NEWS DESK
Scarecrow follows the acting road On stage: Poet ReVerse Butcher will perform at the Blue Bay Cafe this month.
Food, rhyme and wine POETRY soiree Poet’s Corner is taking part in the Melbourne Spoken Word and Poetry Festival on Sunday 27 May as part of the inaugural Melbourne Spoken Word & Poetry Festival. It will run Friday 18 MaySunday 3 June at various venues. Poet ReVerse Butcher, which is Stephanie Petrik’s stage name, will perform on stage, 6-8pm, at Blue Bay Cafe, McCrae. She also makes artist’s books, collages and visual art, as well as writing, creating and performing poetry. Poet’s Corner aims to encourage anyone interested to write, read, perform or listen to poetry. Visitors wine, dine, and hear poetry during the open mic sets. The gatherings are held on the last Sunday of every month, March to November. Blue Bay Cafe is at 665 Point Nepean Road, on the corner of Beverley Road. It is fully licensed. The $26 entry includes a set menu of main and dessert, or a $5 cover charge. Bookings are essential on 5982 0295 or email: poetscornergathering1@gmail.com
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Frankston Times 14 May 2018
By Brodie Cowburn SEAFORD raised Eli Cooper is set to star as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz at the Regent Theatre. Cooper, 28, has played the role since the show opened in Australia at the end of last year. He has now performed in Brisbane, Sydney, and Adelaide, and said that playing the part has been an incredible experience. “Playing this role has been such a cathartic journey as an actor to go on because fundamentally the Scarecrow thinks there is something really wrong with himself. Over the course of the two hours, he discovers that he’s loved and appreciated just the way he is. It’s hard not to leave the show thinking that I can take on the world,” he said. Cooper booked the role last year after originally auditioning to be in the ensemble. He said being considered for the main role was a shock. “I actually auditioned to be in the ensemble, thinking I might play a munchkin or something like that. During my audition process, they asked me to come in and audition to be the understudy for the Scarecrow. After my audition with the Scarecrow’s song and scenes, they liked what they saw and brought me back in. I thought the whole process was to be an understudy until I got the phone call saying that I got the role,” he said. Cooper has previously performed in Melbourne in the production of Matilda as part of the ensemble and has also performed in Grease play-
Casting a spell on audiences: Seaford’s Eli Cooper, right, plays the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz in Melbourne. Picture: Supplied
ing the role of Eugene. This is also not his first experience with Wizard of Oz, having previously put on a performance of the show at the Frankston Arts Centre in his younger days. As part of this company, Cooper finds himself working alongside a number of huge names in musical theatre, including Anthony Warlow,
Lucy Durack, and Jemma Rix. The show began its run in Melbourne on 17 May and is set to be open until the end of July. Cooper grew up attending school in Seaford, where he was first put on the path of performance. “I went to Seaford Primary School, and when I was there my grade six teacher’s son was at the Victo-
rian College of the Arts Secondary School. He saw how much I loved dancing and being in the school concerts and he said that I should go and check out the open day, so I did. I saw what they got up to and I knew I just had to go there, so I auditioned and got in.” Full story and more pictures in the June edition of Peninsula Essence magazine.