Be Your Age - The 6th and Almost Probably Definitely the Very, Very Last Show Ever in this Current Series

Be Your Age is back… for the last time … again!

Returning after 5 sell-out Adelaide Fringe seasons these quite mature-age rablle-rousers are at it again…

Reviving the glorious univeristy revue tradition they frolic through the night with music, biting political satire and that wrylook at life that only forward-thinking years can provide. No politician or institution is safe.
The Royal Adelaide Uni Old Footlighters has, Peake, Conlon, Ligertwood, Morrison, Potter, Hill, Johnston, Lott, Butcher, Kalarovich, Brown, Michael and Anthony ….should we say more???
A night with music, biting satire and that wry look at life only advanced years can provide.

ADELAIDE FRINGE 2016

Be Your Age…

★★★★ The Barefoot Review

Cast & Company

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

Bob Lott

MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Damian West

MOVEMENT DIRECTOR
Carol Wellman Kelly

WRITERS

Bergin and Ward, Paul Kolarovich, Wayne Anthoney, Bob Lott, Kitty Peake,

Rob Morrison, Tisha Brown, Margi Butcher, Kay Rollison, Peter Colling,

John (McGoon) McGowan, Arwed Turon, Edmund Pegge, Robyn Layton, Mark Coleman

COMPOSERS
Geoff Ward, Damian West, Paul Kolarovich, Rob Morrison

MUSICIANS
Damian West, Gerard Spalding, Shane Tarling, Danni Sikanen.,

With Bob Lott, Rob Morrison, Keith Conlon

STAGE MANAGEMENT

Bill Kay, with Leo Davis

Jon Tidemann, Margi Butcher

and much help from all at Holden Street Theatres

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Sholto Bruce

GRAPHICS DISPLAY

Kerrie Leong

TREASURER

John Bishop

CAST MEMBERS

ANDY LIGERTWOOD: After almost 40 years performing for Law students in the lecture halls of The University of Adelaide, Andy has now hung up his mortar-board. His less serious stage career has been intermittent but always enjoyable for the company kept. From his first nativity play and roles in school plays he graduated from Adelaide Uni in 1966 having performed in various AUDS productions, Law Revues and Footlights Revues. The Purple Season was his first Footlights performance. In 1983 Andy made a brief comeback in the Law School’s Centenary Revue (at a command performance before the Hon. Centenary Professor Gough Whitlam, AC, QC). In 2006 it was impossible to resist Sue Lawrence’s invitation to join the Footlights hit revival ‘Be Your Age’ and here he is again going for bust.

ARWED TURON: Arwed hasn’t trodden the boards for something like 35 years.

He should have known better…!!

BOB LOTT: Bob, after 5 years as a Biochemist at the Kids Hospital, changed direction and made the Entertainment Industry his career. His association with Revue started as a musician in the pit for one revue and “graduated?” to the stage for 3 Revues from 1962. He played in the pit for a couple of Law Revues, directed 3 Adelaide Children’s Hospital Revues and produced and directed the incredibly successful sell-out Festival Fringe Revues Good Grief in 1968 and 1970, which were largely written by Judy, his late wife. Bob was a Board member of the Adelaide Festival for 16 years, and the Come Out Festival (co-formed by Judy) for 8 years.

Bob is President of NATURE FOUNDATION SA

KAY ROLLISON Kay hasn’t trodden the boards for fifty years. After a career as a humourless femocrat, She thought she might take time out fromlooking after the grandchildren. Seemed a good idea at the time.

KITTY PEAKE: Kitty attended Adelaide University from 1964 to 1967 during which time she worked on four Footlights revues. With her Social Work qualifications she has managed to maintain herself in a day job, with occasional breaks to try other things. She finally retired in mid 2013. In 1985 she went back to uni, gaining a place at Flinders Drama Centre and graduating with a BA(hons). Married at a young age to the wrong man, she has yet to track down the right one. Nevertheless she is the proud mother of two beautiful children and has four adorable grand-children. She has appeared variously on stage, film, radio and television and has appeared in all the “Be Your Age” revues. She is currently in training with Arthur Murray to become Foxtrot Queen of the World. If Hollywood continues to ignore her amazing talents she will be very upset.

MARGI BUTCHER: After an audition which required her to sing Three Blind Mice in an up beat style, Margi joined The Adelaide University Footlights Club. She completed Refectory I, II and III before starting her life as a teacher for forty years. She had always played the male lead in Gilbert and Sullivan productions at high school and therefore enjoyed playing girl roles in "To Catch a Rocking Horse" and "The Purple Season", especially singing "The Bare Breasted Blues" (censored!) After barely showing her face in the 2006 and 2008 Be Your Age shows, she ventured right onto the boards in 2010, 2012 and 2014. BYA 2016 sees her on stage for a few minutes only. She is busier backstage keeping the boys in line!

