by Debbie Keyt
Our 71st year was truly fabulous. We presented an exciting selection of shows for production teams, actors, crews and audiences alike, offering a little something for everyone and immense variety.
Season 2024
We were conscious of having a perfect mix of shows to appeal to a vast array of tastes. We followed the model of producing a family show, a (black) comedy, a musical and a classic comedy along with launching a special festival.
Season 1 – A Year with Frog and Toad
A Year with Frog and Toad was a charming and delightful show directed and choreographed by Leah Osburn with musical direction by Po Goh. It was such a beautiful story of friendship with superb performances by the outstanding cast of five. Originally a children’s story, the enchanting music was catchy and the humour was so appealing to adults too. The storybook set was devised by Leah and designed and executed by Chris Churchward and Neil Barnett, with picturesque artwork by Sally Fleming; the lovely and stylised costumes by Jenni Osburn; Deb Carpenter was a well-organised and supportive producer and props coordinator; Emma Brown designed the atmospheric lighting; Adam Solomon was the all-important sound designer and Ash Boyce was stage manager. Our audiences raved about the exceptional performances and the overall uplifting experience.
Season 2- Steel Magnolias
I had the immense pleasure of directing Steel Magnolias for a second time, previously having directed it here at Beaumaris Theatre in 2006. Our extraordinary cast delivered excellent individual performances and worked so well as a tight ensemble. Their friendships onstage transcended off stage as well and their camaraderie was delightful. With a stunning set by Pietro Giordano and striking murals by Ella Creaton and colourful, vibrant and carefully considered 80s costumes by Harry Brammall. George Kapaklis and Emma Brown created marvellous lighting, and our soundtrack and sound effects by Adam Solomon and our phenomenal backstage team of Fiona Williams and Rhonda Vaughan who also coordinated props along with Lynda French and together made sure everything ran with precision behind the scenes. It was a pleasure to have the help of young protégés, Cleo Noble and Zara Solomon. Our audience’s applause, laughter and tears made our efforts extremely rewarding.
Season 3- The Monologue Festival
As a bonus, we had a ‘pop up’ two-night-only season with our Inaugural Monologue Festival created and with artistic direction by Andy Payne. It was a tremendous opportunity for writers to submit their original monologues for performance and an incredible opportunity for actors and directors to take them from page to stage. Lynda French was the festival administrator and an enormous support to Andy and the entire team and her planning and organisation, along with casting, logistics, scheduling, props, set, costuming and stage management was exemplary. Adam Solomon was the trusty technical director, Emma Brown designed the lighting, Jaiden Naimo operated the tech and Sally Fleming created the simple and effective artwork. The sold-out performances and the audience’s positive feedback was proof that it’s an initiative worth repeating again in the future.
Season 4- The Bridges of Madison County
The Bridges of Madison County was a passion project by director, Colin Armstrong, who enlisted help from his good friend, Sue Fletcher as Music Director. Colin and Sue assembled a truly remarkable cast to bring this heart-warming and heart-wrenching tale to our stage. The production crew was made up of Kristina Doucouliagos as production coordinator; talented and lovely Michelle Lu as rehearsal pianist; Stephen White, stage manager: Fred Pezzimenti, set designer; Ella Creaton, props coordinator and scenic artistry; Jacinta Wilson, costumes; Damien Calvert, lighting and Adam Solomon, the complex sound design. Ticket sales for this rarely staged musical were very pleasing and the feedback we received was overwhelmingly complimentary.
Season 5- Arsenic and Old Lace
Arsenic and Old Lace was directed by esteemed director Peter Newling who understood the intricacies of the classic comedic plot. Peter’s reputation is renowned and he has a following of dedicated and talented actors who are eager to work with him again or for the first time. His loyal followers are always keen to be in the audience of a Peter Newling production. Peter saluted his production team as the best of the best: Jenni Osburn, production coordinator and costumes; the dynamic duo of Fiona Williams and Steve Morris as co-stage managers; Sally Fleming and Chris Churchward, set designers and Sal coordinated props as well; Yaz Sesta, lighting designer; Harrison Ewart-Dart, sound designer; Ruby Foxworthy was the lighting and sound operator.
