Beaumaris Theatre Inc. acknowledges the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land on which Beaumaris Theatre stands. We pay our respects to Victoria's First Peoples and their Elders past, present and emerging.
Please note, some of the monologues contain adult themes and language.
CONTENTS
Click on the headline below to jump through each section of the program.
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
CAST & CREATIVES
ABOUT BEAUMARIS THEATRE
Welcome to the Beaumaris Theatre's first Monologue Festival! As the festival director, it is my honour to launch this exciting new event and celebrate the incredible talent within our community.
Our goal for this festival is to highlight the power and intimacy of solo performances. Each monologue you will experience this afternoon is a testament to the creativity, dedication, and passion of our writers, directors and performers. The plays you will see are all original works, never before performed before an audience. These pieces offer a diverse range of emotions and perspectives that we hope will resonate with each of you.
Bringing this festival to life has been a journey filled with collaboration and hard work. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Lynda French, our festival administrator, whose unwavering commitment and organisational prowess have been instrumental in making this event a reality. Lynda's meticulous planning and tireless efforts behind the scenes have ensured that every aspect of the festival runs smoothly, allowing our performers to shine and our audience to fully immerse themselves in the experience.
To our performers: thank you for your bravery and artistry. It takes tremendous courage to stand alone on stage and share a piece of yourself with an audience. Your work is the heart and soul of this festival.
To our directors: thank you for coaching and supporting our actors, bringing an additional perspective to these new works. Yours is the key link in the chain between writer and performer bringing the words to life for our audience.
To our writers: your words have laid the foundation for this festival. Your ability to craft compelling narratives and thought-provoking monologues has given our performers the material to truly shine. Thank you for trusting us with your new work.
I would also like to acknowledge the wider group of writers who submitted work. We extend our thanks to you for sharing your creativity and passion with us. While your submissions were not selected this time, your contributions were deeply valued and appreciated. The diversity and richness of your work made the selection process incredibly challenging. We encourage you to continue writing and submitting in the future, as your talent is vital to the vibrancy of our theatre community. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.
And finally to our audience, thank you for your support and enthusiasm. Your presence here this afternoon is what makes this festival truly special. We hope you enjoy the performances and leave feeling inspired and moved by the stories shared.
Here's to a memorable weekend of storytelling and community connection.
Andy Payne, Festival Director
THE MONOLOGUES
Homecoming by Louise Hopewell
Directed by Paula Armstrong, performed by Harry Brammall
Flattering by Alarna Summers
Directed by Alarna Summers, performed by Victoria Hill
Harry by Juliet Charles
Directed by Andy Payne, performed by Claire Ryan Ruberu
Queen of Botox by Amanda Louise Lay
Directed by Kate Squires, performed by Emma Blake
The Funny Thing About Memory by Danny Gibbins
Directed by Danny Gibbins, performed by Juliet Charles
Villain by Stuart Anderson
Directed by Natasha Rayner, performed by Mason Frost
Vigilante Mumma by Paula Armstrong
Directed by Paula Armstrong, performed by Kate Squires
Things to Do by Melissa Forge
Directed by Stephen White, performed by Stuart Anderson
Olympus Divorce Court Hearing: Zeus vs Hera by Kate Squires
Directed by Kate Squires, performed by Emma Stewart
Douglas by Gavin Williams
Directed by Andy Payne, performed by Gavin Williams
CREATIVE TEAM & CREW
Festival Director - Andy Payne
Production Coordinator - Lynda French
Stage Managers - Lynda French
Assistant Stage Manager - Stephen Morris
Crew - Tracey Mitchell
Monologue Selection Panel - Kristina Doucouliagos, Lynda French, Trevor Osburn, Andy Payne and Cheryl Threadgold
Technical Director - Adam Solomon
Flyer Design - Ella Creaton
Set Design - Andy Payne, Lynda French
Painting - Fiona Williams and Steve Morris
Set Artist - Sally Fleming
Props - Lynda French and Cast
Costumes - Cast
Sound Design - Adam Solomon
Lighting Design - Emma Brown
Lighting and sound operation - Jaiden Naimo
Photography and videography- Tim Tselepis
Marketing and Communication - Kristina Doucouliagos
Box Office - Beaumaris Theatre Committee Members
Front of House Staff - Beaumaris Theatre Members and Friends
MEET THE TEAM
In alphabetical order.
