1997 Murder on the Nile

• Production Date: 21 February – 8 March, 1997
• Production Company: API Theatre Company, Brisbane
• Playright: Agatha Christie
• My Role: Assistant Director

One of the great things about being involved with a volunteer-based community theatre group is learning about all aspects of theatre. As much as I loved being on stage, there is so much more that happens behind the scenes that you don’t realise about unless your somehow directly (or indirectly) involved. They say it takes a village to raise a child, well the same can be the same for a theatre show.

The API Theatre Company, like many community theatre groups, was run by a committee usually consisting of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, as well as other important positions filled by its members. From that committee, a sub-committee had been formed for researching and reading plays for the following year’s program. One the plays had been selected, performance rights then needed to be applied for. Back in the early days we didn’t have all the online resources like we do now. Applications could be emailed, but some agencies still required applications to be posted, sometimes faxed, and they would still occasionally reply by snail mail (postage). If the show had already been applied for by another group in your area, or if rights weren’t available for some reason, your application may be rejected and you would have to start again – and sometimes it could be weeks or months before you found this out, so you’d always have to have backups. I remember many conversations over the years about how it would be great it all the theatre groups talked to each other and collaborated on what shows they were applying for, but it was never going to happen. To this day there are still shows being performed not long after another theatre company has performed it, but each group tends to have its own audience anyway so I guess it never really mattered. Today of course it’s much quicker to communicate (at least compared to the late 90s), and application processes can be somewhat easier as you can sometimes see online straight away if rights are available or not, or whom else might be performing a show in your region.

Once the play have been confirmed and rights approved, Directors are then confirmed (although sometimes Directors would submit shows to the committee they were interested in directing), audition notices go out, casting is done and rehearsals begin. Depending on the show, some crew involved earlier in the process than others. Sets and Lighting plots need to be designed, constructed, painted. Props and Costumes need to be sourced or made. And if its a musical that adds a whole other dimension with music and choreography.

I can’t remember if I auditioned for Murder on the Nile, but for some reason I was asked if I would be interested in being Assistant Director for the show. The original Director the theatre had lined up wasn’t available anymore, so another Director was brought in, Laurence Hodge. As this was only my second show, and I was keen to learn more, I agreed – even though I had no idea what an Assistant Director did as we didn’t have one on the last show. Looking back now, I realised I was more of a Production Assistant than an Assistant Director, but it was certainly a great insight into watching the Director’s process and how he worked with the actors on this classic murder mystery drama.

To be honest, I don’t really remember much about the show at all. I don’t even have any photographs. (Phone cameras didn’t exist back then). I do have a vague recollection of some rehearsals, and how the set looked, and how the actors performed, but nothing really stands out that I can tell you about. It wasn’t a bad show (I would have remembered that!) but I guess because my focus was elsewhere, learning about the whole process, I didn’t really notice how good or not the show actually was. The one thing I do remember however, was the flawless French accent that actor, Julia Drake, had during the show. I had always been fascinated with accents from a young age, and would often get in trouble for ‘mimicking’ other people’s accents. Sometimes I didn’t even realise I was doing it. I guess that was my performing passion coming out even though my father kept telling me it was rude! I did start to be more careful, but when I was by myself I would sometimes practice talking with an accent I had heard that day. A minor talent that I would discover as somewhat useful in the future.

CAST: Beth Flattly, Brian Delany, Mary Cuthbert, Angela Forsberg, John Peek, Julia Tywanek, Kevin Burgess, Susan Hall, Tama Matheson, Ross Coombes, Julia Drake, Laurence Hodge.

CREW: Laurence Hodge (Director), Andy Wood (Stage Manager), Justin Mulligan (Lighting & Sound), Jill Alsop (Costumes), Brian Mung, Lilian Harrington, Melanie Waters, Ian Bielenberg, Brian Vaughan, Gary Courtenay, Andy Wood, Steve Travers, Tina Meikle, Ann Sparks, Margaret Hayes.