SEPTEMBER, 1987 Vol 11 No 8 ISSN 0314 - 0598 A publication of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust Max Gillies stars in Trust Williamson production THE DEPARTMENT by David Williamson Directed by Rodney Fisher Designed by Shaun Gurton Lighting by Nick Schlieper Cast: Max Gillies, Tracy Mann, Helmut Bakaitis, Ben Gabriel, Ron Graham, Jeff Morrell, Matthew O'Sullivan, Kris Ralph, John Sheerin, Paul Williams "Williamson's best play is an assured, rounded, acidly understanding dissec­ tion of bureaucracy. " Garrie Hutchinson, The Australian "The funnier it gets - and it is very funny - the more urgently Williamson asks: how can anything be made to work, from a relationship between two people right through to an educational institution when human beings are the headstrong, contrary, passionate and self-seeking creatures that they are?" Ron Blair, Sydney Morning Herald It Often hailed as Williamson's best A. play, perhaps because it mirrors his ~l early life as a teacher and, there­ fore, a lot of its content comes from his own experience, THE DEPARTMENT is an ascerbic dissection of the world of the committee meeting. Robby, the Max Gillies head of the department, desperately tries to conduct a staff meeting - he Max Gillies in the lead role of Robby Trust Members are invited to attend contrives, he cajoles, he manipulates, heads a strong cast, which also includes a preview performance on Monday sometimes he flounders, but always Tracy Mann, who has just completed a evening, October 26, when they may manages to remain ahead (just) of the season at the Wharf Theatre in WHEN purchase as many tickets as they wish rest! There are marvellous cameos in I WAS A GIRL. Max Gillies needs little at $8.00 per ticket discount. A $3.00 the rest of the staff: Gordon, the plain­ introduction. He became a national per ticket discount applies at all other talking technician, tolerated because of treasure with his remarkable imperson­ performances. See Member Activities his practical abilities; Bobby, the per­ ations in TV's THE MAX GILLIES (page 8) for pre-theatre dinner. petual procrastinator, never able to fin­ SHOW, and is currently playing in BOOKING INFORMA nON ish his work because he had to have a Alan Ayckbourn's A CHORUS OF York Theatre, Seymour Centre yarn with someone he ran into in the DISAPPROV AL for the Melbourne Tue Oct 27 to Sat Nov 14 corridor; AI, perpetually in a turmoil Theatre Company. He's playing the Mon to Sat at 8 p.m. because he hasn't had time to get any­ role of Dafydd, the director of an ama­ Sat at 2 p.m. thing done; and Peter Ph.D., whose teur operatic society, a character well­ Wed matinee time unconfirmed attitude to student radicals harks back suited to Gillies' personality since he AETT $23.90 (Mon to Thu and mats), to the 1960s - confrontation. No won­ loves to play every part in the opera, $24.90 (Fri/Sat), $19.90 (Oct 26) der it was such a success in bureaucratic and is totally unable to delegate. In G.P. $26.90 (Mon to Thu and mats), $27.90 (Fri/Sat) Canberra; no wonder it continues to be THE DEPARTMENT he once again Pens/Stud $19.90 (Mon to Thu and so apt today, exposing the bumbledom takes on a "power" part. Whether it's mats) of public service in Australia. As ever, Hawke, Dafydd or Robby, as Gillies Two AETT tickets per Member except David Williamson is the chronicler of says, "/ just don't get offered many parts Oct 26 his own generation. as wimps." It Et An Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust presentation ____________________________ 2 Multilingual Drama Theme Variation THE JOURNEY by Tes Lyssiotis THE ODD COUPLE by Neil Simon Directed by Tes Lyssiotis Directed by John Krummel Designed by Kenneth Evans Designed by Graham MacLean Music by Michael Kyriakakis and Lighting by Tony Youlden Stefios Tsofias Cast: Kerry McGuire, Amanda Cast: Lu Beranek, Fiona Corke, Muggleton, Robina Beard, John Evdokia Katahanas, Roberto Micafi, Hanna, Liz Harris, Denise Kirby, Mary Portesi, Nikos Zakardis Lynne Porteous, Tony Sheldon I' The Australian Content Depart­ Northside Theatre Company Do ment of the Australian Elizabethan ~L Theatre Trust (which earlier this ho can forget the marvellous orig­ year presented the acclaimed pro­ W inal ODD COUPLE of Walter duction of MAGPIE'S NEST and CHO Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Now CHO SAN) will tour the Melbourne­ Northside Theatre Company are pre­ Jennifer Claire based Filiki Players to Wollongong, senting a female version of one of Neil friend of 30 years lies dying of cancer. Newcastle, Brisbane and Sydney in Simon's funniest plays. Kerry McGuire He is the detective author, Dashiel their production of THE JOURNEY. and Amanda Muggleton star as the