The New Garrick Gazette

Transcription

1 The New Garrick Gazette Garrick Theatre Club Inc. 16 Meadow Street, Guildford, WA 6055 PO Box 122, Guildford WA EDITOR: TOM GOODE PRINTED BY DOCUPRINT Issue No. 552 DECEMBER 2017 From the AGM Election results: Congratulations to the following who will guide Garrick through 2018: President: Lynne Devenish Vice-president: Rodney Palmer (Nominated at the AGM) Secretary: Elaine Gilberthorpe Treasurer: Terry Brown Committee members: Edi Boross, Colleen Bradford, Barbara Brown, Grannie Friels, Yvonne Starr, Kerry Goode, Robert Vincent, Honours and Awards Congratulations to Ailsa Travers and Kerry Goode who granted Life Membership in recognition of their long and valuable contribution to the club both artistically and administratively. Well Done to Veronica Fourie awarded her 10 year membership badge. Club Finances The Treasurer s report for the year ended 30 September, indicated that the Club was in a healthy financial state however the Treasurer did express concern that the club would struggle if major capital expenditure was planned. This gave rise to discussion from the floor suggesting that the new committee should review both membership and ticket prices. Other Items Geoff Holt reported on the completion of a three year programmme to upgrade Garrick s Sound and Lighting equipment.this places Garrick at the forefront of the technology and patrons will have already noted the effective use of this technology in our productions. Gail Lusted provided a brief summary of a successful year for Teens at Garrick (TAG) along with the news that a survey of parents indicated that a membership fees could be increaseed without affecting enrolments.

2 Kens Kolumn Hello one & all, as we come to the end of the year it is great to reflect on what we have achieved as a club. This year saw not only our annual Awards night happen, but a special event as we celebrated 85 years with a spectacular Birthday Party. Both these events were very successful and credit all those who contributed on the respective nights. In March we had our first participation in The Guildford Heritage Festival with a stand & Banner, promoting, our productions, encouraging people to join as members, and a enthusiastic role play by our TAG members who dressed as colonial period characters and strolled around handing out flyers. Our productions were all critical, & financial successes this year and there was something for everyone. Cinderella: A Fairy Tale; Life After George; Relatively Speaking ; The Glass Menagerie; and Cockys Crossing completed a stunning year of shows. Also, we had the One Act Season of Plays, which was a great success selling out in a difficult part of the year with many attractions for our patrons to choose from. I am stepping down from the Committee to pursue other challenges next year, and I take this opportunity to thank my fellow committee members for their support and work through and last but not least A Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you all. Club President 2017:- Ken Harris The Current Production Cocky s Crossing opened on Thursday the 23 rd of November to an appreciative full-house audience which included the writer and composer Max Harvey seen here with the Director Susan Vincent and Musical Director Kendra Smith in the photo below. The show was very popular with audience responses indicating yet another Garrick winner in a stellar year. Excerpts from Gordon the Optom s review follow: Cocky s Crossing is a hilarious comedy set to music. It is the third of four plays written by Mundaring resident, actor and author, Max Harvey. Over the years, Max has starred in around 40 plays at the Garrick. Although written 30-years ago, this musical is still as fresh and topical as ever, with fun lyrics and fourteen catchy tunes. The scene is a pub beyond the black stump in the north of WA about the mid-1960s

3 Robert Vincent s outstanding set is in the style of a Wild West bar, with corrugated walls and a tin roof a horrendous material to work with, but worth it. There are two or three tables with three chairs at each. A staircase leads up to the bedrooms. There is a jarrah bar with a blackboard displaying the finest of fare pie and chips 1/6d. Rob was assisted in the construction by R.J. Smolders and Roy Phillips. Geoff Hall and Edi Boross created a most effective lighting plan, with the odd special effect. Terry Brown was the stage manager, and was assisted by Marion West and Anne Templeman both on stage, and in acquiring the vast selection of props covering a couple of centuries. The outback hotel s manager and general dog s body Marlene (Colleen Hopkins) is calling for her three daughters, Raelene (Colleen Bradford), Charlene (Fiona Forster) and the young, surprise baby, Darlene (Jenna McGougan-Shaw) to help. The opening song, Another Bloody Day at Cocky s Crossing spells out the mood of the place. In the corner of the bar sits the local garage mechanic, young and handsome, John (Sam Tilbrook) who is playing dominoes with Tuckerbox (John Gwilym), an old fella who has spent years searching for a lost treasure trove of gold. Into the bar strides Davo (Alan Shaw), a revhead who thinks of himself as the town s sex symbol, but with only Tuckerbox as competition, he could be correct. The sound of a bus can be heard drawing up. Into the bar strolls the tour operator, Bill (Graham Miles) followed by a group of foreign tourists, seeing the real outback. There is the loud American (Kerry Goode), the demure English lady (Marsha Holt) and a rough Aussie lass (Barbara Brown). Just as the daughters are serving the hot and sweaty travellers, another couple arrive. A decorous, young blonde, Mary Baxter (Megan West) and her respectable English father, Alfred (Les Lee) gasp at the décor as they enter. Alf announces to Marlene that he has just purchased the hotel, and is now the

