Come and play all of May – Outside the walls
As part of the Come and Play All of May celebrations throughout Baw Baw, West Gippsland Arts Centre continues to present shows across the month with its ‘2018 Outside the Walls' program.
Baw Baw Shire Council's Manager of Arts and Culture, Rob Robson, says, “The outside the Walls program has given us a wonderful opportunity to present shows in local halls and other spaces around the shire, and it has surprised us at how unique the experience of seeing these shows at smaller venues has been."
Rob Robson says that the challenges of presenting shows in these spaces and the intimacy of the performances has allowed audiences to get up close to the productions and engage with the performers.
“There is a real sense of community when a smaller group of people are gathered in these spaces, sharing an experience in a space that is important to them", he says.
Rob continues, “With the West Gippsland Arts Centre redevelopment moving ahead, and the project allowing us to present these events in this way, we've had an unexpected and surprising bonus in that we are discovering a new audience and a new reaction, and we cannot wait to bring this shared love of theatre back into the beautifully refurbished venue."
West Gippsland Arts Centre's ‘Outside the Walls' shows for May include a varied program of events in and around the Shire.
On the 12th of May, WGAC presents Hello Beautiful at Latrobe Performing Arts Centre. Hello Beautiful is a A funny and personal evening with one of Australia's best-loved playwrights, Hannie Rayson. In this warm, selfeffacing and hilarious show, Hannie shares her experiences of seeking out extraordinary moments in the everyday, the allure of the road and Australia's wide-open spaces, and the city that has always been her home.
Daylight Entertainment gets a look-in on Friday 25 May at 11:00am at Darnum Memorial Hall with ‘Petula: Downtown to Broadway' - a tribute to Petula Clark, starring Hillary Henshaw and Will Conyers. Revel in the nostalgia, the surprises and the beautiful compositions created by a legend. This Show features many of her timeless sixties hits as well as celebrating her contribution to movies and her stellar career in musical theatre.
Melbourne Chamber Orchestra return to the Wesley of Warragul on Friday 25 May with ‘French Arias.’ Be transported to the lush sound world of nineteenth century France, with music by Chausson, Debussy and Fauré. This concert features star soprano Greta Bradman singing luminous songs by Debussy and Calvin Bowman.
And on Saturday 26 May, WGAC presents ‘Elegy' at Algie Hall in Neerim South. Both an intimate character study and an edge-ofyour-seat thriller, Elegy fuses precision performance, an affecting soundscape and visual poetry to lure us into a playful, theatrical, humorous and personal world to reveal a story as powerful as it is true.
Rob Robson says, “The varied array of shows we are presenting in May is part of our commitment to present audiences with a range of challenging, fun and unforgettable experiences during the month's celebration of the arts."
For tickets to these shows, and for more information, visit www.wgac.com.au or call the Booking Office on 5624 2456. You can also buy tickets in person at the Smith Street Annex, corner of Smith and Albert Streets, Warragul.