odd Hammett, and in her reminiscing, THE JOURNEY portrays the lives, couple. Divorced from her husband, LILLIAN captures the humour, the experiences and outlook of migrants Olive lives in the cheerful chaos of her anger, the affection and the heroism of who came to Australia in the early '30s bachelor flat. Enter Florence, newly their relationship. Lillian Hellman and '50s. The interaction between the separated and suicidal (or so she says). shares her life story, from her child­ various old and new Australian cul­ She moves in and is soon cooking, pol­ hood in New Orleans to her tures is depicted with bitter-sweet ishing, tidying-up - all the things that appearances before the McCarthy humour as we see the conflicts of these annoyed and lost her her husband in Committee on Un-American Activi­ families and their children within an the first place. Olive is reduced to a ner­ ties. She demonstrates her fierce inde­ often hostile environment. vous wreck and wait and see what hap­ pendence and her determination not to pens when the Spanish brothers from conform, and as the play ends and she upstairs arrive for dinner. is told of her lover's death, shows the poignancy of her life. BOOKING INFORMATION Marian-Street Theatre BOOKING INFORMATION Sun Sep 20 to Sun Oct 4 Drama Theatre, S.O.H. Tues to Sat at 8.15 p.m. Tue Sep 29 to Sat Oct 17 Sat and Sun 5.00 p.m. Mon to Thu. and Sat at 8 p.m. Wed mat at 11.00 a.m. Fri at 5.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. AETT $16.90 (Mon to Fri and mats Sat mats at 2 p.m. except Sep 23) AETT $22.00 (except Fri/Sat evg) G.P. $19.90 G_P. $25.00 Pens/Stud $10.90 (except Fri and Sat Pens/Stud $19.00 (Mon to Thu and Sat evg) mats) Two AETT tickets per Member Nikos Zakardis and Fiona Corke in Tour De Force THE JOURNEY Aussie Holiday! THE JOURNEY is an important LILLIAN by William Luce (based on ARA VAN by Donald Macdonald breakthrough in Australian drama as it the autobiographical works of Lillian Ctakes a light-hearted look at the is performed by a multilingual com­ Hellman) holiday you should never have! Five pany. Three languages - English, Directed by Egil Kipste· best friends, nudging forty (and unhap­ Greek and Italian - are cleverly com­ Designer: Michael Scott-Mitchell pily at that) take their first holiday bined to create a dynamic dialogue Lighting: Mark ShelLon together in a caravan. One brings along accessible to everyone. Cast: Jennifer Claire his all-to-young girlfriend and in the confined space tensions rise and laugh­ BOOKING INFORMATION ILLIAN is a veritable tour de force ter begins. A salutory look at age, Wharf Studio L for the actress playing the title role. friendship and holidays. This is the Tue Sep 29 to Sat Oct 3 fourth production of the Forest Theatre Tue to Fri at 8.15 p.m. Jennifer Claire has long been acknowl­ Sat 2.15 p.m. and 8.15 p.m. edged as one of Australia's most tal­ Company, which has quickly suc­ AETT $13.00 ented actresses. Here she plays Lillian ceeded in establishing itself as a highly G.P. $16.00 Hellman, the American author. The successful force on the North Shore. Pens/Stud $8.00 date is 1961, the place the ante-room of CARA VAN had its Australian a hospital ward where her lover and premiere in 1983 at the Opera House I'Et An Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust presentation ____________________________ 3 and was then taken on tour by the Trust time. Blanche, the melancholy ageing An Olympic Spoof throughout Australia. It will be Southern belle, arrives to visit her sis­ directed by Peter Williams and there ter. Gradually, she reveals that far from OLYMPUS ON MY MIND will be special Trust Members' per­ being a respectable schoolteacher, she by Barry Harman formances on Saturday, October 17 has a reputation for seducing teenage Music by Grant Sturiale (matinee) and Monday, October 19 boys and has been the scandal of her Directed by Jim Fishburn (evening). Members may purchase as home town. Her brief marriage to a Cast: Bartholomew John, Billie Wilde, many tickets as they wish at a $6.00 per homosexual, who later committed Michael-John Hurney, Judy Glen, Doug ticket discount. See Member Activities suicide, has further upset the balance of Scroope, Honor Murphy and Craig for October 19 pre-theatre dinner her mind. The last act of cruelty that Horwood ($32.00, including dinner and theatre she encounters in her sister's home he gods of a.ncient <?reece cer.tainly tickets)! seals her doom. One of the greatest T had some interesting experIences female stage roles, Blanche Du Bois, is and Barry Harman selected just one of BOOKING INFORMA nON played by Helen Morse in a Melbourne them and turned it into a musical bed­ Glen Street Theatre Theatre Company production.