Finally, our April performance of Scene Plus began last Wednesday night in the new venue – the Hagley Café.

What a great season it turned out to be. I was unsure of how it would all turn out, with the new venue, new menu and new approach to film. I need not have worried as the season was a brilliant show-case of the talent within the company this year.

As we no longer have the School of Cuisine this year, the Social Platter company stepped up and came on board as our new partner, providing amazing platters with such variety.

The live stage performances as well as scenes from the films combined to provide a great night of entertainment. We were able to give the audience a snippet of what to expect next year with our move into more film and television acting.

A big thank you to Michaela Heenan who has been our hard working bar manager for ten years, along with Darryl Low and the fantastic café staff who allowed us to transform their home.

As The Open Stage theatre comes crashing down, (my home for 29 years), it struck me during the season that it’s not so much the physical bricks and mortar that make a theatre company, it is the students and staff themselves that make it what it is. Hence, the travelling circus moves on and prepares for the next Scene Plus, which is coming to The Hagley Café, August 19th till 22nd. Don’t expect the same format as the last - we like to test the boundaries with performances and will be doing just that during the August season.

As we move into more film work in 2021, we are excited to work more with Richard Bell and the ARA broadcasting school. Currently our courses complement one another and, as film makers, students are always looking for actors.

Dates to keep:

• Scene Plus (2)    August 19, 20, 21, 22, Hagley Cafe
• Gi 60     September 9, 10, 11, 12, T.B.A.
• ‘Lock, Stock and Yockey’    October 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, Little Andromeda
• Scene Plus (3)    November 11, 12, 13, 14, Hagley Café