Singin' in the Rain
Late in 2009, we announced that in 2010 we would be putting on “Singin’ in the Rain” in July, and “Company” in October. Both shows were met with excitement from both patrons and the “theatre crowd”, and we thought that we may have struck a winning formula. Unfortunately, we have had to make a big decision. This decision was to ultimately decide not to do either show this year. The issues faced with the shows could not have been foreseen, especially when the initial excitement about the two shows are taken into consideration.
“Company” by Steven Sondheim and George Furth, was planned for October, but unfortunately a production team could not be put together for this show. It was a shame, but as we knew about this early, we were able to move on and focus our energy on the big July show of “Singin’ in the Rain”. “Company” may still well see the stage at Altona, and if you are interested in putting on this show, we would encourage you to speak with James Morgan, the President of the company.
As for “Singin’ in the Rain”, we had a stellar production team lined up to put on this show. The talented duo of Brad Fischer and Nathan Firmin, along with Janet Provan and Dior Deumer was set to bring the old style splendor of this wonderful show to the stage. However, due to a lack of auditionees, especially of the male variety, they were unable to cast the show to the standards deserving of this spectacular musical. After looking into this issue a bit further, we have found that we are not alone in struggling to cast this show. There have been a number of other amateur companies around Victoria who have wanted to put on the show, but were unable to due to a lack of audtionees. It was disappointing to have to call off the show, as there has already been a lot of positive talk from people about this show.
Company
This may seem all doom and gloom for the company, but do not think this is the end of the company. In fact, it is quite the opposite. We are still quite financially sound, which in these days is a rare thing, and we have a thriving youth culture in and around the theatre. The continued success of the annual Pantomime, and the increase in public recognition of our ACTion program and its end of year production, as well as the introduction of the 24 hour Panto last year, shows that while our usual “Adult” shows may be going through a rough spell at the moment, the company and its “Youth” shows are thriving.
The decision to outline the exact reasons for the two show cancellations was made to keep you, the financial members who keep this company running, informed of what is happening on all levels of the company. Smoke and mirrors only gets anyone so far, and for us to succeed when other companies are failing, we need to work together. We want to bring back the family atmosphere that A.C.T was known for, and as part of that, we want to communicate openly with our members.
High School Musical
And so, understanding and embracing the young culture we have in the Western Suburbs, of not only prospective cast, but audiences as well, we have decided to bring to the stage in October the hit show “High School Musical”. Mark Monroe is confirmed to Direct and Choreograph the show and Minna Ikonen is Musical Director, so stay tuned. And this will be followed closely by ACTion youth theatre’s production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr”.
So as you can see, it has been an interesting and slightly concerning few months at Altona, but we are coming out of this with a definite silver lining. Both shows at the end of the year promise to be great fun for the whole family, so if you’re not auditioning, don’t miss out on tickets.
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