Once upon a time in a small kingdom in a crazy patchwork of other kingdoms lived two families side by side during a time of war. The mighty ‘Ogre’, Emperor Napoleon, was on a quest to seize all the thrones of Europe to create one enormous kingdom. Life was very hard for people living under French occupation — everything changed, the laws, the weights and measures, even the language spoken. Many feared that their culture and old folk stories might be lost forever. In an act of resistance and to make some money, two young men, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, decided to collect the old folk stories to put into a book. Many of the stories they collected were told to them by the family of girls who lived next door. The books were not initially well received as they were considered a little too unsavoury for the middle class, so after some rewrites and new additions of ‘once upon a time’ and ‘happily ever after’, the books began to fruit. We have chosen to share just five of the stories with you, three you may know and two well, maybe just a bit on the quirky side! Storytelling is about
bringing people together; we have 45 students in our cast of storytellers and everyone highlights the importance of teamwork and collaboration. Having the assistance of of the incredible Matthew Bennett and Zak Leaman who have worked tirelessly as our stage managers has been a blessing. Their patience, enthusiasm and leadership with the younger students has been invaluable. My favourite moments were in Thursday afternoon rehearsals as we immersed ourselves in classic games that children played in the 1800s like ‘I have a basket’, ‘Shadow buff’, and ‘Russian whispers’. Watching these tech savvy students put away their mobile phones and commit with such hilarity and enthusiasm to these charming and slightly odd games was a heartwarming experience. I feel sure that these students will have many stories to tell about their Grimm experience long after our show has finished. We hope that you will sit back and enjoy our retelling of these stories. JODIE BUSBY Director
Cast Narrator
Alessandro Di Guilio
The Grimms Jackob Wilhelm Fritz Ludwig Peter Lotte
Lachie Winby Aubrey Rogers Rowan Winnall Lachlan Hammond Tom Boyce Cam Rhianna English
The Wilds Herr Wild Dortchen Gretchen Rudolph Rose Liesel Mia
Peter Harrison Schmidt Charlotte Van Dongen Tiffany Lynass Noah Judkins Helen Herron Lauren Wood Ally Wilshire
The War Napoleon Soldiers
Josh Ransom Kaelan Tandy Zach Parramore Cameron Moltoni Tommy Crage Alessandro Di Guilio Mason Heavens
Little Red Cap Wolf Red Cap Grandmother Huntsman Mother
Rohan Shetty Rhianna English Ethan Koekemoer Joshua Chatfield Annabel Rembalski
Hansel and Gretel Father Mother Hansel Witch Gretel
Tom Boyce Cam Tiffany Lynass Angus Roberts Charlotte Van Dongen Lily Mcgie
Snow White Narrator Queen Mirror Snow White Prince/Huntsman Seven Dwarves
Vibhav Kumar Chloe Chatfield Avery Jayasinghe Indiana Douglas Daniel Maldon James Allen Max Colvin Ethan Koekemoer Omar Koning Aaryan Lathia Yavin Liyanage Charlie Zimmerman
Three Snake Leaves Narrator Soldier 1 Soldier 2 Soldier 3 Royal Guard 1 Royal Guard 2 King Carl Lisette Captain Servant
Aran Vahedi Kaelan Tandy Zach Parramore Cameron Moltoni Finn Gibb Lucas Mackellar Aubrey Rogers Jacques Sahel Ally Wilshire Tom Franc Mason Heavens
Cast The Youth who left home to find out about the Shivers Youth Sexton Father Carter/Dead Man Traveller Innkeeper Innkeeper’s Wife King King’s Paige Old Man Chambermaid Princess/Sexton’s Wife Black Cats
Wilson Senders Rowan Winnall Lachie Winby Peter Harrison Schmidt Jack Owen Josh Ransom Lauren Wood Lachlan Hammond Tommy Crage Noah Judkins Lauren Wood Helen Herron Lauren Wood Helen Herron
Musicians Drums/Percussion Guitar/Trumpet Saxaphone Guitar Guitar Violin
Indiana Douglas Angus Roberts Josh Ransom Jack Owen Rohan Shetty Ally Wilshire
James Allen
Tom Boyce Cam
Joshua Chatfield
Chloe Chatfield
Max Colvin
Tommy Crage
Alessandro Di Guilio
Indiana Douglas
Rhianna English
Tom Franc
Finn Gibb
Lachlan Hammond
Mason Heavens
Helen Herron
Avery Jayasinghe
Cast
Noah Judkins
Ethan Koekemoer
Omar Koning