Adam Solomon - Technical Director
Over the past 30 years, Adam has worked in the Music and Film Industries in Australia and the UK. He is fervent about live sound production and has developed his skills and expertise on the job.
Adam joined the Beaumaris Theatre community in 2019 and has since joined the Beaumaris Theatre Committee. His show credits include Company, Anne & Gilbert - the Musical, Jack and the Beanstalk - A Pantomime, Puffs, The Three Musketeers, Beaumarisical, Little Miss Sunshine, Beaumaris Theatre’s 70th Anniversary Panto-Revue, A Year With Frog & Toad, and Steel Magnolias.
Adam’s viewpoint is ‘the more gear you plug in and set up the more fun it is’.
Alarna Summers - Writer and Director
Alarna is a passionate drama teacher and performer who has been previously involved with Beaumaris Theatre as the Narrator in their season of Puffs.
As a teacher, Alarna is the coordinator of school productions, finding inspiration from the collaboration and creativity of young people. In community theatre, she has frequented the stage with roles such as Martha in Spring Awakening (MLOC), Stratylis in Lysistrata (Dionysus Theatre), and Arvide Abernathy in Guys and Dolls (Panorama Theatre Company).
This is Alarna’s first experience as a writer, and she is beyond proud to be working with Beaumaris Theatre again on this project. She hopes that her monologue will shed a light on the many micro aggressions faced by the plus size community and encourages people to think about the impact and evolution of language.
Amanda Louise Lay - Writer
In 2018 I signed up to a theatre acting class. We were tasked with finding monologues for classwork. Unimpressed with the options for women of a certain age, I decided to write my own. I started with a sports teacher giving a talk on sex education, a library assistant losing it during story time for small children and continued. My classmates loved them which gave me the confidence to write more. I branched out to ten-minute plays.
Several have been performed in Wagga Wagga’s Once act play festival, I’ve been shortlisted for short and sweet and in April one of mine was performed as part of Sydney’s Short and Sweet. The same play, Reading of the Will is being performed in Short and Sweet Hollywood in July. This will be the Queen of Botox’s debut.
Andy Payne - Festival Director
Andy's journey into the world of drama began at an early age when he discovered that pretending to be other people was far more entertaining than being himself (and much less incriminating).
After moving from the UK in 2000 he first appeared at Beaumaris Theatre in 2006 when he was cast as an appalling actor in Janine Chugg’s acclaimed production of Blackadder. He is keen to point out that ‘an appalling actor’ was the character, not the review. Since then Andy has dabbled in theatrics at Beaumaris and sung his way through various comic roles for Melbourne’s Gilbert and Sullivan opera companies.
Andy’s writing credits include Set Build and Pillow Talk (Beaumaris Theatre), Acquired Taste (the Melbourne International Singers’ Festival) and the libretto for the award winning oratorio Street Requiem, 2014.
Andy has recently ventured in the world of stand up comedy and will represent Victoria in September in the nationwide competition to find Australia’s funniest Boomer. We wish him well.
Claire Ryan Ruberu - Actor
Claire's love of theatre began when shoulder pads were all the rage and mixtapes ruled the airwaves. Discovering the thrills of high school and community theatre in the 80s & 90s, she performed in classics like Animal Farm, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Emperor's New Clothes Panto and thrived under the frenzied creativity of Theatresports.
After a 30-year break, Claire returned to the stage last year in Beaumaris Theatre’s 70th Anniversary Christmas Panto-Revue.
Danny Gibbins - Writer and Director
Danny has been writing, directing, producing, teaching and acting in theatre for 3 decades. Along with community theatre projects, her production company Dramazing has had shows headlining in festivals including Midsumma and Fringe. Most recently she wrote for, co-coordinated, mentored and performed as part of a youth theatre scholarship program at Malvern Theatre.
Emma Blake - Actor
Emma made her Beaumaris Theatre debut earlier this year in A Year with Frog and Toad! Emma loves to perform whimsical, quirky characters on stage.
