Racheal - Production Date: 26 September – 04 October, 1997
- Production Company: API Theatre Company, Brisbane
- Playwright: Norman Robbins
- My Role: Major Domo / Ensemble
Children’s theatre is a great way to learn and gain experience when starting out, and pantomime’s can be so much fun! Now I do know that pantomime’s here in Australia can be vastly different to those overseas, in particular in the UK where they seem to appeal to a more adult audience, but my experience here with pantomime’s were always fun, over-the-top shows mainly aimed at a young audience, but always having a few jokes here and there for the adults that the younger one’s don’t quite comprehend yet.
Cinderella was my second pantomime show, where once again I was cast in various ensemble roles, including the every important shoe-carrying Major Domo (the Prince’s Butler). After all, the Prince isn’t going to carry that shoe around and try it on every foot in the county now, is he?
There’s not a lot I remember about the show, or the rehearsals for this one, seeming it was so long ago. I do remember some of the fun performers I got to work with – some for the second time (after Jack and the Beanstalk) and some for the first time, many of which I still keep in contact with today. John Wikman always stands out as the classic, overly-dramatic dame, and I have always enjoyed working with him in the many years since. It’s also always interesting reading back through the programs and remembering the first time I had met some of these now long-time friends, which I had once forgotten. In this show, I met both Fiona Young and Mark Theodossiou. I don’t recall working on another show with Mark since, but I do remember he eventually became an Actor’s Agent (whom I was with for a while) and moved to Sydney. I did work Fiona again, but I don’t believe she performs anymore now. I do often see her crafty posts on Facebook though, so its nice to be able to keep in touch thanks to social media!
CAST: Hayden Fitzpatrick, Suzanne Mawer, Merle Jardine, Ralph Jardine, Sarah Seel, Mark Theodossiou, Heidi Hamblyn, Trevor Jones, Joanne Brown, John Wikman, Jason Maley, Francis O’Connor, Fiona Young, Tyson Hang.
CREW: Carolyn Kinniburgh (Director), Mark & Jenny Sherry (Musical Directors), Heidi Hamblyn (Choreographer), David Rusterholtz (Stage Manager), Brent Holtheimer (Lighting & Sound), Jill Alsop (Costumes), Deborah Rowe, Pat Hamblyn, Leo Bradley, Lilian Harrington, Frank Vandermeer, Fiona Young, Hayden Fitzpatrick, Tyson Hang, David Rusterholtz, John Wikman, Jason Maley.
[…] The American Dream was a one-act play that had already been selected by the API Theatre Company to be performed at the 1997 SEQ festival circuit which usually started around June and finished around October. For this play, however I only had noted we performed three times between June & July 1997 – at the Manly One-Act Evening, the Dalby Drama Festival, and I believe the third was a one-act play night at the API Theatre. Perhaps we hadn’t performed it at more festivals this year due to being involved with the API’s next production, Cinderella. […]
[…] to work with two performers whom I had acted with previously – Fiona Young (whom I met in the Cinderella pantomime) and Darren Lutton (whom I met in The Great American Backstage […]