Programme 2014 – On Golden Pond

NAPIER REPERTORY PLAYERS present

ON GOLDEN POND

A touching play about family relationships

Written by Ernest Thompson
Directed by Anne Corney

11th to 21st June 2014
Little Theatre,
76 McGrath Street, Napier.

Anne Corney – President and Director

Anne welcomes you to Norman and Ethel Thayer’s home, which is in the woods by a lake called “Golden Pond”.

Anne describes On Golden Pond as a “beautiful” play. Written in 1979, the lines are true and honest and the themes are as relevant today as they were then: old age, old love, failing health, strained family relationships, divorce, gay relationships and environmental issues.

Ernest Thompson says, “a number of words in the script appear in brackets. You may find it helpful to update these words with more contemporary references.” Anne has taken this advice and set the play in the present day.

Anne hopes you enjoy your time on the lake with the loons, the sunsets and the mosquitoes.

Ernest Thompson – Playwright, Actor, Director, Speaker, Teacher

Ernest Thompson is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, a playwright, director, actor lyricist, an in-demand public speaker, and a teacher. His own work has been produced around the world and he has helped hundreds of other writers develop their stories and thousands of actors realize their dreams of improving their skills and confidence on stage and in front of the camera.

Ernest’s more than 35 plays have been seen in theatres around the world. The most enduring, On Golden Pond, has been translated into 30 languages, Arabic, the newest, and played in more than 40 countries on six continents.

Ernest won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for On Golden Pond at the 54th Academy Awards in 1982. He also wrote and directed a musical version and a live television production, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer; “and, after all that, I’m still trying to get it right. While the play, like any work of art, is about many things, what I thought I was writing as a young man was a study in dysfunction, one family’s struggles with what we all struggle with – age, rage, regret, love withheld, love unspoken, disappointment and, ultimately, if we’re lucky, forgiveness, acceptance and renewal. Enjoy your time on the lake.”

SYNOPSIS

This is the love story of Norman and Ethel, who are returning to their summer home on Golden Pond for the 48th year. Norman is a retired professor, nearing eighty, with heart palpations [palpitations] and a failing memory but is still as tart-tongued, observant and eager for life as ever. Ethel, ten years younger, and the perfect foil for Norman, delights in all the small things that have enriched and continue to enrich their long life together.

They are visited by their daughter, Chelsea, and her fiancé, who then go off to Europe, leaving his teenage son behind for the summer. The boy quickly becomes the “grandchild” the couple have longed for and as Norman revels in taking his ward fishing and thrusting good books at him, he also learns some lessons about modern teenagers.

In the final moments of the play, Norman and Ethel are brought ever closer together by the incidence of a mild heart attack. Time, they know, is now against them but the years have been good and, perhaps, another summer on Golden Pond still awaits them.

SETTING:
The living room of a summer home on Golden Pond in Maine, USA.

TIME:   Present.

ACT ONE

Scene 1   The middle of May. Early afternoon.

Scene 2   The middle of June. Mid-morning.

Scene 3   The middle of July. Early evening.

INTERVAL

ACT TWO

Scene 1   The middle of August. Early morning.

Scene 2   The middle of September. Late morning.

CAST
(In order of appearance)

Norman Thayer, JR   Trevor Rose
Ethel Thayer   Verona Nicholson
Charlie Martin   Glenn Cook
Chelsea Thayer-Warner   Kirsty Daly
Billy Ray   Shay Wildgoose
Bill Ray   David Mitchell