In 2023 she played an excitable Who in Seussical (Windmill Theatre Company) which was nominated for Production of the Year at the 2024 Lyrebird Awards.
Other credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Cactus Musicals), Thoroughly Modern Millie (MLOC), The Wizard of Oz (Players Theatre Company), Footloose (MLOC), Into the Woods (Aspect), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Aspect) and Guys and Dolls (Nova).
She has trained at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts) and holds AMEB certificates in musical theatre, flute and piano.
When not rehearsing, Emma enjoys crocheting tiny pop culture characters and building Disney lego (ie. she’s just a big kid at heart).
Emma Brown - Lighting Design
Emma Stewart - Actor
Emma has been performing on stage from a very young age, starting acting classes with DK productions from age 5, and performed as Minnie May in the 2008 production of Anne of Green Gables. Her acting studies continued through to University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts.
Over the years she has performed in many theatrical productions including Ordinary Australians, Mother Courage and her Children, Garden City Weeded, Arabian Nights, The Season at Sarsaparilla, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Peter Lalor and the Rush for Gold.
Emma has also explored the world of film, taking lead roles in short films entered various festivals, including The Girl and the Goldfish, All I want, Unspoken, Mine, Orange County and Quiet Afternoon Tea.
Emma has a passion for monologues and has had the honour of performing them at Theatreworks, Southbank Theatre and the Malthouse Theatre, and was privileged to get to assist Debbie Keyt in running a Monologue class for her Adult Acting Classes.
She is very excited to perform a monologue once again and thrilled for the challenge that the long monologue presents.
Gavin Williams - Writer and Actor
Gavin has nearly twenty years of experience on the stage as an actor, director, writer and producer.
He has most recently been on stage in Pack of Lies (Frankston Theatre Group). Gavin has written one full length play, Guardian Angel, which was initially written and performed as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2013, before being further developed. It was most recently performed as a staged reading at Heidelberg Theatre Company in 2019 and is now in the process of gaining publication.
Douglas tells the story of an older man reflecting on an experience in his youth. It is a piece Gavin has wanted to write for several years and is very grateful to Beaumaris Theatre Inc. and the Monologue Festival for providing the impetus to bring it to fruition.
Harry Brammall - Actor
Harry's love of the theatre stems back as far as she can remember.
She trained as an actress in London during the 80s appearing in TV, theatre and film but now prefers to concentrate on making costumes.
However, after being inspired by the Steel Magnolias cast and encouraged relentlessly by her boss, Harry has returned to the stage after more than 30 years and is delighted to be a part of the Beaumaris Theatre Monologue Festival.
Jayden Naimo - Lighting and Sound Operation
Originally a Queensland-based tech designer and lighting operator, Jayden entered the field of theatre lighting in 2022.
Jayden has contributed to productions such as Gypsy, 13 - The Musical and Heathers. Jayden truly honed his skills in 2024, debuting as the lighting supervisor for The Sound of Music and serving as the assistant lighting supervisor for Dogfight.
With his recent transition to Melbourne's vibrant theatre scene, Jayden aims to refine and advance his expertise, preparing for a future in professional theatre and technology.
Juliet Charles - Writer and Actor
A monologue! Now there’s a challenge! Juliet joined a writers’ group when she retired a few years ago and from out of the drawer tumbled unfinished stories and ideas for ‘the great novel’. Well, the novel didn’t happen but she’s had a wonderful time with a supportive and talented group of writers, creating poems, short stories and radio plays. She has just completed her sixth radio play and the next recording session is scheduled for May. Finally comes the exciting part, when the play is presented on Radio 88.3 Southern FM.
Juliet has performed in many plays at Beaumaris Theatre for over 40 years and also plays and musicals at other theatres. One of her great passions is singing and she belongs to the Bayside Singers.
Juliet hopes you enjoy her monologue. She is chuffed to have hers chosen for performance and to add another genre to her repertoire.
Kate Squires - Writer, Director and Actor
Kate is an award-winning fiction writer. Published through both Harlequin and Pan Macmillan, Kate has penned over a dozen novels, including her title How to Lose Weight and Survive the Apocalypse, which has been selected for TV series development with Screen Queensland.