MARGIE HILL: Her lengthy but not illustrious career on the stage started, at age ten, with her debut as the Angel Gabriel, explaining to the Virgin Mary how she had come to find herself in her well-known predicament. There were some less memorable roles in other school plays before the advent of university and the University Footlights Club. She participated in several Revues and in Pantomimes for AUDS, as well as doing some front-of-house for AUDS and Theatre Guild in the irreplaceable Union Hall. Her stage career was suspended for some years whilst she pursued her other careers as Mother, Physiotherapist and University Tutor and Lecturer Margaret Stokes. It was happily reawakened by a clarion call from Sue Lawrence, inviting her to join the cast of Be Your Age in 2006. To her delight she has been on stage in all five productions 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014.

MARK COLEMAN: Mark’s first memory of treading the boards was a school production of “1066 and All That”, staged in the Union Hall in 1962. The intoxication of the bright lights and applause, and the newspaper review which conceded that Mark “gave a brilliant portrayal of King Canute and Julius Caesar” changed his life forever. He performed in Footlights revues 1963-1966, beginning with “Purple Season”, and directed the 1967 revue “Get Here”. During the years of his medical course, Mark was in Freshers' revues, plays for AUDS, Theatre Guild and Bunyip, and mediaeval play readings for the University’s English Association. Mark is still a university student: he anticipates graduating soon.

MICHAEL JOHNSTON: Tall for his age, Michael is a retired Pharmacist. He studied at Adelaide University where he became an active member of the Footlights Club and performed in Revues from 1958 to 1962, including “That Adamant Eve” and “Strictly Between Us”. Michael was a member of the Flinders Street Theatre from 1962 to 1964. In the 1970’s he performed in “Dimboola” and “Sweet Charity” and in all the six Footlight “Be Your Age” Revues. He is now retired and enjoying growing his own olives. He finds that he is still not getting any taller and is in fact having trouble climbing out of golf bunkers....

MICHAEL MUECKE: In 1955 Michael joined the Footlighters, performed in Count Your Chickens and became secretary of the Footlights Club. He studied Phys Ed at uni where he met Julie and married her one year later. Michael worked as a teacher of Maths and Science at Scotch college for seven years and then at Saint Peter’s for 37 years. He and his beloved Julie were House Master and Mistress of the Senior Boarding School there. Michael has just finished working with handicapped students at Unley High

ROB MORRISON OAM: Senior moments have robbed Rob of a clear recollection, but he thinks that there must have been seven Uni revues in which he took part; sometimes on stage, sometimes as a writer. He has updated some of his early scripts for this show (although he marvels at how much harder it is now than it was then to remember how they go). He has been a science writer and broadcaster for forty years, including eighteen as a presenter of /The Curiosity Show/. He has written thirty-eight books on science, co-written twelve more, and currently produces television and radio segments for fellow nerds. He is Chair or member of a variety of science and conservation bodies and a Professorial Fellow at Flinders University.

ROBYN LAYTON AO: Robyn’s life has been one accident after another. It began with a law degree and then acting in a number of Footlight Revues and Adelaide University Law Reviews in the mid 60’s. Thereafter it was all downhill becoming a barrister, sitting as a board member or chair of any group that would have her, and a Judge (3 times as once was not enough). After resigning from the court to take a new trajectory, she is a consultant, an Adjunct Professor at Uni. SA, and spruiking for social justice causes, while she makes a decision as to what she wants to do when she grows up. Currently practices yoga and is counselled by her partner, two daughters, and two dogs in reverse order.

TISH BROWN: Following very minor parts at school and in a Law Students revue Tisha was too nervous to audition for the Footlights stage. Instead she was Props Girl for “Strictly Between Us”, 1961. Tisha vividly recalls the players eating platters of fruit every night in the Roman Orgy scene until she dunked it all in bitter aloes, abruptly ending the problem and saving the budget. After a varied career as researcher in Paris, civil servant in Zambia, university tutor, press secretary, university manager and State government policy analyst in Adelaide, Tisha has retired with her ex-academic husband Robert into the care of a large white Golden Retriever named Oscar. Less shy in her retirement, Tisha sees Be Your Age as her last chance to realise an ancient ambition to have a lot of fun on stage.

