In this edition:
- From the President.
- Tech Talk - Sound Workshop
- From the treasurer
- Jersey Boys
- We Will Rock You
- Coffs Coast WPAS All Stars
- Future workshops
- Upcoming shows by community theatre in and around the Mid North Coast
- Membership
From the President, Dee Tune.
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CHMCC has had a challenging start to 2024 with the loss of one of our committee members, Ben Mclean. Ben’s first show with CHMCC was Les Misérables in 2018 and from there, in almost every show since. He was last seen on stage in our November production of last year, Atomic, and it was during this production that he became unwell. His passing in February this year came as a shock to many and the outpouring of grief from the theatre community was palpable as was the support from those same people for Ben’s family as they now navigate a world without him. Vale Ben Mclean. You are missed.
As this year continues to roll on, the company has been busily preparing for the 2024 season with Jersey Boys about to hit the stage and We Will Rock You preparing for auditions. Jersey Boys has had its share of bumps through the rehearsal season like any show does, however, the cast and crew are now at the pointy end when all their hard work and dedication are rewarded. The characters are coming to life beautifully, the vocals sound amazing, the costumes are fabulous and the set is stunning. Putting all that together with a live band onstage it will be a visual and musical feast for the senses. The show opens this Friday 10 May and runs through to Sun 2 June so get your tickets and get your groove on to witness the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – as told by the boys themselves. As I said earlier, CHMCC continues to prepare both shows for the 2024 and with Jersey Boys about to hit the stage, the Expression of Interest for We Will Rock You has just been announced. If you love the music of Queen and the story telling of Ben Elton, then apply for an info pack by following this link. |
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Tech Talk - Sound Workshop
We recently held our first session of Basic Sound Techniques For Musical Theatre.
16 CHMCC members attended the session, which was hosted by Greg Wilson Jr using our own equipment. The course covered many topics including basic set up and usage of system components, microphone types and placement, wireless set up and troubleshooting, EQ settings, programming scenes and much more. It provided a great opportunity to share ideas in an open forum and get some hands on experience with the sound desk.
All who attended will also be offered a follow up session at the Jetty Theatre for an overview of the equipment, and a site induction and familiarization of the full sound installation. The feedback from participants was extremely positive and everyone came away with a greater knowledge of sound basics in a musical theatre setting. As an added bonus we now know what ‘Honky’ means (hint, not great for your vocals).
Having our own equipment will enable us to hold similar sessions in future. We have also been able to run mics at a recent Jersey Boys rehearsal with the band. This was beneficial in assisting the Musical Director with song cues, and helping our cast be heard over the band without straining vocally. Hopefully we can continue offering this support for current and upcoming productions.
16 CHMCC members attended the session, which was hosted by Greg Wilson Jr using our own equipment. The course covered many topics including basic set up and usage of system components, microphone types and placement, wireless set up and troubleshooting, EQ settings, programming scenes and much more. It provided a great opportunity to share ideas in an open forum and get some hands on experience with the sound desk.
All who attended will also be offered a follow up session at the Jetty Theatre for an overview of the equipment, and a site induction and familiarization of the full sound installation. The feedback from participants was extremely positive and everyone came away with a greater knowledge of sound basics in a musical theatre setting. As an added bonus we now know what ‘Honky’ means (hint, not great for your vocals).
Having our own equipment will enable us to hold similar sessions in future. We have also been able to run mics at a recent Jersey Boys rehearsal with the band. This was beneficial in assisting the Musical Director with song cues, and helping our cast be heard over the band without straining vocally. Hopefully we can continue offering this support for current and upcoming productions.
From the treasurer, Annamarie Cohen
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When I initially wrote this report, I had not longed returned from three weeks in Japan. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to share a part of my culture with my family and visit places of my childhood as well as check out some of the tourist spots.
Thank you to everyone who voted in the online poll for the changes to the constitution. I realise that we only recently updated the constitution, however these changes were requested by the Australian Charities and Nor-For-Profit Commission to obtain our charitable status. I am pleased to let you all know that CHMCC now has charitable status and also tax concessions. I am now onto the next step, getting us gift deduction status. I have been advised by the ATO that it will take some time for them to assess our application. We also now have up-to-date guidelines and information for directors and production teams to use when putting on a show. We hope that these will be of assistance, particularly to new crew. The guidelines are dynamic and constantly being updated as required. If you would like access to these documents, please contact the secretary, Fiona Shaw who can assist you with this. When I first commenced with this committee, one of my goals was to have policies, procedures and guidelines in place to prevent any misadventure, ensure ethical and fair practice and provide helpful information for anyone involved in productions. I am pleased (and relieved) to say that these have now been completed and will soon be available on our website. Thank you to the past committees that left the start of these documents, giving me something to work with. I have chosen a few photos from my trip to make this look a little more interesting as the subject matter can be somewhat dry. Annamarie |
Jersey Boys
The countdown is on! Jersey Boys opens this Friday 10th May 2024 at the Jetty Memorial Theatre. The show will run for 20 performances between 10th May until the 2nd June. It follows the story of the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons. Make sure to grab your tickets for this unforgettable show!