We were extremely proud of all our productions in 2024 and overall they were hugely successful artistically and financially.
Victorian Drama League Awards
Steel Magnolias was our entry for the VDL’s for 2024 in the comedy category and on Sunday 1st December at Merrimu Receptions we were thrilled to receive two exciting awards and 4 nominations:
Adjudicator’s Award - Ella Creaton for Mural Design and Artistry
Silver Award for Costume Design - Harry Brammall
Nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy - Wendy McRae for her portrayal of Ouiser Boudreaux
Nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy - Trudi Sheppar for her portrayal of Truvy Jones
Nomination for Best Director of a Comedy - Debbie Keyt
Nomination for Best Production, Comedy - Steel Magnolias
We are also honoured to sponsor two VDL Awards each year in acknowledgement of Chris Churchward, Neil Barnett and Alan Crispin and their commitment and hard work in the areas of set and lighting design:
The Neil Barnett and Chris Churchward Perpetual Trophy for Best Set Design
Gold Award Awarded to Sean van Geyzel - Windmill Theatre Company, Noises Off
The Alan Crispin Perpetual Trophy for Best Lighting Design
Silver Award Awarded to Matthew Heenan and Tayla Harbour, Ballarat National Theatre Inc., Dancing at Lughnasa
The Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Awards
As we staged two musicals in 2024, we entered both for judging at the MTGV Awards: A Year with Frog and Toad and The Bridges of Madison County.
The nominations were announced on the 6th November and we were chuffed to receive the following nominations and commendations:
Nominations
Direction - Colin Armstrong, The Bridges of Madison County
Lead Performer in a Male Presenting Role - Michael Gray, Robert Kincaid, The Bridges of Madison County
Lead Performer in a Female Presenting Role - Candice Sweetman, Francesca Johnson, The Bridges of Madison County
Cameo or Minor Role - Liz Catford, Marge, The Bridges of Madison County
Ensemble - The Ensemble, The Bridges of Madison County
Commendations
Production of the Year - The Bridges of Madison County
Musical Direction - Sue Fletcher, The Bridges of Madison County
Supporting Performer in a Female Presenting Roll - Roisin O’Neill, Snail & Others, A Year with Frog and Toad
Ensemble - The Three Players, A Year with Frog and Toad
We were so excited when Roisin O’Neill and Candice Sweetman and Michael Gray were shortlisted to perform at the Guilds and overjoyed when Candice and Michael were officially invited to perform the duet, “One Second and a Million Miles”.
A group of us travelled to Traralgon on Saturday 14th December for rehearsal in the afternoon and then the glittering 37th Annual Bruce Awards at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre.
We were ecstatic to receive two awards:
Candice Sweetman - Lead Performer in a Female Presenting Role
Liz Catford - Cameo or Minor Role
Candice and Michael brought the house down with their sublime performance and it was night to remember.
SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENTS
The 16th Annual Biggest & Latest Morning Tea
Our heart-warming concert was originally staged in 2009, organised Barb Stewart to raise money for Cancer Council Victoria and has been staged every year since, after Barb lost her fight with cancer. It’s performed in loving memory of Barb and Lee Pezzimenti.
Michael Young was our masterful MC, with stirring performances by our stellar cast: Amy Gridley, Amelia Little, Candice Sweetman, Kim Valance, Bec Bull, Mitchell Hurrey, Nick Armstrong, Liam McWhinney and special guests Alarna Summers, Natasha Rayner & Justine Garnes.
We raised $3,000 in 2024 for Cancer Council research and programs and over the past 16 years we’ve proudly raised over $27,000.
Trivia Night
In 2024 our very own Quiz Master extraordinaire and showman, Harrison Ewart- Dart hosted a fundraising Trivia Night which was very popular with our regulars and trivia buffs and everyone who attended had a great time. We look forward to making our Trivia Night an annual event on our calendar. Thank you to Lynda and Chris from Duncan Thompson Extensions for sponsoring the prizes. Thank you to Lynda and Jen for coordinating the night and to everyone who helped set up and cleaning up and for making the night a success.
