Issue 1 2022
Image credits:
Allan Rowsell
Leah White
Sarah Lovesy
Contact us:
Our mailing address
Pymble Players Inc.
PO Box 203, St Ives 2075
E: theatre@pymbleplayers.com.au
W: pymbleplayers.com.au
F: facebook.com/PymblePlayers
‘To enter a theatre for a performance is to be inducted into a magical space, to be ushered into the sacred arena of the imagination’.
— Simon Callow
From the President
Dear Present and Past Members
My welcome back to ‘near normal’ in the previous newsletter turned out to be wishful thinking due to Covid. Building Blocks finally made the stage on 9th February. This delightful comedy was a hit with our audiences and, despite some Covid hesitancy, kicked off 2022 on a happy note. Congratulations to Co-Directors Rob and Leah White and to the cast and crew for staging this outstanding production. Excellent reviews of Building Blocks are on our website, see link in this newsletter.
An historic event took place at the Pymble Chapel and Hayward Hall on 27th February. This event was a final service of thanksgiving for, and celebration of, the life and witness of Pymble Chapel 1879-2022. So, after 143 years of congregation, Pymble Chapel – ‘The small Chapel with the big heart’ – has closed down. The occasion was attended by a full house including PP Life members Jan McLachlan, Reg Lunn, Rene Bartel, and PP members Peter Wright, Graham Boswell, Jill Klopfer, Bronwyn Watkins and myself. It marked the winding up of a long PP relationship with the Chapel and congregation which included retiring Chapel Chair of Congregation, Barbara Coupe, a PP Life Member and former PP President. Our direct contact with the Uniting Church will now be with the Sydney Central Coast Presbytery.
Back to productions and we are excited to confirm that Moonlight and Magnolias will perform from 8th June to 3rd July. Auditions have taken place and the play has been cast for this hilarious insight into the five madcap days that brought a Hollywood classic to the screen. Directed by Joy Sweeney this is a must-see show! Hopefully by June we can return to ‘normal’ and fully utilise our premises during the run. Our final play of the year will be the murder-mystery-comedy Bloody Murder by Ed Sala to be performed during October – exact dates to be announced.
Finally, we are approaching Annual General Meeting time and the formal notice will be sent to members in the coming days. It will be held on 5th April as a combination of both a virtual and in person meeting.
Warren Blood
President
Pymble Chapel 1879-2022 Farewell
IT’S A WRAP – BUILDING BLOCKS
By Arrangement with ORiGiN™ Theatrical on Behalf of Samuel French A Concord Theatricals Company.
9 February – 5 March 2022
Written by: Bob Larbey
Directed by: Rob & Leah White
How excited we all were to have full houses towards the end of our Building Blocks season! It capped off a year of struggle to get the play on stage due to the pandemic. With Covid also looming over the cast, we think we didn’t fare too badly! However, if needed, Rob (Co-Director) was always at the ready to jump into any of the casts’ costumes – tradie outfit, David’s suit or even Mary’s dresses.
Building Blocks is a delightful comedy with humorous, and touching and gentle moments, and the play ends leaving the audience feeling good – mission accomplished!
As Co-Directors, whilst we hand over ‘our baby’ to the stage manager, we still attend every performance and remain very much involved with the cast – supporting them and ready to assist the production team if needed.
We’ve come to the end of Building Blocks, and it’s very bittersweet – more bitter than sweet. This coming weekend we dismantle our beloved set, another pulling of the heartstrings moment.
We sincerely have had a ball putting Building Blocks together and next month would have been one year of diligent work with our fabulous and very talented cast. We hope you enjoyed Building Blocks as much as we enjoyed bringing it to the stage.
Rob and Leah White
FINALLY! BLITHE SPIRIT AFTER-PARTY
A big thank you to Pymble Players! After ten months we managed to get together for the Blithe Spirit cast after-party and a wonderful time was had by one and all. It was great to have the ritual of finalizing the wonderful play we all worked so hard to bring to life on the PP stage.
Sarah Lovesy, Director
OUR NEXT PLAY – MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS
By Arrangement with ORiGiN™ Theatrical on Behalf of Samuel French A Concord Theatricals Company.
8 June – 3 July 2022
Written by: Ron Hutchinson
Directed by: Joy Sweeney
Legendary Hollywood producer David O. Selznick has a problem. Five weeks into shooting Gone with the Wind he has fired a clueless director and the script needs to be completely rewritten in five days or the production will shut down! The writer he wants has never read the novel. The replacement director has to be called away from the set of The Wizard of Oz.
The three men, supported by Selznick’s assistant, frantically work to craft one of the most beloved screenplays of all time.
An hilarious insight into the five madcap days that brought a Hollywood classic to the screen.
Cast
| David O. Selznick | Murray Fane |
| Victor Fleming | Clive Hobson |
| Ben Hecht | Des Harris |
| Miss Poppenghul | Sarah Dolan |
Production Team
| Director | Joy Sweeney | |
| Assistant to the Director | David Allsopp | |
| Stage Managers | Melanie Brooker and Helen Williams | |
| Lighting Design | Casey Moon-Watton | |
| Sound Design | Geoff Jones | |
| Set Design | Joy Sweeney and Ian Ackland | |
| Set Construction | Ian Ackland (Manager) and team | |
| Wardrobe | Joy Sweeney | |
| Props and Set Dressing | Wendy Walker | |
| Choreography | Janina Hammerlock, Clive Hobson (Fight Choreography) | |
| Production Liaison | Warren Blood | |
| Publicity | Bronwyn Watkins | |
| Front of House | Jill Klopfer (Manager) | |
| Photography | Allan Rowsell | |
| Box Office | Linda Young (Manager) |
Diary Date Member Night and Final Dress Rehearsal – Monday 6 June 2022
CALLING ALL DIRECTORS FOR PYMBLE PLAYERS 2023 SEASON
The Pymble Players Play Selection Committee (PSC) is now inviting SUBMISSIONS or EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST from directors interested in directing a production for Pymble Players in 2023.
Deadline for submissions or expressions of interest is Friday 29th April 2022.
AGM
The Pymble Players Inc Annual General Meeting 2022 will be held on 5 April 2022. Notice of the AGM will be forwarded to all financial and Life members this week.
ACTORS AWAY
David Allsopp’s short new play Buried Treasure has progressed to the Short+Sweet Sydney Theatre 2021 Crew Cut Semi-Final. Written by David Allsopp and Jacqui Duncan, and directed by James Brettell, the play stars Jacqui Duncan and David Allsopp.
When: Friday 1 April at 7:30pm
Where: Tom Mann Theatre, 136 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills.
LOST/FOUND
A hearing aid was found outside the Pymble Players Theatre on Saturday 26 February just before a matinee performance of Building Blocks. It can be posted or delivered to its owner. Please contact Pymble Players theatre@pymbleplayers.com.au.
CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR MEMBERS
What a wonderful celebration of the joy of Christmas and finale to an extraordinary year for those who came to PPs’ Christmas Party at Gordon Golf Club on Sunday 12 December 2021. Forty-nine attended representing 821 years of membership! PPs’ ‘Gold’ Life members included Barbara Coupe, Jim Steel, Reg Lunn, Gretel Davidson and Rene Bartel who between them accounted for 228 years of PP membership – our hearty congratulations!
REviews
