Charlotte Varcoe
A PERFORMANCE within a performance will take to the stage at the Wehl Street Theatre this year with rehearsals already underway.
The Mount Gambier Theatre Group performance will showcase ‘Murder’ which shows a leading lady who seemed to have taken her own life after mixed reviews on opening night.
Her fiance, who is also the playwright, believes she did not take her own life but was instead murdered and a year later assembles the cast, director and producer.
After reading scenes from the playwright’s new play, he finds a novel way to catch a killer.
Director and group member Harley Austin said the performance was the one which made him want to direct after watching the film adaptation several years ago.
“The best thing that made me love this play was the big twist at the end as well,” Mr Austin said.
“There are so many different layers to the characters so I had to make sure these people who are playing these characters were able to perform in such depth.
“They are essentially playing a character within a character and have to perform a number of different personalities.”
Mr Austin said the change in genre would be good for his audience with the group typically performing in comedies.
“People enjoy comedies but there is more to theatre than that,” he said.
“We want people to feel things and bring about an emotional experience and this play is truly about the performance and having the audience enjoy themselves.”
Since auditions were held, he said there was a large number of returning performers wanting to act in more serious roles.
“It is fantastic they want to do this… we are still in the very early stages of rehearsal, which is going great,” he said.
“We are concerned of course about the Covid-19 situation but we are all really wanting to tell this story and when everyone else is shutting down it is worrying but we are hoping we can put it together.”
Details on the performance will be announced in the coming weeks.
