Tale of Two Towns to take centre stage for repertory clubs

A double theatrical treat will be coming to two repertory theatres, with the annual A Tale from 2 Towns collaborative event making its return for 2023 over two weekends in September. Bridgetown Repertory Club will be presenting the play The Devil’s Apple first, from September 1 to 3, which is written and directed by Rob Snelling. The play presents a “horrible and humourous” look into a family holiday, as two long-suffering daughters and their ageing, overbearing mother embark on a tour of Tasmania in a motor home. Manjimup Repertory Club will be presenting their play The Mistress of Wholesome, by Jacob Appel and directed by Jennifer Birkhead next, from September 8 to 10. The Mistress of Wholesome presents a look into a complicated conversation between a mistress, her lover and a mysterious visitor, as she storms in her lover’s home, concerned her lover may be falling back in love with his wife. Manjimup director Jennifer Birkhead said the cast had grown and been wonderful to work with during the rehearsals and was happy with their development of their character. “It’s been excellent, it’s been amazing to see the show grow and see the talent develop their characters during the production,” she said. “Developing the characters and seeing the cast develop their approach and portrayal was a strong focus during the rehearsal and we decided to set it in the seventies, which has been fun for costuming.” Birkhead said the Tale of 2 Towns productions was an “interesting and unusual” set-up but was also a way for both theatres to work together and create interesting art. “It’s an unusual set-up having a show here and at the Bridgetown Repertory Theatre, but it gives people more opportunity to be entertained and have places to go on the weekend,” she said. “Both shows are all-female shows, which was unintentional but an interesting connection to have.” Birkhead also encouraged theatre enthusiasts to come to the play, both to enjoy a show full of wit and adult humour and to support the cast and crew. “The characters have their quirks and there’s a lot of wit and humour in the show, and the dynamic and relationship of the characters is interesting to see unfold,” she said. “I want to encourage people to come along, even if it’s not something they would usually do and it’s a fun thing to do with friends and a great way to support the people who put time and effort in and their work.