SPARK 2017

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Contents

Costuming, Make Up, Props and Sets ......................................................................4 Where to find them. How to make them Shows For Schools ................................................................................................13 Sound and Light ...................................................................................................29 Ticketing, Staging & Front Of House ......................................................................56 Training ................................................................................................................60 Performances for Schools. Incursion and Excursion .................................................70 National ................................................................................................................75 New South Wales & A.C.T. .....................................................................................78 Victoria .................................................................................................................81 Queensland...........................................................................................................86 South Australia .....................................................................................................86 Western Australia ..................................................................................................87 Welcome to Stage Whispers' annual School Performing Arts Resource Kit (SPARK). The aim is to provide school teachers with more tools to spark a love of theatre in their students. Please click through to the section that is relevant to you.

We welcome feedback on this edition and any suggestions you have for us to improve it in future years. Leave your comments here

Front cover image Daisy Coyle in The Lighthouse Girl.

Photo: Robert Frith.

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following cities: Melbourne - Comedy Theatre; Adelaide - Her Majesty’s Theatre, 28 March; Sydney - Roslyn Packer Theatre, 5 April; Canberra Theatre, 25 April; Brisbane Concert Hall, QPAC, May 4 & Perth, His Majesty’s Theatre, 31 May. Not in the Script - Monologue Book The Hollow Crown - Blu-ray The Hollow Crown: Wars of the Roses - Blu-ray Modus Season 1 DVD pack (with Anne Holt book) Acquitted Season 1 DVD set

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Costuming, Make Up, Props & Sets

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Check out our Costume Marketplace www.stagewhispers.com.au/costumes www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 6

Ballarat Lyric Theatre The Ballarat Lyric Theatre Inc has been supplying theatrical costumes to private individuals and other companies since 1963. Of particular note is that whole show sets are available to complement or complete another company’s needs for shows such as Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Les Misérables, Phantom, Rock of Ages and Cats.

This year it was one of very few companies to produce Rock of Ages, so it is currently ‘swamped’ with doubledenim, animal prints, leather, plus mullet wigs! www.ballaratlyrictheatre.com.au

COSTUME GMS Costumes

The Gosford Musical Society has been producing stunning costumes for its NSW Central Coast shows for nearly 70 years. A dedicated group of sewers create authentic and durable costumes to be hired Australia wide.

With shows such as Mary Poppins, A Chorus Line, Spamalot, Phantom and old favourites such as Pirates, Annie, Oliver and Beauty and the Beast, GMS can assist musical societies and schools that have restricted storage or limited resources. In 2016 GMS staged The Addams Family, The Music Man, Wicked, The Little Mermaid and Tom Sawyer.

The GMS website features up to 100 photos of the 44 musicals available. Call 4324 1305, email gosfordmuscial@bigpond.com or visit www.gmscostumes.com.au.

Costumes Without Drama The Lion King is finally available for school productions, and Costumes Without Drama has a complete range of animal outfits interpretive creations to suit. The base for the main characters of Simba, Mufasa and Scar are printed chiffon ‘African Pants’ and are worn with lion ears and gauntlets. The lionesses have metres taupe chiffon linked with ‘tribal’ patterned bodices.

The resulting scene is one straight out of Africa, and teamed with hand painted giraffes and gazelles and of course the personality plus of Rafiki, and Zazu, The Lion King has never been so accessible to schools.

Call (03) 8838 2616, email info@costumeswithoutdrama.com.au or visit www.costumeswithoutdrama.com.au

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and of

Masks And Puppets Plus

Tessa Wallis from Masks and Puppets plus showcased her skills at a Kabuki workshop arranged last year at the Drama Victoria conference.

“I researched the designs and created a set of 12 different masks. They have been ordered by several groups since,” she said.

Kabuki is one of the three major classical theatres of Japan, along with Noh drama and Bunraku puppet theatre. Unlike Noh drama, which is solemn and ritualized, Kabuki is designed to entertain an audience with dramatic, often spectacular, effects.

Plays are performed using a combination of dramatic dialogue and dance, and accompanied by drums, flutes, stringed instruments called shamisen, and chanting.

For more information visit www.masksandpuppets.com.au

MARKETPLACE Shine Trimmings & Fabrics Shine Trimmings & Fabrics has a product range of 15,000 items - enough to please anyone making beautiful and unique costumes or dressing the stage.

The company has the unique ability to have many of its products (including Chiffon and Net), specifically dyed to match a selection of fabrics, including an exclusive range of Four Way Stretch Italian Linel. Many of the Shine team of creative consultants have design, dressmaking and millinery experience and qualifications.

Shine provides an effortless and enjoyable shopping experience both in its Port Melbourne store and online. Shine provides delivery options online including Free Shipping and flat rate Express Delivery.

Shine also supplies wardrobe departments for Theatre, Film & Television.

Contact Shine Wholesale for more information about purchasing their products at wholesale prices.

“We invite you to create unique and beautiful costumes and look forward to helping you make your creation SHINE!” www.shinetrimmingsfabrics.com.au

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My Fair Costumes When Dame Julie Andrews was asked to direct the 60 th anniversary production of My Fair Lady in Australia, she insisted on recreating the original production design from the 1956 Broadway production which she starred in. John David Ridge, the last living link to original designer Cecil Beaton, has spent 18 months re-creating it. David Spicer reports.

I waltzed into Opera Australia’s Sydney costume workshop only a few days out from the first dress rehearsal and dozens of workers were putting the finishing touches to dresses, wigs and hats. On one table the glittering ballroom dress for Eliza was being made, but I was forbidden to take any photos of the white silk and bead garment.

70 year old John David Ridge took me into a private dressing room for a chat and drew the curtains. In 1976, then a 23 year old costume maker, he was assigned to assist Sir Cecil Beaton remake the legendary 1956 design of My Fair Lady for a Broadway revival.

Beaton, an Academy Award winning designer, painter and war

photographer, was not in good health and died a few years later.

Ridge thought he would never need to look at the sketches again. “Cecil didn’t leave them to anyone. Most of them were given away,” he said.

“I had photostats of some of the original sketches put together in 76. I keep everything. I pulled them out. I also spent a few days in the Library of the Performing Arts at the Lincoln Centre, which has incredible photographs of every Broadway production. Then I spent three months re-drawing them.”

Was it worth the effort to dig up an old design? Most definitely yes he says, because the original was “brilliant” and Cecil Beaton absolutely “nailed 1912”.

“There have been many productions of My Fair Lady. I don’t think anybody has gone close to what Cecil did. It was a brilliant design job. You see people do variations on his black and white Ascot.

They are never as good as the original.”

Why was it so good?

“He progresses the plot of the show.

He starts with the cockneys, who Shaw (a socialist) considered the real people of the show.

“There is a slow build. First we see Eliza (described by Higgins as a squashed cabbage leaf) in Covent Garden. She is a filthy flower girl. Julie Andrews did some research. The cockneys never had a bath They slept in their clothes because it was so cold.

“Then she gets cleaned up, but nothing fancy, for The Rain in Spain.

Then she gets dressed up for Ascot, and finally she is beautiful for the ball.”

The first moment for Eliza Doolittle to shine is when Higgins takes her to the races.

“There have been m My Fair Lady. I don’ gone close to what Ce

John David Ridge.

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“The people in the Ascot Gavotte were upper class twits. They are brainless, shallow and vapid, only concerned with surface.

“Then you have the international ball end of act one. Because it is international they are not all upper class nitwits.

“By this time she has started to fall for Higgins. It is the most romantic scene, in a flower garden full of pale pastel chiffons. In the Waltz we see miles of chiffons floating in the air and we can see she is falling in love.

“Cecil helped tell the story with his designs. They are lovely as they should be, but

many productions of t think anybody has ecil did.” they are really good when they help tell you a story.”

To recreate the original costumes, John sourced material from around the world. He started in Munich for the bulk of the silk, then London for principals’ costume silk and for Higgins’ wool, then finally New York for bits he couldn’t find anywhere else. Much of the beading was sourced from Los Angeles. He supervised the sewing by Skype.

“In order to look like the original we had to use the techniques they did. The hand embroidery is hand embroidered.

The silk flowers are silk flowers.

“This is thanks to a brilliant man in Huskisson (NSW South Coast) who is last man in Australia who makes them.”

He could have purchased a Chinese boutonniere for 25 cents but it would not have looked right.

“They need to drip wealth and hold up through many performances. When we last did a revival in 1980 we did the entire thing with New York flower makers and embroiders. All those people don’t exist anymore.

The whole exercise “is terribly labour intensive.” He says musicals with 200 plus costumes are now much rarer.

“You used to have 40 in the chorus, each with five costumes. The most recent one like that was Phantom,” he laments.

But for this production at least there is no compromise. Everything is made new and authentically.

Well almost - “Sometimes I can’t remember exactly what we did and Julie Andrews can’t remember; we have to work out what most likely happened.”

And sometimes he has borrowed an item from the Opera Australia costume store.

“When I was short of a cockney hat, I found one off the rack. Also when I

needed some cockney shoes I found them and gave them a few more knocks.”

He describes it as a 99 percent new production - as all the hat makers in Sydney, busy on the project, can attest to. A feast for the eyes and ears awaits the audience.

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Costumes’ Little Beauties Stage School Australia prides itself on accessories which make all the difference.

No matter whether you have a massive production budget or if you are working on a shoestring, little details will make your characters and show memorable.

“When I’m designing a costume I try to really get into the head of the character,” explains Stage School Australia’s Head of Wardrobe Jennifer McKenzie.

“It helps me throughout the creative process to define the garments, but it also really helps me create an ensemble that will work for the actors on stage. For our recent production of Beauty and the Beast, designing the fantastical characters like Lumiere, Mrs Potts, all the kitchenware for the famous ‘Be Our Guest’ sequence, and of course The Beast himself, was a real challenge.

“I needed to try to visualise what small things each character might need, or what small detail would really

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define them. One of my personal favourites was Madame de la Grande Bouche. I’ll admit that the armoire costume itself ended up being pretty amazing, but it was the big white Marie Antoinette wig that I think really encapsulated her and defined her. A relatively simple little thing, but it just finished off the costume perfectly.”

Jennifer McKenzie recommends this approach for all productions. Using this same example of Madame de la

Grande Bouche, she urges directors to think about what a costume needs to convey on stage?

“In her case it’s size and authority. You could achieve a more pared back but still effective costume with the tall white wig, a long black cape and some high heeled shoes. All the actor needs to do then is add the largesse to the voice.”

The staff at Stage School’s warehouse, The Costume Dept, use a similar process to help schools and theatre companies create the right look for their productions.

“We have a huge costume collection, but we still encourage our clients, when they are visiting the warehouse to pick their costumes, to use to this “little things” approach to create their own special look,” says Wardrobe Manager Sarah Donnelly.

“A good example is what we call our America dresses. They were made for the number ‘America’ from West Side Story. But if you add a few little things you can completely transform and customise the look. For instance, if you add a pillbox hat, short gloves and crinoline, or pearls and long gloves, or black bob wigs you’ve got yourself a completely unique look. And with the volume of accessories in our collection, the possibilities are truly limitless.”

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Shows For Schools

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Musicals For Schools

Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story.

Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story www.buddythemusical.com The U.K. producers of the hit Rock & Roll musical Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story are now licensing the amateur and professional rights to the show in Australia and New Zealand.

There is a full-length script (over two hours in length), as well as a 90-minute ‘concert’ version and a shorter Buddy JR edition for younger performers, where all of the music is provided on backing track. The show can be performed by a cast of 12+ (including actor/musicians) and is relatively simple to stage.

Community theatres and schools from the across the globe, have successfully staged productions of Buddy…

“We instinctively knew this gem of a show would be a spectacular hit. Nightly standing ovations and rave reviews accompanied the entire season, with so many memories being relived alongside the pleasure of watching a new generation discover the excitement and brilliance of Buddy’s music. We have definitely delivered the surprise #1 hit show of 2016 in Tasmania!” - Belinda J. King (Encore Theatre Company, Launceston) For licensing enquiries and perusals email rick.thorne@buddyshow.com, visit the website buddythemusical.com/request-licence, or phone 0011 44 207 240 9941 15 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

Maverick Musicals www.maverickmusicals.com Maverick Musicals has announced that some of its most popular School Musical Deluxe packages are available on USB! Maverick’s USB’s and their content is designed to make your production life just a little bit easier. Scripts, scores, song tracks, both vocal and performance, graphics and SFX are all ready for you on their new line of “Musicals on a Stick”.

The titles include Bonsai Samurai - Maverick King Fu Panda meets Moana!

You’re History: When a nerdy teenager turns a portable classroom into a time machine, a mischievous detention class is sent hurtling back through history!

High School Spoof-ical: Welcome to Sweet Valley High, a perfect world of perfect Disney teens.

ORiGiN Theatrical www.origintheatrical.com.au ORiGiN Theatrical is releasing two new TRW Young@Part® collection musicals, The Addams Family and Curtains.

Created for schools and youth groups, these 65-70 minute authorized editions of Broadway musicals are tailormade for young performers. There are great parts for girls, boys, and any sized ensemble.

The Addams Family Young@Part The #1 high school musical in the U.S.! The Addams Family Young@Part® will introduce a whole new generation to the creepy and kooky Addams clan. Bring this heart-warming story about acceptance and family to your stage today!

Curtains Young@Part From the creators of Chicago and Cabaret comes Kander & Ebb’s whodunnit musical mystery. Curtains Young@Part® is the tongue-in-cheek murder mystery that is a love letter to musical theatre. This show is ready to be solved by even the youngest actors.

Each TRW Young@Part® Musical comes with a set of scripts/vocal books, performance CD’s, guide vocals, director’s script and logo pack.

School Premieres from David Spicer Productions www.davidspicer.com St John the Evangelist High in Nowra (NSW) is staging the World School Premiere of Masquerade by Kate Mulvany in July. The musical adventure is based on the children’s classic by Kit Williams with music by Pip Branson, Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentleman.

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. Radford College in the ACT is staging the World School Premiere of Song Contest: The Almost Eurovsion Experience in April.

The glitzy comedic musical features eleven countries competing, a multitude of anxious contestants, a gushing hostess and all the quirkiness that both delights us and makes us cringe in a single breath.

Fairfield College in Hamilton will stage the world school premiere of Aotearoa - A New Zealand rock musical in June.

An award winning musical that is part love story, part eco awareness, part spiritual enlightenment wrapped around some of the great New Zealand rock songs of our time.

Includes songs from Split Enz, Crowded House, Dragon, The Mutton Birds and many more. www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 16

Not In The Script Currency Press has released a new collection of thirty-two monologues, drawn from the work of great storytellers, poets and novelists. These pieces do not come from plays, but each has a narrative and an action that makes it ideal for theatrical performance.

Enjoy this sample from the comic 19th century novel Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.

This is the opening passage from one of the great comic novels of the nineteenth century, first published in 1889. J. is accustomed to a good life of eating, drinking, larking about with his friends and not working more than he has to, but he is not an aristocrat. (If you are looking for a similar comic style from an endearing aristocratic twit you could try almost any of the P.G.Wodehouse novels about Bertie Wooster and his famous butler Jeeves.)

