2017 Xperience Xplore Xperiment

Tonight Raina Savage launched the Griffith Regional Theatre  2017 Season.  It was a stylish event, showcasing local and regional talent with some highlight performances from returning for one last round of applause and then introducing the program for 2017.

From the Rockabilly themed  everything, theatre patrons knew this was going to be  little different, and it was. From the outstanding performance by Tye on the didgeridoo and through to the delightful, exotic and over the top Cathryn Alcorn it was a very special event.

Living out here on the edge of nowhere, we think we miss out on all the great performers who stick to to the cities, but we don't, we have a huge array of extraordinarily talented performers in our community every week.  From acrobats, and jugglers, to brilliant actors, musicians and singers.  The theatre in 2016 had a program that promised and delivered spectacular performances, and now our "new" manager, Raina Savage delivered a taste for what 2017, the 30th year of the theatre, will bring.

I've done some research on this remarkable woman.  In her previous gig in Geraldton saw her grow the community arts sector and provide mechanisms that gave greater access to the arts and creative culture to more people.  It is certainly true in what we were teased with tonight with the introduction of MyFest and its focus on Parkour, Movement, Dance and more, DMC introduced the style of performance we can expect from MyFest with their mesmerising acrobatics.

In addition, Raina is opening up the theatre as a school for performance, using its spaces to teach drama and hopefully other aspects of theatre.  Performances for children with additional needs and also hints at some very special collaborations suggest that we have some innovative thinking happening across the creative arts sector, and that is building a growing audience. Raina is inviting Griffith to eXperience, eXplore and eXperiment with what the Theatre has to offer.

2017 will see the next community production, this time its Wicked, with Don Hillam at the helm, the amazing backing of the community and theatre, this could well be the most lavish local production we have seen. the 6 months of rehearsals commence in January 2017, and auditions are from this Sunday (see the Theatre for details)

2016 saw some amazing productions at the Theatre, from the astonishing Shake and Stir theatre company we had "Wuthering Heights" a bleak and dismal tale from the pen of Emily Bronte, brought to the stage with such force that audiences tonight were still talking about it.  Next year, the Shake and Stir crew are back with Bram Stoker's "Dracula", its not to be missed.  Circa were here too with their beautiful Carnival of the Animals", next year the production is a more adult orientated show, but still very much focused on the physical skills of this troupe.

Circus is always a treat, and one Aussie circus troupe certainly has one of the best reputations for being out there on the edge.  Circus Oz are returning. What more do I say!

Going to the theatre has also never been more affordable.  The pricing for 2017 has been reviewed and the winner is the theatre patron, not only vastly cheaper than your capital city theatres and shows, but now with extra rewards. The best thing is at the end of the show you get to sleep in your own bed, no other travel, parking or accommodation to worry about.

We can't say we don't have access to great performances and performers, because every week there is something on at the theatre.