In this issue:

From the President

And That’s A Wrap! – The Spook

Our Next Play – Sweet Road

Upcoming Auditions - The 39 Steps

AGM 2024 – Election of Management Committee

2025 Season Launch at Zenith Theatre – Save the Date!

Community News – Marian Street Theatre Rally

Artists Away

“Great theatre is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to fantasize about a world we aspire to.”

— Willem Dafoe

From the President

Hello again to all PP members and past members – welcome to Issue 3 of Noises Off for 2024.

Our 67th AGM was held on 22 April 2024. A healthy quorum was present, and our respects were paid in memory of recently passed members Renie (Irene) Bartel (Life member) and Sandy van Dijk (former President).

Main agenda items covered:

• Uniting Church proposed sale of our current premises

• Transition to Zenith Theatre, Chatswood

• Treasurers Report

• Special resolution to adopt the updated Constitution

• Election of committee members

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing management committee for their hard work and support over the past year. Running a volunteer organization is truly a team effort and my heartfelt gratitude goes to Linda Young, Geoff Jones, Wendy Morton, Kate Kelly, Tom Sweeney, Ian Ackland, Liz Lynch, Dave Allsopp, Rob White, Leah White, and Bronwyn Watkins.

I am pleased to advise that all current committee members were nominated and elected in accordance with our Constitution.

Since Issue 2 of Noises Off, we have had two main streams of work running in parallel: getting the 2024 shows on the road and working on our transition from our Pymble Theatre to the Chatswood Zenith Theatre for 2025.

We continued our 2024 Season with a high audience attendance for The Spook, directed by Casey Moon-Watton with 91% of capacity which was very pleasing. As always, we are grateful for the ongoing loyalty and support given us by our audience and three Whole of Theatre groups. Rehearsals, set-con and tech are well advanced on our next play, Sweet Road written by Debra Oswald and directed by Rob and Leah White. This show promises to be popular with our audiences and bookings are now open. The final show at our much-loved Pymble Theatre will be The 39 Steps directed by David Allsopp. It is already in the advanced planning stages with auditions scheduled for 22 and 23 July. Please see audition information elsewhere in this newsletter and on our website.

Regarding the Zenith transition project, we are working with the management of Willoughby City Council and of the Uniting Church on a transition strategy for the benefit of all three parties and our audiences. As you can imagine, there is a wide range of tasks to be completed and it is very encouraging to experience the enthusiasm with which your committee and other helpers are taking on this challenging project.

As highlighted elsewhere in this newsletter we will be holding our 2025 Season Launch at the Zenith Theatre on Sunday 15 September at 4.00pm. This will give you all an opportunity to check out our new home and to get a taste of what we are planning for Season 2025. It will also be a great opportunity to socialize and catch up with old friends. Your support and attendance at this event will be greatly appreciated.

Warren Blood
President

AND THAT’S A WRAP! – The SPOOK

By Arrangement with the Licensor, Melissa Reeves, c/- Fran Moore

15 May – 8 June 2024
Written by: Melissa Reeves
Directed by: Casey Moon-Watton

Thanks everyone for your support during The Spook. While on stage (and off) the cast and I were getting maybe a little too into "the party ideal"; there was a small army of people off stage helping to pull everything together and create a late 60’s Bendigo. Thank you hardly seems to cover it...

For me, this experience fulfilled the brief for community theatre, we gave some new people a chance to fall in love with the artform and learn more about their crafts, let some old hands be challenged and maybe fall in love with the process again, and did some Greek accents without channelling Con the fruiterer.

Thanks to the Pymble Players committee for the opportunity – I look forward to the next time!

Casey Moon-Watton, Director

By Arrangement with Cameron’s Management Pty Ltd as agents for the Author

7-31 August 2024
Written by: Debra Oswald
Directed by: Rob and Leah White

In the outback, several stories cross paths on the road, in service stations, in caravan parks and while hitchhiking. Some of the travellers are trying blindly to find their destinations while others are trying to find a highway, any highway, to anywhere. But as their lives interweave and disperse and plans go awry, each of them discovers that the road they are travelling may not always take them where they expected, and if they are lucky, the destination may be more wonderful than any of them could ever have dreamed.

“Life isn’t always made up of dead, straight roads”.

General bookings now open.

Diary Date: Final Dress Rehearsal
8pm, Monday 5 August 2024

Pymble Players extends an invitation to all financial and Life members to come to the Final Dress Rehearsal of Sweet Road at 8pm on Monday 5 August 2024.

UPCOMING AUDITIONS – The 39 Steps

Season: 30 October to 23 November 2024

Tickets available from: 25 September 2024

From the novel by John Buchan, adapted by Patrick Barlow
By Arrangement with ORiGiN™ Theatrical on Behalf of Samuel French A Concord Theatricals Company

Directed by: David Allsopp

Closed Auditions by appointment ONLY, will be held on Monday 22 July and Tuesday 23 July. Callbacks (if required) Thursday 25 July.

4 actors (1 female, 1 male plus 2 who can be either) with stage ages from 20s to 50s. Packed with nonstop laughs, this is a great opportunity for four actors to stretch their comedic skills across more than 100 characters.

Remember, auditions are by appointment only and so registration is essential.

Click below to Download the Audition Pack for full information.

The Pymble Players 67th Annual General Meeting was held on Monday 22 April at 7.30pm. The Minutes of Meeting will be distributed to PP members in due course. At the AGM, the President reported that the following 12 nominations had been received and tabled by the Secretary, one for each of the 12 positions on the committee:

Other committee members: Ian Ackland, David Allsopp, Geoff Jones, Liz Lynch, Tom Sweeney, Bronwyn Watkins, Leah White, and Rob White.

COMMUNITY NEWS – MARIAN STREET THEATRE RALLY

A community rally to support a viable performance space in the Ku-ring-gai area and for Council to restore Marian Street Theatre to its former glory, will be held on Sunday 7 July (in the park alongside the theatre). Don’t miss this event! Bring your blanket/seats and a few snacks and show support for the Marian Street Theatre. 

In the meantime, welcome all to Winterval as part of the Arts and Cultural Festival on Sunday 7 July at 11.30am. For more information and to book a free ticket, please visit the Ku-ring-gai City Council website.

Don’t miss Radio Active Live in their 12th year of performing for you! Diane Abbott is the Director.

Season: Sunday 7 July and Sunday 14 July 2024, 3-5pm at The Hills Lodge (Estate Room). For bookings phone Janelle — 0481 741 440.

Amelia Conway and Daniel Ferris will appear in Home I’m Darling directed by Joy Sweeney at The Theatre on Chester. Tom Sweeney is Assistant Director and Kate Kelly is Stage Manager. Season: 26 July – 17 August 2024.

Christopher Clark and Paula Searle are appearing in Mrs Warren’s Profession at the Pavilion Theatre, Castle Hill. Season: 26 July – 17 August.

Ross Alexander, Brian May and Rawdon Waller will appear in Murder by the Book directed by Margaret Olive at Hunters Hill Theatre. Season: 30 August – 15 September 2024.