J.’s style, as you can see, is self-dramatising but also oddly innocent and ingenuous. You will have to decide the extent of his self-awareness. He is obviously claiming to believe all the information that he has found about his supposed illnesses, including the advertisements, but is he also conscious of the comic effect? He certainly shouldn’t play it too much for laughs. The comedy depends on his (apparent) sincerity. There is something attractive about his cheerful acceptance of everything, especially at the end.

You could play on this old piece’s obvious relevance in these times of scam ‘complementary medicine’ and hypochondriacal Google self-diagnosis.

There were four of us - George, and William Samuel Harris, and myself, and Montmorency. We were sitting in my room, smoking, and talking about how bad we were - bad from a medical point of view I mean, of course.

We were all feeling seedy, and we were getting quite nervous about it.

Harris said he felt such extraordinary fits of giddiness come over him at times, that he hardly knew what he was doing; and then George said that he had fits of giddiness too, and hardly knew what he was doing. With me, it was my liver that was out of order. I knew it was my liver that was out of order, because I had just been reading a patent liver-pill circular, in which were detailed various symptoms by which a man could tell when his liver was out of order. I had them all.

It is a most extraordinary thing, but I never read a patent medicine advertisement without being impelled to the conclusion that I am suffering from the particular disease therein dealt with in its most virulent form. The diagnosis seems in every case to correspond exactly with all the sensations that I have ever felt.

I remember going to the British Museum one day to read up the 17 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

treatment for some slight ailment of which I had a touch - hay fever, I fancy it was. I got down the book, and read all I came to read; and then, in an unthinking moment, I idly turned the leaves, and began to indolently study diseases, generally. I forget which was the first distemper I plunged into some fearful, devastating scourge, I know - and, before I had glanced half down the list of ‘premonitory symptoms’, it was borne in upon me that I had fairly got it.

I sat for a while frozen with horror; and then in the listlessness of despair, I again turned over the pages. I came to typhoid fever - read the symptoms discovered that I had typhoid fever, must have had it for months without knowing it - wondered what else I had got; turned up St Vitus’s Dance found, as I expected, that I had that too - began to get interested in my case, and determined to sift it to the bottom, and so started alphabetically read up ague, and learnt that I was sickening for it, and that the acute stage would commence in about another fortnight. Bright’s disease, I was relieved to find, I had only in a modified form, and, so far as that was concerned, I might live for years.

Cholera I had, with severe complications; and diphtheria I seemed to have been born with. I plodded conscientiously through the twenty-six letters, and the only malady I could conclude I had not got was housemaid’s knee.

I felt rather hurt about this at first; it seemed somehow to be a sort of slight .Why hadn’t I got housemaid’s knee? Why this invidious reservation?

After a while, however, less grasping feelings prevailed. I reflected that I had every other known malady in the pharmacology, and I grew less selfish, and determined to do without housemaid’s knee. Gout, in its most malignant stage, it would appear, had seized me without my being aware of it; and zymosis I had evidently been suffering with from boyhood. There were no more diseases after zymosis, so I concluded there was nothing else the matter with me.

I sat and pondered. I thought what an interesting case I must be from a medical point of view, what an acquisition I should be to a class!

Students would have no need ‘to walk the hospitals’, if they had me. I was a hospital in myself. All they need do would be to walk around me, and,

after that, take their diploma.

Then I wondered how long I had to live. I tried to examine myself. I felt my pulse. I could not at first feel any pulse at all. Then, all of a sudden, it seemed to start off. I pulled out my watch and timed it. I made it a hundred and fortyseven to the minute. I tried to feel my heart. I could not feel my heart. It had stopped beating. I have since been induced to come to the opinion that it must have been there all the time, and must have been beating, but I cannot account for it. I patted myself all over my front, from what I call my waist up to my head, and I went a bit round each side, and a little way up the back.

But I could not feel or hear anything. I tried to look at my tongue. I stuck it out as far as ever it would go, and I shut one eye, and tried to examine it with the other. I could only see the tip, and the only thing that I could gain from that was to feel more certain than before that I had scarlet fever.

I had walked into that readingroom a happy healthy man. I crawled out a decrepit wreck.

I went to my medical man. He is an old chum of mine, and feels my pulse, and looks at my tongue, and talks about the weather, all for nothing,

when I fancy I’m ill; so I thought I would do him a good turn by going to him now.’ What a doctor wants,’ I said,’ is practice. He shall have me. He will get more practice out of me than out of seventeen hundred of your ordinary, commonplace patients, with only one or two diseases each.’ So I went straight up and saw him, and he said: ‘Well, what’s the matter with you?’

I said: ‘I will not take up your time, dear boy, with telling you what is the matter with me. Life is brief, and you might pass away before I had finished. But I will tell you what is not the matter with me. I have not got housemaid’s knee.Why I have not got housemaid’s knee, I cannot tell you; but the fact remains that I have not got it.

Everything else, however, I have got.’

And I told him how I came to discover it all.

Then he opened me and looked down me, and clutched hold of my wrist, and then he hit me over the chest when I wasn’t expecting it - a cowardly thing to do, I call it - and immediately afterwards butted me with the side of his head. After that, he sat down and wrote out a prescription,

Script Excerpt and folded it up and gave it me, and I put it in my pocket and went out.

I did not open it. I took it to the nearest chemist’s, and handed it in.The man read it, and then handed it back.

He said he didn’t keep it.

I said: ‘You are a chemist?’

He said: ‘I am a chemist. If I was a cooperative stores and family hotel combined, I might be able to oblige you. Being only a chemist hampers me.’

I read the prescription. It ran: 1lb beefsteak, with 1 pt bitter beer, every 6 hours.

1 ten-mile walk every morning.

1 bed at 11 sharp every night.

And don’t stuff up your head with things you don’t understand.

I followed the directions, with the happy result - speaking for myself that my life was preserved, and is still going on.

Edited by John McCallum and Jenny Nicholls.

Buy “Not In The Script” in paperback from Stage Whispers books. www.stagewhispers.com.au/books Subscribe to Stage Whispers and receive a free copy. See page 5 for details.

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New Act For Maverick Musicals After nearly four decades in musical theatre publishing, Maverick Musicals’ Gail Denver has handed the conductor’s baton to fellow Queenslander Tahlia Wilkins.

her early involvement in musical theatre, cast in one of Maverick’s musicals - Smithy!.”

Gail reminisced that from small beginnings in 1978, Maverick Musicals became the go-to publisher for schools “The future shines very bright for around Australia and New Zealand Maverick’s writers and composers, as because of their specially tailored and large cast comic musicals, that catered the curtain opens on a new and for inclusion of their school band exciting act,” said Gail.

“As a business woman with a keen ensembles. interest in the performing arts, Tahlia Developing a quality range of brings her amazing energy to Maverick award winning Festival one act plays and theatre restaurant scripts for Musicals, embracing the technology community theatre groups came next. advances available in the world of online publishing to develop even more "We started life way back then with exciting ways to spread news of a quirky name - Peepshow Productions Maverick’s popular musicals, plays and - and a very good musical. Who could drama resources to their world-wide have known that Man of Steel (now a retro cult classic!) would become the customer base.

“Ironically, Tahlia well remembers most performed Australian school musical ever, and go on to seed the

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busy publishing house that is the Maverick Musicals of today?” said Gail.

"I will be taking great memories with me, and look forward in my retirement to reflecting on the wonderful talents and personalities of the writers and composers I have been fortunate enough to work with and promote, and the marvellous theatre directors, schools and teachers I’ve been lucky enough to assist throughout my career - how fortunate I have been.

“It’s a very good feeling to see something that has been such a huge part of your life go on into its future - I think you’ll be hearing a lot more from Tahlia and Maverick Musicals.”

Check out their website at www.maverickmusicals.com

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Stage Whispers Books Visit our on-line book shop for back issues and stage craft books

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Choosing A Show: New Releases Hal Leonard Australia www.halleonard.com.au Harry Connick Jr.’s The Happy Elf Eubie the Elf is on a musical mission to bring Christmas cheer to a town on Santa’s naughty list.

The Happy Elf is a new musical comedy by Grammy Awardwinning and TONY Awardnominated composer and lyricist, Harry Connick, Jr. It tells the tale of Eubie the Elf, a lovable fellow who wants to spread Christmas joy throughout the town of Bluesville. Hoping to introduce a new generation of children to the joys of jazz, Connick has crafted a musical landscape against which Eubie’s story unfolds. Families will love this festive tale of overcoming adversity, friendship, the power of positivity and believing in yourself. http://bit.ly/1Ep0Wpe

ORiGiN™ Theatrical www.origintheatrical.com.au One Hour Young Performers’ Editions Wizard of Oz - Young Performers’ Edition.

By L. Frank Baum. Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg.

The Young Performers’ Edition of The Wizard of Oz is specifically tailored for primary school and junior secondary school aged children.

Cast: 3F 4M. http://bit.ly/1Ep1R9a Crazy for You - Young Performers’ Edition.

Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin Book by Ken Ludwig It’s a high-energy comedy which includes mistaken identity, plot twists, fabulous dance numbers and classic Gershwin music.

Cast: 5F 4M. http://bit.ly/1Ep1X0x

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Anything Goes - Young Performers’ Edition... COMING SOON For all of the above.

Royalty: Flat fee of only A$180.00 per performance for schools and small youth group productions with a seating capacity of up to 300 seats.

New Plays Ladies in Lavender Adapted for the stage by Shaun McKenna; Based on the film written and directed by Charles Dance, from a short story by William J. Locke.

Cast: 2M 4F. Full Length Play, Drama.

Currently playing at The Ensemble in Sydney.

An evocative, heart-warming story of unfulfilled dreams and unrequited love.

When a handsome and talented young Polish violinist bound for America is washed ashore, the Widdington sisters take him under their wing and nurse him back to health.

New to ORiGiN from Playscripts Game Of Tiaras

By Don Zolidis Cast: 10M, 9F (or 15M or F). Full Length Play, Comedy.

Combining the gut-wrenching plot twists of Game of Thrones and the soul-numbing despair of Shakespearean tragedy, this adaptation of King Lear will leave you dying with laughter as the body count mounts. http://bit.ly/1Ep2eR9 Selfie

By Bradley Hayward Cast: 1M, 3F (or 4M or F). Short Play, Dramatic Comedy, Contemporary.

It’s senior year and problems are mounting for a group of high school students as they prepare for the future.

Facing bullies, parents, pressure, sickness, and their own self-judgement, the characters search for ways to stand out. http://bit.ly/1Ep2j7f

Superheroes

By Ian McWethy Cast: 11M, 12F, 10M or F. Short Play, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary.

Superheroes is a funny, fast-paced series of vignettes that explores how the caped crusaders deal with life in street clothes. http://bit.ly/1Ep1KKW

David Spicer Productions www.davidspicer.com.au Motherhood the Musical

By Sue Fabisch Cast: 4F and chorus.

“Swung on to the Everest Theatre stage with all the love and laughter that one would expect from Sue Fabisch’s insightful, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and foot-tapping rhythms.” Carol Wimmer Stage Whispers.

Having a baby is just the beginning…motherhood is for life.

Four women share their insights, challenges and pleasures at a baby shower. You’ll get a peek into the powerful friendship of Amy, a soon-to-be first-time mom; Brooke, a hard-working lawyer; Barb, a stressed-out mother of five; and Tasha, a single mom seeking to balance work, her family and her divorce.

Australia Day

By Jonathan Biggins.

Cast: 4M 2F. “A charming comedy...full of up to date gags and finger on the pulse problems.” Sydney Morning Herald.

After several tours of duty as an Australia Day Ambassador in regional NSW Jonathan Biggins’ initial scepticism about celebrating the national day melted like a Lamington in the mid-day sun. It showed him the warmth, dedication and quiet patriotic pride of the organisers and the towns they served.

Currently touring Australia with HIT Productions.

Dominie Drama www.dominie.com.au/drama Nick Hern Books Feed The Beast

By Steve Thompson Cast: 5F 7M doubling (large cast possible) Set: can be simply staged Feed the Beast is a fiercely funny look at the rocky relations between our press and politicians in a world of spin doctors and Leveson Inquiries. Michael is moving into 10 Downing Street and there will be no charm offensives with this Prime Minister, not with a country to run.

Remote

By Stef Smith Cast: 4F 2M, 1F or M, nonspeaking extras Set: Set in a park, with a tree you can climb Over the course of one autumnal evening, seven teenagers’ lives intertwine as they make their way through the park. And everything that seemed normal becomes extraordinary.

A play about protest, power and protecting yourself, Remote was commissioned as part of the 2015 National Theatre Connections Festival and proved enormously popular.

The Veil

By Conor McPherson Cast: 5F 3M Set: Single built interior Set around a haunted house hemmed in by a restive, starving populace, The Veil weaves Ireland’s troubled colonial history into a transfixing story about the search for love, the transcendental and the circularity of time.

Comedies for Charity 100% ROYALTIES DONATED TO M.S. RESEARCH Raymond Hopkins lives in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.

Following his daughter’s diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis, in 1998 he started writing farcical popular comedies and donating his royalties to M S Research.

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(Continued from page 26)

Nine full length, farcical comedies including: Love Begins at Fifty, Looking for Love, The Love Nest, Love and Money, Love and Perfect Harmony, Love and Mistletoe, Make Time for Love.

Visit www.raymondhopkins.com for more information or Contact Dominie Drama for a free perusal script.

Judith Prior www.judithprior.com Cinderella Meets The Mother-in-law The Kempsey Singers have just completed the world premiere of Judith Prior’s new comedy Cinderella meets the Mother-in-law.

It’s about what happens when Prince Charming and Cinderella arrive back at the palace after their fairy-tale wedding.

The Mid Coast Observer wrote: “The audience left the theatre with huge grins etched onto their faces which surely would of lasted until the next morning.”

“A very entertaining night of light, feel-good comedy. The corny jokes and boom-tish one liners flowed freely.” http://bit.ly/1Ep2S0W

Maverick Musicals and Plays www.maverickmusicals.com Something’s going down - down in CREEPYTOWN!” Want to creep out your audiences? Here’s a new musical crawling with vampires, witches, zombies, werewolves -

great leads and plenty of chorus groups. When a shy, vegetarian vampire meets an adventurous, outgoing human, she sees a chance to realise her dreams of escaping her crazy vampire world and her monstrous parents.

Meeting at the dental clinic recently opened by Jane’s square and well-meaning parents, the two make plans to escape Creepytown forever!

With an 11-track original musical soundtrack, and great chorus opportunities, Creepytown is a fun and action packed show which is sure to bring the house down - not to mention sending your make-up department into a frenzy of creepy creativity! Visit the website for rights, online ordering, and free song, music and script samples.

Devon Williamson www.plays.co.nz ‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas Cast: 4F 2M Length: 2 Acts (110 minutes) Genre: Comedy Think your family is complicated?

