Cultural powerhouse, Perseverance Street Theatre Company launched a new creative hub for mature women actors living in the Gympie and Sunshine Coast Region in May this year. Called the Mature Women Actors Collective, or MWA for short, the group celebrates theatre, women and wisdom.
MWA are about to debut their first public performance, The Seven Stages of Pam.
This original new performance explores the lives of three very different women, all named Pamela. Three Pam’s search for love, meaning, and security across seven life stages from childhood to their final breath. Growing up in a period of incredible social and technological change, they ride the ups and downs of life with tenacity.
The 65 minute performance blends storytelling, acting, music and physical theatre to explore the significant milestones in three women’s lives. Witty and satirical with a blend of humour and pathos, The Seven Stages of Pam will appeal to adult audiences aged 18 years and older.
Developed over a three-month workshop and rehearsal program, this performance emerged from the authentic, rich and diverse life stories of the performers. This participatory theatre project includes 17 women aged from 45 -74. Working with professional theatre maker Dr Sharon Hogan, the group honed their performance and devising skills to explore important issues, challenges and celebrations that many women may experience and can relate to.
The performance will take place at Cooran Community Hall on Sunday 11 August. Tickets are $15 and available at the door and through humanitix at events.humanitix.com/the-seven-stages-of-pam
Audience members are invited to stay after the show and meet the cast at a community afternoon tea.
MWA builds pathways between mature non-professional actors and the professional theatre makers. MWA creates high quality productions for local, national and global audience in traditional and non-traditional performance spaces.
MWA will create two unique performance works each year, a Summer and Winter season. In addition to performance MWA will offer weekly drama/acting classes for mature women in an encouraging, supportive and artistically inspiring environment. Classes include a focus on improvisation, physical theatre, voice and acting. The next project will launch in May 2025.
The group is led by professional theatre director and performance maker Dr Sharon Hogan. Sharon is the artistic director of Perseverance Street Theatre Company and brings her experience in devising world class original theatre to the group. Having taught acting and directing in the community, universities and schools, Sharon brings her decades of facilitation skills to this empowering project for mature women.
MWA will create high quality original performance, connect mature artists through participation, and ambitiously redefine the mature body and voice onstage and other creative spaces.
