REHEARSED PLAYREADING AT THE ZAMIA   

 "The Reading" a script by Ian Jones and directed by Ian Young.

At the gateway to heaven four people reflect how they got there and wonder what happens next.  This comedy is a short play written by the man who wrote the scripts for The Sullivans, the first Homicide series and Matlock Police.  Ian Jones was awarded the Longford Life Time Achievement Award by the AFI in December 2006.

 We are also lucky to have four great actors.  Liam Mathers is well known to TMLT and is currently starring in "Don't Dress for Dinner" at the Zamia theatre.

 John Rees-Osborne has just directed Gold Coast Little Theatre's "Arsenic and Old Lace" and has appeared in hundreds of plays in his long years in theatre.  

 Ruth Henderson is currently Chair of the Production Committee at Gold Coast Little Theatre and is regarded as one of the very best comedic actors on the coast.  Her partner David Edwards has appeared in many productions at GC Little Theatre, Javeenbah Theatre and many others.  He also made a name for himself in a long running series of ads on television.  They have recently moved to Tamborine Mountain and look forward to being involved with TMLT in the future.

 All the actors will be joining us after the show to enjoy a drink and a chat so this will be a chance for TMLT members to mix with some experienced actors from other groups.  It will be a cabaret style seating arrangement so bring any drinks and nibbles you choose for a relaxed, informal, fun night.

 Saturday, 14 August, 7.30pm for an 8pm performance.

Don't Dress for Dinner

This hilarious French farce opens on Friday 16th July at 8.00 pm and runs Saturday 17th, Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th, Friday 30th and Saturday 31st July with a matinee on Saturday 24th July at 2.30 pm.

Booking and payment can be made by sending a cheque to Warrick Bailey at 260 Beacon Road, North Tamborine 4272 and made out to Tamborine Mountain Little Theatre or by ringing 55450819 10 am to 4 pm, or by emailing your request for tickets to workingoptions1@bigpond.com. This is the easier option.

The first three rows are our comfortable deckchairs so if you want these get your  booking in fast.

To assist you in your payment you can now directly debit your account and deposit directly into the theatre’s account at the National Bank 084 835 account number 02838 7331. This can be done through the internet if that is how you normally pay your bills. Please make sure that you fill in your remitter name so we can reserve your tickets.  Looking forward to having you with us at the Zamia.

p.s.  wear your winter woolies and bring a cushion and rug as we don't have any heating.  There wasn't enough money after restoring the building and we have lots of priorities  to do such as fitting out dressing rooms, getting a storage shed, buying a cinema projector and so on.

We do now have a fitted out kitchen so you can buy a hot cuppa to help warm you up !.

Bernard (Jacqueline's husband): Liam Mathers

Jacqueline (Bernard's wife & Robert's lover): Cath Buckley

Robert (Bernard's friend and Jacqueline's lover): John St Clair

Suzette (The cook): Kay Nunn

Suzanne (Bernard's mistress): Danee Lindsay

George (Suzette's husband): Gavin Jobson

Director: Warrick Bailey

Production dates: Friday and Saturday: Evening performances: July 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 & 31 at 8.00 pm & a Matinee on Saturday 24 July at 2.30 pm. 

Bookings: Phone 5545 0819 between 10 am and 4 pm weekdays only Details can be found on the Tickets page.

Tickets: $15, concessions $12 

Please note that seating will be in rows, not at tables.

Battle of the Bench

Locals and tourists visiting the picnic grounds of Knoll National park over the last few Saturdays have been treated to some theatre in the wild. 

Members of the Tamborine Mountain Little Theatre have been using the park to rehearse the closing scene of Battle Scarred Phallic Wounds, one of the three plays to be performed at the Zamia Theatre in April (see ad for booking details).

Set in a local park, the scene pits Roy (played by Liam Mathers) and Maryanne (played by Margie Turner) in a running battle of the sexes, competing over the right to sit on the park bench. 

Having left work early from her crisis line counselling office, Maryanne has arrived in the park and seated herself on the bench.  Roy then arrives to find her, sitting there, on “his bench”: the only spot in the world where he finds some solitude and peace.

He’s waiting for her to leave so he can be left alone in his loneliness. She’s waiting to meet somebody, because nobody ever comes.  Neither is willing to budge.  The comedy and conflict that follow exposes the frustrations of each and the loneliness they both battle with, day after day. 

By the setting of the sun, all is said and done.

The Knoll national park has proven to be a great rehearsal venue for the actors.  Working in the park gives them the chance to tune their acting choices to the reality of the circumstances, and to bring those choices into the theatre, making the performance all the more real.  In addition, rehearsing the scene as picnic, bush walking and sightseeing public come and go, gives the actors the challenge of making sure they stay focussed and “play on”, regardless of the distractions of real life going on around them. (Bush turkeys and goannas included!)