Meet the most dysfunctional family you can imagine as they try to navigate Christmas. Peace on earth and good will to all men?

Not likely!

Ever since her husband died, Mary’s horrible adult children have been ruining Christmas. This year, with the help of a suicidal French psychiatrist, Mary is determined to take Christmas back.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/stage_whispers Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/stagewhispers 27 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

Read scripts, listen to music and order free catalogue at:

www.davidspicer.com.au david@davidspicer.com (02) 9371 8458

Our Most Popular School Musicals

Carwatha College

Includes an AC/DC song.

21 productions in debut year.

“It was so funny” Blue Mt. College.

Fairytales

by Cenarth Fox.

Characters dive into wrong fairytales.

G&S for the 21st Century.

“Our most successful musical.” Burnie High

Superb CD backing track.

Cruisin’ The Musical

Hot 50’s score

Need a triple treat boy.

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 28 Wonderful dance opportunities.

Sound & Light

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Multi-Media At NIDA

NIDA chose to highlight the use of multimedia in its 2015 production, Regan Kelly.

A growing focus of the training at NIDA explores the ways video can be incorporated into contemporary theatre. Smartphones, personal computers, social media and 24-hour

The NIDA team included: Director: Ben Schotakowsk Writer: Lewis Treston Set Designer: Jeremy Allen A/V Designer: Liam Barwick Lighting Designer: Michael Soul

Achieving these effects, though, was not simply a matter of incorporating relevant technology into the theatrical process. There was a constant need to balance the requirements of the physical space with that of the video space. Decisions needed to be made about how prominent the video element would be in relation to the live action, where the Regan Kelly. team wanted the audience to focus at Photo: Mark Nolan. any given moment and whether it was news services are now ubiquitous, so it possible to alter technical elements, such as lighting and audio, in a way is only natural that theatre-makers that maximised an effect for one would reflect that reality. aspect of the show without overly In Regan Kelly a combination of compromising the other. video projection and live camera The result was an engaging and techniques provided the audience with entertaining piece of theatre that an insight into the text messages, accurately reflected the realities of life videos and online social interactions in a modern mediatised world. that permeate the characters’ lives.

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Drew Bisset, Senior Systems Engineer from Sydney’s Loud And Clear Audio, explains the audio challenges of staging a very large school musical. He draws on a recent example: the school was Reddam House, the musical was Cats, and the stage was the Everest Theatre at Sydney’s Seymour Centre.

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Only moments into our first production meeting it became clear this show was going to be different. With a 180 student cast and crew, a 37 piece orchestra, a trapeze and a six metre stage extension, pyrotechnics and blast cannons involved, it was less pussycats, more Big Cats.

The season was short just four days in the venue, including bump in and out, all technical rehearsals and two evening performances.

This needed some serious production planning!

With schools the focus is on giving every student the opportunity to be in the spotlight (and on a microphone). Casting is often

distributed among many students, creating much larger microphone plots and a more complicated mix for the sound operator.

The microphone plot is the result of combining the script and cast list, which gives us the “who has which microphone at what time” information.

With a cast this big, and with so many solo lines, it was not going to be a case of one microphone per cast member. Changes during the show were required.

We got the number of students wearing microphones down to 44 headsets distributed across 32 radio packs. This meant there were quite a few transmitter swaps back and forth during the show. Many of these happened very quickly, as many cast members never leave the stage, and if they do, it’s only briefly.

There are other challenges. Costumes make it tricky to conceal belt packs, while the choreography can strain headsets and cables. We had two microphone technicians

to manage the large number of cats and kittens.

The 37 musicians (half students) were set up in the dedicated orchestra pit beneath and in front of the stage. Considering the size of the orchestra and the number of radio mics, we pulled out one of our newest mixing consoles to the family, the d-Live from Allen & Heath.

The S7000, a 36 fader frame, combined with the DM64 and DX32 input modules, gave us 96 inputs into 128 channels of audio processing which was plenty of room to accommodate the scale of this production.

Aside from a few ‘first version technical gremlins’, the versatility, intuitive user interface and sonic standard of the d-Live turned out to gham.

Photos: Sarah Cunnin

be the purr-fect choice for this production.

During our venue site inspection we assessed many elements including the stage layout and the proposed extensions. It became clear we needed to supplement the venue’s PA with some of our own equipment, as the stage extension put much of the cast in front of the existing system.

With some careful measurements and calculations of the room dimensions, stage and audience area, we decided to bring in a line-array to be rigged in the centre, along with additional subs and front fill.

The system of choice was a 6-element LR14 medium format line-array by Alcons Audio. This gave exceptional coverage across the audience area with world-class definition and clarity.

What makes Alcons unique is their use of high power ribbons in the high frequency drivers, enabling ultra-clear sound reproduction which has

highly accurate and focused sound dispersion across the chosen area.

This system also gave exceptional gain before feedback, which is vital in the context of mixing a school production, where, while you often encounter incredible voices, you also find those little voices that need all the help you can give them.

The overall challenge with school productions is the often-limited time to put all the elements together. It takes good pre-production planning, the right personnel and a full team effort to pull the cat out of the bag. At Loud & Clear, school productions have become a speciality of ours. This was our 10th production for Reddam House. Their standard is high. With two outstanding performances by the students it is hard to believe that the production went into rehearsals just six weeks prior to opening night. We are looking forward to the next challenge they throw at us.

www.loudandclear.com.au www.alconsaudio.com www.allen-heath.com/dlive-intro

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“It is a complicated animal to wrestle with different departments asking for rehearsal time.”

He says a good example is Reddam House, a private school which recently staged Cats.

The school provided his company with the layout of the orchestra pit in advance to help his company work out a microphone plot.

“Schools need to understand the implications of adding characters (or dividing one part amongst a few cast members ) as it requires more microphones, a bigger mixing desk and more staff.”

Otherwise he says the bill Audiences are more demanding than ever to hear everything on stage. Leading goes up like a poker machine. audio companies Loud and Clear in Sydney and LSS Productions in Melbourne “I suggest school share their tips on getting the best results from school musicals with large casts. teachers resist giving David Betterridge from times, but it is useful to them. They forget things, everyone a sing. Give it to Loud and Clear says “getting know if there is no solo for even though they have been the best ones and let the the information from schools Mother Superior because she doing a show for five years.” others have a go next year.” to allow us to help them is can’t sing.

A percentage of schools Another key tip, he says, the first hurdle.”

“Some of the schools are perform at the their own is adequate technical He says the more detail very sophisticated. They venue, whilst others use rehearsals. provided about production might even have a professional theatre spaces.

“They need at least two requirements, rehearsal and production manager who “Good scheduling is or three to learn how it all production schedules, set can effectively manage needed in a professional goes together. drawings, cast lists, the lighting, costumes and sets.” venue, but it’s also “Ten or fifteen years ago script and any changes to Others, he says, are not important at a school to in schools and amateur the script the better. so sophisticated. know when to say pack up, theatres people tended not “We might have done “They don’t give any as the younger kids want to to be miked. Expectations The Sound of Music 50 information until I scream at go home at a certain time. are much higher these days.”

Sound Advice

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Marcello Lo Ricco from LSS Productions in Melbourne is on the same wavelength about the need for detailed planning.

“I can’t even quote without a production schedule. Labour is usually fifty percent of the cost,” he said.

“When you are hiring from a professional sound company the crew needs to be booked well in advance, as they are always working on multiple shows at once.”

Aside from labour costs, the number of radio microphones is a big determinant of the final cost.

“Radio microphones are more reliable these days but they are still an expensive venture to get into. They are small and fragile, with consumable materials on a limited life span.

“Radio microphones live a tough life. Sweat gets into microphones, which just mutes the sound.

“If you are not careful you have to throw them away.”

Marcello says a single unit comprising a receiver, transmitter and microphone can cost $500 but it can be as high as $5000.

He says most schools rent them.

“I have someone full time cleaning, testing and repairing radio microphones.”

Another complication is antennae distribution.

“The more microphones there are, the more radio frequencies you need.

Recently I had two theatres in one venue.”

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School Performance Services

A Sydney company offers schools the opportunity to convert plain school halls into sophisticated theatres suitable for large cast musicals.

School Performance Services was only formed in 2015 but already it’s conquered some big challenges. The company’s first production was Oliver! at the International Grammar School in Sydney, the first large scale musical the school had staged. Its school hall has no lighting or sound and there were more than one hundred students on stage.

Company co-owner Grant Fraser said, “there was a stage used for assemblies, but everything else had to be bumped into the hall.

“There were also power constraints, so we used a mixture of conventional and LED lights which don’t use much electricity.

“A normal theatre has lighting bars and a lot of time is spent up ladders to adjust the lights. We had to bring in

trussing and winched up the lights. It is all highly engineered. You need permits to do it.

“We used eight fixed moving head lights that change colour. They can be focussed from the lighting board.”

The principals of School Performance Services Grant Fraser and Taylor Allen each have decades of experience as lighting designers and operators in the theatre and entertainment industries.

The company also does smaller jobs to supplement lighting equipment in school theatres. For more details contact www.schoolperformanceservices.com.au

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The sound involved a digital mixing console, speakers and radio mikes, plus the challenge of amplifying a small orchestra.

The company also mentored students in back stage roles including lighting operation.

“We set it all up in one eight hour day. There were five people working on it.

“The time frame is tight. Also when you are dealing with primary school through to high school children they have a short attention span, so it has to be done very quickly.

“All the hard work paid off, and the end result was an extraordinary production, with all nights sold out and a standing ovation on the last night. The overwhelming comments were that it didn’t look or sound like a school production.”

The Director Deborah Cunneen said the audience was “amazed” at the professional transformation of the hall.

“School Performance Services was flexible and understanding of our needs and worked with us closely to create the best show within our budget constraints,” she said.

The technical budget for Oliver! was $20,000. For their next production, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, they are spending $25,000.

Gobotech

SPARK 2017

Gobotech are the only Australian manufacturer making gobos to suit the newest intensely hot lighting fixtures as well as stainless steel and full colour gobos.

Gobos are created out of thin stainless steel shim which is a stencil cut of your image. If more detail is required then black and white glass gobos or even full colour images can be created to suit particular lights. The new range of moving lights often have very small image areas to use, which limits what can be done in steel but the glass gobos have incredible definition and are currently in production using gobo sizes as low as 13mm.

If you don’t own any of the new fancy LED fixtures or moving lights don’t despair. The old fashioned fixed profile is still a fantastic tool and weapon of choice used in theatres and schools around the world. If you can focus the light then it will have a slot

at the top about halfway along where you can slide in a gobo holder. Not sure what you have, then take a photo of the model and Gobotech staff can help you determine what you will need to project a gobo with it. The results are rewarding and it is incredible what an effect a simple breakup gobo or a couple of complimenting coloured image projections can do on a stage.

There are literally thousands of standard images available but you can also specify your theme and they should be able to offer you a selection

of images to choose from.

Gobotech Pty Ltd have been manufacturing gobos for the Australian Entertainment Industry as well as for theatres and schools for 20 years. You can now purchase a dedicated LED gobo projector complete with your custom image specifically for your situation. They will walk you through your scenario to ensure that you get the right tool for the job. www.gobotech.com.au

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Classic Gets An Update

The Toi Whakaari team included: Director: Jonathon Hendry Technical Designer: Toi student Kirsten Lee A/V designer: Chloe Alderton

Woyzeck.

In its 2015 production of Woyzeck, Toi Whakarri students worked with the director throughout a re-write to embed contemporary context in all aspects of the production, in their roles as designers and managers.

The unfinished play by medical student Georg Büchner (who died of

typhus in 1837 aged 23) is about a poorly-paid soldier, Corporal Franz Woyzeck, who suffers from an undiagnosed mental illness.

John Smythe wrote in Theatreview: “The design elements are exemplary. What we see - on an open space loosely caged by scaffolding - is a world increasingly

distorted through Woyzeck’s subjective perception. The soldiers’ military uniforms are contemporary desert warfare kit.

“Songs - always beautifully sung are integrated into the show and TV screens evoke what is addling Woyzeck’s brain. Some of the imagery is astonishing, especially the sequence where soldiers arise from under the sand.

“Psycho-sensory disruption and challenge are part of the aesthetic for this sort of production and here it allows us to empathise with Woyzeck’s experience, which is all too redolent of the overstimulation and disorientation modern life can so easily impose as we attempt to find a place and a way to be.”

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Turandot’s Grandest Stage

Photo: Hamilton Lund.

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It was the biggest show in Sydney since the Olympics.

The set for Handa’s Opera on Sydney Harbour included a sixty-metre fire breathing dragon and a tower as tall as a five-storey building. David Spicer spoke to the company that built it, Stage Rentals and Construction.

would like one) imported from Germany. It sliced the polystyrene to an impressive degree of mathematical accuracy.

“It does 95% of the carving and the bigger pieces are glued together, which is when our scenic sculptors come in to do the finishing touches,” said Michael Stokes, Head of Sometimes you can have Sales, Construction & so much fun as a journalist Operations.

From a small scale that you feel guilty about model came a giant dragon being paid. Such was my feeling when I was assigned longer than an Olympic to watch Stage Rentals and pool. Its tail was modelled on the Great Wall of China.

Construction carve out a It was also custom built to dragon from polystyrene.

Snow-like flurries of the breathe fire.

“We had to make sure material were swirling around as its feet and head the nostrils were a certain took final shape, hand diameter for the clear space for pyro to work effectively carved with small saws. without doing any damage.

The bulkier work was “The audience near the done by a new tool, a robotic arm (a Kuka, model front of the dragon weren’t KR 300 R2500 Ultra if you

prepared for it. I am sure they felt the warmth.

“The eyes were 60 cm in diameter. One ball was cut in half and inserted into the holes cut by the robot.”

The dragon was fireproof and cockatoo-proof.

“Last year we had a lot of problems with the cockatoos eating the polystyrene (in the set for Aida). This year we used a polyurethane hard coat.

You can hit it with a hammer and it does not chip away.”

Even more impressive than the dragon was the giant tower built for the Ice Princess, Turandot. It was 18 metres high or about five storeys. Inside was a drawbridge.

“A door opened on the third level to reveal Turandot. The drawbridge would remain open while she stood on top of it. It

opened down and stopped in two places before it reached the ground.”

At the end of the opera it lifted two singers back to the top, where the tower opens up to become a lotus flower that blossoms.

“The three front petals would mechanically open and hinge downwards to reveal the Soprano at the top.”

On the night I went it was raining and the drawbridge was visibly shaking as it rose from the ground. The singers appeared vulnerable, being hoisted up a five-storey building without a barrier.

“The whole stage is temporary. There are no concreted pillars so we do get a shudder in them.”

The leads looked very brave sustaining their notes as they were lifted higher and higher.

Online extras!

Join in the guilty pleasure of watching the dragon get carved out. Scan or visit https://youtu.be/Var7RTGU2s0 “They did have a safety pole at the back which had a harness. They were not free standing.”

Higher still was a giant crane, which hoisted the Emperor on a throne over the back of the stage in another scene. It too was swinging slightly in the breeze.

