Rain or no rain, the show will go on...

It seems ludicrous given the current downpour in Sydney, but if you cast your mind back just five years to 2007, the situation in country NSW was quite different: Australia was in drought. Australia had been in drought, in fact, for at least six years, and quite aside from the economic implications for those affected, the emotional pressures of drought were debilitating.

What could EUCMS do about this?  Why, pick up our production of Pirates of Penzance and take it all the way to Yeoval, to hold a free performance for the community there!  In June 2007, after much planning by a dedicated team, the cast and crew set off.  Wendy, a cast member, described the weekend in the EUCMS Bulletin:

It was raining as we loaded luggage onto the coach and set off for Yeoval, but spirits were high. One cast member provided activities for the journey, so over the next few hours we endeavoured to find 100 “Pirates of Penzance” related words (such as “maidens”, “paradox” and “heliogabalus”) in a mega find-aword puzzle. Cries of “I can’t see mermaids!” and “I found Frederic!” made this quite entertaining.

Throughout the journey, one cast member conscientiously put the girls’ hair in curlers. My turn for this came at morning tea time, when we huddled into a roadside shelter to escape the wet. The wind was constant and cold, so the fact that she successfully completed the task despite my shivering is a great testament to her patience and persistence!

When we arrived at Yeoval, we could immediately see that our performance was being eagerly anticipated by the community: the walls of the hall were already decorated with children’s entries from a special Pirates colouring-in competition! There were also several posters with photos of us (!), advertising the performance and encouraging people to “Come along dressed as your favourite pirate and have your photo taken with these pirates!”

In the afternoon, many set off to explore the township and buy postcards and souvenirs. I must confess I left a shop rather hastily when I noticed children gesturing to each other about the curlers in my hair… On the outskirts of the town there were lovely views across wide paddocks, which, due to the rain in the preceding weeks, were looking green once more.

Neil (our Major General) chatted with some locals and reported back some interesting information about our performance venue: the hall had originally been built elsewhere, and then dismantled and brought to Yeoval, where it sat in a paddock until enough funds were raised (through a rabbit drive) to erect it. The current hall (large though it is) is actually not its original size – a section of it was removed before it was built on its current site.

Our evening meal had been prepared by the people of Yeoval, and there was lots of it! Knowing how enthusiastic our audience was, made the evening performance particularly exciting. Everyone adapted easily to the different performance space, and it was fun to have everyone – cast and crew – together backstage, which hadn’t been possible at Marsden High. The audience was responsive, and called out for more!

After the performance, we all mingled with the audience (and yes, we had our photos taken!)

Soon we had to leave for Wellington, where some stayed in a motel and others in the Uniting Church Hall. And yes, some of those Act 2 nighties were put to good use – although the word is out that the mob caps don’t manage to stay on your head all night…

The people of Wellington were delighted to have us join in the Church service the following morning, and there were many comments about how wonderful it was to have so many voices singing together. Again, they excelled themselves in providing a lavish and scrumptious morning tea, before we had to wave goodbye and head back home.

All in all I think it was a wonderful weekend which brought a lot of pleasure both to the people of the Yeoval area and to all those who took part.

What do you remember of the 2007 Yeoval trip?  Leave a comment here or on our Facebook page.

Or, email us to share any of your own stories.

EUCMS at the Opera House

Newcomers may not be aware of this significant event in EUCMS' history.  Two of our foundation members tell the story below.


Don: One away show was MOMENTUS!  We had just performed The Gondoliers by G. and S. and were approached by the chief headmaster of the inner city disadvantaged high schools.  He asked if we would consider performing for all his high school students at the SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL.  Would we ever!

Ros: This was a huge request for our cast and team: it would mean arranging leave from jobs, baby-sitters for children, attending extra rehearsals to “refresh”, and (importantly) to adjust stage-moves to the much larger space of the Concert Hall stage. But that wonderful group of people who were our cast and crew was unanimous in supporting the request.

Don:  I don't know how many "sickies" were taken from work that day.

Ros: There were myriad other details to be resolved, such as entry permits, transport, and one pre-show rehearsal on the Concert Hall stage on the morning of the performance. Our scenery would be of no use on that stage and there would be no curtains.  [One] family offered their large caravan for transport of costumes and essential props: it would be just like a “country show” — but at Bennelong Point… We rehearsed our excited cast on the floor of the Eastwood Hall (which is virtually the same area as the Concert Hall stage!), the location of steps and stage scenery marked out with white tape.

Anxious moments occurred on the Big Day itself when the caravan and the bus carrying the cast were delayed behind a “go-slow” protest by 500 cyclists who jammed the Harbour Bridge for two hours. The planned morning rehearsal thus became a short walk-around the stage area; then we all proceeded to dress and put on make-up in rooms usually used by professionals and stars!

Don: We were only two to a dressing room and each room had closed circuit T.V. to show what was happening on stage.  One or two nearly missed their cues because the stage was a long way from the dressing rooms, but a lot of fun was had by all.

Ros: The reception when Tony and I walked out onto that huge stage and looked up at that sea of eager faces was something we’ll never forget.  The cheers and clapping were deafening, but finally sank to total silence as the lights dimmed and the show began.  The cast rose magnificently to the occasion and that wonderful young audience was entranced.  This was truly a two-way gift!


Thanks to Don and Ros for their separate accounts, which they have allowed us to reproduce here.


Do you remember this event?  Comment here!  Or, if you would like to submit a post, please contact us.