Issue 3 2022
Image credits:
Joy Sweeney
Marisa Newnes
Jan McLachlan
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
“Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.”
— Paul Theroux
From the President
We are back in full swing at Pymble Players and there are several positive strategic news items to report.
License Tenure
As covered in the previous Noises Off, our current license to use the theatre, hall and storage facilities expires at the end of this calendar year. Also, the Pymble Chapel has closed down.
I am now delighted to advise that we have secured an extension of tenure for at least 2023 and 2024. During the next two years we will continue dialogue with the Uniting Church Presbytery in planning beyond 2024. We are looking forward to the remainder of this, our 65th year and beyond with renewed commitment and enthusiasm.
Technical Upgrades
Given this degree of certainty, we have commenced an exciting technical upgrade in the theatre to further enhance our already high-quality production capabilities. This includes a new lighting console, computer, and software to run both lighting and sound systems. This state-of-the-art platform is being funded from our John Howitt bequest. John loved the theatricality of lights and sound, so we believe he would be well pleased.
Thanks go to Rob White, Geoff Jones, and our technical team with special thanks to Casey Moon-Watton and Wayne Chee who volunteered their valuable technical expertise to this project.
Moonlight and Magnolias
This splendid production closed on 3 July and was an outstanding success by any measure. Despite some Covid reluctance, we achieved 90% audience capacity, and the audiences were treated to top-class performances which received excellent patron response and glowing reviews (see link to Reviews later in this Noises Off).
The Hayward Hall makeover (AKA the ‘mood room’) was a pleasant surprise for patrons who found it theatrical and welcoming. Our wonderful front of house staff all entered into the spirit of the transformation which was created by (who else) Joy Sweeney.
Hearty congratulations to Director Joy and her very professional cast and crew. Frankly, we all did give a damn!
2023 Season
Planning is underway for a return to a four-play season in 2023 and the resumption of subscription bookings after a pandemic induced break of three years. Further details regarding the 2023 Season announcement and Introduction are covered later in this Noises Off.
A big thank you to Wendy Morton and her Play Selection team.
Bloody Murder
Our final play for 2022 is Bloody Murder directed by Margaret Olive. Written by Ed Sala, the play is a delicious, clever, well-crafted comedy. A witty, pacey send-up that brings to life characters that surprise and delight, twisting and turning along the corridors of a malevolent mansion.
Margaret directs a top-notch cast, with the support of a quality production crew. Further information with cast and crew details are in this Noises Off and on the PP website.
This play is not to be missed!! General bookings open on 7 September. See you all there!
Warren Blood
President
IT’S A WRAP! – 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
Moonlight and Magnolias finally said farewell to Scarlett, Rhett, Ashley and all the colourful characters of the Deep South on Sunday 3 July.
We celebrated with a ‘lavish’ after show party for cast and crew in the ‘mood room’ previously known as Hayward Hall. Hopefully a good time was had by all.
This production was an absolute thrill to be part of from the very beginning. A cast that was not only brilliant but heaps of fun, a wonderful and creative tech crew, dedicated stage managers and great front of house. And, even better, we were able to get through all rehearsals and performances with no bad flu or Covid – but that was just darn good luck!!
A special thanks to our audiences who braved the elements and epidemics to support us, and even gave us a couple of standing ovations!
So as the sun finally sets over Tara and we all dissipate into our hum drum lives, all I can say is – it was great fun and ‘Fiddle de Dee’!
Joy Sweeney
OUR NEXT PLAY – BLOODY MURDER
By Arrangement With ORiGiN™ THEATRICAL, On behalf of Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois
5-30 October 2022
Written by: Ed Sala
Directed by: Margaret Olive
A group of the typical British murder-mystery types gather for a weekend retreat at a sumptuous country estate. Suddenly one of them dies.
‘We’re always at one of these little gatherings, aren’t we? Someone is always murdered in some foul and nefarious way. Every time. Without fail. It completely ruins the party’.
As the laughs and the bodies pile up, is this another formulaic Agatha Christie type murder mystery? Or is it something diabolically different?
At their first play reading L-R Top: Todd Beilby, Tim Burt, Liz Lynch, Dianne Stinson (Set Decorator)
Bottom: Dave Kirkham, Sandra Bass, Margaret Olive (Director), Faith Jessel
Diary Date
Final Dress Rehearsal – 8pm Monday 3 October 2022
Pymble Players extends an invitation to all financial and Life members to come to the Final Dress Rehearsal of Bloody Murder at 8pm on Monday 3 October.