With the season over the entire set has been pulled apart and put in storage.

One day the dragon will return to Sydney Harbour.

In the meantime, Stage Rentals and Construction is building an even bigger set, this time for the movie Aliens. The robot is hard at work.

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John McKissock from Clearlight Shows we are meticulous about maintenance. speaks to David Spicer about lighting “We win jobs because we are a small rental company and all the gear performers on a tightrope and goes out exactly as it should be.” companies with tight budgets.

What are Clearlight's most popular Lighting a production is important, fixtures? but in the case of a Circus it could be He nominates Martin Vipers, and life or death.

Robe Robin 800 LED Wash Light “It is very hard to light a circus. The because of its “fantastic colours”. position of the fixtures is crucial. You Also the Phillips Showline SL 155, a can’t blind the performers. So the light variable beam LED Par. design is critical,” John McKissock said.

“It has great colours. We have sold Images come to mind of a juggler lots to performing arts centres.

Everyone just loves them.” tossing swords suddenly losing track Clearlight has not given up on of a blade or a tightrope walker losing his/her step. tungsten lights.

Clearlight Shows, based in “They have at least another ten Melbourne's south-east, is the official years. Many venues are still using Pattern 123 Strand fixtures. It still supplier of lights to Circus Oz. works fine if you have a globe.”

Managing Director John McKissock says his company has to be “Lamps are getting harder to meticulous. source, so we are stocking up.”

“A touring company like Circus Oz What new products excite you? has to get a rig up very quickly. They “We are investing heavily in LED products for rental such as the Selecon don’t want to be pulling down fixtures.”

RAMA Frenels. These are 120 watts Circus Oz gives his company a wish but equivalent to a 1000 watt frenel -list to take on the road. and you don’t need any dimmers.”

“They are taking Robe Robins (a And then there are the fancy special effects lights. moving light LED wash fixture) and “The AX3 Astera battery LED Vipers (a powerful follow spot). Both are reliable and quality products.” product is wirelessly controlled.

John McKissock has been in the “They run for hours, and have an in industry for 40 years. He's worked on built stand and a magnetic back to them, so you can dot them around the events at the big of the town such as set and control them from a lighting The Logies and Prime Minister's dinners. The company still dabbles in console with no wire. light production.

“They come in kit. The lights are 60 “I get as much satisfaction millimetres across and 30 millimetres supporting a local community theatre deep.

“The lights have little infrared as big events.”

Clearlight's main business, remote controls with a colour chase. however, is renting and selling lights You can do cute things with them. from its Moorabbin showroom to For more information contact venues, corporate events and art Clearlight Shows. galleries. www.clearlight.com.au “We don’t have a lot of gear but 43 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

Circus Oz. Lighting by Paul Jackson, Console Operation by Tristan Bourke.

Photos: Robert Blackburn.

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Colour Control On Small Stages Colour-changing LED luminaires are becoming more common in venues large and small. According to the global lighting manufacturer ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls) the results aren't always pretty. The company says small venues around the world have experienced a rash of purplish light and poor colour rendering.

“It sounds basic, but many LED lighting systems these days can't do a reasonable fade from, say, pink to sky blue without passing by some ghastly shades on the way,” says Adam Bennette, a technical director with ETC. The company is now releasing a new generation of ColorSource AV consoles to integrate with its other

ColorSource consoles works just as if you had two gelled tungsten lights and faded from one to the other,” setup, the fixtures can be explains Bennette. assigned to channels using The company says that the touchscreen and unlike other small lighting dragged into position on the consoles that operate in a onscreen stage map for easy limited range of colors, direct-selection and ColorSource desks support programming. the color-mixing systems of “Fading color with all mainstream fixtures.

The new AV consoles will be available in Australia and New Zealand in July from Jands. www.jands.com.au “family” of ColorSource products.

The company says when a console powers on, it immediately identifies any intelligent lights in the rig and populates their profiles in Patch. Within minutes of

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Jason Bovaird from Moving Light Productions was asked to provide the lighting design for StageArt’s production of Saturday Night Fever The Musical in February. He explains how he put together the biggest conventional and moving lighting rig ever set up in Melbourne’s Chapel of Chapel in a four day bump in.

In the 1977 movie John Travolta is seen dancing on a traditional disco floor flashing light grid. For this production the director wanted to simulate a dance floor with light.

The set had scaffolding as the backdrop. Two scaffold boxes, either side of the set, were built to incorporate the band. The edging of these boxes had a simulated LED Dance Floor “look”. Eight LED tubes in three layers surrounded each box.

This lighting rig was the biggest conventional and moving light rig that Chapel Off Chapel had ever seen (specifications on opposite page). At the back of the stage 56 Mirror balls were hung on separate channels. The strings rotated throughout the show.

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Photos: Belinda Strodder.

When you have a stationary audience watched the set, the lighting needs to take the production. We had to be super audience on a journey through prepared both on paper and in the different locales and looks in the efficiency of programming the show. We used LED pars to up the show. light all the scaffolding.

Using thorough pre-production For the chase scenes, we used paperwork and magic sheet a metronome to work out the technology from the GIO lighting beats of the music. This allowed console, we were able to us to get the exact times of the incorporate multiple LED happy chases to match the tubes with a large scale moving choreography. The lighting was Specifications: The lighting rig comprised light rig to achieve the look the timed on a stop watch and visual show required most efficiently.

37 generic fixtures, 20 LED Multipars, 24 moves were written down by the The lighting added another visual moving light fixtures and 48 LED happy tubes. board operator then cued with dimension to the slick This was run over 3 universes of DMX with the the script. choreography throughout the big LED tubes taking up 387 channels alone. Each This required a lot of planning and bold dance numbers, in a of the LED Tubes ran in 8 pixel mode which and paper work, so I brought on story about one man who just allowed us to split the tubes into 192 board an Associate Lighting wanted to dance. different coloured LED sections a side.

Designer, Maddy Seach, a 2012 VCA graduate, to assist. This allowed me effects that became a strong element of Moving Light Productions has a big to be able to concentrate on the design the production. year ahead. Projects include collaborating element and the final look of the show.

The ability to be able to quick on a World Premiere musical, Antarctica, The Moving Light production team reference lamps, effects and palettes in Hobart, lighting design for three prepared visual magic sheets of the rig using the touch screen of the GIO enables national tours, two new Australian works, and LED Tubes on an ETC GIO console. It us to program more efficiently an International tour with Live Nation’s gave us a visual representation of the 387 There was a super tight production popular children’s show Mister Maker, pixels of happy tubes in colour, schedule. The show bumped-in on the and various high school productions. movement and particularly the chase Monday and by Thursday night the www.movinglight.com.au

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Respected theatre brands, including Digico and Avid Venue, continue to add features demanded by industry professionals eager to take the audiovisual component of the show to the next level.

Other brands, such as Allen & Heath, Midas and Soundcraft, are hugely popular in school theatres, not only for their outstanding performance and feature set, but also because of their invaluable teaching tool status for the next generation of theatre technicians.

So, which one is better - analogue or digital?

It's almost “no question” these days. With so many features available Artie Jones from Factory Sound Top shows rely on digital consoles. on the current generation of digital mixing systems, and audiences with a reports.

Gone are the days of a massive voracious appetite for innovation, it's a analogue sound desk (and the match made in digital heaven. associated racks of equalisers, When there is dialogue to be amplified, the audio mixer is arguably compressors and other effects) to help Analogue most certainly has the the most important link in the chain. control and shape the sound. The most benefit of being low-cost and simple to Not only does it give you a spot to plug sophisticated shows around the world use for compact and portable solutions, being especially good for all the microphones, it’s the control are using digital consoles now, with smaller, compact work situations. But centre for balancing levels, and dealing every tool available at the operator’s once the size gets increased, go digital. with the intricacies of a show, before fingertips - often via touch screen the sound hits the speakers. control.

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Introducing Phantos Lighting

which had pre-existing white floodlights mounted overhead along with LED strip lighting. They wanted to theme the remainder of the studio in a way where the venue could be lit to suit any request. They also wanted to be able to control all the lighting from a different room but not have to run Phantos Lighting is the Australian DMX cables. distributor for some rising brand Phantos came up with a solution names in the professional lighting where the theme lighting wasn’t industry. Its target market is customers washed out by the white floodlights, who may not be able to afford top while being conservative with costs. brands but still need quality product After demoing a number of with strong local support. Over the different lighting and effect fixtures, a years it has supplied lighting products total of 20 PHANTOS LED PARs, 2 and provided installation services to XMLITE 120W LED Spot Moving churches, schools, production Heads, and one MLB 600W Hazer companies and venues. were installed just in time for their When ESL Australia decided to recent official Australian launch for a upgrade their new events studio in video game. Approximately 200 Auburn recently they called Phantos gaming professionals and enthusiasts for some advice on theme lighting. A attended the event. stage was already built in the studio,

Brad Baldwin and his project team were very happy about the performance of these new lighting fixtures.

“The LED PARs provided great overall coverage of the space and the LED moving heads were a really nice touch to add some movement to the set. The hazer made everything look even better and Phantos Lighting’s experience with digital consoles helped us to find a control solution fit for what we needed. I couldn’t be happier with the look we achieved with the timeframe we had and for what it cost.”

Phantos does installations in Sydney but distributes DJpower, KKMark, MLB, XMlite and KOLO brands across Australia.

For more information call (02) 8034 8680 or visit their website at www.phantos.com.au.

Fog In A Can

Geelong Fireworks is now the Australian dealer for Pretend Hair Spray and Fantasy FX Spray.

The product is especially handy in the musical Hairspray but has many other uses.

The reason for Pretend Hair Spray is simply that normal hair spray cannot be seen when sprayed and leaves a sticky residue everywhere. These sprays are safe, non-toxic, non-irritating, odorless, ozone safe and there’s no CFCs.

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Sound & Lighting

Theatre Production Tools Pretend Hair Spray is also used to create the appearance of fog, haze or steam effects quickly and safely - a portable alternative to fog or haze machines, creating beams of light or the appearance of hot steam. Add a dreamy (or eerie!) atmosphere to a room or make light/laser beams stand out and come alive.

Photographers carry a can in their kit to easily produce haze on demand, with 5 minutes continuous fog per can. Each 30 second spray should last about 30 minutes in a normal room.

The spray was not available until recently in Australia due to the difficulty in importing aerosol cans.

Available now at: www.geelongfireworks.com.au

coatings and glazes also available for protecting painted surfaces or to provide additional strength and adhesion. Rosco paints have a matte finish, which will not reflect stage light.

Gobos allow the lighting designer to project patterns to help depict the scene. Clearlight Shows is the John McKissock from Clearlight Australian importer for Apollo Design, Shows outlines how his company the world’s leading innovator, brings all aspects of a production manufacturer and distributor of gobos, together. maintaining a catalogue of 1000+ metal gobo patterns. Gobos can Costumes, stage sets, props and provide everything from abstract lighting design should be expressive of dappled light effects to complex nightthe mood and spirit of the play. The time city scenes. set, costume and lighting designers Given a complete understanding of need to work closely together to the physics of colour, the choice of gel ensure their creation produces a filters used in the lighting design will collective look and feel for the have a dramatic impact on the production. Clearlight Shows sells appearance of costumes, sets and scenic paints, gobos and colour filters, props. Stocking 200+ colours, all tools needed to create the mood, Clearlight Shows can supply any colour texture and focus, bringing all aspects required. They also have Lee gel swatch of a theatre production together. books in stock, available free of charge.

Clearlight Shows is a distributor of Contact Clearlight Shows for all Rosco scenic paints. These are designed your scenery paints, gobos and gel to give an artist clean, bright colours colour requirements. Phone (03) 9553 that can be mixed without greying.

1688, email sales@clearlight.com.au Rosco paints are supple and adhere or visit www.clearlight.com.au. well to a wide variety of surfaces, with

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Greg Ginger from Outlook Communications volunteered for some hard labour in the main cell-block of the old Castlemaine Gaol, built in 1861. It was the setting for Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, staged by Three’s A Crowd Inc. 53 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

When Director Matt Sheehan approached me with the idea of using the gaol for the production I knew we were in for a challenge. The reverberation in this concrete and stone building was an audio nightmare for musical

theatre performances. The more amplified and complex the sound signals, the more difficult they are for the audience to understand.

The company wanted to integrate the architectural features of the historic building as the set, which was dramatically exciting for a production about killers.

The atrium where the stage was situated had a 10m corrugated iron ceiling.

The performance area was in an open corridor, which joins three cell-blocks together. A stage was built for the cast of 19 and seating for 150 people.

To make this production work we created an isolated band room for the 12-piece orchestra, with carpet and

exhibition partitions for walls and ceiling, with a large window into the space so the audience could still see them.

Drapes were run along the back of the stage up to 4 metres high and wrapped behind the audience. More drapes were hung upstairs in the cell block arches, from the ceiling down to 4 metres above the floor. Behind the seating banks, the drapes ran the full 8m height.

Tiered seating on carpet covered risers was used to improve sightlines while reducing the reflections from the concrete floor.

This treatment reduced the reverberation from around 5 seconds to about 1.8 seconds. This was

Three’s A Crowd’s Ass assins at the Old Castlem aine Gaol.

Photos: Christine Sayer.

For more information contact Outlook Communications. www.outlookcomms.com.au enough to provide clarity of vocals and orchestral articulation via a distributed sound system to the audience.

The amplified sound was collected by 16 Sennheiser radio mics and 14 microphones in the orchestra, to provide a light

reinforcement to the live vocals in the space and control of the orchestral balance to the entire audience. This would not

have been possible without the acoustic separation.

Sound design is so important when staging musicals. The audience engagement with the show can be lost if words are difficult to understand and acoustic anomalies in the performance venue are left untreated. Just adding more speakers and making it louder is not enough and sometimes makes it worse.

Overall the design achieved all its objectives.

The sound was well controlled and the audience experience was excellent. The Bendigo Advertiser described the setting as “eerie and perfect” for Assassins.

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Can I Fix That Light Fixture?

John McKissock from Clearlight Shows says the answer is probably yes.

replace and common in community theatres.

LED cyc product replacements can Many venues, both large and small, range from $2000 for Chinese struggle with the twin demands of products to $10,000 for the European ageing equipment and shrinking products. budgets.

The lamps and lamp bases are If you are trying to coax a few more usually the things that fail and these years from your lights then the first can be hard to find, however Clearlight option should be a repair.

Shows have them in stock.

An example is old four colour Cyc Replacement wiring kits are also Floods which are currently expensive to available. So if the budget is tight and

you can’t afford the LED options yet, repair options are available.

Clearlight Shows is now a major supplier of spare parts and new fixtures available for shipping anywhere in Australia. Our customers include arts centres, theatres, galleries, schools and community groups. We have spare parts for Strand, Selecon, LDR, ETC and many other brands. www.clearlight.com.au

Trouble In The Wireless Space Artie Jones from Factory Sound reports on frequencies will be interfered with, and how to avoid wireless microphone disasters. the noise can be terrible. Background app refreshes and push notifications means they don’t even Wireless microphone systems can be such an need to be looking at the phone for it to be a problem. important part of a production, yet there is still some Finding the correct new wireless system for your area is confusion around Australia regarding what is legal, what also tricky. will work, and what can be done about it.