Vibhav Kumar
Aaryan Lathia
Yavin Liyanage
Tiffany Lynass
Lucas Mackellar
Daniel Maldon
Lily Mcgie
Cameron Moltoni
Jack Owen
Zach Parramore
Josh Ransom
Annabel Rembalski
Angus Roberts
Aubrey Rogers
Jacques Sahel
Peter Harrison Schmidt
Wilson Senders
Rohan Shetty
Kaelan Tandy
Aran Vahedi
Charlotte Van Dongen
Ally Wilshire
Lachie Winby
Rowan Winnall
Lauren Wood
Charlie Zimmerman
Creative Team Jodie Busby Director Jodie is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and has worked in theatre, film, radio, and television for many years both in Australia and the UK. Some of her stage credits include God of Carnage for Queensland Theatre Company and Black Swan State Theatre Company, Equus, Miss Julie, Dead Funny, The Vagina Monologues Perth Theatre Company, Actors at Work Bell Shakespeare Company, Voices Deckchair Theatre, Sandcastle Stories Barking Gecko, Romeo and Juliet in the Park and Uncle Vanya for The Hole in the Wall to name a few. She was a founding director of a small Co-operative theatre company producing shortened versions of Shakespeare at The Blue Room. Jodie was a regular on ABC Radio National for many years where she recorded a number of radio dramas and the acclaimed Poetica series. She has voiced and appeared in many radio and TV commercials and documentaries. Her film and TV credits include Ship to Shore, Bush Patrol, Two Fists One Heart, Acropolis Now and most recently Moorehouse Road. Jodie has also worked as a teacher in Australia and the UK and most recently at Christ Church Grammar School. For The Midnite Youth Theatre Company, Jodie has directed Peter Pan, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Romeo and Juliet, and James and the Giant Peach.
Tess Reuvers Production Manager/Lighting Designer Tess graduated from WAAPA in 2008 with an Advanced Diploma of Lighting for Live Performance. Her design credits include The Shape of Things (Best Production Perth Equity Guild Awards 2010) and Yellow Moon – The Ballad of Leila and Leigh (Hot Bed Theatre Ensemble) Sweeney Todd, Les Liaisons Dangeruses and East (WAAPA). As production electrician, The Year of Magical Thinking (Black Swan State Theatre Company), AV Technician To The Rescue (Bizircus/Pinstripe Circus) and Stage Manager for The Amber Amulet (Barking Gecko Theatre Company). She has worked with a variety of organisations, including; Deckchair Theatre Company, Mega Vision Sound and Lighting, and PICA. Tess has also held positions as venue technician, tour manager and in-house designer. In 2013 she took up the position as Production Manager and Resident Lighting Designer for The Midnite Youth Theatre Company.
Jay Waugh Costume Designer Jay has worked in the theatre and film industry for over 25 years. In that time she has worked with Ewan McGregor, Sumi Jo and Hugh Jackman. Jay has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, Opera Australia and Sesame Street. For the last 19 years she has been working for The Midnite Youth Theatre Company as Resident Costume Designer. In that time Jay has worked with over 20 directors and on over 60 productions. Some of her favourites include Goodmorning Mr Magpie, Cloudstreet, West Side Story, The Fantasticks, Viva La Restoration and Antigone.
Sarah Duyvestyn Set Designer Sarah graduated from WAAPA in 2014, receiving the David Hough Award for Outstanding Achievement in Design. During her time at WAAPA Sarah worked on numerous productions, notably Realism, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Reefer Madness! the Musical and The Golden Age. Sarah has previously designed for The Midnite Youth Theatre Company on shows such as Assassins, Roald Dahl’s Dirty Beasts, Viva La Restoration, The Lab Rat, Big Fish, Away, The Three Musketeers, American Idiot, and most recently, Cosí. Other design credits include High School Musical, 42nd Street (WAAPA) and Xenides (Black Swan State Theatre Company). Sarah also has a background in youth theatre having graduated with a Bachelor of Creative Arts with Honours from Murdoch University. During her time at Murdoch she worked on multiple children’s theatre productions, one of which toured Asia in mid-2010.
