New theatre group to innovate

PICTURE a summer evening, driving through bushland on a gravel road east of Napoleons.

You park at the front yard of a nondescript house, and walk around to the back of the property down towards a natural clearing flanked by trees and shrubs.

Props, seating and actors await you in an amphitheatre where the space between performers and audience becomes one in an intimate, natural setting.

The crew at newly-established performing company Wanderers Theatre are looking to lead the way in such offerings.

“We’re all trained actors and have studied theatre so we all have an interest in site-specific theatre,” said production manager Zephya Amelie.

“We’re really passionate about offering something that’s not already being offered.”

Comprised of recent or newly-graduated Federation University performing arts students, the Wanderers are looking to bring immersive theatre experiences in novel settings to Ballarat and Golden Plains.

The troupe will introduce themselves to the region in January with a production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Napoleons, which director Jack Smith said will see their ethos on full display.

“Performing out in a regional community, we were big on doing an outdoor production to start,” he said.

“Because of the nature of A Midsummer Night’s Dream of moving from a restrictive indoor environment of Athens to the whimsical outdoors, we thought it’d be interesting and innovative to do this in the Australian bush in the midsummer.

“The audience can feel like they’re immersed in that world.”

The production’s composition will see performers roaming among the audience from a number of different entrances and exits throughout the show, whether to deliver lines or perform music.

“You’ll never know quite where to turn,” Smith said.

The group’s ingenuity extends to its cast and crew; many of the show’s performers are filling additional roles from assistant director Abigail Fritsch playing Hermia, to Puck actor Caitlin McCallig handling musical direction.

“We’ve had all the cast contributing to set and costumes,” said Amelie, who’ll double as Helena in the play. “It’s been a nice, collaborative environment.

“We’re really trying to create an overall production akin to professional theatre productions in Melbourne.

“Nearly all of our actors are Ballarat-based too so providing this access for local artists means they don’t have to commute an hour to Melbourne for opportunities.”

Rehearsals have been underway since October at the Arts Incubator, with upcoming sessions to take place on location next week.

Smith said future productions will be set in similarly unique settings depending on the story.

“We’ll lend our theatre space to suit the show,” he said.

“The idea, as in the name Wanderers Theatre, it’s about not conforming to the classical proscenium arch of actor and audience separation.”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be staged from 7pm on 17, 18, 24, and 25 January at 149 Kittys Lead Road, Napoleons.

Tickets are $40 general and $35 student/concession and can be booked at bit.ly/4fghH86.