The summer heat is upon us and many thanks to all members & Friends that have assisted at the Farmers Market and Australia Day this Month. Both were lovely days weather wise but difficult to work in due to the heat. Crowds continue to be lighter that usual however, we still seem to do good business at the BBQ’s. Our next Farmer’s Market is in March as Lions are covering for us in February.
We were lucky to have a working Director/actor as our guest speaker this week. Charlie Cousins owns and performs in a theatre company that specialises in performances that are different each night. The plays outcome must be faithful to the playwright’s storyline and ending but emotions and actions can vary to change the impact and interpretation of the play. Charlie is drawn to this form of play as an exciting new direction for theatre. Audiences are so used to the range of performances that TV and cinema can offer, he feels theatre must be able to be more flexible to compete with these media. Charlie discussed how his troupe are performing “Death of a Salesman” in this way and lead a vibrant Q&A session about this style of theatre. The interest from the members was palpable and Chair Suzie had to work hard to control the curiosity and desire for understanding we all exhibited. It was a fascinating evening, so much so our meeting on February 8th is possibly moving to the city to watch Charlies play. Contact Jim Young for details.
Toorak College Catering have asked that we confirm numbers for each meeting by Friday t 11.00am. This is three days earlier than before. Can I remind members that if you don’t apologise by 11.00am Friday you will be charged for the meal. We can discuss this policy at the next Club Assembly on Feb 21. I think we have only two options we can work within 1. The status quo or 2. Members must order a meal each week. The process we follow in each option could vary but to be fair to Toorak they must know total numbers to organise seating etc.
Can I remind everybody that Alex needs all members to reply to him following Pauline’s email regarding the tasks you feel you can help with for the Great Aussie Hike in April.
The District Conference is still planning to be a great event although the Saturday Dinner Dance has been cancelled. I believe that there are deals to attend on single days available so check with Linda if you can now attend or would like to go for only a limited time. Watch your e-mails this week for updates from Pauline.
The Pot Luck Dinner hangs in the balance numbers wise so please book on Humanitix if you are intending to go.
Lastly, it was great to see John Paterson at our last meeting as he continues on his recovery, George-Ann is also well on her way to recovery and resumed her role in the Club and “Crackers” continues to progress well. Good luck to Rowan next week on his procedure and our best wishes to all other members and Friends who are dealing with health issues, cheers, Neil
Guest Speaker, Charlie Cousins, Actor/Director/Production Company Owner.
A graduate of WAAPA (Acting), Charlie is an actor, director, and educator with over 20 years experience working in theatre, film, and television. Charlie’s television work includes the regular role of Charlie Davis in The Dr Blake Mysteries, The Mystery of A Hansom Cab, Winners & Losers, City Homicide, Blue Heelers, Marshall Law, MDA, Beastmaster, and The Lost World. Charlie’s Theatre credits include Oil for Red Stitch directed by Ella Caldwell, Sydney Theatre Company’s Arms and the Man directed by Richard Cottrell, the Helpmann Award winning production of Thursday’s Child for Monkey Baa Productions, Cosi (Lewis) and The Crucible (John Proctor) for The Complete Works Theatre Company, Pains of Youth for Malthouse Theatre and The Artisan Collective, Our Country’s Good for Group Theatre Productions, The Drowned World for The Storeroom, A Respectable Family for Chambers Theatre Co., Much Ado about Nothing for Bell Shakespeare, and Young & Jackson for Harrison Productions in conjunction with Steady Lads Pty Ltd. His film credits include the award winning short film Blackwood, Last Ditch, and the Warner Bros. Pictures feature ‘Scooby Doo’. In 2018 he launched his theatre company, Hearth Theatre, and produced, co-directed, and starred in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Hearth Theatre’s second production was Marriage by Nikolai Gogol. In February of 2022, Hearth Theatre’s third production will be Arthur Miller’s incredible masterpiece, Death of a Salesman starring Paul English as Willy Loman. Alongside his acting teaching, where he is on the core acting faculty for The National Theatre Drama School, he is also a qualified life coach and meditation teacher, mentoring and supporting practitioners and industry leaders to navigate their craft and careers with more resilience, ethical authenticity and generosity of spirit. To learn more about this you can watch his series of videos on Youtube, ‘The Presence of Art.’
Charlie's "Bio" tells us how well credentialled he is and his passion for his profession was truely evident. His latest production, "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller will be well worth attending. The catch is you will be tempted to go many times simply to see how the performance changes each night!
Charlie with President Neil Ross with his guest Shaun Gross
Justin, our Bulletin Editor has moved house to Dromana and is no longer able to edit the Bulletin. For the time being I will publish the Bulletin. Any articles you would like to be featured in the Bulletin please send them to me or Secretary Pauline. This week's Bulletin will have a limited content. Neil
We have a Club Yearly Calendar which Neil and Pauline are the authors and editors. The calendar outlines every meeting with whom is the Coordinator, Speaker, Sergeant etc. If you would like to add something please email Neil or Pauline. This is February's Calendar
And The Fairy Said…. A married couple in their early 60s were out celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant. Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table and said, “For being such an exemplary married couple and for being faithful to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish. “Ooh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband.” said the wife.
The fairy moved her magic stick and – abracadabra! – two tickets for the new QM2 luxury liner appeared in her hands.
Now it was the husbands turn. He thought for a moment and said: “Well this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this only occurs once in a lifetime, so, I'm sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me.”
The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish… So the fairy made a circle with her magic stick and -abracadabra! – the husband became 92 years old.
