August 2001

One Act Plays Open Soon

Esperance Theatre Guild serves you up a Slice of Life at the Bijou Theatre in its season of One Act Plays.

Presenting:
Plaza Suite
by Neil Simon
directed by Roma-Lee Western
Monday to Friday
by Ian Austin
directed by Suzy Abell
Talking Shop
by Colin Thiele
directed by Phil Shelton

Plaza Suite whets the appetite with comedy starring Derek Clarke and Julie-Anne Clark as the parents of the bride, who has locked herself in the toilet whilst guests devour the hors d'oeuvres downstairs.
Monday to Friday is the main course for the show and has an all-female cast of five. Helen Staer, Lynn Cooney, Dimity Franks, Sasha Curnow and Gillian Florisson tell the tale of Damien Arthur, thirty six, chartered accountant, wife, two children, five mistresses!!!!
Talking Shop explodes in your mouth as dessert and has a cast of eleven. Starring Bob Stevens as Grandpa, Esther Parker as Dorothy and Tristan Baldwin as David the play is set in the early 1950's. Ma and Pa have gone to the city (Melbourne), to pick up extra stock for the shop in the rusty old truck. Whilst in town they will be collecting cousin Arthur for a vacation in the country. Everything will be OK because Grandpa is in charge of the shop with lots of hlep from young Dorothy and David.

Performance Dates:
August 10, 11, 17, 18.
Shows start at 8pm

Tickets available NOW at Civic Video.

Adult $10
Concession $6
Group bookings of ten or more $8 p/p

Present your membership card to receive a discount on members' seats.

History Flashback

COSI

Welcome to the Bijou Bulletin’s first History Flashback. In this issue we turn back the clock three years to early 1998. The Bijou Theatre is performing the fabulous Australian play "Cosi" written by Louis Nowra, directed by Lyndel Taylor.
"Cosi" is set in the 1960’s, at a Mental Hospital where electric shock treatment and Lithium are the norm. The hospital employs Lewis, a young university student played by Rob Newton in his stage debut, to direct a play with mental patients as the cast members, in their run-down theatre.
Lewis meets some weird and wonderful patients. Firstly Roy, played by Raleigh Sellars, who believes that his directing abilities rival those of the world’s best. Roy has his heart set on an Italian opera (Cosi Fan Tutte) for the play and continually challenges Lewis in his directing decisions.
Henry, played by Chris Greenwood, is an ex-lawyer who has broken down completely, refuses to speak and carries a toy soldier. Henry does eventually come out of his shell.
Cherry, played by Christy Payne, is an overeating, unattractive, emotional roller-coaster who falls possessively in love with Lewis at first sight. Cherry is also the tough chick who carries a knife to keep Doug under control. Doug, played by Simon Dearman, is a pyromaniac who was committed to the hospital when he burnt his mother’s cats and who attempts to burn down the old theatre twice during rehearsals.
Julie, played by Kali McBean, a drug addict hairdresser who isn’t really insane, just a bit weird, who Lewis finds himself drawn to.
Zac, spaced out on Lithium for most of the show, played by Rod Westacott. Zac is the musician. He has his own ideas about playing Wagner on the piano accordian instead of Beethoven on the piano. Rod’s faking of his piano accordian-playing skills is quite amusing.
And darling Ruth, played by Elaine Siemer, the perfectionist who has trouble differentiating reality from illusion. Ruth has a habit of counting …. everything from steps and stars to the number of times she straightens her skirt before sitting down.
Greg Ducas plays the Hospital Supervisor who shows some authority over the group, but little sympathy towards Lewis.
Lewis is also receiving little support from his girlfriend Lucy, played by Tracey Schlink, and budding director and flat-mate Nick, played by Derek Clarke, who get tied up in the university protest groups and eventually each other.
Finally Cosi Fan Tutte is ready to perform. Regardless of a black-out where Zac received the pleasure of lifting Ruth‘s skirt whilst Cherry scrounged for Lewis who was being entertained by Julie, combined with the loss of Doug due to being confined to D ward for trying to burn down the theatre, some pretend shock treatment being added to the script at Cherry’s suggestion and Zac’s not-so-brilliant set design of plain white walls.
The chaos doesn’t ease for Lewis. Ten minutes before curtain raise, Henry is doing laps of the theatre for saying Macbeth in front of Roy, Zac has collapsed in the dressing room and Roy has threatened to quit.
But Cosi Fan Tutte goes on and is a huge success!
The cast had the unenviable task of learning how to “mouth” opera singing for the opera scene although Lyndel made it simple with the introduction of a new language. “Figaro”
By the end of the production, questions as to whether the cast members really are mad is under heavy contemplation.
Well... we are actors, aren’t we?

Article written by Christy McKenna

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Come with us on a magical journey!
Planning is now well underway for the Bijou's end of year production The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
This will be a special one-off large-scale production, the likes of which has never been seen in Esperance before.
Following the CS Lewis classic story of a journey to a magical land and the battle of good over evil, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will be a joint production between the Esperance Theatre Guild and Esperance Community Arts' Youth Arts Program.
It will involve a large number of youth and adult performers who will create a truly memorable experience in the Museum Park Soundshell on November 17.
The project is being coordinated by Lyndel Taylor in her capacity as Youth Arts Coordinator and directed by Jayne Arnold who has long dreamed of staging this special show as an outdoor performance.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will be an event not to miss but it will require substantial support from Bijou members. If you would like to be involved in any way (on stage or off) please contact Lyndel on 9071 1214 (w) or 9071 5103 (h) and take the journey with us!
Adult Auditions 7:00pm Monday September 3 at the Bijou Theatre. Audition enquiries to Lyndel.

