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Click here to view a short film about the show on YouTube
Show Wrap Up
Roland Thring and the Year all his Christmases Came at Once was premiered in Cairns inDecember 2009 as part of JUTE Theatre's Indie Season and toured to Bundaberg during January 2010. The play, a two-hander about an 8-year-old boy and his strange gifts that he discovers after being struck by lightning, was written, produced and directed by Creative Regions Director Rod Ainsworth with the following cast/crew:
- Finn O'Branagain (Roland Thring)
- Susan Prince (Mum, Dad and all other characters)
- Dominie Hooper (Designer)
- Peter Rankine (Composer)
- Peter Matheson (Dramaturg)
- Jason Glenwright (Lighting Designer)
- Darren Merchant (Set Builder)
The show, an unconventional story told in an unconventional way, played to nearly 500 people over the two locations and received rave reviews from kids and families alike. Her
e's what some kids said about the play:
Kids:
Go see it. It's great.
It was funny & interesting.
It was a Xmas pressie from Aunty Jan. Thanks so much!!!
It was funny.
It was cool and funny.
Adults:
Was a beautiful play - warm & fuzzy!
Don't miss it.
Very entertaining.
Thought-provoking and imaginative.
Wonderful theatre.
The play underwent a creative development process in Bundaberg in May with the same creative team and this proved the single most significant part of the process - having a team who grew to know and love Roland Thring over 6 months before rehearsal began. This meant that the vision for the production was a collective and a cohesive one and audiences loved the aesthetic of the show as a result.
Initially supported by JUTE Theatre (www.jute.com.au), the production was funded by other major supporters/sponsors Arts Queensland, Ergon Energy, Bundaberg Regional Council and Cairns Regional Council. Thanks must go to all supporters/sponsors for their vision in financing the production. Our company and skills have very much grown as a result.
SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS
ROLAND THRING AND THE YEAR ALL HIS CHRISTMASES CAME AT ONCE has been supported by the following wonderful organisations. Check out their websites!
Check out this article - http://www.news-mail.com.au/story/2009/11/03/bundy-play-makes-indie-list/
JOIN IN ONLINE
Find Roland Thring on Facebook. Search for his name and look for the green beetle…
CREATIVE REGIONS’ RESOURCES
Have you checked out all of the things that Creative Regions does? Have a click through our site.
You may be interested in joining the mailing list for our e-bulletin, THRIVE (free). Click here.
You could also join our Creative Industries Database (free). Click here.
SAFETY WITH ELECTRICITY
EVERYDAY SAFETY TIPS FROM ERGON ENERGY
Electricity is part of our everyday lives. It heats, cools, cooks and entertains us. However, sometimes it’s easy to forget that electricity can be dangerous. When an accident happens it can be fatal, so it’s important to remember to be electricity safe.
Here are Ergon Energy’s TOP 10 EVERYDAY SAFETY TIPS – for you and your family!
- Electrical appliances, cords, switches and power points are not toys and should not be played with. Never stick anything into a power point or appliance.
- Don’t try to fix electrical appliances or wiring yourself. Get the experts in.
- Don’t use damaged power points and cords - have them replaced immediately.
- Remind Mum and Dad to test your home’s safety switch every three months and get it replaced if it doesn’t work.
- Never touch electrical appliances or switches with wet hands.
- Never piggyback double adapters, use a powerboard.
- Stay clear of fallen powerlines. Warn others to stay away. Call 000 or 13 16 70.
- Don’t swim in flooded creeks after a storm - fallen power lines could be hidden in the water.
- Never touch someone who is receiving an electric shock - you may receive a shock as well. If possible, turn off the power. Stay well clear and call 000.
- Know your emergency numbers or keep them close to your telephone.
Click here for some terrific fun stuff from Ergon Energy:
www.ergon.com.au/ergonia/funstuff_game.shtml
SOME COOL WEB LINKS
AMATEUR RADIO
For everything you need to know about amateur or HAM radio in Australia, have a look at these sites:
The Wireless Institute of Australia looks after regulation and licensing for amateur radio in Australia
www.wia.org.au/
vkham.com/
For information on amateur radio clubs in Queensland see:
www.wia.org.au/clubs/vk4/
Did you know the astronauts on the space station are amateur radio operators?
spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/radio/
Your school could apply to talk to the International Space Station through your local amateur radio club. See this site:
www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm
CALL SIGNS
Everyone registered with an amateur radio licence in the world has a unique call sign. The three letters at the beginning of the call sign tells you where the operator is from. VK4 (or Victor Kilo 4) is the call sign for Queensland, Australia.
This site gives you a listing of every country’s international call sign:
www.qsl.net/ad5xa/dxccmain.html
PHONIC ALPHABET & MORSE CODE
Every radio operator across the world uses a couple of different ‘languages’ to communicate including Morse Code and the Phonic Alphabet.
MORSE CODE: Morse Code is a series of electronic tones represented in dots (short tones) and dashes (long tones, equal to three dots). This was the form of communication used way before voices could be broadcast over the radio.
PHONIC ALPHABET: English is the international language for radio operators. Each letter in the English alphabet has a phonic name which avoids confusion when spoken on the radio. For example, ABC is Alpha, Bravo, Charlie. For a full listing of the phonic alphabet and morse code see this link:
www.guide-to-symbols.com/_images_pub2/FAA_Phonetic_and_Morse.png
CHRISTMAS BEETLES
There’s a heap of interesting information online about Christmas beetles. Here’s a good summary:
www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/hardwoodsqld/9314.html
Why the Christmas beetle?
Christmas beetles come from the family Scarabaeidae or scarab beetles which were important in ancient Egyptian mythology. Roland Thring is not a play that is meant to have a particular religious meaning, but does look at the connection between people and a range of humanitarian themes. The use of one of Australia’s most famous scarab beetles links to this ancient mythology.
“The Egyptians believed that Scarabs were associated with the Egyptian god, Khepri. It was Khepri that pushed the sun across the sky... The scarab beetle became an ancient Egyptian symbol for rebirth, the ability to be reborn. Each day the sun disappeared, always to rise again and be reborn the following day.
The scarab beetle was also a symbol of rebirth after death. When the Egyptians mummified a body they would remove the heart and put a stone carved like the beetle in its place.â€
From: http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/egypt/animals.htm
Australian Christmas beetles are a glossy gold/green colour. Their almost mirror-like shell reflects the light around it. Lucja (a Polish name meaning “lightâ€) shows Roland how he can help others to have life. Would that kind of ‘gift’ be a good or bad thing?