CREW

Director   Anne Corney
Stage Manager   Jamie Macphail
Production Manager   Anne Corney
Rehearsal Prompt   Josie Bell
Set Design   Jason Dickey
Set Construction Team Managers   Steve Gray
Helen Gray
Set Construction Team   Ben Corney
Lindsey Wilson
Anne Corney
Set Accessory (River-stone Fireplace)   David Guerin
Set Painting   Marc Collier
Belinda Behague
Set Furniture   Peter Ball
Allan Twort
Set Décor   Tracie McCormack
Lighting Design and Operator   Peter Hurley
Properties Team Manager Tracie McCormack
Properties Team   Josie Bell
Wardrobe Manager   Tracie McCormack
Make-up   Adrienne Brosnan
Brittany Dale
Jude Allan
Hair and Wig   Lauraine Hill
Publicity   Anne Corney
Sheree Wereta
Programme and Posters   Neil Earnshaw
Theatre Manager   Helen Ball
Rosters   Annette Elkins
Photographer   Ken Morrison

CAST
(In order of appearance)

Trevor Rose (Norman Thayer, JR)
New to Hawke’s Bay, Trevor has been involved with theatre since his teens – as an actor, singer and director, but this is his first appearance with Napier Repertory Players. His latest role was as “Norman” in The Dresser for Butterfly Creek Theatre, in Wellington, and his last production was J B Priestley’s An Inspector Calls for Hutt Repertory.

Verona Nicholson (Ethel Thayer)
The last time Verona performed on stage she was an ingénue, which indicates how long it has been. After working behind the scenes as prompt, she caught the bug again. Verona has been excited and challenged in her role as Ethel, the glue that holds this little Maine family together.

Glenn Cook (Charlie Martin)
Following a long absence from the stage, Glenn’s passion for theatre was re-kindled in 2013 when he appeared in Jamie Macphail’s The Jungle Book. When not involved with theatre, Glenn is an announcer on local radio station BayFM, is learning to fly, and loves spending time with his wife and two boys.

Kirsty Daly (Chelsea Thayer-Warner)
Kirsty has always enjoyed theatre, from Theatre Sports, comedies and musicals, to lead roles in Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Kirsty was in Napier Repertory Players’ production, Cecily, which won the Best Adult Production at Theatre New Zealand’s 2013 National TheatreFest. This has inspired her to continue acting.

Shay Wildgoose (Billy Ray)
Shay is a 14 year old Taradale High School student who has recently returned to Hawke’s Bay, with his family, after spending three years in West Otago. It is there he developed an interest in Theatre, appearing in several plays and shows. Shay’s other hobbies include Squash, Golf and RC Car Racing.

David Mitchell (Bill Ray)
David first began treading the boards in a primary school production of The Pied Piper of Hamlin. It is a welcome return to Napier Repertory Players for David, having performed in the 1993 production of Hay Fever. His credits for Theatre Hawke’s Bay include “Officer Krupke” in West Side Story and the Yaks favourite in Death and Taxes. David would like to thank his parents for their never ending support and the continuous encouragement from “sweetie”.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Dickey Boats, Napier
Henry Boyd, Napier Freshwater Anglers Club Inc
Salvation Army, Greenmeadows Store
Richard McCormack
Wendy Hunt
Jean Hammon, The Coffee Corner
Trevor and Margaret von Hartitzsch
Napier Operatic Society
Anne Emery, The Little Book Shop
Members and Friends of Napier Repertory Players
Families of the Cast and Crew

FUNDING AGENCIES

In recent months Napier Repertory has been very fortunate to receive generous grant funding to assist us with a range of projects.

Our thanks go to: –

The Eastern and Central Community Trust for providing valuable assistance towards our administration and operational costs.

Infinity Foundation for contributing to our hefty insurance premiums.

NEXT PRODUCTION – Heaven Help Us

Written by Tim Hambleton

Directed by Diana Ryan

Production Dates: 8th to 18th October 2014

Synopsis

In the waiting room of Heaven, Angela is filling in for St Peter. She is responsible for selecting those who enter Heaven and, unfortunately, she has made a few mistakes lately. A group of eclectic characters gather there and vie for entry through the Pearly Gates whilst also trying to outwit God’s nasty CEO.

For more information, please contact Production Secretary, Helen Ball on 843-6979.

So we can all enjoy the show …

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