Twenty-five years of Yack theatre celebrated

An exhibition with trips down memory lane kicks off next Saturday, 9 August at the Yackandandah Museum celebrating 25 years of the local community theatre company. The Yackandandah Theatre Company showcase with its rich history follows a theatre production called ‘Blithe Spirit’ by English playwright Noel Coward held earlier in May to mark the special anniversary year. Yackandandah playwright and author Bev Lello joined in 2002 with a role soon after as the theatre company’s production manager from 2004 until and including 2015. Ms Lello said the theatre company has been good for the community as an outlet for people’s talents in a range of skills such as writing, acting, directing and shaping plays, costumes, promotion and advertising. “People have also been able to take part in the technical side with sound and lighting too,” she said. “The theatre group has fostered people who would not otherwise have taken up the opportunity and feel confident with community theatre.” Ms Lello said she joined the theatre group as a keen member to engage in several of her interests. “I have written a number of plays performed by the theatre company with several of them performed by other companies,” she said. With chance to direct and write plays as well as act, Ms Lello said she encouraged other people to write for the theatre. “The exhibition with the Yackandandah and District Historical Society member Thelma Buchanan as a driving force is a celebration of what we have achieved,” she said. “There has been diversity with professional plays by well-known playwrights from Sydney, Melbourne and overseas but equally by playwrights with stories about topical living in a small country town.” Ms Lello said local school teacher Brendan Hogan, who began his playwrighting career with the theatre company, had great success with his stories around youth and primary school children. “It’s an encouraging environment with new people drawn in and gain confidence,” she said. “Local resident Richard Routley came on board as the director of ‘Blithe Spirit’.” Any profits the non-profit entity makes goes into the next production while money has also funded lighting and sound in the community hall. “Funds have gone back into the community and have not just been for the theatre company,” Ms Lello said. “The theatre company contributes to the community both financially and encourages people to give it a go. “When we have a production, praise is always received from the audience such as the performances of Blithe Spirit, Heart Break Choir by Aidan Fennessy and Our Town by Thorton Wilder. “I’m proud of the Yackandandah home-grown plays from writing, workshopping, performing and everything in between.” Ms Lello said the writing group worked with the Historical Society and Yackandandah Health with its aged care residents. “Brendan was a driving force with a play based on the lives of residents and an historical one based on the Yackandandah Cemetery," she said. Yackandandah and District Historical Society (YDHS) members Thelma Buchanan, Helen MacCalman and YDHS president Trevor Matthews (an actor in many productions too) as well as Yackandandah Theatre Company artistic director Margie Gleeson are helping to stage the exhibition. The cohort said the theatre company had offered many opportunities for people in the town. “Bev has an enormous collection of photographs as well and will be on a continuous display,” Ms Buchanan said. “There will be information panels too.” Yackandandah Theatre Company operates under the umbrella of Arts Yackandandah. The museum opens Wednesday to Sunday each week from 10.30am to 3.30pm at 21 High Street with the exhibition running until December.

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