120 years on from the club’s creation, members of the Wagga Wagga Shakespeare Club still meet monthly to read and appreciate the works of history’s greatest author. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
The world’s oldest Shakespeare club, formed and run in Wagga Wagga, will be taking its knowledge and love for history’s greatest writer to the stage.
In 1904, 288 years after the death of Shakespeare and more than 16,800 km away from the famous Globe Theatre, a group of Wagga women formed a club to discuss The Bard’s works and have regular readings of the world’s most famous playwright and poet.
Now, 121 years later, the Wagga Wagga Shakespeare Club will tackle Something to Crow About, A Frivolous, Fulsome Frolic, a show that features excerpts from Shakespeare’s most iconic plays.
The show will serve as a special fundraising event sponsored by the Thirsty Crow. It will consist of six performances across the month of July and be performed at the Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre.
Neryl Quilty, president of the Wagga Shakespeare Club, said she was thrilled to announce the production and bring the production to a new audience and that all money raised by the event would be donated to the Kooringal Rotary Club.
“Something to Crow About is a comical revue showcasing excerpts from some of Shakespeare’s more popular plays,” she said.
“The comedy is created by taking some parts out of context and bringing them to life in a more modern genre, with clowning, madrigals, and gags creating a farcical romp through the Bard’s work.
“Something to Crow About at the Thirsty Crow will be a dinner show.
“The Thirsty Crow has been very supportive of this exciting new project. [Thirsty Crow manager] Bryan Curran, on behalf of the Stryda team, has donated the performance space for the Shakespeare Club and thus given the entire project wings.
“At the end of the Wagga season, the show will be performed at and sponsored by the Coolamon Cheese Factory, the first Saturday in August, and all proceeds will go to Coolamon Rotary.”
Fay Walters will be directing the show and sharing her vast Shakespeare knowledge. Ms Walters has been one of the club’s longest-serving members, attending it since the 1970s.
The production has a cast list of some well-known actors, new actors, and some Shakespeare Club members including Joanne Darby, Patrick Kenny, Viv Harling, Tony Woods, Claire Cheshire, Keith Radford, Leigh Ladd, Catherine Dawson, Bob Hitchens, Anna Swift, Craig Dixon, Neryl Quilty, Jan Pittard, Ros McKinney, Damian Triulcio, Michael Trinidad, Robyn Horwell, Olivia Jones and Gemma Hehir.
Keep an eye on the What’s On section of the Civic Theatre website for tickets and more information.
