* Rhys Gleeson is an eighteen-year-old year 12 student from Macksville, who attends Bishop Druitt College in Coffs Harbour.

Rhys has joined Nambucca Valley News Of The Area as a Junior Reporter, and over the next few months will be writing stories about issues affecting young people in the Nambucca Valley.

Last week, Rhys headed along to witness the Nambucca Valley Performers live in action.

If you have a story idea for Rhys, please email media@newsofthearea.com.au.

THROUGHOUT the month of May, the Nambucca Valley Performers group held a series of shows at the theatre at Macksville Public School to celebrate comedy and showcase three different and timely settings; heaven, the 1950s and a dystopian steam-punk era.

“My character, I thought, was speaking for the community, to set up a voice for it,” said Helen Kirkpatrick, a performer from the steam-punk era of the show.

“For that era, I think we just drew more on the ups and downs with its different strengths and community balance.

“In terms of persona, you could be as loud and over-the-top, as it could express the community feel of balance and character.”

While the shows centre on a target audience of adults and is based around entertaining people, there was also much to be taken from the themes centred on youth experiences and messages for young people within the performances.

In Part Two of the show, which focuses on a monstrous transylvanian setting depicted in 1950s radio-drama fashion, there are lessons to learn for young people within.

“Education comes in as well in learning about how all the radio shows were done, where people dressed up in front of a live audience and that sound effects were done by a separate crew instead of a computer,” said Lisa Yeo, who plays Nellie in the steam-punk segment of the show.

The show provides escapist scenarios for people to enjoy, with the audience having fun throughout.

For the young and old performers of the group, that sense of enjoyment appears on-stage, as does their passion for what they do.

Nambucca Valley Performer, Sally Heather said, “I would go to shows when I was young and think that I’d wish to do that on-stage.

“To do that today’s really emotionally evoking for me, which is why I do it.”

 

By Rhys GLEESON, Junior Reporter