A gentle comedy translated from French and adapted by Tom Stoppard
from Le Vent des Peupliers [The Wind in the Poplars] by Gérald Sibleyras
8:00pm Friday 17, Saturday 18, Friday 24 & Saturday 25 June
Matinées 2:00pm Sunday 19 & Saturday 25 June 2011
Foster War Memorial Arts Centre
Gustave, the Dog, Philippe and Henri
THE CAST
Gustave ~ Murray Maclean
Henri ~ Bruce Grainger
Philippe ~ Max Hastings
THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Director ~ Andrew Oldroyd
Composer ~ Rob Ellis
Set Design ~ Geoff Davey
Lighting Design ~ Andrew Oldroyd
Sound Design ~ Rob Ellis
Costume Design ~ Bruce Grainger, Max Hastings, Murray Maclean
Production Manager ~ Tania Pell
Set Construction Manager ~ Bruce Crowl
Set Construction ~ Bruce Crowl, Bert Fabel
………….//……… Vince Bucello, Larry Giddy, Max Hastings, John Laurie
…………………….. Phil Nightingall, Bill Park, Jason Pell, Jenni Richards
…………………….. Don Roberts, Brendan Ryan
Scenic Painting ~ Geoff Davey
Stage Manager ~ Phil Nightingall / John Laurie
Lighting Operation ~ Andrew Oldroyd
Sound Operation ~ Rob Ellis
Hair & Make-Up ~ Tania Pell
Tiered Seating Installation ~ Glen Baldwin, Rhonda Bland, Anthony Bravington
…………///………. Bruce & Kate Crowl, Matthew Brown, Max Hastings, John Laurie
……………………… James McIntyre, Jason Pell
Front of House Manager ~ Dianne Paragreen
Publicity & Marketing ~ Jennifer Paragreen
Graphic Design ~ Geoff Davey
Photography ~ Robert Paragreen
Programme ~ Jennifer Paragreen
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For production photos by Yianni Banikos see the bottom of this article.
- The Cast: Bruce Grainger, Max Hastings & Murray Maclean
‘Heroes’ staged by a multi-talented, much-awarded team
Director, Lighting Designer & Operator: Andrew Oldroyd
The winner of four consecutive Gippsland Associated Theatre awards for his lighting design with FAMDA’s Oedipus Rex, Stringlines, Into the Woods and Blue Remembered Hills, which also earned a Victorian Drama League award.
Bruce Grainger: Henri
Bruce first performed with FAMDA in The Cemetery Club. He has won Gippsland Theatre awards with FAMDA (Oedipus Rex) and Leongatha Lyric (A Little Hotel on the Side) and a Victorian Drama League Best Supporting Actor award for multiple roles in Oedipus Rex.
Before coming to live in South Gippsland Bruce performed with several of Melbourne’s best known theatre companies with major roles in plays such as The Woman in Black with Mordialloc, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe with Ravens Players, Shadowlands at Lilydale, Skylight and Molly Sweeney for Heidelberg Theatre Company and Camberwell Theatre’s Equus.
Max Hastings: Philippe
Max has won Gippsland Theatre awards as the best actor in a play for performances as C. S. Lewis in Shadowlands, Cooper in A Month of Sundays and The Actor in The Woman in Black, and best supporting actor awards in a musical as Motel in Fiddler on the Roof’ and in a play as Donald in Blue Remembered Hills.
As well as major roles in FAMDA plays and musicals like Oklahoma!, Follow the Star, High Infidelity, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Top Silk, Max has also performed with Leongatha Lyric in The Sound of Music and Wind in the Willows and with Warragul Theatre Company playing Thénardier in Les Misérables.
He was nominated by the Victorian Drama League as best actor in a leading role for his performance in The Woman in Black and by the Music Theatre Guild of Victorian as best supporting actor for his role as Mr Sowerberry in Oliver!.
Murray Maclean: Gustave
Murray’s active involvement with FAMDA dates from his 1982 performance of the title role in Don’s Party. Other roles include Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Leopold Bloom in The Producers and Willie in Blue Remembered Hills.
With Leongatha Lyric acting credits include plays such as Dracula, Twelve Angry Men and Taking Steps and roles in the musicals like Cornelius Hackl in Hello Dolly, Rooster Hannigan in Annie and Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls.
He won the Gippsland Theatre best actor trophy as Roy in Cosi and his performance as Mr. Kleiman in Mack and Mabel earned a Victorian Music Theatre Guild nomination.
Direction credits include Lyric’s The Odd Couple and FAMDA’s Top Silk, Hotel Sorrento and The Cemetery Club for which he won a Gippsland Theatre Best Director award.
Set Designer & Scenic Painter: Geoff Davey
Geoff’s artistic design, creativity, meticulous research skills and attention to detail have impressed audiences with the sets for musicals like Follow the Star, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Fiddler on the Roof and the much praised Oliver! which earned a Victorian Music Theatre Guild Technical Achievement award.
Geoff has designed great sets for plays such as Barefoot in the Park, A Month of Sundays, Shirley Valentine and Bush Magic. Set design awards include the Gippsland Theatre Award for Educating Rita and the Victorian Drama League Silver Award for Hotel Sorrento.
His realistic set for Stringlines, which included the construction of a building project onstage and a stunning evocation of Australian outback scenery, earned Geoff yet another Gippsland Theatre Most Outstanding Set trophy.
Set Construction Manager: Bruce Crowl
Bruce’s woodworking, organisational and problem solving skills have been lavished on many FAMDA sets including the GAT award winning sets for Round and Round the Garden, Educating Rita, Hotel Sorrento, Guys and Dolls and Stringlines.
He considers the Oliver! set to be his finest achievement – it won both the Gippsland Theatre Most Outstanding Set Award and the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Technical Achievement Award.
Composer, Musician & Sound Designer: Rob Ellis
Rob’s musical score and sound design for Hotel Sorrento earned awards from both the Victorian Drama League and Gippsland Associated Theatre, including the VDL Gold Award for Sound Design and A Month of Sundays which received the VDL Silver award. Rob was also the composer and musician for Shirley Valentine, Shadowlands, which earned a VDL nomination, and The Cemetery Club.
His sound design for Oedipus Rex and the dinner music CD for Dinner at Hugo’s both earned accolades from the VDL and also Gippsland Associated Theatre.
Among other projects the one-act plays, Duchess on Thursday and Pavane are testament to Rob’s considerable talent. He created an evocative soundscape for Stringlines, composed incidental music for Twisted Tales from the Woods and the score for Bush Magic.
We greatly appreciate Yianni Banikos for supplying these fabulous photographs taken of the Heroes cast members.
