In this issue:

From the President

Blithe Spirit – Finally bump-out!

Building Blocks – 2022

Actors Away

Christmas Party for Members

Reminiscing

From the President

Dear Present and Past Members

Welcome back to ‘near normal’! In our previous newsletter, we announced that our next play, Building Blocks, would be onstage right now. Regrettably, Covid had other ideas and the play again had to be postponed. Our thanks to the entire production team who have persisted with rehearsals and set construction.

We can now announce that Building Blocks season will run from 9 February to 5 March 2022. All performance dates are elsewhere in this newsletter. This touching and hilarious comedy will give us all a great way to kick-off the new year, opening to capacity audiences. Bookings will be open to the general public on 19 January 2022.

As a reminder, our plans for 2022 are as follows:

• Building Blocks – 9 February.

• Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson and Bloody Murder by Ed Sala.

• No subscription season with performance dates for the remaining two plays to be announced during 2022 on a play-by-play basis.

• Reward the loyalty of our subscribers and patrons with affordable flat ticket pricing, group concessions and continuing our whole of theatre arrangements for community fundraising.

We are looking forward to welcoming you all to the February/March season of Building Blocks. It will be a hoot!!

Best regards

Warren Blood
President

BLITHE SPIRIT – Finally bump-out!

Blithe Spirit cast and crew finally bumped out of the theatre and dressing rooms in mid-October following the cancellation of the last four performances in June and then four months’ lockdown due to Covid-19. It was nevertheless a successful, sell-out season. The bump-out day was highlighted by the celebration of three recent birthdays – Director Sarah and cast members Iwona and Dan.

Building Blocks – 2022

9 February - 5 March 2022

Written by: Bob Larbey
Directed by: Rob & Leah White

Bookings will open to the general public on 19 January 2022. Check out the website www.pymbleplayers.com.au for full details and performance dates. Early bird booking dates will be offered again to our 2020 subscribers and large groups.

The cast of Building Blocks and Directors Rob and Leah White hit the road running with morale boosting Zoom rehearsals when, one week into their face-to-face rehearsals in late June, New South Wales went into lockdown due to Covid-19.

Rob and Leah’s directorial debut at Pymble Players was the 2019 dark comedy Natural Causes by Eric Chappell. For those of you who know them, you would realise that the Whites do most things together. Co-directing with one another, they feel, is an easy task utilising each other’s different yet complementary strengths. They have co-directed and acted in several plays together at various theatres in Sydney since 1995. This includes Sutherland Theatre, Chester Street, Genesian Theatre, Short+Sweet, and in recent years Pymble Players where they feel they have been made very welcome.

Leah now prefers to direct rather than act because remembering lines has become too stressful. And not always is there the opportunity to perform with Rob who will often get her out of trouble when she forgets her lines. She is always amused when Rob remembers dialogue for entire plays, is able to ‘rescue’ his fellow actors when they have forgotten their lines yet can’t remember what she told him a week ago!

Rob and Leah are grateful to the PP ‘behind the scenes’ teams who help make all the performances possible – the Play Selection Committee, PP Committee, set construction and designers, wardrobe, sound and lighting, publicity, photography, box office, stage manager, front of house and of course their talented cast for their unconditional help and support.

Linda Young will be performing the role of Ruth in Castle Hill Players’ Entertaining Angels by Richard Everett directed by Jennifer Willison 21 January – 12 February 2022. Geoff Jones is Sound Designer & Sound Operator.

Jennifer Willison has directed many times for PP –   Enchanted April by Matthew Barber (2016), Snake in the Grass by Alan Ayckbourn (2015), Away by Michael Gow (2013), and Arsenic & Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring (2011) amongst others.

Originally scheduled to open on 30 July 2021 and postponed due to Covid-19 lockdowns, Entertaining Angels will kick off 2022 for Castle Hill Players. Visit www.paviliontheatre.org.au to make your bookings.

David Allsopp’s short new play Buried Treasure is appearing as part of Short+Sweet Sydney 2021. Written by David Allsopp and Jacqui Duncan, and directed by James Brettell, the play stars Jacqui Duncan and David Allsopp.

When:
Thursday 25 November 2021 at 7:30 pm
Saturday 27 November 2021 at 11 am, 2 pm, 5 pm and 8 pm

Where: Tom Mann Theatre, 136 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills.

Bookings: https://www.stagecenta.com/BkShowBooking.aspx?showid=6166

Dan Ferris, David Allsopp, Jan Johnson, Maddy Dart and Ross Alexander recently appeared in a staged play reading of The Importance of Being Earnest for Hunters Hill Theatre on Sunday 14 November.

Cast

CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR MEMBERS

Pymble Players has extended a special invitation to all financial and Life members and their partners to come together to celebrate the joy of Christmas and the finale to an extraordinary year. We look forward to welcoming you to the PP Christmas Party! – Sunday 12 December at 6.30 pm at Gordon Golf Club, 2 Lynn Ridge Avenue, Gordon. If you haven’t booked yet, please contact Geoff Jones, Membership Manager at theatre@pymbleplayers.com.au

REMINISCING

Margaret (Clingan) Wright OAM of Canberra recently wrote to PP of her memory attending the Pymble Methodist Sunday School that is now the Pymble Players Theatre. Here is Margaret’s story of that time:

PP Life member, Director and past President Jan McLachlan spoke earlier this year of her memory of Charles Williams and Geoff Smith, who were PP Life members instrumental in the theatre up-grade in 1995. Here is Jan’s story: