Esperance Theatre Guild Inc.

PO Box 426

ESPERANCE WA 6450

By CS Lewis/Glyn Robbins

For one night only!

7pm Saturday, November 17

Museum Park Soundshell

Tickets ($7) - Book now at Civic Video.

Directors Jayne Arnold and Lyndel Taylor encourage you not to miss this exciting event suitable for all ages.

Gather family and friends, pack a picnic tea and head to the Soundshell for a magical night of theatre under the stars.

The cast of 60 youth and 10 adult performers including Bijou stars such as Rod Westacott, Robyn Marsh-Warfield, Derek Clarke, Lora Lowe, James Clothier and Chris Greenwood will bring this classic tale of good versus evil alive.

Presented as a unique large-scale outdoor event at the Soundshell, The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe will showcase the amazing diversity of local youth artists (actors, dancers, musicians, visual artists).

Leading the youth cast are Tim Braybrooke as Peter, Pippa Dinning as Susan, Ayden Lewis as Edmund and Chloe McLean as Lucy. They are joined by a large group of enthusiastic young performers playing leopards, wolves, magic furniture, tree spirits, a dwarf, spring creatures and evil storm spirits.

The project has seen local youth learning to act and dance, painting large-scale scenery, building props, creating soundscapes, and designing and making costumes.

Of course none of this would be possible without the tremendous support of adult Bijou members and community volunteers who have worked hard to make sure the set / costumes / make-up / front-of-house / stage management / security aspects all happen without a hitch.

This project is a wonderful example of how as a team we can create something magical and so much bigger than any one of us as an individual.

So come and support us and enjoy this amazing production.

Remember it’s for one night only so don’t miss out!

Saturday, November 17

Inclement weather will see the show postponed to Saturday, November 24. For enquiries regarding this phone 0414 733775 on November 17.

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe is a youth arts production presented by special arrangement with Dominie Pty Ltd.

This project has been financially supported by Country Arts WA. "Your regional arts partner"

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SEPTEMBER 1996

Article written by Elaine Siemer

In 1996 The Bijou Theatre turned 100! Such an occasion could not be let to pass without a major celebration. So with this in mind Dale Johnson and I sat down to write a show that could do our little ‘gem’ justice.

Act One of the Bijou Merry Moments was a potted history of some of the wonderful events that had taken place in the theatre over the century. In fact the show was named after "Mr Warner’s Merry Moments’ who performed in the Bijou not long after it’s opening in September 1896.

With Raleigh Sellars playing Mr EG McCarthy he led us through the highs and lows of our theatre’s long history.

The 40 strong cast of both adults, children and even an animal or two really recreated times long passed. For members of the audience who were around during the last 50 years or so it was a walk down memory lane.

Act two gave a smattering of shows from the inception of the Esperance Theatre Guild over 25 years ago. Using video slides as a backdrop some amazing performances were brought back to life.

Merry Moments for me would have to be the major highlight of my association with the Esperance Theatre Guild as it brought together a collaboration of past members as well as new to share in the history of our much loved Bijou.

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Esperance Theatre Guild is moving ahead strongly following the adoption of the new constitution and the election of a new committee at the Special General Meeting in September 2001.

By now all members should have received a copy of the new constitution which sets down guidelines for our operation.

Rewriting the constitution provided a great opportunity for us to clearly define the guild’s objectives and clarify why we exist.

Well done and that you to the sub-committee members who put in the itme and effort required to create this important document. Thanks also to the members who showed their interest in their organisation by attending the meeting to discuss, modify and adopt the constitution.

A new committee has been elected in line with the new constitution with Greg Ducas at the helm as President.

This committee is smaller than the previous one but no less committed to ensuring the guild is run as an efficient and vibrant organisation.

The outgoing committee must be praised for their efforts over the past year. It has been a busy period (Guys and Dolls, one act plays, Le Petit Bijou, repaires to the theatre, fire plans, updating history, rewriting the constitution...) and all committee members are to be thanked.

In particular, thanks go to outgoing members Jayne Arnold, Mark Litherland, Sharon Livingstone, Bernie McCleary, Josette Morgan, Phil Shelton, Roma Western and Victoria Young for their time on committee.

