Castlemaine Theatre Company is about to mark its return to live theatre by hitting the streets with a show to really stretch its legs.
It’s been about two years since the long-running local theatre company has been able to perform live due to COVID.
Now, to celebrate its return, CTC is making Castlemaine itself the stage by taking their new show called Walk With Us – Untold Castlemaine to the streets.
Led by a range of flamboyant characters, those who grab themselves a ticket can expect to stroll about in small groups through the backstreets of town, stopping in various secret locations to be entertained by five short performances, explains lead artist, CTC’s Mark Penzak.
“These were written by local playwrights and based on true events, and there are five writers and five directors,” Mark says.
“It’s an optimistic, fun show.
“This production was conceived during the height, or perhaps that should be the depths, of the COVID lockdowns.
“At that point the live arts had been effectively shut down for over a year and there was no way of knowing when theatres would reopen.
“So the concept of this production was to make an outdoor show, performed to small groups, that would be as safe as possible and unlikely to be cancelled.
“I also thought it would be good to bring together as many theatre artists as possible to celebrate and renew.”
It isn’t a history tour though, says Mark.
“It’s a surprising, fun, theatrical journey that asks us to consider what makes a community,” he says.
Beginning at Castlemaine’s central Market Building, audiences will walk for about a kilometre to take in the five surprise locations where each performance, suitable for all ages, will happen.
Dates are Fri, Sat, Sun, January 21-23, plus Fri, Sat, Sun, January 28-30, at 7.30pm with bookings online through TryBooking.