Television transmitters around Australia have also Some older wireless systems - those that fall between needed to vacate the ‘space’, and have been allocated to 694 and 820 MHz - are now unusable. These frequencies different frequency bands - not just different in Perth and are not ‘just’ illegal to operate, chances Sydney, but different between the Gold are that they simply don’t switch on.

Coast and Brisbane.

What’s worse, they will sometimes work Further compounding the difficulties of wireless navigation is the fact that during setup and soundcheck, but then go on to fail during performance. when you get two or more wireless The Australian Government has sold systems operating in the same room, these frequencies (694 - 820 MHz), they create ‘extra’ wireless signals, known as the ‘Digital Dividend’, to the known as ‘intermodulation’. The effect of intermodulation can be minimised highest bidders, namely Telstra and Optus. It happened at the start of 2014, by removing some antennas from the and the final transfer of the frequencies systems, combining them with a happened at the start of 2016. specialised antenna splitter.

Many ‘old’ wireless systems that fall within the ‘Digital For further help and advice, choose an audio supplier Dividend’ will work through the day in rehearsal. They’ll who understands the intricacies of multiple wireless also work during soundcheck, however, the major microphone systems. problem arrives with your audience. Nearly every audience member will be carrying a 4G-enabled phone, and, like it Factory Sound has been helping theatre companies, or not, many will have them turned ‘on’ during the show. venues and school auditoriums successfully navigate the The chatter between smartphone and mobile carrier wireless spectrum for many years. www.factorysound.com (Telstra or Optus), means that your (illegal) wireless 55 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

Ticketing, Staging & Front Of House Eternity Playhouse. Image courtesy of City of Sydney.

Photo: Adam Hollingworth.

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TAFE SA On Cats Stage Scenic mechanist Li Hon Wai has spent 10 years working continuously on productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats throughout Asia.

Hon Wai’s expertise is in installing and maintaining the Cats set design, including the mechanics behind its moving parts, which often change from theatre to theatre.

The Hong Kong resident came to Adelaide to study English in 2002, and quickly saw the opportunities offered at TAFE SA. He graduated in 2006 from TAFE SA’s Adelaide College of the Arts with an Advanced Diploma of Design for Live Production, Theatre and Events.

“TAFE SA provided the tools I needed for an international career in theatre and I am really grateful for the experience gained at the College as an international student,” Hon Wai said.

“I left Adelaide having learned English, as well as discovering my

Live Production graduate Li Hon Wai and Adelaide College of the Arts lecturer Casey Vansebille catch up on stage at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s production of Cats.

passion for technical production and set design, which has led to a great career.”

Cats brought him back to Adelaide this year for the second time in a decade, prompting an on-set reunion with his TAFE SA lecturer Casey Vansebille, who still works in arts at the College.

Casey said Hon Wai was always dedicated to producing high-quality

For more information on Performing Arts courses offered at TAFE SA’s Adelaide College of the Arts please visit www.tafesa.edu.au/technical-production-design

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work, often putting in many extra hours.

“I can remember his graduating design work being a stunning set for King Lear, where he converted the mainstage into a derelict London underground tube station,” Casey said.

Live production design students collaborate with Performing Arts on several acting and dance shows each year, while technicians also work on live music gigs.

Students work with Adelaide’s best directors, choreographers, theatre and film makers.

Classic Gets An Update

The Toi Whakaari team included: Director: Jonathon Hendry Technical Designer: Toi student Kirsten Lee A/V designer: Chloe Alderton

Woyzeck.

In its 2015 production of Woyzeck, Toi Whakarri students worked with the director throughout a re-write to embed contemporary context in all aspects of the production, in their roles as designers and managers.

The unfinished play by medical student Georg Büchner (who died of

typhus in 1837 aged 23) is about a poorly-paid soldier, Corporal Franz Woyzeck, who suffers from an undiagnosed mental illness.

John Smythe wrote in Theatreview: “The design elements are exemplary. What we see - on an open space loosely caged by scaffolding - is a world increasingly

distorted through Woyzeck’s subjective perception. The soldiers’ military uniforms are contemporary desert warfare kit.

“Songs - always beautifully sung are integrated into the show and TV screens evoke what is addling Woyzeck’s brain. Some of the imagery is astonishing, especially the sequence where soldiers arise from under the sand.

“Psycho-sensory disruption and challenge are part of the aesthetic for this sort of production and here it allows us to empathise with Woyzeck’s experience, which is all too redolent of the overstimulation and disorientation modern life can so easily impose as we attempt to find a place and a way to be.”

Take Your Seats

Hadley/Series Theatre Seating have had a busy start to 2016, installing their high quality Series theatre seating in the Regal Theatre, Perth; Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat; The Princess Theatre, Launceston; Wyong PFA; Gippsland PFA Centre and more.

Amongst other projects for this year they have been appointed to supply the seating for the new Adelaide Convention Centre, Canberra Theatre, Cairns Performing Arts Centre, Beckett Theatre, Melbourne and Mentone Grammar.

If you are thinking of seating, Hadley/Series have a very proficient design and layout service and can provide budget quoting - all without cost or obligation. This includes sight line analysis, critical dimensions, seat numbering etc.

Series Theatre Chairs are designed and manufactured for a life of 40 years so that the cost per chair can be as little as $14 a year.

Interested? A quick e mail to hadley@hadleyaustralia.com.au will get you started. www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 58

Is Your Performance Venue Safe?

HME SERVICES are in school and university performance spaces on a weekly basis. The company says what they all have in common are safety issues that the supervisor either may or may not know exist or know how to address.

The company strongly recommends that all education facilities complete a risk assessment on using the venue. It doesn’t have to be a complex document and it only has to list the equipment and the way it’s used and the steps taken to eliminate, where practicable, any potential risks that come from using the space and the equipment.

The most common items to look at in educational venues include: Drapes and stage curtains - are the drapes clean and hanging securely? Do they have a fire label on them listing the material, fire test results, methods

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of cleaning, etc.? - NOTE - A label from a cleaning company saying the drape has been treated with a Retardant and “retreat in 2 years” does not comply with the building code.

Lighting - are your fixtures tested and tagged? Are the lights hung with appropriate clamps with a secondary safety cable/wire? Are the accessories (colour frames, barn doors etc.) secure in the fixtures? Does your dimmer

system have safety switch protection?

Audio - are the speakers hanging securely? Are the cables run in a way not to present a trip hazard? Are permanent microphones hanging securely? Are fold-back speakers able to be carried by one person or is there a trolley available to help move them?

Rigging - is everything secure above the performers and audience? Do you know how much weight the supports can hold?

Staging - what weight can our stage platforms support?

Seating and Front of House do your seats lock together? Are the exit pathways always left clear?

Please use the above questions as a starting point and if you need any advice please contact HME at sales@hme-services.com.au with pictures and they will be happy to advise you.

Training

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Becoming A Versatile Actor Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art’s Elizabeth Avery Scott provides useful employment tips for actors.

part TV drama series may not be regularly working as actors; shooting a series may only represent a few week’s work.

Bright-eyed hopefuls audition for drama schools every So how can you make a living from acting? The answer year, often imagining their future on the red carpet or silver is to become a versatile actor.

You need to be adaptable. The actor’s life is ‘project to screen, with loads of cash and mansions in LA. The truth in Australia is that most working actors hold project’. Actors will do a stage show, then be cast in a other jobs. Some, in long-running soaps like Neighbours or commercial, follow that with a film, then host a TV lifestyle Home and Away, are working full-time, but other actors program for a season. Actors need to be resourceful - ready have part-time jobs, run small businesses, teach acting, or to line up the next project while working on the current work in hospitality. Even familiar faces in the average sixone.

It may be that you can actively increase your skills base From a performance of Antigone. to increase your work opportunities.

CADA’s students learn to be versatile actors across stage and screen.

Step one is to get the skills you need to do the job well.

Choose a reputable drama school which will provide voice training, movement training, script analysis skills, and a range of acting techniques for stage and screen. Most talent agents like their actors to have a minimum of two years full-time training across these areas.

Musical theatre performers can be fortunate enough to win a role in a long-running show like Wicked in a major capital city or touring cast, representing many months of employment with all the associated benefits. If this sounds appealing, do you have the time and money to invest in training your singing voice, or take up dance classes?

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Students at Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art receive training in voiceover artistry in addition to acting skills.

Voiceover work is particularly lucrative. In our audiovisual world, TV, radio, movies and the internet all need voiceover artists. The actor with a well-developed voice can readily adapt to voiceover work. Not all drama schools include voiceover training in the curriculum, but at Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art, it’s included in the Advanced Diploma of Performance program.

Presenting skills also make an actor versatile. The skilled actor may be able to find paid work MC-ing public events, in stand-up comedy, or even motivational speaking.

Speaking skills can be acquired through short courses and lots of practice before live audiences.

Applause For Sydney Students

Developing skills in singing and dance can help make you a versatile performer.

Many actors also turn to writing, directing and producing. If you have a flair for words, love to shape the vision of a whole work, or are great at organising things and talking to people, you may be able to step into these roles.

So in thinking about becoming a professional actor, think versatility. It’s your best chance of regular employment.

Elizabeth Avery Scott is the managing director of Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art (RTO 40859) For course information visit www.cada.net.au.

High school students performing “Skid Row” from Little Shop of Horrors.

A Sydney music theatre school is offering relief for parents ferrying children to multiple dance, acting and music classes.

The Applause Musical Theatre Academy is offering one class that encompasses multiple disciplines.

The academy runs weekly musical theatre classes for students from Kindy to Year 12 on Sydney’s north shore.

Students are trained in singing, dancing and acting by learning songs and scenes from popular musicals, as well as through acting exercises and games.

The academy’s fast-paced, multi-tasked curriculum leaves zero time for boredom. And the school says that all students get their moment to shine in solo opportunities and script work at the annual Soirée and other performances.

Applause Musical Theatre Academy’s Senior classes ‘Ovation’ offer teenagers a masterclass format where they can find their own voice and learn how to perform their best at auditions.

During the Summer and Winter school holidays, kids and teens get a crash course in musical theatre over a period of 2 to 3 days. These courses are open to the public as well as students.

For more details visit www.applausemta.com.au www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 64

Studying Music Theatre In London

Jessica Trip.

Sydney performer Jessica Tripp reflects on her recent experience completing an MA Music Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

What attracted you to study at Central?

I was interested in the course because it not only offered the musical theatre training I wanted, but it also offered me the opportunity to explore and create new work focused on personal areas of interest. However, it was my audition experience which ultimately led to me choosing Central.

It was very well organised and I felt immediately comfortable in their positive and supportive environment.

What has been the best aspect of the course?

For me it has been getting to know and learn alongside the other students.

I never felt that I had to compare myself or compete with others, there was always the support and freedom to develop and learn in a safe space.

Central has a strong focus on diversity 65 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

and the leaders of our course made it clear that we were there to celebrate and perfect what made us unique as performers. We all love and support each other and throughout the year they became my family, which was very important being so far from home.

There is a real sense of community at Central.

What does a normal day consist of?

It usually begins at 8am with a selfled physical and vocal warm up or coach-led body conditioning class. The day is normally dedicated to two practical or theory classes - acting, singing or dance - ending at 5pm.

There are also individual singing lessons and time to research, study or practice. Students are able to book rooms or small suites to rehearse in so it’s common to see students using these facilities throughout the day and

late into the evening.

Central is based in London. How have you found studying abroad and the transition?

It did take me a little while to find my feet. My first challenges included

Central will be holding auditions in Sydney on the 9th of April 2017. To find out more and register for an audition/ interview please visit www.cssd.ac.uk/stagewhispers

Photos: Patrick Baldwin.

finding somewhere to live and navigating the transportation system, but Central’s Student Advice Service provided a lot of support. It is also a massive financial commitment so I had to balance part-time work with my fulltime study. But overall it’s been an amazing and worthwhile experience.

It’s been such a pleasure to really dedicate myself to study and train amongst like-minded and passionate people. I’ve been able to see lots of varied theatre and it’s been a great introduction to the overwhelmingly large industry here.

Do you have any advice for anyone thinking of applying to Central?

Do your research. Central offer a great variety of courses and there is a wealth of information on their website.

You can download or have the prospectus mailed to you.

Just do it! Sometimes taking the first step is the hardest, but if it’s your passion, be brave and go for it because you will never know if you don’t try and if you do get the opportunity to study at Central, it will be one of the greatest things you will ever get to do.

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Jessica Koncic in the title role of Chicken Licken.

Photo: Arthur Coates.

Online extras!

Watch a performance of Chicken Licken by scanning the QR code or visiting https://youtu.be/EYviyrYQHoA

Chicken Licken will b Adelaide Fringe Festival fr For information and tickets visi To find out more about the Victori School Australia co www.stageschool.com.au

A Word From Book Nook Late last year we were sad to hear of the closure of the Performing Arts Book Shop in Pitt St, an institution in the Performing Arts scene in Sydney.

We visited the store in 2015 and were delighted to note all the contemporary plays we had in common as well as many historic treasures long out of print. I bought a couple myself. Yes I still add to my personal library despite

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having a whole shop full of drama books.

Along with actors, directors, writers, drama teachers, students, designers, applied artists and technicians, publishers and specialist booksellers are part of our sometimes thriving, sometimes fragile creative community. Running an independent bookshop is a labour of love with

Jessica Koncic with the youngest member of the cast of Chicken Licken.

Chicken Licken

Through a very cute and cheeky tale of a naive chook called Chicken Licken, students of the Victorian Youth Theatre programme have set off on a journey that enthralled young audiences in Melbourne and will be seen in March in Adelaide.

be performing at the om March 14 - 18, 2017. it www.chicken-licken.com.au an Youth Theatre and other Stage ourses please visit u or call (03) 8199 8344. many challenges, so enjoy them while you can.

So to happier topics here are some exciting new plays released in 2016 and coming in 2017.  Fight With All Your Might the Zombies of Tonight by Matthew Whittet.  Drover’s Wife by Leah Purcell.  Talking to Brick Walls by Claire Christian.  Girl Asleep by Matthew Whittet.

The talented cast performs a new adaptation of a popular folktale that tells of Chicken Licken’s journey to tell the king that the sky is falling after an acorn falls on her head.

Jess Koncic plays Chicken Licken.

“Being in a children’s show is wonderful, as I’ve always believed that children’s theatre gives kids something to look forward to outside of school and everyday things by inviting them into a different world,” Jess says.

Jess has seen herself step into a more children’s style of theatre only recently and has found the stride incredibly rewarding, but also demanding.

“We had to learn lines really quickly and choreograph dances and songs super fast, so we had to be very energetic, especially me!”

As the lead character and the oldest cast member, Jess has been setting an example for her fellow performers and has been humbled with their reception to her guidance.