Kate is an active member of the Beaumaris Theatre community. This is her first foray into play writing, and she is delighted to bring Hera's tale to life for a modern audience.
Louise Hopewell - Writer
Louise Hopewell is a playwright based in Naarm/Melbourne.
Her monologues have been widely performed, including as part of Madwomen Monologues, Theatia Podsie, Voices of Women, ArkFest and Metropolis Monologues.
Louise also writes poetry, short stories and songs.
Her writing awards include the Diotima Prize for Philosophy, Drama and the Female Voice, 2023 and the John Bird Dreaming Award for Haiku, 2020.
Lynda French - Production Coordinator & Stage Manager
Lynda has been part of the Beaumaris Theatre community for quite a few years and is currently serving as Secretary of the Beaumaris Theatre Committee.
Her current role is as Production Co-ordinator for the Monologue Festival which amongst other things has seen Lynda being involved in casting, set and prop management, costume coordination, and the many tasks that go along with putting a production together. She has also taken on the role of Stage Manager for the season.
Lynda thanks Andy Payne for his support and guidance and also Debbie Keyt for her patient mentoring skills. Lynda looks forward to seeing our patrons experience the festival and she is sure all will enjoy the talents and diversity of our wonderful writers, directors and actors. Thanks to all for supporting community theatre.
Mason Frost - Actor
Upon thinking of what to write about himself (as egotistical as that sounds) Mason Frost has discovered how a bio is not too dissimilar to a monologue or a soliloquy if you will. So after that mind-blowing realisation turned fascination for longer than he’d like to reveal. Here is his:
For your convenience, we’ll skip all the boring stuff, from the afternoon all those years ago when he was born to tell you some other stuff which may be as equally boring depending on your preferences but if you’ve read this far then why stop now? Might as well ride it through to the end. Mason Frost has had the privilege of being in many shows over the last few years however this marks the second time he gets to tread the boards at Beaumaris Theatre. The first was in last years The Three Musketeers in which he had an absolute blast; so excited to return.
He hopes you enjoy the entire festival of amazing monologues written, directed and acted by amazing people. All of which he can assure you, are better than this bio…
Natasha Rayner - Director
Tash is very excited to welcome you all to such a spectacular event, where the imaginations and dreams of creative writers are cast into existence and brought to life on the Beaumaris stage. She feels extremely honoured to have been asked to direct Villain and has thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of working with the writer and actor to ensure that this performance captures the essence of the troubled yet passionate character.
Tash is in awe of the talent and dedication that this group of creatives brings to the stage and hopes you enjoy watching all the hard work and love that every member has poured into this show.
Melissa Forge - Writer
Mel Forge is a Macedon Ranges based writer and actor.
In 2022, she made a blood soaked stage debut in an all female adaptation of Reservoir Dogs (The Mount Players).
Mel wrote and performed in the short play The Worst Thing Is, which was produced as part of Essendon Theatre Company’s 2023 ‘We Wrote Some Plays’ season, and was named Best Drama 2023 (Gemco One Act Play Festival).
When not reading or writing, trying to remember lines, or helping out behind the scenes at The Mount Players, Mel can be found trying to find ways to finance her travel to wherever in the world Suzie Miller’s latest work is showing.
Paula Armstrong - Writer and Director
Paula began her writing journey with her full-length comedy Katerina in 2007, making its debut at Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group.
Her plays have been enjoyed at various theatre companies such as Eltham Little Theatre, Birnam Wood Theatre, Peridot, 1812, ARK Theatre, GAB Theatre, and have appeared in short play festivals around Australia and internationally. Her most recent play Ma will make its debut in May in the Take 10 (Gemco One Act Play Festival).
Thrilled to be part of the inaugural monologue festival at Beaumaris, Paula hopes you enjoy her comedy, equally inspired by her outrage of graffiti in suburbia and the complexities of motherhood.
Steve Morris - Assistant Stage Manager
Steve has been a familiar face around Beaumaris Theatre for over 20 years either on-stage, back stage, front of house or set builds. If you didn’t recognise him, he was behind the huge whiskers in the recent The 70th Anniversary Christmas Panto-Revue.