Radio Theatre
Cheryl Threadgold, Joy Meeking and the Bayside U3A Writers Group staged two Radio Theatre performances in October, showcasing the writers’ work and performed by actors from Beaumaris Theatre and other local companies. The performances were well attended and money raised was donated to Beaumaris Theatre in appreciation for our support. Thank you to Lynda and Georgy for liaising with Cheryl to ensure the event ran smoothly and thanks to Camilla for the eye-catching flier, Fiona for stage managing and Adam for providing lighting and sound for the shows and all the committee who helped behind the scenes and with FOH.
Myeloma Support Group
Since 2009 the Bayside Myeloma Support Group have held their morning sessions in our theatre foyer on the first Thursday of every second month. We’re very happy to be able to provide the venue on an ongoing basis. Thank you to Fiona for welcoming the group and providing access for their sessions.
The Creator Collaboration
After the Monologue Festival, Kate Squires approached us about holding a monthly creative workshop for keen writers to bring along their scripts and have them brought to life by actors and receive feedback and discussion from the entire team. The collaboration group are grateful to have the opportunity to work together and develop their creativity.
First Aid
Helen McGrath provided two sessions of First Aid training refreshers for us in November in the areas of general First Aid and CPR to keep our skills and knowledge up to date.
The 21st Annual Talbots
On November 30th we celebrated our year of theatrical achievements and triumphs with our annual night of nights at a new venue, Sandy by the Bay, which was lovely. Huge thanks to our Talbot sub-committee, Kristina, Camilla and Adam for making the night a marvellous success.
We are very thankful to Camilla for organising our beautiful invitations, decorations and keepsake trinkets. Thank you to Lynda and Chris from Duncan Thompson Extensions for their sponsorship and generosity in purchasing the decorations; Adam for his technical expertise and tireless efforts to set up our equipment and making sure there were no glitches; Kristina for her marketing prowess and organising the guest list, booking page and publicising our function and taking photos and video footage of the night.
Special thanks to Harrison Ewart-Dart, our Musical Director for the night and for overseeing the band and our magnificent entertainers.
The Janine Chugg President’s Award
Our 2024 recipient of this prestigious award was outgoing President, Trevor Osburn.
Trev first joined our theatre family in 2007 and Janine Chugg, intuitively knew what a wonderful asset the Osburn family collectively would be to Beaumaris Theatre and recognised Trev’s credentials as an administrator and manager when he first joined the Committee in 2009.
Trev’s wise counsel has always been well respected and his understanding of facts and figures, business and, practical intelligence is admirable.
In November 2013, Trev stepped up, without hesitation to lead us through a turbulent time. He provided the Committee with strong and steady leadership and kept us focused on the business of running a theatre company. Originally, he probably saw this as a temporary role, but his steadfast leadership was faithful and constant for ten years.
During the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 and all the associated challenges, he remained committed, faithful and dependable until our theatre doors reopened. He kept us focused on reality and encouraged us to move forward calmly, one step at a time dealing with any problems sensibly as they arose. He always provided us with reports highlighting statistics of audience numbers and percentages, takings and profits and kept us grounded on our financial aims.
In addition to his good judgment and wisdom, he was our trusty Front-of-House coordinator and manager for over a decade, overseeing our Front-of-House teams to ensure the hospitality and welcome we offer our audiences is always exceptional and friendly. As part of his role, he kept our fridges and cupboards well stocked so everyone else can go about the business of staging shows.
As an independent and unbiased representative, Trev was the Talbot Adjudicator’s liaison and convenor for many years, explaining processes and procedures, conducting meetings and ensuring the focus was impartial and even-handed. He organised and coordinated trophies and awards for our Talbots for over ten years.
Trev participated on several sub-committees over the years such as health and safety, technical meetings, production and director selection panels and liaising with and developing a relationship and partnership with our Men’s Shed neighbours. He was our secretary for a year too.
