individually circuited festoon bulbs, Whether it’s the fun and flashy nature Moulin Rouge! The Musical. ready to explode with energy in the of productions like Saturday Night opening number. The stage and Fever and Mamma Mia!, or the drama overseas, I have been fortunate to auditorium are bathed in red light. have the trust of several Broadway of plays like Patrick White’s The The venue houselights are red. On Aunt’s Story & The Ham Funeral, every and West End lighting designers who stage right is the iconic Moulin Rouge show is different. have asked me to recreate their windmill, and on-stage left is a large lighting for production in the “I have been very fortunate to blue elephant, an icon repeated above have had an extensive career covering Australia, New Zealand and Asian the proscenium arch. markets. all forms of live theatre and “Throughout the swags of red “As the industry rebounds after performance. I’ve designed in venues drape is an assortment of chandeliers as small as the Hayes Theatre, right up COVID-19, and starts to settle after and even the FOH speakers have the boost provided by RISE funding, to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. design treatment to make them blend “As the musical theatre industry in it’s going to be interesting to see how into the scenery.

Australia has evolved to a model that the theatrical landscape looks in the “The gold columns and frescoes of largely imports productions from next couple of years”.

(Continued from page 127)

128 Stage Whispers Let’s Put On A Show 2024

Choose from 1,300 plays at our online store

booknook.com.au stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 129