We Will Rock You - Audition EOIs announced!
Audition Expression of Interest for We Will Rock You are now open! Head to the link and fill in your details to receive information about our next amazing production, We Will Rock You - based on the music of QUEEN and written by Ben Elton and directed by Greg Wilson Jnr!
Coffs Coast WPAS ALL STARS
The Junior Theatre Festival (JTF) in Atlanta, USA is the world’s largest celebration of young people performing musical theatre, and CHMCC are so incredibly proud to sponsor 6 up-and-coming performers, Shanaya, Josie , Ebony, Ella-Grace, Makaylah and Cleo, as they embark on the experience of a lifetime!
Late last year, these 6 individuals auditioned to be selected to attend the JTF in Atlanta in 2025, and out of over 1000 auditionees who applied for this experience, only 30 were selected, with 6 hailing from the Coffs Coast area! What an outstanding achievement!
If you would like to sponsor these performers, please email the Coffs Coast WPAS All Stars at [email protected]
You can also show your support by following them on Facebook, where they will be documenting their journey to Atlanta!
Late last year, these 6 individuals auditioned to be selected to attend the JTF in Atlanta in 2025, and out of over 1000 auditionees who applied for this experience, only 30 were selected, with 6 hailing from the Coffs Coast area! What an outstanding achievement!
If you would like to sponsor these performers, please email the Coffs Coast WPAS All Stars at [email protected]
You can also show your support by following them on Facebook, where they will be documenting their journey to Atlanta!
Sponsorship of CHMCC
Future workshops
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Exciting News!!
We are working on a date which will be announced in the coming months, but we are excited to confirm that we have secured the skills of local Drama teacher, Belinda Lemair. Belinda will be hosting a workshop day which will be focused on auditioning and stage movement. Something we feel our members have wanted to feel more confident in for many years. So keep your eyes on our Social Media page and our future newsletters for more details. We feel very strongly as a Committee to give back to our Members and nurture upskilling and relevant talent expansion whenever we can. So be excited to know, that this workshop will only be the beginning if they prove successful. |
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Upcoming shows by community theatre in and around the Mid North Coast
CHATS - Coffs HarbourWhen Hugo and Alice return from their honeymoon, Alice finds she is putting on weight and turns to the Vicar for advice. After coping with the village quiz and organizing the week of Radio Dibley, Geraldine is desperately trying to bring the Dibley Parish Council to some order. Just when things couldn’t get any more bizarre in Dibley, Geraldine is stunned when Alice actually has a good idea. Why not put on a Nativity play? Why not indeed! What can possibly go wrong?
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High Country Theatre - ArmidaleA series of moved readings over two weeks with a different program each week.
The scripts are mostly original and from local authors. Favourite shorts is a community event with all actors/ readers who express an interest, guaranteed a part. 2024 is our biggest year yet with 44 actor / readers participating |
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Mother and Son explores the dysfunctional family relationship of elderly Maggie, an ageing mother who is becoming more than a little forgetful, and her faithful but long-suffering middle aged son Arthur who moves in with her when his father dies to help to take care of her but has to stay much longer than he planned.
This freshened and modernised version of the beloved Logie Award-winning show finds Arthur hoping for the chance to finally take his new flame Anita away on a little holiday to pop the question. His only chance for a break away from his mother, however, involves recruiting help from his selfish scheming brother Robert and wily sister-in-law Liz, but the firstborn favourite has enough trouble of his own. |
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Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is one of the 1st musicals from the team of Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice. This much loved show retells the Bible story of Joseph, son of Jacob, who is betrayed by his brothers but ends up a prominent person in the court of the Pharoah. This Criterion Theatre production, under licence from ORIGIN Theatrical, was earlier cancelled due to COVID but is finally here, with great music, colourful costumes and a large, lively cast.
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Membership
Reminder to all CHMCC subscribers that in order to vote or nominate for a position at the 2025 AGM in August (date to be confirmed), you will be required to be a current 2024 financial member. Being a member supports our theatre group in continually providing the community with great theatre, twice a year, along with cheaper admission to any workshops or events that take place throughout the year.
Head to our membership page, and follow the link, to become a 2024 member.
If you are unsure if you are a 2024 member, please email the secretary at [email protected]
Head to our membership page, and follow the link, to become a 2024 member.
If you are unsure if you are a 2024 member, please email the secretary at [email protected]
If you would like to contribute to future editions of the CHMCC newsletter, or have an area of expertise that you would like to share with our community, please reach out at [email protected]