Best of all was the fact that up to a dozen passersby chose to stop, sit and watch the scene until it played out to its end.  Capturing an impromptu audience, and receiving their applause, made it even more worthwhile.  The feedback from the audience; even from those who came half way through or later, was insightful and validated the themes of the play the actors were hoping to get across.

The cast will continue to rehearse there each Saturday at midday, weather permitting, until the end of March.  So if you would like to sneak a peek preview and catch some theatre in the raw, bring a blanket and stroll on down to the Knoll.

This article can also be found on the TMLT Facebook site.

And the clock is ticking.....

With only a week to go, the cast and crew of the Tamborine Mountain Little Theatre production:     “A Night of One Act Plays”, are racing against the clock.

Seen here in a candid snap are (left to right) Margie Turner, Pam Marsh, Danee Lindsay and Sharna Piper.  Two of them are trying to remember their lines while the other two are trying to remember which of the three plays they are rehearsing!

Meanwhile, somewhere else on the mountain, our composer is wrangling the ivory of a grand piano, coaxing the notes of an original score through sound recording equipment, generously donated by a local mountain sound engineer (you know who you are!)

Last Sunday (the morning after the Ritzy Sisters raised the Zamia roof, again, fabulous as ever), saw an army of worker bees descend on the Zamia Theatre for the set build, relieved to find their load lightened by the kind generosity of the Tamborine Mountain State High School, who stepped up to lend TMLT their rostra for a thrust stage.  (Don’t know what that means?  Come along to the show and find out!)

The good news is that the pre-recorded scenes of the show have been filmed and edited (thanks to the generous help of The Actors Workshop, a Film and TV College in Brisbane).  They look great and will be projected on the Zamia’s screen through a data projector provided by the Gold Coast Theatre Alliance.

Along with the musical score, the video projection, the sound effects of lightning, thunder and smashing glassware, there are untold lighting cues.  So TMLT have engaged a Y-Gen (or is it I-Gen?) technician to make sure it all goes off to plan.

And Max, our master painter, has freshened up the TMLT banner for proud display down Main Street, so if you see it hanging from the trees, when next you amble down the boulevard, you know we are running to schedule!

If you think this article is busy, wait till you read the “Thank You” column in the show’s program!

So make sure you come along to see the result of all this effort and share a sigh of relief when it all comes together!  Remember, it’s a mix of the tried and true, with a generous dollop of the brand new: something for everybody.  See you there.

Book by phoning 5545 3631, or purchase tickets from the Zamia Box Office between 10:30am and Midday, Saturdays, until sold out!

LATE ENTRY – One of three Comedy One-Act Plays by Tamborine Mountain Little Theatre

As part of the evening of three one act comedies Brian Franklin will be bringing another David Tristram script to the stage. Brian has made a bit of a speciality of producing David Tristram comedies the last few years. This latest is a one act play for just two talented actors.

The Scene is the local Amateur Dramatics festival and Sarah Raymond is presenting her One Woman play for scrutiny b y the festival Adjudicator. Things are not going  well!

Sarah is played by Cathy Buckley and the Adjudicator is John St Clair.

With only two weeks to go to the opening the production is on track. Both actors know their lines and are comfortly getting into their characters. Luckily the play only requires the most basic props and set and at this stage only some costume issues are outstanding.

TMLT looks forward to presenting this play. We recently found out that our production is the first in Australia so this will be the Australian première.

Tickets: $15 & $12 conc. Available from the Zamia Box Office every Saturday morning 10.30 – Noon from this week or phone 5545 3631.

http://abscan.org/

TO ENLARGE PICTURES, RIGHT CLICK THEN SELECT VIEW IMAGE

Yes, folks, your eyes are not deceiving you, on our final night all tickets for Nil By Mouth were sold out and as we had so many extra people at the door, we let them in although they could only sit on separate chairs as all the tables were full. 

The audience response has been extremely encouraging, so much so that we are possibly going to have an opportunity to do it all over again in July.  Nothing has been finalised, but when it is you will read all about it here; so if you are one of those who missed out on seeing the show, check back on this site to find out when and where you can see it again.

 If you did see it and enjoyed it, perhaps you would like to comment on it on the blog page of this website.

Barbara 16 May 2009

The show is continuing with its success; the matinee and Saturday evening show was very well received, with the audience really participating with much applause and encouragement to the cast.

We are all looking forward to our final performances on Friday and Saturday; there are a few tickets left, so, if you haven't been to see it yet, or even if you have, why not come along and have some fun?

For details go to the Current Production page on this website.

The show is continuing with its success; the matinee and Saturday evening show was very well received, with the audience really participating with much applause and encouragement to the cast.

We are all looking forward to our final performances on Friday and Saturday; there are a few tickets left, so, if you haven't been to see it yet, or even if you have, why not come along and have some fun?

For details go to the Current Production page on this website.

                                              Photo: Graham Lassiter

For further details check the Current Production page