2023 SEASON INTRODUCTION
With our happy return to a four-play subscription season for next year, we are changing things up a little in the way we launch the 2023 Season. This year the Season will be announced online in mid-October – keep an eye on our website or Facebook page or in the mail if you are a previous subscriber! We will then be introducing the directors and their plays to our members and the community at the 2023 Season Introduction which will be held on Wednesday 2 November at 7pm at Pymble Players Theatre. This is an opportunity to meet the directors, sample the plays and see if there is an opportunity for you to get involved either on stage or behind the scenes. Further information about the evening will be published closer to time. We look forward to seeing you there.
Wendy Morton – Chair, Play Selection Committee
WARDROBE OVERHAUL
On Saturday 23 July, we had our first wardrobe clean-up in a while. For Covid-19 reasons we haven't been able to hold this event for several years and due to the enormous size of this operation we decided to break it down into stages. As it was raining initially, we opted to tackle the crates only at this stage. Our lovely volunteers included Jan McLachlan, Liz Lynch, Kevin Green, Joy and Tom Sweeney, Jill Klopfer, Rob White and Ian Ackland. We sorted, carted, rearranged, emptied, and refilled crates. Joy was on wig duty, Jan put on several hats, Jill sweated it out with the pullovers and Tom made sure that the shoe fits! All others were there to ensure that the process went as smoothly as possible. Rob and Ian were on hand to help with the in-between jobs such as measuring up for shelving and storing the crates in the back room of the hall where they will remain for a few weeks until the wardrobe has been fitted with new shelves. I would like to say a big thank you to all those who attended and to those who would have been there had Covid-19 not come to town, you know who you are! There will be another opportunity to help when crates need to be taken back up to the wardrobe as well as sorting the racks of clothing at a future date. A very big and special thank you to Melissa Abraham who spent some hours with her gurney to clean the pathways which ensured the safety of all those who helped during the day. Melissa paved the way for us!
Marisa Newnes, AKA Wardrobe Mistress
MEMBERS’ NEWS
Ian Ackland
What are your roles in the PP Committee?
Currently I am the Property Manager, looking after the site in terms of maintenance requirements, as well as Pymble Players’ materials storage and equipment for set construction.
What is your performance/theatrical background?
Late teens in the chorus for Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance; at university I had several speaking roles in the musical 1066 and All That and a character role (Harrison Howell) in Kiss Me Kate. After a hiatus of about 18 years, I joined Engadine Musical Society and had roles in Oklahoma and Finian’s Rainbow as well as set building for these shows and Carousel and Fiddler on the Roof. At about the same time I joined Willoughby Musical Society (now Willoughby Theatre Company) as backstage crew for Charlie Girl and stayed on to build sets and fly them (learning the ropes in reality) and then got involved with lighting from a follow spot operator to board operator and lighting designer until the closure of the Bailey Hall at Chatswood. Then I joined Pymble Players initially to help with the lights for Travelling North and I have been here ever since, then as a lighting and sound operator (bio-box) and then set construction. My first set design was for Calendar Girls and I have been involved with design and/or set building for Benefactors, The Odd Couple (Female Version), The Peach Season, The Shoe-Horn Sonata, Pack of Lies, Blithe Spirit, Building Blocks, Moonlight and Magnolias and currently Bloody Murder.
What is/was your occupation?
I am a qualified engineer in the fields of chemical and environmental engineering, and now while semi-retired I undertake management consulting work for business improvement.
What would you like PP to look like in five years?
To have more active members, particularly being involved in the technical aspects of productions and plenty of diversity in age and ethnic background, so that we have a future to look forward to.
Who have been some of your professional/personal role models?
A key professional role model was my great-uncle, who as an Emeritus Professor of Metallurgy was still working part-time at university until shortly before his death at 96. Other role models include Sir John Monash and Gough Whitlam, for what they did, or tried to do (in Gough’s case) for Australia.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Nothing. The young will not heed any advice given and will still have to learn by hard experience.
What would be your theme song?
I don’t really have a theme song that is not R-rated (by KBW or Dennis Leary), unless it is “Can we build it? Yes, we can!”.
Tell us about your achievements (theatrical/performance and/or personal).
