Community Theatre

At Epping in NSW, Theatre on Chester’s third production for 2015 is Over the Moon And Far Away, written by Carla Moore, teacher, director, NIDA playwright graduate and life member of the Theatre on Chester.

“I had a dream ....” sings Momma Rose, the quintessential stage mother as she pushes her daughters onto the stage and relentlessly pursues stardom.  The story of the musical Gypsy, currently being presented by Hornsby Musical society, followsRose, June and Louise in their trip across the United States during the 1920′s, when vaudeville was dying and burlesque was born. Initially Rose focuses all of her energy on June the younger of the two, but when June tires of Rose’s antics and leaves the act Rose is forced to try and mould the shy Louise into a star.

Since 1960 Neil Simon has written an extensive repertoire of plays. Rumours is just one of them, but this farce has particular significance in that it was written as personal therapy in an emotional time for the playwright. Adelaide’s Galleon Theatre Group is staging the play in November and you can bet it’ll be therapy for audiences… in fact, a prescription for laughs. Lesley Reed reports.

Playwright Harold Pinter asserted, ‘One way of looking at speech is to say that it is a constant stratagem to cover nakedness.’ These words make a soon to be produced one act play seem very intriguing indeed, because the work is titled A Conversation with Harold Pinter. SA’s Pinter fans can see it as part of new SA theatre company Sealand Theatre’s first season. Lesley Reed reports.