The hours Trev has devoted to working bees, painting, building, maintenance, opening up for tradesmen and waiting at the theatre with them while jobs are completed is immense. He has overseen numerous positive upgrades to the theatre such as a foyer revamp and re-carpeting, installation of our motorised raked seating, ongoing upgrades to our lighting and sound infrastructure and upgrades for external and internal lighting for all areas of the theatre and dressing room improvements.
Trev was awarded the Life Membership of Beaumaris Theatre in 2018.
In 2023 he enjoyed his first-ever onstage appearance as ‘himself’ in a cameo in Beaumaris Theatre’s 70th Anniversary Christmas Panto Revue.
Trev’s outstanding leadership and guidance helped us to prosper and flourish. We will be eternally grateful for his governance and friendship.
Bayside Community Awards
Congratulations to our treasured and hard-working Fiona Williams who was a 2024 finalist for The Citizen of the Year Award and nominated by Jenni Osburn on our behalf for recognition of her service to the Bayside community and her immense contributions to Beaumaris Theatre.
D.K Productions
I am eternally grateful to everyone at Beaumaris Theatre for supporting D.K Productions and providing a theatrical home for all our students since 2002 and giving students of all ages a safe, nurturing and happy space to express their creativity and gain confidence and stage and life skills.
Beaumaris Theatre Supporters
Duncan Thompson Extensions
Our good friends, Lynda and Chris French from Duncan Thompson Extensions have been our major sponsors for a decade and we are indebted to them for all the generosity they have provided to us over that time and we appreciate their financial support and partnership.
Bayside City Council
Our landlords at Bayside City Council always support our theatrical endeavours and we’re so lucky to have such a wonderful theatre in beautiful parklands to call our own, which is a luxury not all theatre companies have and we don’t take that for granted. We thank Bayside City Council for ongoing upgrades and maintenance of our building and grounds.
Bendigo Bank
We thank Bendigo Community Bank, Sandringham Branch, for their financial support through generous grants to Beaumaris Theatre and at the end of 2024 we were very fortunate to receive a grant to help fund our wardrobe upgrade.
Bayside Men’s Shed
Our neighbours at Bayside Men’s Shed have been very obliging and allow us to use their Well’s Road facility when we have rehearsal and scheduling clashes and they kindly build props for our productions when necessary. We appreciate all their support and look forward to our ongoing relationship.
We are truly blessed to have a magnificent theatre family of volunteers who make our beloved Beaumaris Theatre the professional and friendly company it is and we are delighted to be the current caretakers and acknowledge everyone who came before us and built the foundations for us to do what we adore.
Our heartfelt thanks to our directors, choreographers, musical directors, producers, actors, costume designers and coordinators, set designers, builders, decorators, lighting and sound designers and operators, stage managers and crews, props makers and coordinators, artists, front of house volunteers and of course our audiences.
A special mention must be made to gifted Ella Creaton for her stunning flier designs and for always creating beautiful artwork to capture the eye and lure people to our shows and making such an inviting first impression.
Special thanks to Pietro Giordano and Tim Tselepis, our photographers and videographer for capturing moments in time and creating memories for us to cherish.
The offstage and unseen elements of a theatre allow everything that happens onstage as if by magic. In 2024 we made the purchase of a new state-of-the-art sound desk and we thank Adam Solomon for painstakingly researching the best system for our needs. We continued to overhaul and cull our costume wardrobes as over the years we accumulated so many items and we don’t have the space to keep them forever.
Our 2024 Committee are phenomenal and my sincerest thanks to each and every one of them for the heart and soul, devotion passion and blood, sweat and tears they dedicate, day in and out:
Dan Bellis, our modest, respectful, trusty and loyal Vice President for gentle, unwavering encouragement, support, loyalty, enthusiasm and proficiency for all our theatrical pursuits and being a rock to us all. His vast experience and theatrical know-how is well respected. ‘Dans Cans’ has been a terrific new initiative and novel side hustle too.
Jenni Osburn, our faithful Treasurer for administering our finances with aplomb and updating our systems and creating financial reports, records and budgeting, which is not an easy job, but she makes it look so effortless and easy to comprehend. Jen’s assistance with grants and costume know-how is legendary.
