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By Keegan Thomson
TWO talented Penrith locals are lending their musical skills to a brand new production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dream Coat. Brittanie Shipway and Matthew Herne, both western Sydney born and bred, are working together on the exciting new production, with Ms Shipway taking up the role of director and Mr Herne leading the orchestra as musical director. Brittanie Shipway, a singer and performer in her own right, has taken up the role of directing after being the star of many musicals and stage shows. She said making the move from performer to director has been a gratifying yet challenging process. “It has been really rewarding because the cast, the crew and the production team have been incredibly professional throughout the whole process,” Ms Shipways said. “We’re all setting a new high standard for community theatre.” “The whole process is a long and winding road, and it has been so humbling to be up front to experience how much effort goes into it all,” she said.
Director Brittanie Shipway and Musical Director Matthew Herne. Photo: Jessica Lovelace
Her partner in crime in this is Matthew Herne, a St Clare local who is too swapping the limelight of performing for the more low-key job of musical directing. For Mr Herne the most important thing about music theatre is that the whole production is able to connect to the audience. “The most important thing for me is communication with an audience, and the best way to do it is through theatre,” Mr Herne said. He said one of the most challenging parts of the process for him was the
Children’s cast. Photo: Danielle Roorda
progress and the planning out of the whole production. “It is a bit like seeing this big project through from the beginning,” he said. “From the beginning you have this idea in your mind as to what it will look like at the end, but as it goes on you’re pleasantly surprised because it turns out better than you ever thought it could be.” Collectively Ms Shipway and Mr Herne said the best part of the production and rehearsal processes has been the professionalism shown by the cast.
“There is so much talent in the cast and we’re really lucky that we get to showcase it all,” Shipway said. “It is an huge cast with over 90 people,” Mr Herne said. “Of those 90 odd people around half of the cast is aged between 8 and 14, so we have a really professional cast of kids as well.” Both Ms Shipway and Mr Herne have performed on the reality TV show The Voice, with Ms Shipway making it into the final 40 in the 2014 season.
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SUDOKU: MEDIUM
Nepean News 20 October 2016 Issue 186
Locals dream big in Dream Coat
HALLOWEEN SOLUTION: 22nd September
INSTRUCTIONS Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 with no duplicates
APPLES
COSTUME
ACK O LANTERN
SKELETON
BATS
DRACULA
MASK
SKULL
BLACK CAT
FRIGHTENING
MUMMY
SPIDERS
BROOMSTICK
FULL MOON
NIGHT
TOMBSTONE
CANDLE
GHOSTS
PUMPKIN
VAMPIRE
CANDY
GHOULS
SCARECROW
WEREWOLF
CEMETERY
GOBLINS
SCARY
WITCHES
COFFIN
GRAVEYARD
SCREAM
ZOMBIE