4 proud owner. Within minutes, Mary is bored, and so settles down in the corner to write another one of her imagination packed tales. As usual, the story revolves around her environment, a historical event or a book she has just read naturally, with her alter ego, Maria in the leading role, but as a slimmer, dark haired and outgoing, desirable woman, Maria (Isabella Bourgalt). Can there be any hope or future for the residents of Cocky s Crossing? With more than a dozen catchy melodies, and fun lyrics this show shone from the opening. The director is one of WA s best, Susan Vincent. Although there is a large cast, Susan has managed to keep the actors moving, so that the small stage did not look overcrowded. She had a wonderful selection of actors, all of whom sang at some point; some not only surprised me with the quality of their voices, but I suspect may have surprised themselves too. Sometimes a weak singer may be slightly withdrawn with their delivery, but in this show everyone just went for it, giving it full strength and the result was delightful. After all, this is an outback hotel so operatic voices would seem out of place except for the fictional Maria, as she could be (and was) as perfect a singer as Mary wanted. The choreographer was the multitalented, Kerry Goode, who was assisted in the many styles of dancing from Riverdance to Charleston by Colleen Bradford and Isabella Bourgalt. The performers seemed at home with all of the techniques, giving flawless presentations. The wardrobe mistresses, Jackie Campbell and Narelle Borbely produced plain cotton dresses with paper nylon petticoats, through to sumptuous 1920s numbers and colourful Mexican. The old larrikin s beige number, to the trouper s uniform. A massive amount of work.

5 Musical director, Kendra Smith had to guide the large cast through several genres including ballads, country and western, then with a love song for good measure. Kendra also accompanied the performers on electric keyboard, with just the correct level of volume and a few effects thrown in. Our Programme for 2018 Season 1- The Way of the World by William Congreve directed by Ray Omodei. Not until Oscar Wilde in the late 1800s and Noel Coward in the 1920s has any English playwright rivalled the language of William Congreve s 1700 comic masterpiece, The Way of the World, a baroque gem in the crown of English theatre. It is the greatest Comedy of Manners. Garrick Theatre is graced by the generosity of renowned and venerable director Raymond Omodei who brings to us his fourth production (his first was in 1979) of this quintessence of Restoration Comedy. A master director of the Classics and Modern Classics, Raymond has professionally directed across Australia for almost fifty years, and was for many of them Artistic Director of the Hole in the Wall Theatre in Leederville, Subiaco and Northbridge, being awarded a WA Citizen of the Year Award for his contribution to the Arts in 1982 and given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Equity Guild in William Congreve s The Way of the World is a witty, biting tale of treachery, trickery, lust for control and fortune, revenge, adultery, jealousy yet ultimately of love, acceptance and justice. Its characters are the idle and titled rich, recently freed from the strictures of Puritanism, charged by creative exuberance in a new world in which prodigality is the manifestation of generosity. And it s especially a new world for women. The plot, and the plottings, are complicated. Mirabell, the play s hero, wants to marry Millamant, but her aunt, Lady Wishfort opposes the match and so, at the gambling table, does the intricate scheming begin For all involved this production is a massive challenge, demanding of talents and resources. Almost all of its 15 male and female characters wear a wig - often of almost preposterous proportions together with costumes which display their immense wealth. We have been fortunate to gain the support of John Curtin College of the Arts and the West Australian Opera Company, together with the remarkable talents of Liddy Reynolds, Marjorie de Caux and others to realise an opulent visual feast from Raymond Omodei s costume designs, embraced by Jake Newby s minimalist set and lighting. Close study and rehearsal of Raymond Omodei s revised script began in early November and will continue on-stage throughout January and February for the play s March 1 opening. The cast, initially somewhat daunted by the particularities of the Eighteenth Century dialogue, have devoted up to three sessions a week, and have, unsurprisingly, grown to love

6 its elegance, rhythms, syntax, cadences and great good humour. It is easy to see that their risks of stepping so deeply into unchartered theatrical fields will bring immense rewards as actors and for Garrick audiences. Season Lunches by Leo W Sears, Jack Sharkey directed by Les Lee. Audition Notice Sat January 20 10am 2pm, Sunday 21 January 10am 12 noon. 100 LUNCHES by Jack Sharkey and Leo W Sears Directed by 1 st time Garrick director Les Lee May June Lunches is a full length play set in New York which is currently scheduled to be presented as season 2 from the 24 th May to 9 th June On stage characters are required Males - 3 required Charlton Reynolds successful writer of stage mysteries years Terry Reynolds Charlton s son years Waiter(s) - to play 7 different characters any age Females - 3 required Charity Starr Newspaper theatre critic 25 35years Yolanda Weintraub sexy, predatory neighbour years Glinda Bellows Charlton s housekeeper years old Please note ages given are an indication only and are characters ages. Rehearsals will not commence until March 2018 at the earliest Any members interested in appearing on stage or working behind the scenes are urged to register their interest by to leslie.lee@westnet.com.au or by calling Les on Season 3 Beyond a Joke by Derek Benfield directed by Andrew Watson Season 4 Silver Lining by Sandi Toksvig directed by Dale James Season 5 Red Riding Hood directed by Anita Bound Members Corner We welcome new members Anne Templeman and Megan West. December birthdays include; Deidi Brajkovich, Christine Crossley, Beryl Davis, Arthur Evans, Peter Gilberthorpe, Kerry Goode, Monica Hanson, Anna Head, Pat Higgins, Shirley Ingram, Evan Stickells, Ray Park, Brenda Pullan, Enid Reitze, Emmanuel Royan, Joan Scafe, Sheila Seal, Patryk Smith Congratulations to Terry and Barbara Brown on the birth of their second grand-daughter Ella Get well wishes go out to Maureen Harvie from everyone at Garrick

7 More photos from Cocky s Crossing Club Responsibilities will appear in the next newsletter - ed

8 The New Garrick Gazette PO Box 122 GUILDFORD 6935 Western Australia Print Post Approved POST PRINT PP485 POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA Garrick Theatre Bookings are now on-line. Book online for Garrick Theatre productions through Trybooking. Please visit: for more information. DIARY DATES Saturday 21 January 10am Auditions 100 Lunches