“My cheek muscles are so toned from all the smiling I’ve been doing,” she says.

“Audiences in Melbourne have loved the show.”

“With the Melbourne season now over, the cast and crew are feeling the excitement brew in anticipation for the Adelaide Tour. The VYT will be taking Chicken Licken to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in March.

“I want to be exhausted after each show,” she says.

“We put a lot of energy in when we’re on stage and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do in Adelaide with the audiences there.”

Jess and her fellow Chicken Licken performers are able not only to deliver morals and insights through the story, but also provide an opportunity for children to become involved in a theatrical avenue that paves the way for expression, confidence and imagination.

 Out of the Ordinary by Alex Vickery- to drama teachers and students and Howe.  Northern Perspectives by Steven Oliver.  The Unknown Soldier by Sandra Eldridge.  The Literati by Justin Flemin.  The Great Fire by Kit Brookman.  Brainstorm - The Complete Playscript (and How to Stage Your Own) by Ned Glasier.

The titles I have chosen to highlight are on topics I judge to be of interest

youth theatre practitioners. For a full list of our new releases and our bestsellers please visit us on Facebook, to hear first about newly published plays. We also have the lists up on our website as well as lists of curricula for HSC and VCE. Mary Sutherland To purchase any of these plays visit Book Nook at www.booknook.com.au

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Performances For Schools

AIM Music Theatre. City of Angels - The Musical

Black Swan State Theatre Company’s Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Photo: Robert Frith.

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Faith Healer by Brian Friel. Great Irish storytelling. The Fantastic Francis Hardy works his magic, curing the sick and giving strength to the weak. His powers are real, or so he says.

Noises Off by Michael Frayn. A misfit gaggle of actors struggles to cope with mounting disasters, while the director tries to keep the show from slipping off the rails.

New South Wales Sydney Theatre Company productions recommended for students have school day matinees.

Away by Michael Gow. Filled with irrepressible humour and a distinct Madeleine Jones, Johnny Nasser, Romy Watson, Australian spirit, Away is a beloved Hannah Waterman, Huw Higginson in Mr Stink.

Photo: Heidrun Lohr. modern classic. It’s Christmas, 1967.

Three families are about to head for the coast to get away, to move on, to change … But ‘tis not the season to be jolly.

The Popular Mechanicals by Keith Parents and teachers have wonderful choices of productions suitable for Robinson, William Shakespeare and excursions in 2017. Here are some highlights.

Tony Taylor. The popular mechanicals are Shakespeare’s greatest clowns - the Touring Nationally The 13-Storey Treehouse, a play by endearingly amateur acting ensemble Bell Shakespeare is offering school Richard Tulloch, is adapted from the led by Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s performances in Sydney, Canberra and book by Andy Griffiths and Terry Dream. Here, they take centre-stage in Melbourne of Richard III. AwardDenton. a wild imagining of what goes on in winning actor Kate Mulvany embodies the wings. one of the most ambitious and Victoria 1984, the Headlong, Nottingham gleefully amoral villains ever written.

Melbourne Theatre Company is Playhouse and Almeida Theatre hit Bell will present a 90-minute presenting three plays on the VCE list. adaptation of the novel by George exploration of Macbeth in Sydney, Melbourne Talam by Rashma N. Orwell.

Melbourne and Perth from July to Kalsie follows three young people from Andrew Upton’s new adaptation of September, while the company’s India making a new life in Australia.

Three Sisters by Antov Chekhov. production of The Merchant of Venice ____________ will tour extensively from July to November.

Melbourne Talam. ____________

Plays For Schools

CDP Theatre Productions will tour four productions, adapted from popular children’s books and aimed at younger and primary school audiences, nationally.

Mr Stink, a 60 minute play by Maryam Master, is based on the book

by David Walliams.

Horrible Harriet, a play by Maryam Master, is based on the books by Leigh Hobbs.

Tall Stories’ production of Room on the Broom is adapted from the award winning picture book by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler.

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Western Australia The Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA recommends three productions for students: The Lighthouse Girl by Hellie Turner based on the novels by Dianne Wolfer.

(See our special feature on page 38.)

Endgame by Samuel Beckett. This tragicomedy reveals the constant duel between tyranny and submission and the need and desire to break free of the cycle.

Once in Royal David’s City by Michael Gow. Will has planned to share a restful, halcyon Christmas with his recently-widowed mother. But then she falls ill. During a bedside vigil, Will is forced to piece together the splintered shards of his own life. ____________

Amber McMahon in The Popular Mechanicals.

Photo: Kris Washusen.

Sport For Jove is staging a trio of Shakespearean plays, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as Cyrano de Bergerac, at the Seymour Centre and Riverside Theatres, Parramatta.

The company will also present its HSC Symposiums, a combination of critical analysis and theatrical experience, covering Hamlet, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, Richard III, Henry IV and The Crucible. ____________ Sydney’s Griffin Theatre recommends the following plays for students: Michele Lee’s Rice, the winner of the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2016-2017. The play unpicks the vastly different relationship that migrants of varying generations and backgrounds have with Australia.

Katherine Thomson’s classic Australian play Diving for Pearls. ____________

Queensland In 2016, 7,800 students saw a Queensland Theatre performance.

The company also delivered 334 workshops to approximately 2,500 young people across the state, many of them in regional areas.

Students from all over the state also come to Queensland Theatre for Theatre Residency Week, which has been running for 46 years.

The following plays are highly recommended for schools.

Once in Royal David’s City by Michael Gow. Will has planned to share a restful, halcyon Christmas with his recently-widowed mother. But then she falls ill. During a bedside vigil, Will is forced to piece together the splintered shards of his own life.

Noises Off by Michael Frayn. A misfit gaggle of actors struggles to cope with mounting disasters, while the director tries to keep the show from slipping off the rails.

My Name is Jimi. Four generations of one Torres Strait family take the stage, as Jimi’s grandmother, mother, son and brothers help him spin yarns of totems, traditions and childhood memories. ____________

Spare Parts Puppet Theatre in Fremantle - Based on a true story from Japan, Hachik? is a theatrical celebration of the remarkable joy and companionship that an animal can bring to our lives.

South Australia State Theatre Company of South Australia will present Sista Girl, an exploration of the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, via the story of two women who share a white father, at 16 venues across the state.

Natasha Wanganeen in Sista Girl.

Photo: Sia Duff.

The Ensemble Theatre recommends Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Rasputin Affair by Kate Mulvany and The Plant by Kit Brookman.

The Ensemble Theatre is developing Dead Puppet Society is presenting student workshops on audition Laser Beak Man, aimed at High School techniques, improvisation, performance, directing, design, students, at La Boite Theatre in production and playwriting.

Brisbane.

For further information contact Rose Downie rose@ensemble.com.au.

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 72

This is a coming of age story of a young girl growing up on an isolated island, entering womanhood without the guidance of a mother, and the coming of age of a nation whose national character was forged in the trenches of Gallipoli and the Western Front. The novels (The Lighthouse Girl and The Lighthouse Boy) are special as they are so evocative of the period, with beautiful illustrations and photographs, speaking equally to young readers and adults. The fact that they are based on a true story and chart the lives of people who lived and breathed gives special significance to individuals who were among so many who were either sent away to war, or left to keep the home fires burning.

How has the playwright adapted it for the stage?

Hellie Turner has gone through a very detailed process of combing through the books to find the essential elements; those key moments and events that give the shape and reference to the characters’ lives. Some characters are an amalgam of different people, some a more accurate representation, but always staying true to the author’s intention with respect to story, form and style.

What audience age does it appeal to?

This play very much has a broad appeal. My 6 year old has read the books and learnt so much from them; she’s desperately looking forward to it.

Likewise my 11 year son has a deeper connection, learning as he has about

73 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

In April the Black Swan State Theatre Company of W.A. is staging the World Premiere of The Lighthouse Girl, drawn from the unique Western Australian novels by Dianne Wolfer about a girl who deciphered messages from soldiers before they went to war. Director Stuart Halusz explains what will make the experience special. the expeditionary force and Albany’s part in that historic occasion. Every actor and designer I met wanted to work on this, and it has grasped the hearts and minds of Black Swan’s broader audience as ticket sales continue to swell, which is a real affirmation of the company’s commitment to local stories and artists.

Is it quaint looking at a time when people communicated by morse code, in this day of instant communication?

Not at all. It certainly gives one a perspective, especially when matched with the privations and austerity of life on an island outpost with little human and social interaction. Remember that morse code and wireless telegraphy were relatively new technology, and for a young country like Australia to have

embraced these early on is testament to the forward thinkers of the day. Just as young people today are adept at navigating their way around a mobile phone, so Fay learns quickly and to a high degree the sophisticated skills around sending and receiving telegrams and communicating via semaphore.

What were some of the special messages received by the lighthouse girl?

Most of the messages were back home to sweethearts, wives and family.

Many to the soldiers’ mothers. They outlined the hopes, fears and often regrets that were hitherto unvoiced, and stand out as lone voices among (Continued on page 74)

 Illustrations from the novel Lighthouse Girl

by Dianne Wolfer, illustrations by Brian Simmonds. Courtesy of Fremantle Press and Brian Simmonds.  Fay Howe, the inspiration of the story.

the tens of thousands steaming off to an unknown fate.

Dearest Mother, I’ll miss you and hope that you and father will think of me often. I’ve longed for adventure it’s true but now it’s upon me I’m more than a little anxious. My thoughts will fly home across the wide blue ocean to you ...

Darlin’ Sybil, I hope you’ve forgiven me for headin’ off like that. It’s just that a man has to do what a man has to do. In this case it might be that I have to get me head shot off, but I hope not. When I get home we’ll get hitched, I promise ... I’ll keep yer photo close ...

For a small theatre company to commission an original play with a cast of six is a big undertaking. What does it take to get a project like this underway?

Yes it takes a lot of courage and foresight for an Artistic Director to argue the case and maintain the need for such an undertaking, especially with the added risk of touring the show and opening out of town. It takes financial investment in workshops, readings and developments, and a very skilled production department including workshop, wardrobe and design team to realise a period play with all its incumbent costume, prop, lighting and sound requirements. It’s a big show for a studio, and we are all thrilled to be bringing it to life. www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 74

John O’Hare and Romy Watson in Mr Stink.

Photo: Heidrun Lohr.

for children aged 6-12 and their adults. Hold on to your nose!

Age recommendation: 6-12 yrs, and their adults.

Duration: 60mins, no interval.

Subjects relevant to: The Arts - Drama, The Arts – Visual Arts, English, History, Mathematics, Science, Health And Physical Education, Ict, Design & Technology..

Suitable for Years Prep-2 to 3-6.

Teacher Resource Kit available to schools with a reservation.

CDP THEATRE PRODUCTIONS www.cdp.com.au

Mr Stink Excursion.

NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, NT, QLD, ACT. Terms 1, 2, 3.

A play by Maryam Master, based on the book by David Walliams.

Directed by Jonathan Biggins.

The team behind the 13, 26 and 52-Storey Treehouses live on stage bring David Walliams’ award-winning book to life 75 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

Horrible Harriet Excursion.

NSW, QLD, VIC, WA. Terms 1, 2, 3.

A play by Maryam Master, based on the books by Leigh Hobbs.

Directed by Liesel Badorrek.

The team behind the hit stage productions the 13, 26 and 52-Storey Treehouses, The Gruffalo and Mr Stink bring the works of Australian Children's Laureate, Leigh Hobbs, to life on stage.

Horrible Harriet lives in the roof of her school and keeps teachers chained in the cellar to do her homework. Harriet and the other children don't see eye to eye - but all Harriet really wants is a friend.

When Athol Egghead lands in his hot air balloon, Harriet finally meets someone who understands her. Then Mr Chicken arrives to disrupt the whole show! Fortunately Horrible Harriet knows how to handle him... or does she?

Age recommendation: 4+ years and their adults.

Duration: Approx 60mins, no interval.

Subjects relevant to: The Arts - Drama, The Arts – Visual Arts, English.

Suitable for Kinder to Years 3-6.

Teacher Resource Kit available to schools with a reservation.

Duration: Approx 60mins, no interval.

Subjects relevant to: The Arts - Drama, English, Mathematics, Ict, Design & Technology.

Suitable for Years Prep-2 to 3-6.

Teacher Resource Kit available to schools with a reservation.

Room on the Broom Excursion.

NSW, QLD, VIC, WA. Terms 3 & 4.

CDP presents Tall Stories’ production of Room on the Broom.

Adapted from the award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler, published by Macmillan Children’s books.

After a sellout 2013 season, the team behind The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child return with the international adaptation of Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler’s much loved book. Songs, laughs and scary fun for children aged 3 and up - and their grown-ups...

How the cat purred and how the witch grinned, As they sat on their broomstick and flew through the wind...

When a hungry dragon appears, who will save the poor witch? And will there ever be room on the broom for everyone?

Age recommendation: 3+ years and their adults.

Duration: Approx 60mins, no interval.

Subjects relevant to: The Arts - Drama, The Arts – Literacy, English, Mathematics, Science, Design and Technology.

Suitable for Pre-primary to Year 3.

Teacher Resource Kit available to schools with a reservation.

BELL SHAKESPEARE

The 13-Storey Treehouse Excursion.

Parramatta - NSW, Brisbane – QLD. Term 1.

A play by Richard Tulloch, adapted from the book by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton.

Directed by Liesel Badorrek.

Andy Griffiths’ and Terry Denton’s best-selling book comes to life on stage.

Who wouldn't want to live in a treehouse? Especially a 13Storey Treehouse that has everything, including a bowling alley, a secret underground laboratory, self-making beds, a vegetable vaporiser and a marshmallow machine that shoots marshmallows into your mouth whenever you're hungry.

Andy and Terry live there, make stories together, and have a series of completely nutty adventures.

Today’s the day they’re going to bring those stories to the stage in their first play – except they forgot to write it! And where will they find flying cats, a mermaid, a sea monster, an invasion of monkeys, and a giant gorilla?

They may not have these things, but they do have some friends to help out, a box of costumes and props, some pretty awesome technology and a truckload of imagination!

Age recommendation: 6-12 years and their adults.

www.bellshakespeare.com.au

Richard 3 – Melbourne Schools Matinees Excursion.

Arts Centre Melbourne. www.bellshakespeare.com.au/whats-on/richard3 Richard is hideous. And Richard was born knowing that he would one day be a ruler. His hunchbacked deformity masks his seething malevolence. His brutal mind breeds ...

School Matinees available on: Thursday 27 April 11am Thursday 4 May 11am.

Award-winning actor Kate Mulvany embodies one of the most ambitious and gleefully amoral villains ever written.

Subjects relevant to: English, Drama.

Suitable for Years 10-12.

Study resources. Contact Bell Shakespeare at learning@bellshakespeare.com.au Macbeth - EDU Excursion.

Sydney Opera House (NSW), Arts Centre Melbourne (VIC) or University of Western Australia, Octagon Theatre (WA).