Esperance Community Arts Link

We are not alone!
Did you know that as members of the Esperance Theatre Guild you are also members of Esperance Community Arts?
Esperance Community Arts is the peak arts body which represents all the arts organisations in Esperance (including the Bijou).
It works to promote community participation and regional development through the arts; is the contact point for Local, State and Federal Government; sources and distributes funding to the groups it represents; and provides a coordinated approach to arts and cultural activities in the South East region.
Bijou members are involved in ECA in a variety of ways: some are on the committee, many are performing in this year's Dare To Wear (ECA's exciting wearable arts parade).
The Arts Dinner
Saturday September 1st at the Civic Centre
This event aims to bring together people from all local arts organisations (yes, that means the Bijou!) to celebrate our creative achievements and generally have a great night out. There is dinner, dancing and the Dare To Wear parade. Tickets are available now so get a table together and see Lyndel for tickets ASAP.
Youth Arts Coordinator
The Bijou benefits from Esperance Community Arts because they are the organisation who employs Lyndel Taylor as Youth Arts Coordinator. Lyndel now has more than 50 young people taking part in Le Petit Bijou youth theatre program each week.
Partners in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Esperance Theatre Guild and Esperance Community Arts have also just become partners for our end of year production - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - with the Youth Arts Coordinator accessing funding through ECA to make this special project possible.
Art About Esperance Newsletter
Esperance Community Arts also publishes a regular newsletter - Art About Esperance - which is a great way of finding out what everyone is up to. The Bijou makes good use of this newsletter to share information about what we are doing. If you would like to receive this free newsletter just add your name to the mailing list by phoning Denise or Andre at the Cannery on 9071 3599.

Esperance Theatre Guild Inc.
Committee 2001

President
Lyndel Taylor 9071 5103 h
Vice President
Derek Clarke 9071 5062 h
Secretary
Tracey Schlink 9071 2073 h
Treasurer
Anne Hilton 9072 0885 h
Committee
Mark Litherland, Victoria Young, Rod Westacott, Raleigh Sellars,
Phil Shelton, Bernadine McCleary, Sharon Livingstone, Andrew Bounds,
Josette Morgan, Julie-Anne Clark, Lora Lowe, Roma Western,
Andrew Dean, Jayne Arnold, Carol McLeod.

Le Petit Bijou Update

Well, there seems there is just no end to the enthusiasm which young people have for Le Petit Bijou.
Pop into the Bijou on a Monday or a Friday after school and you will see up to 26 performers doing anything from getting stuck together, singing, buying a canary in a panic, reporting a bank robbery, or sightseeing at the Eiffel Tower. So far members have transformed themselves into characters including lion tamers, pigs, ugly sisters, lost children, grave diggers, Grover, Snow White, and an ocker Aussie bloke called Troy.
We spent term two developing a range of performance skills (including voice production, musical theatre, poems, and improvisation). Participants were able to show parents and friends what they had been up to at an open session held in the last week of term. The highlight of this session was the presentation of musical theatre numbers It's A Hard Knock Life (Monday group) and Little Shop of Horrors (Friday group).
Term three sessions are now underway with nearly all last term's members back for more of the fun and challenges offered by Le Petit Bijou.
This term starts with a few more skills workshops and then rehearsals for The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe get underway. Le Petit Bijou members will also perform at two community events this term - the Wildflower Festival Parade and the Magic Picnic - so come and support us!

Seeking Lost Light Fittings

Dear Members,
After the stage production of Guys n Dolls (a well received and successful show, congratulations all round), there was a clean-up and pulling down of the set and stage props. This was on Sunday April 8.
One stage prop was the facade for the Salvation Army - with a door and an operational entrance light above the door. The light's white ball cover has been found, but the rest of the light's gold coloured holder and electrical fittings have not.
The pulling apart of the Salvation facade was delegated to a few of the people present for the work, thank you to all, but who can remember?
After the night before (oh what a party) I can't, so I am respectfully seeking any information leading to the discovery of its whereabouts in the Bijou, or its return to PO Box 625, Esperance, or please contact me on 9071 3677.

Yours hopefully,
Andrew Dean

PS It belongs to a Life Member.
Sincerely Yours
AKA "The Real Inspector Hound"

Dare To Wear

Margot Siemer is looking for CD's with a coloured sheen
to make a garment for Dare to Wear (performing Sept 1st).
Your unwanted CD's are wanted.
Phone Margot on 9072 1556.

Have you been framed?

The Esperance Theatre Guild is updating its Hall of Fame with framed photographs of all Bijou Shows.
The first of these professionally framed photos are on display in the Petit Bijou Room.
This is a big task and we need your help to reframe existing photographs and frame and exhibit photos from
more recent shows. You can assist by donating the frame for your favourite production.
Depending on the size of the photograph, this can cost as little as $50.
Help your favourite show go down in history. Donate a frame now!
Phone Lyndel, 9071 5103 to register your interest.