Stephen White - Director
Stephen has been involved in amateur theatre for over 30 years, both in Australia and his native UK. Having spent most of that time “out front”, it’s been many years since he directed, so he was delighted to be invited to direct Things To Do.
Stephen first appeared for Beaumaris Theatre in Set Build in 2013. Since then, he has been a regular performer, most recently as Keith the narrator in Beaumaris Theatre’s 70th Anniversary Christmas Panto-Revue. He played Hugo in The Vicar of Dibley and the King in Jack and the Beanstalk (2022), and previously in Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story and Pillow Talk (2019), Echoes (2018), Flowers for Algernon (2016), Une Belle Farce and Fawlty Towers (2015). He has also played leading roles in Iolanthe, The Pirates of Penzance and Patience (Savoy Theatre Company)
UK highlights included playing Bill Sikes in Oliver!, Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar (twice – probably by default as the only one who could sing that low!), painting himself gold to play the genie in Aladdin, and appearing as Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew (which he also directed).
With many thanks to Mel for providing a wonderful script, and of course to Stu for making Stephen’s return to directing so easy. Stephen hopes you enjoy Beaumaris’s inaugural monologue festival – long may it continue into the future!
Stuart Anderson - Writer and Actor
Stuart has been around Beaumaris Theatre for as long as he can remember.
Acting, backstaging, telling you to turn off your phones at the start of most shows. Writing however, has only been limited to one of these. He really hopes that his piece appeals to all his fellow fantasy nerds out there and even the people who are not those. Enjoy!
Victoria Hill - Actor
Victoria is a performer who has been involved in community theatre and the Melbourne improvisation and sketch comedy scene. She appeared in the award winning production of Lysistrata and their short play festival Arete: Gamma (Dionysus Theatre).
Victoria has performed in various productions at the Melbourne Fringe Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, including as a troupe member of Improv Against Humanity.
After training with The Improv Conspiracy, she was cast in a house team and played in a wide range of shows, her favourite being the Improvised Musical.
Victoria went on to work as a teacher of improvisation with Laugh Masters Academy.
Beaumaris Theatre was founded by Bill and Angela Martin in 1953. Bill and Angela were thespians who built a theatre in the attic of their home. It housed about twenty audience members and had a small stage and dressing room.
Soon the demand for tickets for these productions far exceeded the space available, so the Martins along with other members of the Beaumaris Players, worked very hard to have the theatre space we now know in Wells Road.
For the last 70 years, thespians from all walks of life and various backgrounds have been treading the prestigious boards laid by Bill and Angela. We are delighted to continue their legacy of producing theatre for the Bayside community and beyond.
This year we are delighted to be celebrating 70 years of Beaumaris Theatre and working with the community to produce theatre experiences for all!
BEAUMARIS THEATRE COMMITTEE
President - Debbie Keyt
Vice-President - Dan Bellis
Treasurer - Jenni Osburn
Secretary & Public Officer - Lynda French
Marketing Manager & Membership Secretary - Kristina Doucouliagos
Committee Members - Adam Solomon, Camilla Klesman, Deb Carpenter, Fiona Williams, Georgy Charles and Harrison Ewart-Dart.
BEAUMARIS THEATRE LIFE MEMBERS
Bill Martin; Angela Martin; Roger North; Esme North; Roy Baldwin; Bea Beckwith; Anne Lowe; Jean Freer; Beth Kelsall; John Rees-Osborne; Nancy Sutch-Taylor; Edda Dawson; Barbara Franks; Annie Laurenson; Jenny Mullholland; Stephen Mulholland; Don Strong; Taffy Strong; Michael Coultas; Graham Eddie; Derek Curd; Janine Chugg; Debbie Keyt; Robyn Morris; Steve Morris; Neil Barnett; Rhonda Vaughan; Vince Vaughan; Danny Forward; Jenni Osburn; Trevor Osburn; Kristina Doucouliagos; Fred Pezzimenti and Camilla Klesman.
NEXT AT BEAUMARIS THEATRE
Thank you to our supporters and sponsors for continuing to support Beaumaris Theatre.