My main achievement is having survived so long as I have, despite everything and having outlasted many others of my generation of early baby boomers. Other achievements include completion of post-grad degrees part-time while working and being a member of a Board, which introduced and managed a professional certification program for environmental practitioners.
Save the Date
PP’s Christmas ‘Mingle’ Party - Wednesday 7 December 2022
Financial members and Life members, please put this date in your diary now.
Let’s get together and celebrate. Look out for further information closer to time!
ACTORS REQUIRED
St John’s Anglican Church, Gordon is celebrating its sesquicentenary with a Walk Through History presented by actors who sit, perch or stand beside a grave at St John’s cemetery to relate a potted history of the interred person as people gather to listen. Script in hand – no lines to learn! One rehearsal the week prior at a time that is convenient for actors. Solo performances with multiple readings in an outdoor setting.
Walk Through History at St Johns Anglican Church
Address: 754 Pacific Highway Gordon
Date/Time: Sunday 30 October 2022, approx 9am to 11am
Contact: Jan McLachlan janmclachlan@bigpond.com for further information
In 2013 PP members met to honour John Bradfield, Australian engineer best known as the chief proponent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge of which he oversaw both the design and construction. Photo: Jan McLachlan
ACTORS AWAY
Woy Woy Little Theatre’s Flash Festival 2022 – 6 short plays written, directed, and performed by local artists will include The King is Dead directed by Sarah Lovesy. An hilarious romp about three of the Kingdom’s advisors who all think they should be next in line for the throne.
Performance dates:
23 September 8.00pm
24 September 2.00pm and 8.00pm
25 September 2.00pm + Awards Presentation.
Tickets: Adults $25 Concession $22
Sarah Lovesy is also now a children’s fiction author of her new book The What if? Kids Beyond the Attic published by Bumblebee Books UK and available through Amazon and later at Dymocks, and Angus and Robinson.
Meet the What if? Kids – Nine-year-old Juniper Chase, his younger sister Dew, his stepbrother River and their very loud purring cat Ludwick, who thinks he is a warrior, and join their incredible adventures when they find a large old brass key in their dusty attic and an invisible keyhole which they can unlock and slide through the portal to another world called Gleesphere. Get ready to go on a journey of your lifetime with three kids and one sassy cat who dare to use their What if? powers for good.
Karen Pattinson takes centre stage in All You Can Carry, a new one-act play that combines humour and emotional honesty to unpack the baggage we carry - both what we take on for others and what we choose to carry ourselves – at the Emerging Artists Sharehouse, Erskineville Town Hall as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. Featuring with her are Dan Ferris and Vanessa Merewether.
Written by David Allsopp & Karen Pattinson, and directed by David Allsopp, All You Can Carry asks how we can unravel the knots within our relationships and lighten the load that life can sometimes be.
Ash has always taken care of things - for all and sundry. But are the seams of her oversized baggage starting to split? With her closest relationships becoming as taut as a wire, it’s no wonder she's feeling the strain. In a world where strength and a ‘can-do’ attitude are so highly valued, can she find space for vulnerability? One Saturday afternoon her life gets unzipped in a way she never saw coming…and it might just be the very mess she needs.
All You Can Carry by David Allsopp & Karen Pattinson
Emerging Artists Sharehouse – The Living Room, Erskineville Town Hall
Season: 30 August to 3 September 2022
Performance schedule: Tue – Sat 9:15pm
Ticket prices: $22 Full, $20 Concession
Bookings: www.sydneyfringe.com from 1 August 2022
Facebook: allyoucancarry
Instagram: allyoucancarry_play
Karen Pattinson is also currently in rehearsals for the lead role of Penny in The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race by Melanie Tait, directed by Bernard Teuben – a sparkling comedy about change and how we see our future – at Castlehill Players, Pavilion Theatre, Doran Drive, Castle Hill – 23 September to 15 October. Bookings: TicketSearch Online
David Allsopp co-starred as Andrew Makepeace Ladd III in Love Letters by A.R Gurney, for Elanora Players on 19-21 August. He will also be seen in their next production Moon Over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig in October along with Wendy Knight. Head to their website for tickets: https://elanoraplayers.com.au/current-productions/
Christopher Clark appeared as Robert in Theatre at Chester’s play Proof by David Auburn directed by Amy Lawler 31 July to 20 August. Chris, (as he has done in the past) parachuted in at the last minute to replace an existing cast member. He literally had three rehearsals then Boom! Opening night! Well done, Chris – Super-Sub!
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