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Featured Member - October 2003
October's featured member
is our current President, Brenda Stanley. Apart from a very
short stint learning ballet at an early age, Brenda's first
foray into live theatre came as a Wise Man in her school nativity
play in her native England. She won't admit just how long ago
that was but still has a photograph to prove it, (see below
- she's second from left).
Later she graduated to
adult plays but marriage, two children and migrating to WA interrupted
her theatrical activities until she saw a notice in the local
paper regarding a meeting to officially form a theatre group
in Wanneroo. She is proud to say she was one of the founder
members of Wanneroo Repertory in 1974 where she learned the
ropes of production and direction. While at Wanneroo she directed
her first One-Act play The Valiant and appeared in
Sweet and Deadly, Brides of March and various
musical variety and pantomime productions. She directed her
first musical variety show in 1978. Her daughter Lynda is still
involved with Wanneroo Repertory to this day.
Moving to the hills in
1978 Brenda joined Darlington Theatre and stayed with them for
over fifteen years in a wide variety of roles, both on and off
stage. She is a Life Member and Trustee of that theatre.
After "retiring"
to Rockingham in 1996 she joined Melville, making her directorial
debut with us with The Hollow, an Agatha Christie mystery.
Her One-Act play, The Evergreens, in the same year
won her the Jenny McNae Adjudicator's Trophy in Dramafest. She
has since gone on to direct many other Melville productions.
Her time with Darlington also introduced her to the joys of
costume design and manufacture and, in addition to her other
hats as director, set designer and President of the Company,
Brenda is also MTC's Wardrobe Coordinator.
Obviously the sad loss
to Wanneroo and Darlington is a very big gain for us at Melville!
Thank you Brenda, for your hard work on behalf of our Company.
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