11 October 2016

Don't miss Windmill Theatre's latest collaboration with State Theatre Co of SA in this great new show for secondary kids. Playing 11 - 30 October. Dunstan Playhouse. Details

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9 October 2016

Go here to find what's on

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6 October 2016

The theatre gods are on their side. After days of cold, wet weather today is supposed to be a sunny 25 degrees. Auguring well...check festival details here

Image: Tanderrum - a welcome to country opening the festival in Federation Square yesterday

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5 October 2016

Teacher Chris Rhyder runs this great program for Year 5 & 6's at Burwood Heights PS which develops initiative and deeper thinking.

The students help select possible excursions, then apply to go on them. The number who can attend is limited, so applying is quite competitive. The students then also have to raise the funds themselves to pay all the excursion costs. They're invested, puns aside.

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4 October 2016

SING FOR GOOD

Entries are open for this national video challenge to raise money for charity.

All you need do is submit a video on line. Entries close at the end of October.

There are lots of categories, including several for schools. The winning schools receive cash prizes, too. The video can be one you’ve already made.

Last year’s secondary school winner, Eltham College, submitted a video they’d made earlier in the year of Lean On Me. Watch it here.

Have fun, feel good and make a difference. There is no cost to enter, but once your entry is there, your aim is to fundraise for your entry, by getting people to vote for it by making a donation.

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3 October 2016

The only states back, all on the East Coast, but now in two time zones.

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30 September 2016

Have a great holiday you guys. 

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29 September 2016

Lucky Perth kids! Go here to download the Festival program. Runs 1 -10 October. Special prices for concession holders.

image: The Bookbinder

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29 September 2016

By Rachael Lundy

Greg Cooper (pictured above) is an actor, improviser, and tour de force in the field of children’s theatre writing. Somehow, between touring the country by night and writing his brand new play for Australia/New Zealand Playhouse, “Puss in Boots: Pet Detective”, by day, I managed to sit down with him and chat about the joy of writing plays for kids.

Rachael: Tell me about how you first become involved in theatre, and what drew you to script writing in particular?

Greg: I learnt speech and drama from quite a young age, and really enjoyed performing throughout my school life, particularly the improv stuff I did at High School. After that I was asked to join the Court Jesters [Christchurch’s Court Theatre Improv Group], they had only been going for a few years by that time, but they asked me to join, so I started working at the theatre. The Court wanted to start doing children's shows for the school holidays, so they got a couple of us to put together a show.

Rachael: Did you write that one?

Greg: No, not that first one, but I think by the second or third one they asked if anyone would like to write the script and I said, “Oh, I’ll give it a crack”. I’d never written a script before. That first one was called “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Playhouse produced it again a few years back...I just kept going from there, basically.

Rachael: How long ago did you join the court?

Greg: Crikey! I think I had just left high school, so this will give my age away, but about 23 years.

Rachael: You have been with Playhouse since its inception back in 2009. Are you surprised by how much the group has grown since that first tour?

Greg:  I am and I’m not, I mean, knowing Mikey [Michael Bell, Company Director of Playhouse], he’s never one to go “I’m just happy with that”. He’s always looking to go bigger and better and bolder and further. The first tour, well, compared to what they are now, it was tiny! Every year there’s a bigger tour. I acted in that first Australian one for “The Big Sad Wolf” (2013) and that was only 6 weeks, now they’re 9-10 month tours, so it’s quite incredible how the company has grown.  In 2017, we're touring another of my plays, Puss in Boots: Pet Detective for Primary Students, also hopefully for a long time!

Rachael: You have written plays produced by Playhouse for almost 8 years, as well as countless other scripts for The Court Theatre, Anthony Harper Summer Theatre, and tons more. What is your favourite part of writing children’s theatre?

Greg: I love that children are so honest...people say, “Oh, it’s just children’s theatre” but I totally disagree with that sentiment. You can’t write down to them, they are very intelligent and they know when they are being patronised. You’ve got to engage them at almost an adult level. You’ve got to tell a good story but you also have to provide opportunities for them to contribute to the story. The joy of live theatre, and the thing that separates it from every other medium, is that the children can yell out and tell the actors things; you know, the classic panto “it’s behind you!” thing. That’s what I really like.

In 2017, Australia Playhouse are also touring Great Scott Fitzgerald: Gatsby Unleashed! for Secondary Students.

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26 September 2016

As most of us enjoyed a sleep in this morning, spare a thought for our SA colleagues. Their holidays are still a week away.

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25 September 2016

Third term has been HUGE.  Canny teachers are already booking for next year to make sure they get the dates that best suit. Alot of our incursions and an increasing number of our theatre shows are available for 2017.

Image: We're Going On A Bear Hunt - Touring nationally in 2017. Some Victorian venues listed already. Many more to come.

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19 September 2016

SA still has two weeks to go. Tas, Qld and Vic schools are already relaxing

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