Sam Robins Composer Sam is a composer and performer from Perth. Previously for Midnite, Sam composed an original score for Louis Nowra’s Così, and appeared in the casts of Green Day’s American Idiot, Romeo and Juliet, and The Visit. Sam wrote the book, music and lyrics for the original musical comedy Squeaky Clean, currently being workshopped with the WAAPA Music Theatre students. As a gigging musician, Sam performs with bands Koi Pond and Ohana, regularly playing around Perth.
Michelle McCormick Assistant Director Michelle graduated from Edith Cowan University with a BA of Creative Arts in Drama and Performance, and a BA in Education. Before transitioning to playwriting, she performed with various theatre companies, including London Imperial College Drama Society, receiving five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her debut script The Invitation, won Best Play at the 2014 Noosa National One Act Play Competition. Additionally, her plays Trust and The Invitation both made it to the shortlist for Sydney’s Short and Sweet Festival in 2017. One of her works, Mother’s Ruin, was produced by Sky Blue Theatre in London as part of the 2018 British Theatre Challenge and had a successful run in 2019. Over the past seven years, Michelle has been providing relief work at Christ Church Grammar School, often collaborating with the Drama Department. In 2023, she dedicated her time to crafting her first adaptation, titled On The Road To Win Friends and Influence People, which is scheduled to tour with Midnite in January 2024 before a return season in February. Notably, Grimm marks Michelle’s debut as an assistant director with Midnite.
Matthew Bennett Stage Manager Matthew has been involved with Drama throughout his schooling life at Christ Church. Some of his favourite performances include Ali Baba from Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits, Farmer Ned from Fire, Bonacieux from The Three Musketeers and most recently, Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Matt’s experience also includes backstage work as a sound operator for James and the Giant Peach. He is currently studying ATAR Drama in Year 11 and is looking forward to taking On the Road to Win Friends and Influence People on tour to the UK with Midnite in January 2024.
Creative Team Director Set Designer Costume Designer Lighting Designer Assistant Director Composer Military Choreography Stage Manager Deputy Stage Manager Assistant Stage Managers Properties Sound Designer Sound Operator Lighting Operator Puppetry Assistance Production Manager Set Build Poster Artwork Program Design Photography Costume Assistance
Backstage Supervision Special Thanks
Jodie Busby Sarah Duyvestyn Jay Waugh Tess Reuvers Michelle McCormick Sam Robins Zak Leaman Matthew Bennett Zak Leaman Xavier Hernadi Dylan Nguyen Darcy Lester Joshua Wong Caleb Elkin Luke Hamdorf Rama Potturi Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Tess Reuvers Onstage Arts Sammi Tho Tom Telford Stephen Heath Sarah Brown Kimberley Farrell Jo Hepinstall Sharlene Moltoni Hazel Rawlins Niki Browne-Cooper Anna Brockway Nicky Garside Friends of Drama Sue and Barry Palmer Trenna Kerr CCGS Uniform Shop
Subiaco Arts Centre Audio Lighting Supervisor
Megan Coles Simon Brudenal
Crew
FROM TOP-LEFT
Zak Leaman | Luke Hamdorf Dylan Nguyen | Matthew Bennett | Darcy Lester Rama Potturi | Joshua Wong Absent: Caleb Elkin
PLAY 2023 CHAIRMAN Alan Jones ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Gregory Jones ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Jodie Busby Ryan Dawson Kalika Duck PRODUCTION MANAGER/ LIGHTING DESIGNER Tess Reuvers COSTUME DESIGNER
The Midnite Youth Theatre Company is Western Australia’s longest running youth theatre company for young people aged 10 to 25 years from Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1987 at Christ Church Grammar School, Midnite is treasured for its continued commitment for those seeking to explore beyond the limits of school drama; producing work in professional venues and touring productions internationally.
Jay Waugh ARTWORK DESIGNER Sammi Tho SET DESIGNERS Stephanie Cullingford Sarah Duyvestyn
CONTACT The Midnite Youth Theatre Company Christ Church Grammar School Queenslea Drive Claremont WA 6010 (08) 9442 1677 midnite@ccgs.wa.edu.au
TOUR MANAGER Ralph Gurr Genevieve Gurr
midnite.ccgs.wa.edu.au
INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES Kevin Owen (England) Elizabeth Briggs (Scotland) Prof Grant Ferguson-Stewart (Canada) EMERITUS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Anthony Howes
#midniteytc
2024
SEASON