Glenbrook Players are bringing the Australian classic, Cloudstreet, to the stage as their first offering to audiences for 2022.
Director Ainslie Yardley described the approach of opening night as "tremendously exciting and an enormous relief" after the lengthy delays and postponements.
"It has been something of a roller coaster ride, bringing a play of this scope and size through to performance in the midst of two natural disasters, battling through COVID and flooding, with early rehearsals all on Zoom, to bring Cloudstreet to audiences eagerly awaiting live theatre experiences again after so long."
This adaptation for the stage, by Nick Enright and Justin Monjo, faithfully honours the intent of Winton's family saga. It is an unflinching observation of the struggles, losses and triumphs of two working class families as they negotiate life together under the same roof.
The God-fearing Lambs (played by Sophie Seaborn, Matt Kelly, Max Jackson, Angela Pezzano, Jenaya Jacka, Amy Sherden, Josh Stojanovic and Liam O'Loughlin) come to live at number one Cloudstreet in Perth.
They join the Pickle family parents (played by Madeleine Sheehy and Shaun Larotet) who have inherited Cloudstreet, as they stumble across the rocky emotional terrain of drunkenness, gambling addiction and adultery while their children (Ryan Taylor, Reginald Hewitt, Mya Pockran and Marianne Gibney-Quinteros) fend for themselves in the crumbling house.
The characters (played by Matthew Doherty, Jill Hogwood, Riley Kemble and Lara Campbell) that people the world surrounding the Lambs and Pickles bring a riot of humour, near misses, threats, romance and wise counsel to this messy shared household.
Narrations by the First Nations characters (Tre Doyle and Cassidy Roberts) place the story firmly in the context of a post-colonial Australia just beginning to re-imagine itself and redefine its connections to land and family.
Cloudstreet opens on May 20, with seven performances over two weekends on May 20, 21, 22, 27 and 28. Glenbrook Players are offering the option of a special live play and meal deal alongside their usual ticket only price. Bookings can be made online and through the Glenbrook Cinema box office.
