When Michelle’s mum took her to see a travelling production of The Importance of Being Earnest at Taree High School hall, she was so smitten that she spent the next couple of weeks pretending to the Lady Bracknell to the cows in the milking shed. When the great god, Gough Whitlam gave her an English/History teaching scholarship for Newcastle University she signed up for the brand new Drama course instead and made it her major and performed in university productions and theatre restaurant shows.
Teaching followed and Michelle was there for the introduction of the School Certificate in Drama in 1985 and HSC Drama in 1993. She wrote and directed countless productions, acted in a few, created site and theme specific theatre for various events and community groups, became Star Struck Drama Director and created Hunter Youth Drama Ensembles, putting on productions of HSC Drama text. She also produced 3 daughters and completed a Master of Theatre Arts Degree, taught HSC Drama 18 times and became an examiner for HSC Drama.
Now retired, Michelle is still involved in Star Struck and is also one of 5 City of Newcastle Drama Awards (CONDA) judges, viewing approximately 60 -70 shows per year produced by the thriving theatrical community in Newcastle. Michelle is proud to be part of this passionate and dynamic community and is grateful to be able to share some of her experiences on this website.
In the 1960’s a methodology for analysis of literature, philosophy and other associated works emerged. It was labelled Deconstruction with a major premise that in any text there are multiple possible meanings, perspectives andapparent contradictions such as good/evil, …
The Brothers Grimm – Jacob and Wilhem were the two German academics responsible for collecting folk tales during the early to mid-19th century and publishing them. Some they embellished, some they censored a little if a bit too sexy …
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Of course, a production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM makes perfect sense to be presented in the middle of summer, at the end of the January school holidays, around an old fig tree late in the afternoon and …
Something marvellous is happening in the Newcastle Theatre world.
This year 2 new theatre companies, launched primarily by younger practitioners, have grabbed hold of the classic realist works of late 19th/early 20th Century playwrights, Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekov, stripping …
Jacinda Patty’s Cindy is a 30? woman of Greek heritage who has returned from a soul-searching backpacking trip with no money and no boyfriend and the only housing prospect is living with her 80-year-old Yiayia.
She is also trying to …
Newcastle local performing artist Louise Chapman is a real self-starter. Rather than traipse around auditions and wait for the phone to ring, or whatever, she reaches out to playwrights and other artists from around the world to collaborate and create …
Jacinda Patty’s Cindy is a 30? woman of Greek heritage who has returned from a soul-searching backpacking trip with no money and no boyfriend and the only housing prospect is living with her 80-year-old Yiayia.
She is also trying …
I have always admired the director, Barrie Kosky. My admiration started with his King Lear for Bell Shakespeare and grew after his production of Seneca’s Oedipus in 2000 and by the time he had created the epic based on the …
So, I looked up the etymology of the word “normal”. In classical Latin “made according to a carpenter’s square, from norma – rule, pattern”. “Conforming to common standards or established order.”
Meaning “heterosexual” by 1914.
Next was “prejudice”. …
My husband watches reality TV. He loves Masterchef (he’s a chef and reckons he enjoys watching them stuff up) as well as Survivor and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
I admit to occasionally watching episodes of The …
