Zoom Review: 2020 Kingston Seniors Festival Festival Showcase with Dr Cheryl Threadgold OAM - 7.30pm, Saturday, 17 October 2020
A Zoom Review:
with
INTRODUCTION
by
REVIEW PART ONE:
by
Dr
Cheryl Threadgold OAM introduced her newest book -
for Mentone Public Library's
in conjunction with the
on 17th October 2020.
Behind the Scenes with the Zoom Star:
Dr Cheryl Threadgold OAM
Cheryl
first performed in 1958’s, "A Must for Dolly"
and soon after she worked for ABC
Television for 29 years.
She later became Vice-Chairman of the ABC Reunion Club,
continuing to hold this role.
Cheryl
is the author of the “Riddle-O-Pedia” book series,
convenes the BaysideU3A Writers
and is honorary theatre writer/reviewer/coordinator for the
Melbourne Observer.
Cheryl also presented for just over six years the "non-pro theatre" segment on 3AW. Cheryl is a committee member
of
a life member of MLOC Productions
she wrote the award winning play
at
historic Black Rock House
to show her admiration for this Bayside icon
and mark its 150th anniversary celebrated in 2006.
 |
| Image: Malcolm Threadgold |
Cheryl presented on the history and culture of
amateur theatre
in Victoria
at the Arts Centre Melbourne in 2018.
Last year she gained a PHD at Swinburne University with an award-winning thesis on Victorian amateur theatre.
 |
| Text: Courtesy Dr Cheryl Threadgold OAM |
Cheryl
first acknowledged the significant cultural performances of First Nations
people. She talked of the early history of Australian theatre including Melbourne's historic Garrick Club's charity events
and Mechanics Institutes.
 |
| Athenaeum Theatre in its original state in 1862: Melbourne Mechanics' Institution, c.1862. Arthur Wilmore, engraver,
S. T. Gill, artist. Identifier 30328102131637/29, Pictures Collection,
State Library Victoria |
Cheryl also spoke of the 100 local
amateur theatre companies operating in Victoria between the two World Wars.
 |
| MLOC Theatre's current logo which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. |
Local early theatres included
The Mordialloc Philharmonic Society,
founded by
Edward J Trait in 1945, who ran advertisements in his newspaper to bring people
in. The group went through many name changes, becoming the Mordialloc Light
Opera Company and now MLOC Productions.
 |
| Beaumaris Theatre Inc. : current logo. |
Cheryl also spoke
on The Beaumaris Players, showing a photograph of the last performance of the
players under that name in 1957 at the home theatre of Angela and Bill Martin,
before shifting and becoming Beaumaris Theatre Inc.
Their performance catalogue includes plays, musical theatre productions, youth group performances, workshops and more.
In the age of COVID-19,
amateur theatre companies continue
to entertain their patrons
through innovative means, such as
Beaumaris Theatre's
Theatre at Home series.
City of Kingston's
has also launched an online
Ghost Light campaign,
where it is building a comprehensive profile
of all amateur theatre companies,
original literary and art providers and practitioners
residing within Kingston's municipality.
REVIEW PART TWO:
by
The following
is a focus on two existing theatre companies in Kingston/Bayside represented in Cheryl's presentation
that started
from the end of World War 2 onward, along with a personal memory I have of
amateur theatre.
which
has gone through a number of name changes over the years, was started in 1945
by the City of Mordialloc Citizens League; president of the league Edward J Trait wanted
to spark locals’ interest in amateur theatre. The company has been based at several
different venues since its inception, including Allan McLean Hall in
Mordialloc, and its current location at Shirley Burke Theatre in Parkdale.
 |
| Image: Mordialloc Theatre Company Inc. Archives |
Cheryl quoted revered veteran performer of the company,
the late Lorraine Madsen,
of a motivational talk given by
(now St Martins Youth Arts Centre)
Peter Randall.
He had especially travelled from
the National Theatre in St Kilda to declare:
"Never say, 'It doesn't matter, we're only amateurs.' "
Lorraine never forgot his words.
Theatre group
was formed in 2012.
The idea came from local resident Maggie Morrison.
Ever since, LOTS have told fascinating stories
of all things aviation-related
to help people learn about the aviation industry in an entertaining way.
Their theatre stage is the hangar at
They have actually presented at
Mentone Public Library
a number of
times over the years.
 |
| LOTS Producer Jim Williams with LOTS Director Maggie Morrison present at Mentone Public Library in 2019 |
 | |
| Annie the Musical - Star Lyric Theatre, Sydney Australia |
| Image: Eva Rinaldi |
A MEMORY OF MY OWN - THE POWER OF AMATEUR THEATRE:
A treasured amateur theatre memory of mine is
being involved
in my high school production of ‘Annie’ in 2002,
when I was in
year 12 at
It was performed
by the drama students and was accompanied by an orchestra, in which I played
the flute. I remember having a lot of fun in the rehearsals and the
performances themselves, which were watched by members of the school community
and the general public at our performing arts centre.
Indeed, amateur theatre touches all walks of life
both consciously and sub-consciously,
directly and indirectly.
A number of wonderful memories came to be shared
by our Zooming audience to further punctuate this.
Cheryl's first-hand awareness of amateur theatre
as a community asset served as the engine for her book.
Her commendable goals wonderfully expressed in the following clip:
Amateur theatre is at once both escapism, personal and collective enrichment - while also serving as valuable commentary
on the ever-changing landscape of our society.
Thank-you for a wonderful presentation as part of our online anniversary program
and 2020 Kingston Seniors Festival offering
this year, Cheryl.
To learn more about the diverse history of
amateur theatre in Victoria, you can visit:
and of course,
you can immerse yourself in the rich world of Cheryl's research:
Comments
Post a Comment