Bell Shakespeare. www.bellshakespeare.com.au/learning/macbeth NSW, VIC and WA. Sydney Opera House: 27 July – 18 August 2017.

Arts Centre Melbourne: 22 – 25 August 2017.

University of Western Australia, Octagon Theatre: 30 August – 1 September 2017.

Bell Shakespeare takes on the Scottish play in a 90-minute exploration of ambition, temptation and the supernatural.

For all enquires please call 1300 or email Subjects relevant to: English, Drama.

Suitable for Years 7 – 10.

Study resources. Contact Bell Shakespeare at learning@bellshakespeare.com.au The Merchant of Venice Excursion. www.bellshakespeare.com.au/whats-on/the-merchant-of-venice NSW, ACT and VIC. School matinees available: Arts Centre Melbourne: Tuesday 25 and Thursday 27 July 11am Canberra Theatre Centre: Wednesday 18 October 11am Sydney Opera House: Wednesday 1, 8 and 15 November 11am.

Limited number of discounted tickets available in evening performances. Conditions apply.

Dark in its humour and bawdy in its romantic hijinks, this www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 76

uncompromising production explores the tense relationship and prejudices between those that have, and those that don’t.

Subjects relevant to: English, Drama.

Suitable for Years 7 – 12.

Study resources. Contact Bell Shakespeare at learning@bellshakespeare.com.au

PERFORM! EDUCATIONAL MUSICALS Super Duper!

Incursion www.performmusicals.com/aus---book-week-in-schools NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, ACT. Mon 7th August – Fri 8th September.

A brand new educational musical for schools with an exciting, dynamic and interactive narrative created to celebrate Book Week 2017, the CBC shortlist and its 2017 theme Escape to Everywhere.

Learning Areas: English, The Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education General Capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability, Ethical Understanding.

Themes: Inclusiveness, Acceptance of Others, Reading and Literacy, Imagination, Drama, Music, Dance.

Suitable for Grades K–6 Junior version (Grades K–3).

Senior version (Grades 5–6).

General version (Grades K–4 or Mixed).

Study resources www.performmusicals.com/teachers Global Gamble – A Climate-Change Comedy Incursion. www.performmusicals.com/aus---science-week-in-schools NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT, WA, SA. Mon 7th August – Fri 25th August.

An exciting science enrichment, educational theatre performance to celebrate National Science Week and the 2017 Schools Theme: FUTURE EARTH. Strands - Science Understanding; Science as a Human Endeavour General Capabilities - Critical & Creative Thinking; Personal & Social Capability Cross Curriculum Priorities – Sustainability.

Suitable for Grades 5–9.

Study resources www.performmusicals.com/teachers

CLASS ACT THEATRE INC. www.classact.com.au

Bully Busters Incursion.

VIC, WA, NSW. Terms 1 & 2 (WA), Terms 1 & 4 (VIC), Terms 1,2,3 (NSW).

All facets of bullying depicted with humour and heart.

Subjects relevant to: Health & Well Being, Drama.

77 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

Suitable for Years 5 to 9.

Study Resources: Q&A after show, Teachers Notes.

Cyber Busters Incursion.

VIC, WA, NSW Terms 1 & 2 (WA), Terms 1 & 4 (VIC), Terms 1,2,3 (NSW).

This play explores all facets of electronic bullying and cyber safety with humour and hip hop music.

Subjects relevant to: Health & Well Being, Drama, ICT. Suitable for Years 3 to 9.

Study Resources: Q&A after show, Teacher's Notes, Student Discussion Sheet Show Some Respect Incursion.

VIC, WA, NSW. Term 3 (WA), Term 2 (VIC), Term 3 (NSW).

An important play about respectful relationships and getting along with others. Primary and High School versions available.

Subjects relevant to: Health & Well Being, Drama.

Suitable for Years 4/5 to 10.

Study Resources: Q&A after show, Teachers Notes.

Anzac G’day Incursion.

VIC, WA. Terms 1 & 2 (WA), Term 2 (VIC).

Exploring the Gallipoli campaign and the Anzac Spirit through the eyes of a young soldier and a modern school kid.

Subjects relevant to: Social Sciences, Humanities, Drama.

Suitable for Years 1 to 10.

Study Resources: Q and A or study resources – Q&A after show.

Bully Busters Primary Incursion.

NSW. Terms 1,2,3.

All facets of bullying depicted with humour and heart. P-3 and 4-6 versions available.

Subjects relevant to: Health & Well Being, Drama.

Suitable for Years P - 6.

Study Resources: Q&A after show, Teachers Notes.

Girls Talk Incursion.

VIC, NSW. Term 3 (VIC), Terms 1,2,3 (NSW).

A play for “girls only” examining important issues that teenage girls face in our modern world.

Subjects relevant to: Health & Well Being, Drama.

Suitable for Years 7 to 12.

Study Resources: Q&A after show, Teachers Notes.

Boys Talk Incursion.

VIC. Term 3.

A play for “boys only” examining important issues that young men face in our modern world.

Subjects relevant to: Health & Well Being, Drama.

Suitable for Years 7 to 12.

Study Resources: Q&A after show, Teachers Notes.

SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY

Seymour Centre Ph: (02) 9351 7940 Riverside Theatres Ph: (02) 8839 3308 Various Dates May 9 – June 22.

Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's most moving play. An inventive, accessible 90-minute rollercoaster through Verona, directed by multiple Sydney theatre award winner, Damien Ryan.

Subjects relevant to: English K-10 Syllabus Stage 4 & 5, Drama Years 8-11 Recommended Text.

Suitable for Years 7 – 12.

Study Resources: Q&A after performance.

The Tempest Excursion.

Seymour Centre and Riverside Theatres Various Dates May 3 – May 18.

One of Shakespeare's greatest plays, The Tempest is a symphonic vision of forgiveness, discovery and selfdiscovery – famous for its language, context, enchanting characters and breathtaking theatricality.

Subjects relevant to: Stage 6: Area of Study – Discovery.

Suitable for Years 8 – 12.

Study Resources: Q&A after performance.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Excursion.

Seymour Centre .

Riverside Theatres.

Various Dates May 22 – June 9.

Sport For Jove bring back their 2015 hit. The perfect introduction to Shakespeare and theatre for young people.

Syllabus links Stages 4 and 5.

Suitable for Years 7-11.

Study Resources: Q&A after performance.

Cyrano de Bergerac Excursion.

Seymour Centre.

Riverside Theatres.

Various Dates June 15 – June 24.

Sport For Jove's 2013 production returns after playing to sold out houses and standing ovations every night of the season.

Related to Performance Analysis, Realism and Melodrama, Theatre History, Poetry, Staging and the Elements of Drama.

Suitable for Years 9 – 12.

Study Resources: Q&A after school daytime performances.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au/community/education

HSC Symposium Series Excursion.

Seymour Centre & Riverside Theatres. www.sportforjove.com.au/education/2017-education-season Various Dates: March 7 – June 23.

HSC Symposiums, a combination of critical analysis and theatrical experience is the essence of the NSW HSC Romeo and Juliet Syllabus, and this year covering Hamlet, Tempest, Julius Excursion.

Caesar , Richard III, Henry IV and The Crucible.

SPORT FOR JOVE

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 78

Sport For Jove’s A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Subjects relevant to: HSC English and Drama areas of study. Suitable for Years 10-12.

Suitable for Years 10 – 12.

NB: Griffin For Teachers (http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/ Study Resources: Q&A during performance. artistic/for-teachers/) Griffin offers great value tickets to school groups for high quality drama at the SBW Stables Theatre. Performances are at the student-friendly time of 7pm with 2pm matinees on Saturday. School group bookings are only $30 per student Rice (Main Season) and $23 (Griffin Independent), with one free Excursion. teacher’s ticket for every 10 students.

SBW Stables, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross, Sydney, NSW Griffin offers a complimentary preview ticket to teachers Presented by Griffin Theatre Company and Queensland who are bringing a school group to a later performance, Theatre providing an opportunity to familiarise yourself with the www.griffintheatre.com.au/whats-on/rice/ play and prepare class material to enhance your students’ 21 July – 26 August experience.

“Winner of the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2016- For further information or to make a booking, call Griffin 2017, Michele Lee’sRice unpicks the vastly different on (02) 9332 1052 or email info@griffintheatre.com.au. relationship that migrants of varying generations and backgrounds have with Australia.”

Subjects relevant to: English, Drama.

Suitable for Years 10-12 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf

By Edward Albee Diving for Pearls From 11 May 2017 Excursion.

Director: Iain Sinclair www.griffintheatre.com.au/whats-on/diving-for-pearls Cast includes: Darren Gilshenan, Genevieve Lemon and 8 September – 28 October Brandon McClelland.

“Katherine Thomson’s classic Australian play Diving for Running time: Approx. 2 hrs 40 mins including interval Pearls explores how political decisions made in the 1980’s SOME STRONG LANGUAGE AND ADULT THEMES, have shaped Australian society today.”

RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 15+ Subjects relevant to: English, Drama.

GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY

ENSEMBLE THEATRE

79 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

A classic text, critique of societal expectations.

Subjects relevant to: Stage 6 English Syllabus.

Themes: Reality & Illusion, Games and War, History vs Biology, The American Dream, The Christian Allegory, Love & Hate.

An American classic, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is directed by Iain Sinclair, who has expressed interest in workshopping with students while at Ensemble Theatre.

The Rasputin Affair

By Kate Mulvany From 01 April 2017.

World Premiere.

Director: John Sheedy.

Cast Includes: Tom Budge, John Gaden, Hamish Michael, Zindzi Okenyo and Sean O'Shea.

Running time: Approx. 2 hours with interval.

SOME STRONG LANGUAGE AND ADULT THEMES, RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 15+ Themes: Identity crises, forbidden love, religion vs state, class uprising, gender issues New Australian play by award winning playwright and actress, Kate Mulvany.

Rasputin, the religious advisor to the Tsar and Tsarina of Russia, is invited to the castle of a wealthy nobleman for a night of “curing”. But what he doesn’t know is that three angry well-borns - and one mysterious peasant - are planning his murder. However, things do not go to plan, and what should have been a simple crime turns into a night of personal and political pandemonium.

A comedy that’s a little absurd but based on Historical fact.

Cupcakes really were poisoned.

The Plant

By Kit Brookman From 08 July Director: Elsie Edgerton-Till.

Cast Includes: Sandy Gore.

Running time: Approx. 90 minutes, no interval.

SOME STRONG LANGUAGE, RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 15+ Themes: family relations, sexuality, belonging.

A quirky new Ensemble Theatre commissioned work by talented young Australian actor and playwright, Kit Brookman; NIDA acting graduate and winner of the 2012 Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award for his play Heaven. The Plant is about not fitting in, a COMEDY about loving something. It’s about being gay in a hetero couples world and youth and community. It explores the nature of family relations and desires and it asks questions about parenting, and what makes up a family?

Side Note The Ensemble Theatre will also be working with Tommy Murphy (Holding The Man) to present a reading of his new play, The Desirables, about the compassion required in dealing with the world’s displaced peoples, this play reading will be on Saturday 27th May. More information on this and two more play readings to be announced shortly.

The Ensemble is developing workshops and experiences specific to student development, including audition

Milk Crate Theatre’s That's The Spirit.

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 80

techniques, improvisation, performance, directing, design, production and playwriting. The company is very interested to hear what teachers and students want and need from theatre companies and would love to hear your thoughts.

Please contact Rose Downie, Ensemble Theatre Education Coordinator: rose@ensemble.com.au for further information.

MILK CRATE THEATRE That’s The Spirit Excursion.

Riverside Theatres Parramatta. www.riversideparramatta.com.au/show/thats-the-spirit Thursday 22nd June 12.30pm.

Friday 23rd June 10am.

Every year one million Australians live with one of the most prevalent disabilities in the world: depression. If it is not you it will be someone you know, someone you work with, go to school with…someone you love.

Depression is on the rise across the globe and the Milk Crate Theatre community set out to explore with their audiences through interactive Forum Theatre, how to understand, discuss and find support for this overwhelming condition.

Subjects relevant to: Drama, PDHPE and Social & Culture.

Suitable for Years 9 – 12 (Stages 5-6) Interactive performance – students are encouraged to participate.

TREEHOUSE THEATRE www.treehousetheatre.org.au Tree of Life 2017 Excursion.

The Concourse, Chatswood and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.

8-9 June 2017 & 22-23 June.

Witness 30 stories of the refugee experience; powerful fusions of spoken word, movement, sound, and projected imagery. Experience stories direct from the young people who lived them.

Subjects relevant to: Drama, PDHPE, Geography and English.

The show assists non-refugee students to better appreciate the lives of their refugee classmates who are struggling with current resettlement issues and past trauma. Refugee students in the audience feel acknowledged and recognised.

Suitable for Years 5 - 12.

Study Resources: Q&A and resources available on website.

Suitcase Stories 2017 Excursion The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith and The Seymour Centre, Chippendale 2-3 November and 9-10 November.

81 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

In Suitcase Stories, young refugees who have experienced the horror of war, trauma and persecution, will perform their own true stories in a symphony of spoken word, music and movement.

Subjects relevant to: Drama, PDHPE, Geography and English.

The show assists non-refugee students to better appreciate the lives of their refugee classmates who are struggling with current resettlement issues and past trauma. Refugee students in the audience feel acknowledged and recognised.

Suitable for Years 5 - 12.

Study Resources: Q&A and resources available on website

MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY Melbourne Talam Excursion.

Southbank Theatre (140 Southbank Blvd, Southbank), and Regional Tour: Mildura, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Shepparton, Wodonga, Geelong, Launceston (TAS).

Melbourne Theatre Company. www.mtc.com.au Term 2. Melbourne season: 4 May – 20 May; Regional Tour: 23 May – 9 June.

A new work about three young people from India searching for belonging in a foreign city. Melbourne Talam puts contemporary social issues centre stage.

Subjects relevant to: Drama, English, Languages and all Humanities subjects.

Suitable for Year 9+.

Study resources: Education Packs and Pre-show Talks are available. Visit mtc.com.au/education.

ALPHA SHOWS www.alphashows.com.au Aladdin Beauty & the Beast

La Mama’s The Yellow Wave.

Photo: Lachlan Woods.

Cinderella Hercules King Arthur Sleeping Beauty The Hunchback of Notre Dame The Little Mermaid The Snow Queen www.cursions.com.au/provider-list/2240/Alpha-Shows

LA MAMA www.lamama.com.au Told By The Boys Who Fed Me Apples Excursion.

La Mama Courthouse Theatre, 349 Drummond St, Carlton.

Wed 22/3/17 to Sun 2/4/17. Evening performances and matinees.

Sandy was the only one of 136,000 Australian WW1 warhorses to return home. His story is told through physical performance, poetic text and a haunting sound design.

Subjects relevant to: VCE Drama, English, Literature.

Suitable for Years 9-12.

Study Resources: After-show forums, Education Notes, published scripts, end-of -year study sessions.

Parasites Excursion.

La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday St, Carlton.

Wed 19/4/17 to Sun 30/4/17. Evening performances and matinees.