WAYNE ANTHONEY OAM: Actor, acting teacher, clown, director, stand-up comedian,playwright, author, urban ecologist, ex rocket scientist and, from 1996 to 2004, Project Manager for Nyangatjatjara Aboriginal Corporation at Ayers Rock. He was in the two last Bergin and Ward revues, “The Lunatic Fringe” in 1957 and “That Adamant Eve”, 1958. His involvement with Footlights continued in the sixties, as performer, writer and director, following which, for about for twenty years he worked as a clown in many parts of the world and appeared and disappeared on national children’s TV for ten years as Humbolt the Clown. He has taught actors everything he knows, at Adelaide College for the Arts, since its beginning twenty five years ago. He is now in demand (in his dreams) as a mature character actor. In 2014 he was awarded an OAM for his service to indigenous people and the performing arts.

Non cast members

THE BAND

DAMIAN WEST (Musical Director, pianist, composer): Damian's first big involvement in music began at the age of 16, composing music for Derek Jolly's Multimedia Gallery. Since then he has been involved in a range of musical projects as a producer, live mixer and performer. After completing a Bachelor of Music Education in 2007, he is now an editor and video producer for a music publishing company. Damian possesses the unique ability to guess the total cost of his groceries, a skill which has sadly not been utilised in this show.

SHAYNE TARLING: (Bass): Originally a percussionist, Shayne took up bass in 1999 and has been fortunate enough to study under some of Adelaide's finest at the University of Adelaide. After studying a Bachelor of Music and a Diploma of Education, he has recently entered the teaching profession. Shayne is the Musical Director of Enfield Brass, and bass for his funk/latin/soul band 'Phat Panda'.

GERARD SPALDING: Gerard began studying drum set, and eventually a wide range of auxiliary and tuned percussion from the time he was 10 years old. In 2009 he completed a Bachelor of Music Performance on drum set at the Adelaide Conservatorium of music. Since then he has spent 4 years playing on a number of cruise ships, and a year in New York studying with renowned Broadway drummer Joe Bergamini.(Picture not shown)

DANNI SIKANEN

CHOREOGRAPHER

CAROL WELLMAN KELLY: With a zest for life and a passion for dance, theatre, puppetry and musicals, Carol brings her professional experience to the 2016 Footlighters revue. After a "rip roaring" time choreographing the Be Your Age review in 2012, Carol enthusiastically (and somewhat madly) signed up again for this year's production. Carol has a BA in Dance and was a member of various Dance companies in Australia before heading to London for seven years to work as a dancer on projects in the UK and Europe. Carol become assistant director for Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) for seven years. Most recently Carol choreographed the Helpmann award winning musical "Pinocchio" (Windmill Theatre Company) which presented in NYC 2014. She performed in dance theatre work " A Delicate Situation" (Lina Limosani) which was shortlisted for an Australian Dance Award for 2015. Now she's back and whipping the "old folk" into shape!

TREASURER
JOHN BISHOP AO: Bish was in the Bergin & Ward Revues from 1954-56 and the 2008 “Be Your Age”. He is scrupulously honest and very good with money and maintains the role of Treasurer which he occupied during the mid 1950’s as well as for the various activities of the Old Footlighters since they came out of hiding in 2003. In between he was a comparatively serious accountant who among other things helped with “Opera in the Outback” in 1988 and various Adelaide Festival and Independent Theatre productions since then.

STAGE MANAGER

BILL KAY: Bill reluctantly attended McLaren Vale primary school where he first experienced, at the hands of Jack Hume senior, the call of the stage. Further theatrical experiences at St Peters College convinced him that on stage was no place for him. In 1963 he started at Adelaide University studying science (Harry Medlin was his lecturer in Physics). Because of his involvement in stage management, set construction, and all manner of backstage work for Footlights, AUDS, Theatre Guild (and most theatres in Adelaide), Bill decided to switch to architecture which had very few exams! He became a registered architect in 1972 and is still working as a sole practitioner.

MULTIMEDIA OPERATOR

KERRIE LEONG: Having travelled to Holden Street from Kuala Lumpur via Scotland, Saudia Arabia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and Blackwood, Kerrie was blackmailed to attend to visual effects and advice upon Bahasa Indonesian. Her experience with technology and gadgets has been embraced by the Stage Manager

PROPS MASTERS

JON TIDEMANN: The only time Jon has trodden the boards was when he was in Grade 2 at Scotch. He played Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio. In BYA-2016, he is mostly behind the scenes making sure that the cast members have got all they need on stage. He spent his working life roving around Australia, visiting GPs, clinics, hospitals and pharmacies, spreading the good word about drugs so that oldies like us wouldn’t just fade away too soon.

LEO DAVIS: Leo only qualifies with the first word of Old Footlighters, having never been a Footlighter. This is the fourth production of Be Your Age on which he has pottered about in the Stage Crew’