APA's The Hope Song: FULL HOUSES at La Mama Courthouse

What a blast! Take a bow Anglesea Performing Arts (APA). The La Mama Courthouse season in February 2018 sold out in advance of opening night.

The audiences appreciated the show as much as Surfcoast audiences did in October. 

For this special season, SANE Australia partnered with APA.
Music performed by Kieran Tobin., a wonderful singer and musician.

Jack Heath, CEO SANE Australia, with actor Libby Stapleton

Interview with Lindy Burns ABC 774AM about The Hope Song

Great to have a chat with Lindy.  The interview starts about 2:55 hours into the podcast, after one of my favourite Carol King songs

http://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/evenings/evenings/9444244

Interview with Michelle Perrera, 3MDR 97.1FM about The Hope Song

It was great to have a chat with Michelle about The Hope Song on Saturday 17 February. Here is the link to the program podcast, and at about 15.00 minutes our interview begins.

https://airnet.org.au/widget/generic.php?widget=332&station=27&title=On%20Demand&restream=true&type=audio%2Fm4a&src=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.emit.com%2F3mdr%2Fcommunity-outlook%2F201802171300%2Faac_mid.m4a&firstLoad#

The Hope Song at La Mama Carlton Courthouse

Anglesea Performing Arts are taking their beautiful production of  'The Hope Song' to Melbourne.  It was a great success for the company at Anglesea in October, and this time they are partnering with Sane Australia. The show will be on in February at Carlton Courthouse, 349 Drummond St. If you didn't see it on the Surfcoast, now's your chance. 6 performances, opening Feb 21. It's going to be lovely to be back at La Mama Courthouse, where my playwtiting career started with my very first show, many moons ago in 2004. Bookings ph 9347 6142 or www.lamama.com.au.

'The Hope Song' Premiere

Norm Stanley and Corrine Eccles Welcome To Country at premiere performance 

The wondering and the waiting are over. On Sunday afternoon I was privileged to be part of the audience of  APA's (Anglesea Performing Arts) premiere performance of  my verbatim theatre project 'The Hope Song.' Director Iris Walshe-Howling has created a stunning theatre production. The actors are all so sensitive and nuanced. The community singers led by Sheridan Guiney add a powerful layer of song to the performance, and, the staging - with giant portrait photos book-ending the simplicity of the stage - an elegant and creative choice. Congratulations APA. 

Here's a link to a lovely review from Colin Mockett - we've all been nominated for Oscars!

 
http://www.entertainmentgeelong.com/colinmockett/Reviews.html

Introducing..... The Hope Song

Here's a photo of the talented actors who director Iris Walshe Howling is working with on my play The Hope Song. It will be presented by Anglesea Performing Arts (APA) as part of the Arts of The Mind Festival. The premiere performance of The Hope Song on Sunday 8th October at 3pm will launch the event for Mental Health Week on The Surfcoast at the Anglesea Memorial Hall in Mc Millan Street.

The project is in the form of Verbatim Theatre, based on the real words of seven people who have shared their experiences and insights with me.  The play will explore and build community awareness of the lived experience of people with mental illness, with the aim of building empathy and reducing stigma and taboo. Each of the seven people interviewed has nominated a song that is meaningful to them, and these will be performed - in part  - by community singers during the production.

There are 7 performances planned over two weeks from Sunday the 8th October  LAUNCH @ 3pm followed by a two week season.

Bookings at www.trybooking.com $25 / $20 con. Or at the door.

Under the Influence of a very special experience

At the recent Under the Influence of Words event for Love Winter In Aireys

we had an extraordinary experience. Mardi McDonald read us her poem about war and peace that she wrote as a 17 year old at the end of the Second World War in August 1945. It doesn't get much more special than that. Thank you for sharing your poem with us all Mardi.