We must also recognise Christy McKenna who has put in a fantastic effort as publisher of the Bijou Bulletin in recent years. Thank you Christy.

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Esperance Theatre Guild Inc.

Due to the Special General Meeting held in September, a new committee has been elected. If you would like to peruse the Committee Meeting Minutes, or have any queries at all, please feel free to contact any of the members:

President....................... Greg Ducas 9071 2695

Vice President............... Derek Clarke 9071 5062

Secretary...................... Tracey Schlink 9071 2073

Treasurer....................... Anne Hilton 9072 0885

Licensee....................... Julie-Anne Clark 9071 4070

Building Co-ordinator...... Raleigh Sellars 9071 2061

Building Co-ordinator...... Andrew Dean 9071 3677

Bar Manager.................. Lora Lowe 9071 5241

Lighting Manager............ Andrew Bounds 9076 1229

Petite Bijou & Costumes. Lyndel Taylor 9071 5103

FOH & Costumes........... Carol McLeod 9071 3331

Committee...................... Mel Bell 9071 7927

 

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Thank you to everyone who has donated towards our Hall of Fame project so far.

We are currently working on those frames and hope to have them up very soon.

If you would like to donate a frame for an old favourite or a recent production, please contact Josette Morgan on 9071 1672 to register your interest.

 

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A MID-SUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTOR ENLISTED TO MAKE A "DREAM" A REALITY!

Remember the spectacular success of "On Our Selection", professionally directed by Geoff Gibbs at the end of 1999? The feedback from cast, crew, workshop attendees and audiences alike was so positive that the Bijou Committee decided that professional assistance in producing a show would be sought every two years.

As such, the talents of director Jenny McNae have been enlisted to bring a theatrical classic to life at the Bijou. The first production for 2002 will be Shakespeare’s "A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream", a warm comedy about love and magical creatures of the woods.

This play is an ensemble piece which will involve about 20 actors, about half men and women. This will be an exciting challenge and an excellent introduction to performing Shakespeare.

A production sub-committee, dubbed The "Dream" Team, has been formed to realise this tremendous opportunity for the Esperance Theatre Guild. Sub-committee members are Derek Clarke, Mark Litherland, Lyndel Taylor, Dimity Wehr and Victoria Young. Funding from Healthways and Country Arts WA has been applied for to offset production costs and special thanks go to Lyndel Taylor for all of her hard work in preparing the submissions.

It is anticipated that the project will commence in the first week of February and tentative dates for performances are:

4^th, 5^th, 6^th;

11^th, 12^th, 13^th;

18^th, 19^th and 20^th of April.

The position of Associate Director is another excellent opportunity that will be available through this project. This role could be collaboratively filled by two people and it would be ideal to have someone with previous directing experience along with anyone who has a learned understanding of Shakespearian text and interpretation. Should this prospect interest you, or if you would like further information, please call Derek Clarke on 9071 5711 (b/h) or 9071 5062 (a/h).

Not only will the professional director be busy working in rehearsals with the cast and crew of the play, but she will also be running workshops on the craft of acting for all interested. Stay tuned for the dates and times of the workshops!

And even if you aren’t able to be involved with the production itself, make sure that you get a ticket early to experience what will be one of the most delightful plays ever performed at the Bijou!

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Letter from the Editor,

It is with sadness that I am producing this newsletter for the Esperance Theatre Guild for the last time. My journey in life is taking me away from my home-town at the end of this year to an 1898 stone cottage in historical Greenough, with my wonderful partner Dan Gentle, my 2 year old daughter Allira and my faithful hound Jess.

As I reflect on my involvement with the Bijou Theatre my favourite memories are of "Cosi", "The Glass Menagerie" and "Guys n Dolls" for which I thank the directors for giving me a chance to develop my acting, singing and dancing skills and socialise with fantastic people.

I have enjoyed every stroke of the key in my 3 years as Newsletter Editor and wish the next editor all the best in bringing the news of the Bijou to our members.

And to the Bijou Theatre, you are a very special place, I hope you are cherished and looked after for my children to see and experience.

Regards,

Christy McKenna