THEAtrical

I’ve always loved the theatre. I even love the word – the way it looks when written, how it sounds when rolling off the tongue and ofcourse because my name forms the main part of the word!

As a nipper, for special treats my Mum would take me to see shows that came to town - everything from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to touring Irish dancing spectaculars. Okay, so the latter may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there are actually worse things than bare-chested men prancing around in tights showing off their wares (or maybe that’s just me, teehee).

Checking out the Royal Wanganui Opera House website now, admittedly I do find it a little difficult to believe that the real Miley Cyrus ever performed in Wanganui. And I’m still smarting that I missed the Spanish horses (which also happened to me with the real thing in Vienna, so maybe I’m just doomed never to see them), but it’s nostalgic and a part of me likes that.

Years later in old London Town, I returned the favour by taking her (my Mum that is, not Miley Cyrus) to see Phantom of the Opera and other such productions. Live theatre was our thing. In fact, as I write this, it’s only just occurring to me that my love of theatre, books and writing have all come at least in part from my Mum. Mental note to thank her for that one day.

I’ve never thought of myself as dramatic (except perhaps at the wrong time of the month) or as having what I thought was the extrovert personality or confidence required to be a true stage performer. But thankfully I’m over that now - I will be whatever I bloody well want to be!

And with winter comes the annual re-invigoration of Wakefield Country Players and the fun, laughter and camaraderie of watching and being part of a stage production coming together – auditions, learning lines, rehearsals, costumes, sets, props, outlandish makeup, backstage pranks and after parties. I love it, it’s just so cool. If you live in Nelson and it sounds like you (and it's definitely not just for girls), come along and give it a go this year – backstage or front stage – from dramatic to comical to tragic and back again.

So the reason for this post? This morning I’ve been thinking about performances of all types and how fantastic they are. I’ve noted that the Theatre Royal Nelson is having a comeback and how cool it would be to perform on a “royal” stage one day (Prince Edward is the official patron for the Royal Wanganui Opera House don’t you know). I’ve been daydreaming about colour and glitter and getting all Moulin Rouge on it and am wondering how I can make that real...