Love of theatre keeps this couple entertained

ANYONE involved in community theatre can tell you what a massive commitment it is to be in a production. On stage or off, it is generally months of rehearsals twice or three times a week, and then a production period of two or three weeks with anywhere between three and five shows each week. So how passionate about theatre must Albury couple Frankie McGrath and Joe Moran be to add the trip to and from Wangaratta each rehearsal or performance to be part of Wangaratta Players upcoming production of "Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery"? Frankie started performing onstage aged three with The Murray Youth Ballet as a jelly bean in 'The Nutcracker' and her interest in other styles of performing grew from there. "After 15 years of performing and working backstage I had an 11-year hiatus," they said. "I went with Joe to Beechworth for his audition for Beechworth Theatre Company's (BTC) 'Vicar of Dibley' and enquired about working backstage and was welcomed with open arms. "From there my love for theatre was rekindled and I joined BTC’s rehearsed reading of "Caged Birds" at The Winterwords Festival, with a second performance later in the year at Stanley Hall." Joe's interest started back in high school drama classes, and was nurtured by taking classes with the Hothouse Theatre afterwards. "My involvement in theatre really began when I saw Albury Wodonga Theatre Company auditioning for roles in their production of 'Cosi' in 2018," he said. "Despite a terrible audition I did manage to land the role of Doug and it was so much fun that I started throwing my hat into many productions around Albury. "I eventually started branching out to Beechworth, Yarrawonga and now Wangaratta." It was while Joe was working on “Romantic Comedy” with Allegro Theatre Company in Yarrawonga, which shared some of the same cast and crew as Baskerville, that the idea of auditioning for Wangaratta Players began. "They asked if I would be willing to throw my hat in and since I have an apparent addiction to acting and an aversion to having free time, here I am," he said. Likewise with Frankie. "I nearly didn’t audition. It was my friend Lyndal (who had a role in "Romantic Comedy") who pushed and encouraged me and it was due to her support and advice that I made the last-minute decision to travel to Wangaratta," Frankie said. Joe plays the famous Inspector Lestrade, a rather blunt regular in the Sherlock Holmes books, while Frankie plays the highly suspicious butterfly collector Stapleton. Joe has had little problem embracing the character's personality. "Growing up in regional Australia is always going to add some level of roughness to your personality, otherwise you’d be easy prey to the snakes and spiders," he said. "I don’t consider myself a gruff person, but there would be a few people in my life that might disagree with that." Frankie soon realised they had one of the trickiest characters to portray as Stapleton is not always what he seems. "While I appreciate a good butterfly, I can’t say they’re a passion of mine," they said. "Stapleton is almost the complete opposite of who I am. "While we share the same energy for our hyper-fixations (swap butterflies for bin-chickens) I am neither cold, nor calculating. "He is strongly projecting his emotions, some of which I have never felt to the same extent. "This is the largest role I have ever played, so it was daunting having to be so far out of my comfort zone. "Pushing past these feelings has been a huge undertaking, it has taught me a lot about myself and has helped me become the actor I am today." Both have enjoyed the rehearsal process. "Getting to know so many like-minded people who share the goal of creating something great has been the most enjoyable aspect of the production process," Frankie said. "Making the role of Stapleton my own has been so much fun. "Watching the characters develop and transform is just amazing, everyone takes on the role and just makes them their own." Joe said, "Being a rough-talking but incompetent policeman is sure to be a fun character to develop, and trying new and progressively silly things on stage has been a lot of fun. "The cast and crew are also a great bunch to work with." Wangaratta Players Inc will present Ken Ludwig's 'Baskerville - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery', at the Stage Door Studio from February 7 to 23. Don't miss this hilarious, fast-paced adventure about everyone’s favourite detective duo Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson as they endeavour to crack the mystery of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” before a family curse dooms its newest heir. Shows will be held on February 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 7.30pm and on February 16 and 23 at 2pm with tickets available now at trybooking.com/CXPSH.

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