1996 Jack and the Beanstalk

• Production Date: 14 – 22 December, 1996
• Production Company: API Theatre Company, Brisbane
• Playright: John Morley
• My Role: Ensemble / Vegetable Fairy (Understudy)

I had always wanted to be a performer. I remember watching Shirley Temple on TV when I was about five years old and I wanted to be her when I grew up. Not like her – I wanted to be her. She was amazingly talented, not just being able to act, sing and dance, but she also had the ability to remember not only her own lines but everyone else’s as well! She apparently had a photographic memory, and she would learn lines overnight with her mother, then arrive on set the next day ready to perform. So of course I wanted to be her. And thus started my love for Musical Theatre (along with my mother’s enjoyment of watching Doris Day musicals)!

Despite asking my parents back when I was just starting school to send my photo in to Channel 7 so I could be on TV (they had put a public casting call out), my parents never really took my passion for performing seriously. My father in particular, always tried to get me to think about a more practical career (aka “a real job”) and whilst I did end up in the daily grind workforce, my passion for performing never waned. I did get to go to the occasional Jazz Ballet class (a style which doesn’t really exist anymore), and got to do a couple of performances through school, but I wasn’t really encouraged or able to do anything outside of school – mostly likely due to my parents not being able to afford paying for extra-curricular activities. In primary school I did manage to choreograph some dance moves to Johnny Farhnam‘s hit at the time, Take the Pressure Down, but when I tried to get my friends to perform it no one was really interested in watching it. That left my only performing vice during school being the trumpet, which I played from around Year 5 to Year 11.

It wasn’t until I moved out of home (aged 20) that I was able to finally pursue my passion. My first performance opportunity actually came that same year I moved out of home. My ‘real job’ at the time was with Telstra, and they had a large social club which I became a member of, through which I discovered the API Theatre Company. Started by members of the social club, the theatre group had quite a following and had a number of members outside of the social club circle – many of whom I’m still friends with today – and in the social newsletter, they had put an audition notice in for their Christmas Pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Of course, I absolutely had to audition – despite having no real training in acting, singing or dancing. I had only ever auditioned once before – which was for a theatre sports show in high school, but I didn’t get in. I had no idea what to expect, and I can’t really remember what I did for that audition now. I do remember arriving very early at the theatre in Fortitude Valley. No-one else was there, but as the theatre was in a Telstra building and I was an employee, the guard happily let me go in and wait. I was in awe of this small 150 seat theatre. After a quick look around, I decided to make myself at home on the stage (instead of waiting quietly in the seats like I probably should have!) and as I was probably making some kind of dramatic fool of myself, in walked the Director of the show. I remember feeling embarrassed that I shouldn’t have been up on stage, but that’s about it. I have no recollection of what happened the rest of the audition other than leaving knowing I had been cast in the ensemble of the show.

The Director was Carolyn Kinniburgh, who over the years became my mentor, friend and confidant. She had the most amazing stories too! I told her one day she should write a book! And to this day I am grateful for all the encouragement and guidance she has provided me over the years.

I don’t recall much about the rehearsal process, but I do remember one very brief scary moment in the show at one performance. One of the songs in the show was Puff the Magic Dragon, during which the children in the audience were encouraged to sing along with our friendly green dragon played by Mary Cuthbert. (Our dragon was very popular during the run of the show, and this was before Dorothy the Dinosaur was a household name!) Anyway, this one particular show the children got the wrong idea about joining in and they all started to make their way onto the stage via the stairs either side. We managed to get them all in a line holding hands, however at the end of the song there was a blackout and I remember thinking that I hoped the lighting operator would turn them back on straight away. It felt like ages before they did come back on and all I could feel were little hands pulling as they started to try and walk away in the dark. I’m sure the stage manager was also having a panic attack for the same reason, but thankfully the lights did come on before any misfortune was had, and all children were safely guided back down the stairs to their seats.

I do also remember being asked to understudy the role of the Vegetable Fairy for the show. I was so excited! The performer whom had been cast in the role, Deborah Taylor, worked at Dreamworld and I had been advised that there was going to be a matinee show that she couldn’t do because she had to work. From memory, it was the matinee on the first weekend. I remember arriving early that day so I could prepare and do my makeup only to discover that her work shift had been cancelled and I wasn’t needed to perform after all. I was very disappointed, but that’s showbiz. I think Deborah must have felt sorry for me though, because she let me perform on the final weekend. I can’t remember if it was the matinee or evening show, but I was so happy! Not only was I getting to perform a named role, but I also had my first ever solo song in a show! The show didn’t have set music, so all the songs were well-known songs from popular music or other musical theatre shows. The song I had to sing was Climb Every Mountain (originally from the Sound of Music) which as at the end of Act One when Jack had to climb up the beanstalk. I don’t know how bad my singing was considering I’d never had singing lessons, but no-one complained and it was a children’s pantomime after all so I guess it didn’t really matter. I did go find a singing teacher the following year though, but that’s another story.

CAST: John Wikman, Danny Crump, Jason Maley, Francis O’Connor, Julie McCoy, Ben Kelso, Mary Cuthbert, Angela Forsberg, Jacqui Jones, Mathew Purcell, Terry Moore, Deborah Taylor, Natalie Bloss, Brian Delaney, Heidi Hamblyn, Suzi Patterson, Merle Dinning.

CREW: Carolyn Kinniburgh (Director), Mark Sherry (Musical Director), Angela Forsberg (Choreographer); Georgia Martin (Stage Manager), Jill Alsop (Costumes), Ken Latter (Lighting & Set Design), Nela Vadalma, Terry Moore, Ben Kelso, Ian Bielenberg, Leo Bradley, Corey Sparks, Chantel McIntyre, Peter Cattach, Delma Stormont.