Lynda French, our efficient, organised secretary and Public Officer for meticulously taking and distributing our meeting minutes and tackling correspondence, emails, ticketing queries, phone calls and all manner of questions and requests with flair and patience and being the friendly first point of call for many people and multitasking with great ease.
Lynda is also our long-serving and dependable health and safety officer, constantly observing, assessing and reporting on our safety performances and developing procedures to meet safety guidelines as well as keeping our First Aid kits up to date.
Kristina Doucouliagos, our marvellous marketing manager, who creates outstanding social media strategies, and promotional and publicity campaigns, reports on the effectiveness of those campaigns and forecasting. She’s our newsletter editor, webmaster, ticket event coordinator, membership manager and all manner of associated and related tasks. Kristina’s workload is immense and time-consuming, but she carries it out professionally, without complaint and the commendation from other individuals and companies is glowing.
Deb Carpenter is a faithful and diligent member of our committee overseeing budget requirements and production tasking, costuming and all things creative. Deb’s a calm, clear thinker with excellent insight into the administrative aspect of management and the voice of reason, especially during planning. She’s very willing to help out wherever needed and necessary.
Fiona Williams, our loyal and friendly Front of House roster coordinator and we depend on Fi for all manner of show-related and behind-the-scenes tasks and nothing is ever too much trouble. She is constantly and habitually engaged in earnest and energetic jobs from painting, building, cleaning, and opening up the theatre for access and bin duty. She is hard working and committed and puts in long hours - no job is ever too big or small and she always carries them out with her big, warm smile.
Adam Solomon, our easy-going, unflappable tech director and guru, who oversees all things technological and mentors and trains newcomers. He works back-to-back shows and devotes countless hours to rigging and bumping in equipment and is excellent at troubleshooting and problem-solving, all with his trademark sense of humour. In the past year, Adam has taken on the role of front-of-house manager, purchasing kiosk and bar supplies.
Harrison Ewart-Dart, our resident musical maestro and creative mastermind who is most obliging and always willing to learn and tackle new skills. He teaches us to think outside the square and explore new ideas. As our new Quiz Master, we look forward to fun and regular trivia events ahead.
Georgy Charles, has been a Beaumaris stalwart since she was a teenager and as an experienced and celebrated actor and director, her wealth of theatrical knowledge and understanding of production values and standards is incredible along with her enthusiasm and energy, she’s such an asset to us and always willing to roll up her sleeves and work hard. In 2025 Georgy will take over as our health and safety officer.
Camilla Klesman returned to the Committee in 2024 after a previous stint in 2007, but over that time she’s always been a treasured member of our theatre family in multiple ways, particularly with her choreographic and design skills. Her background in marketing and her passion for Beaumaris Theatre make her a perfect, wise, logical, thoughtful, analytical, organised and rational member of our team. Camilla has also taken on the role of applying for grants for us.
Extra special mention must be made of our three long-serving committee members who ‘retired’ from the committee at the beginning of 2024, Robyn Morris, Steve Morris and Trevor Osburn who collectively have 50 years of experience on our Committee. We will miss their wisdom, experience and knowledge but we know they’ll continue to be an important part of our family.
Words honestly cannot adequately do justice to or describe the innumerable ways our Committee contributes to running Beaumaris Theatre and the above descriptions only touch the surface of the long and focused hours and the immeasurable contribution each one of them makes to every aspect of theatre life. I am personally beyond grateful to each and every one of them and we are all so different, but we have so much in common and the most important thing is, we all do it for love.
Live theatre is a precious art form. Beaumaris Theatre is a superb and delightfully intimate theatre and the values our founders, Bill and Angela Martin established 71 years ago are still honoured today. There isn’t just one thing that makes our unique theatre special, it’s a million intangible qualities and the mix of vibrant, ebullient, imaginative, clever and creative personalities that make Beaumaris Theatre all that it is and our collective desire to bring stories to the stage for thespians to enjoy: “Theatre for all”.