The play takes place in an asylum-seeking processing centre, exploring the hopes and dreams of two young people and showing how their lives have been compromised.

Subjects relevant to: VCE Drama, English, Literature, Social Studies.

Suitable for Years 10-12.

After-show forums, Education Notes, published scripts, end -of -year study sessions.

The Yellow Wave Excursion.

La Mama Courthouse Theatre.

Wed 10/5/17 to Sun 21/5/17.

Evening performances and matinees. Also touring to some regional areas.

The Yellow Wave is a humorous adaptation of a 19th century novel by Kenneth Mackay, telling the story of the invasion of Australia by a Russian-led Mongol force.

Subjects relevant to: VCE Drama, English, Literature, Social Studies, History.

Suitable for Years 10-12.

Study Resources: After-show forums, Education Notes, published scripts, end-of -year study sessions. www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 82

COMPLETE WORKS THEATRE COMPANY www.completeworks.com.au

Medea Excursion.

Eastbank Theatre, Shepparton 5 May. Geelong, Performing Arts Centre 8 & 9 May. Drum Theatre, Dandenong 10-12 May. Darebin Arts Centre 15-17 May. In this famous Greek tragedy, Euripides explores the psyche of the wronged woman. Medea's sense of powerlessness against unfolding events leads her to seek vengeance in a most hideous way, betraying even her love for her own children.

Subjects relevant to: English, Literature, Drama, Theatre Studies, Ancient History.

Suitable for Years 11 & 12.

Study Resources: Post show Q and A after select performances; comprehensive teachers' notes.

The Crucible With readings from Year of Wonders.

Incursion.

Touring Metro Melbourne and regional Victoria.

18 July - 23 August (season extended).

Scenes from the play are compared and contrasted with passages from the novel focussing on the key ideas, issues and themes of both texts.

Subjects relevant to: English, Literature, Drama.

Suitable for Years 11&12.

Study Resources: Post show Q and A and comprehensive teachers' notes.

Bombshells With readings from The Penelopiad Incursion.

Touring Metro Melbourne and regional Victoria.

31 July - 11 August.

Exploring the role of women from contrasting periods, with monologues from the play and selected passages from the novella, illuminating the key themes and concerns in both texts.

Subjects relevant to: English, Literature, Drama.

Suitable for Years 11&12.

Study Resources: Post show Q and A and comprehensive teachers' note.

Suitable for: Year 9 &10.

Study Resources: Post show Q and A and comprehensive teachers' notes.

Macbeth Incursion.

Touring Metro Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Term 2, 3 and early Term 4.

Excursion.

Abbotsford Convent, 14 June - 1pm.

Abridged, one-hour performance that focuses on the arc of the story, key scenes, characters, language and themes.

Subjects relevant to: English, Literature, Drama.

Suitable for Year 10 & 11.

Study Resources: Post show Q and A and comprehensive teachers' notes.

Great Southern Land Incursion.

Touring Metro Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Term 2, 3 and early Term 4.

Australian poetry and storytelling. We explore a range of Australian voices from early settlers and convicts, Indigenous poets and migrants, balladeers through to contemporary spoken word poets.

Subjects relevant to: English, Literature, Drama, History.

Suitable for Years 7&8.

Study Resources: Post show Q and A and comprehensive teachers' notes.

Shakespeare & VCE Literature Workshops Incursion.

Touring Melbourne, Geelong and Ballarat.

Term 1, 2, 3 and early Term 4.

Small group workshops, tailored to specific classroom needs, to engage students in deeper discussion and analysis of a play.

On offer: Othello, Twelfth Night, A Doll's House and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Subjects relevant to: English, Literature.

Suitable for Years 10-12.

MALTHOUSE THEATRE

The Real and Imagined History of The Elephant Man Excursion Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank. www.malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/the-real-and-imagined-history-of-the-elephant-man Playing 4 – 27 Aug 2017 Weaving through a carnival of hospitals, the circus and the Romeo & Juliet public arena, this production is a moving story about the Incursion. radical power of compassion.

Touring Metro Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Subjects relevant to: VCE Theatre Studies, VCE Drama, Term 2, 3 and early Term 4.

Drama, English, English Literature, History, Civics and Excursion.

Citizenship.

Abbotsford Convent, 14 June - 10am.

Suitable for Years 10-12.

Abridged, one-hour performance that focuses on the arc of Study Resources: Post-show forums after each of the three the story, key scenes, characters, language and themes. school matinee performances, Time to Talk, Design Subjects relevant to: English, Literature, Drama.

Presentation, On-line Education Resources.

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Malthouse Theatre’s Away.

Away

By Michael Gow Excursion. www.malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/away Playing 3 – 28 May. Matthew Lutton unleashes the intimacy of Michael Gow's epic Australian classic, pitting the internal conflict of family life against a country shaping it's indeterminate future.

Subjects relevant to: VCE Theatre Studies, VCE Drama, Drama, English, English Literature, Australian History, Civics and Citizenship.

Suitable for Years 9-12.

Study Resources: Post-show forums after each of the three school matinee performances, Time to Talk, Design Presentation, On-line Education Resources.

PAGE TO STAGE 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose Presented by Page to Stage at the Drum Theatre, Dandenong.

Friday 4th August 10am. bookings and enquiries: info@pagetostage.com.au

CHUNKY MOVE

www.chunkymove.com.au Anti—Gravity Excursion Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank.

Chunky Move.

17 – 26 March.

Subjects relevant to: Drama, Dance Suitable for Year 7 onwards (younger audiences welcome).

CARP PRODUCTIONS Your Favourite Fairytale!

Carp Productions.

Incursion www.carpproductions.com/schools/your-favourite-fairytale Terms 2-4 “It’s time for a bedtime story – but what will it be? A scary story with an evil villain? Or a funny tale? One about a beautiful princess? Or one full of action and daring feats?”

Subjects relevant to: English, Literature, Drama.

Suitable for Prep – Year 3.

Marvellous Me! Incursion. www.carpproductions.com/marvellous-me Terms 1-4.

“A visit to Peculiar Primary School, where friendship, diversity, acceptance and self-esteem are the most important lessons of all. Discover the importance of friendship – and be proud to be yourself!”

Subjects relevant to: English, Literature, Interpersonal Development, Personal Learning Suitable for Prep – Year 3 Heroes and Villains!

Incursion www.carpproductions.com/heroes-and-villains Victoria Terms 1-4.

“See some of the most popular heroes and notorious villains from your favourite books in action, vying for the title of ‘Most Popular of All’!”

Subjects relevant to: English, Literature.

Suitable for Prep – Year 3.

POLYGLOT THEATRE Forest Feast Draw It Out! Paper and Tape Paper Planet workshop Robot Heads Shadow Tricks www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 84

Polyglot Theatre’s Shadow Tricks workshop.

Sound of Drawing Theatre Craft.

differences in all formats including Dance workshops. A great Multicultural experience.

Subjects relevant to: The Arts - Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, English, History, Languages, Health And Physical Education.

Incursion Suitable for Prep to Year 10, Content can be modified to www.polyglot.org.au/workshops suit year levels.

Available all terms Polyglot Theatre places children at the heart of their art and Programs can be modified to suit Prep-Grade2, Grade 3-6, workshop program, providing structured opportunities for Years 7-8, Years 9-10.

Details of the program can be forwarded prior to the children to discover their imaginative potential. performance.

Workshops foster inquiry, critical thinking and make Study Resources: available on request. powerful lateral connections with the school curriculum including the arts and science.

EPR Productions’ Ciao Italy! A Suitable for pre-school to year 12. celebration of Immigration.

Teachers’ Resource Kits are available for free with workshop bookings.

EPR PRODUCTIONS www.eprproductions.com Ciao Italy! A celebration of Immigration Both Incursion or Excursion.

EPR Productions.

Terms 1,2,3,4.

A fun, educational and interactive activity, where an immigrant shares his story with objects from his suitcase celebrating culture and its influence on the Australian way of life including food! - triggering discussion around obstacles he faced in a new country, highlighting cultural 85 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

Viva!…A Cultural Dance Experience Both Incursion or Excursion.

Terms 1,2,3,4.

A fun and educational portrayal of a journey through Dance from around the world including Spain, South America (including Brazil & Argentina), Cuba, Central America, Italy, Greece & much more! An interactive presentation with a colourful array of instruments, dance, costumes & culture as we explore the various dance styles that are celebrated from numerous cultures.

Subjects relevant to: The Arts - Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, English, History, Languages, Health And Physical Education Suitable for Prep to Year 10, Content can be modified to suit year levels.

Programs can be modified to suit Prep-Grade2, Grade 3-6, Years 7-8, Years 9-12.

Details of the program can be forwarded prior to the performance.

Study Resources: available on request.

STATE THEATRE COMPANY SOUTH AUSTRALIA www.statetheatrecompany.com.au

QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY. www.queenslandtheatre.com.au/Education

DEAD PUPPET SOCIETY www.deadpuppetsociety.com.au Laser Beak Man Excursion for the production, with workshops at schools.

Dead Puppet Society, La Boite Theatre Company and Brisbane Festival Production - 13-30 September, workshops available year round.

Jam packed with the trademark visual puns of artist Tim Sharp, and featuring live music, the world of Laser Beak Man is brought to life in puppet form.

Subjects relevant to: Drama, English, Film and Television.

Suitable for Year 8+.

Study resources available.

Sista Girl Excursion.

May 3, Golden Grove Arts Centre.

May 4, Barossa Arts and Convention Centre, Tanunda.

May 5, Centenary Hall, Goolwa May 8, Shedley Theatre, Elizabeth.

May 9, Hopgood Theatre, Noarlunga.

May 10, Atelier Theatre, Cornerstone College, Mt Barker.

May 11, Chaffey Theatre, Renmark.

May 12, Keith Institute.

May 15, Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, Mt Gambier.

May 17, Northern Festival Centre, Pt Pirie.

May 18, Intitute Theatre, Pt Augusta.

May 19, Middleback Theatre, Whyalla.

May 22, Nautlius Theatre, Pt Lincoln.

May 23, Ceduna Memorial Hall.

May 26, Tailem Bend Town Hall.

May 30 – June 3, Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre.

Sista Girl is an exploration of the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, via the story of two women who share a white father.

Subjects relevant to: Drama, English and Australian Studies.

Suitable for Years 10 – 12.

Each show is followed by a Q&A session with the Director and the cast. Teachers who book students into a Day With State show will receive a detailed study guide. These provide in-depth information on themes, style, characters and set and includes assignment questions which are ideal for continued learning back at school.

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Jarrad Seng in Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s Hachiko.

Based on a true story from Japan, Hachik? is a theatrical celebration of the remarkable joy and companionship that an animal can bring to our lives.

Subjects relevant to: The Arts, Mathematics, English, Science and HASS. Year 1+ Study resources available (check website to download).

BLACK SWAN STATE THEATRE COMPANY

SPARE PARTS PUPPET THEATRE www.sppt.asn.au Hachiko Incursion.

Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, 1 Short Street, Fremantle.

3 – 7 July, 10am & 1pm Daily.

87 Stage Whispers SPARK 2017

www.bsstc.com.au Once in Royal David’s City

By Michael Gow. Excursion.

Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA. Black Swan State Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre Co-Production.

Sat 25 Mar - Sun 9 Apr. On the beaches of New South Wales, Brecht-obsessed theatre director, Will, has planned to share a restful, halcyon Christmas with his recently widowed mother. But then she unexpectedly falls seriously ill.

Subjects relevant to: Drama/English.

Suitable for Years 10 – 12.

Study Resources: Pre-Show talk – Mar 30, Q&A – April 4th, 6:30pm. Ed kit available by request to alena@bsstc.com.au or via website.

The Lighthouse Girl

By Hellie Turner, based on the novels by Dianne Wolfer.

Excursion.

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA. Fri 28th April – Sun 14th May 2017.

This gentle play entwines the lives of Fay and Charlie and brings to life the stories of those left at home during the war waiting, wondering, hoping… and the struggles of the young men who valiantly enlisted to help defend their country.

Subjects relevant to: Drama/English/History/Cross-Curricular.

Study Resources: Q&A May 9th. 6:30pm. Ed kit available by request to alena@bsstc.com.au or via website.

Endgame

By Samuel Beckett.

Excursion.

Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA. Sat 27th May – Sun 11th June.

This tragicomedy reveals the constant duel between tyranny and submission and the need and desire to break free of the cycle.

Subjects relevant to: Drama/English.

Suitable for Years 8 -12.

Study Resources: Pre-show talk – June 1, Q&A June 6th, 6:30pm. Ed kit available by request to alena@bsstc.com.au or via website.

The Eisteddfod

By Lally Katz.

Excursion.

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA Thurs 22nd June – Sun 9th July.

Lally Katz's disembodied voice leads the audience on a comic and somewhat unsettling journey. It is an intricate story, deftly told and an exciting, unpredictable production about the drama of growing up.

Subjects relevant to: Drama/English.

Suitable for Years 11 & 12.

Study Resources: Q&A July 4th, 6:30pm. Ed kit available by request to alena@bsstc.com.au or via website.

Switzerland

By Joanna Murray-Smith.

Excursion.

Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA Sat 19th August – Sun 3rd September.

The subject – writer Patricia Highsmith, lives a reclusive life in the Swiss Alps surrounded by her collection of books and antique weapons. The unlikeable genius facing the end of her life has withdrawn completely from the world, finding solace in her seclusion, her cats and cigarettes.

Subjects relevant to: Drama/English.

Suitable for Years 10-12.

Study Resources: Q&A August 29th, 6:30pm. Ed kit available by request to alena@bsstc.com.au or via website.

I Am My Own Wife

By Doug Wright.

Excursion.

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA. Thur 12th October – Sun 29th October.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play, I Am My Own Wife is an examination of the life of German antiquarian Charlotte von Mahlsdorf.

Subjects relevant to: Drama.

Suitable for Years 11 &12.

Study Resources: Q&A October 24th, 6:30pm. Ed kit available by request to alena@bsstc.com.au or via website.

Let The Right One In A stage adaptation by Jack Thorne, based on the novel and film by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Excursion.

Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA. Sat 11th November – Sun 3rd December.

This stage adaptation of the acclaimed Swedish novel and film, Let the Right One In, tells of a friendship between a boy and a centuries-old vampire.

Subjects relevant to: Drama.

Suitable for Years 11 & 12.

Study Resources: Pre-show Talk - November 16, Q&A November 28th, 6:30pm. Ed kit available by request to alena@bsstc.com.au or via website.

Coma Land

By Will O’Mahony.

Excursion.

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA. Black Swan State Theatre Company and Performing Lines WAWebsite for details Thur 20th July – Sun 6th August.

Boon is smart. Really smart. He’s skipped four years of school, possesses a photographic memory and was playing Mozart and Beethoven aged two. So why is it so hard for him to wake up?

Subjects relevant to: Drama/English.

Suitable for Years 8-12.

Study Resources: Q&A August 1st, 6:30pm. Ed kit available by request to alena@bsstc.com.au or via website.

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