GCLT wishes to acknowledge the generous assistance provided by the Gold Coast City Council in providing reduced council rates to non-profit organisations

Proudly Presents

Performances Thu – Sat @ 8pm Sep 10th – Oct 1st, 2016Matinees @ 2pm Sun Sep 11th, 18th & 25th, 2016

Hilary Bell’sBy arrangement with R.G.M. Artists Pty Ltd

Directed by Annie Lotocki

Wolf Lullaby 1.0.indd 1 9/4/2016 11:10:07 PM

Annie has resided and directed on the Gold Coast for over thirty years and has worked with most Gold Coast theatrical companies. She convened the inaugural ArtsFest Gold Coast 2015 for the Gold Coast Theatre Alliance Inc and was made a Life member also in 2015. She has worked in the Community Performance area in varying capacities including those of Administrator, Artistic Director, Educator and Performer. Currently, she is the Secretary of Business of the Gold Coast Theatre Alliance Inc, a unique organisation where over thirty theatre companies have combined to raise the profile of Community Live Performance Arts activities on the Gold Coast, Qld. Annie is also webmaster of this organisation, and she has

a keen interest in extending promotional opportunities for Community Performance. With a professional background as an educator Annie has taught theatre, speech and drama, and English for over thirty years in NSW and QLD schools and universities. A passionate Director, Annie has successfully directed over 40 shows in the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Newcastle areas and worked with almost every company in the Gold Coast region. She most recently directed Communicating Doors at Javeenbah Theatre.Shows include – Les Miserables x 2, West Side Story x 3, La Cage aux Folles, Godspell x 2, Pirates of Penzance x 2, How to succeed in Business, Cabaret, Fame x 2, Oklahoma x 2, Fiddler on the Roof, Hits on Broadway, Calamity Jane, Rent, Sherwoodstock, A Chorus Line x 2, Dimboola x 3, Brilliant Lies, Jesus Christ Superstar, Into the Woods, and How The Other Half Loves. She has coordinated the Gold Coast Theatre Alliance Launch for the past 3 years, was convenor for their BreaKaLeg Talent Quest in 2014 and 2015 and for ArtsFest GC 2015.

DIRECTOR - Annie Lotocki

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - Wal Lotocki

Wal, a Masters of Engineering Science, and now retired from working for the Department of Environment has thirty years of technical experience in Theatre. His extensive lighting experience includes design for West Side Story and Pirates of Penzance at the Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane. Wal has performed roles in Fame( Scheinkopf), La Cage Aux Folles (Georges), Cabaret (Herr Shultz), A Chorus Line (Zac), Oklahoma x 2 (Carnes &), Calamity Jane, Brilliant Lies, The Importance of being Ernest (Chasuble), Into The Woods (Narrator), Pirates of Penzance (Police Sergeant), West Side Story x

2 (Officer Krupke) and How to Succeed in Business. Wal has also directed Wait Until Dark, Don’t Dress for Dinner, and Cosi.

Wolf Lullaby 1.0.indd 2 9/4/2016 11:10:08 PM

“Wolf Lullaby” is a confronting piece of theatre on many levels. Written by Hilary Bell in 1996 and set in a remote North Western Tasmanian town the play deals with an horrific event – the murder of a two year old child, Toby Chester. Toby’s body covered in tiny flowers is found lying in an area frequented by the children of the town called “The Weeds”. This is a vacant block surrounded by bush on the edge of town adjacent to a disused railway line. The body is discovered by railway workers but a young nine year old - Lizzie Gael (Chloe Finlay) is suspected of involvement by her mother, Angela Warren (Peta Simeon) and she takes her child to the local police Sergeant, Ray Armstrong (Jason Hayden). The ensuing events of the play cover a period of 10 days over the Christmas period. Lizzie’s separated parents - Angela, a local hairdresser, and Warren, a local cab driver - become irretrievably involved in an ensuing murder investigation.

The “wolf” has been a symbol used in children’s nursery rhymes, games and stories for hundreds of years. Usually it appears as the stuff of fears – a representation of power that is frightening and demonic - an animal that consumes and kills. The central question of “Wolf Lullaby” asks - Who or what is the wolf? The wolf is not an Australian animal but is large and looming in the lives of our protagonists. The power to harm resides in many elements of the human psyche both in adults and children but just how damaging this force becomes is dependant on many things. This play examines these forces and how they are played out in a small country town under extraordinary circumstances.

Inherently, nature can be beautifully stunning, loving, playful and charming but there are hidden forces that can suddenly explode causing chaos and catastrophe. Beneath the social veneer of appropriate social behaviour and civility lurk unforgettable and unforgivable actions and events that occur without explanation. Can an innocent child be inherently evil? Can families create monsters? Can society abuse, neglect, emotionally and physically harm children without repercussions. The playwright, Hilary Bell wrote: “by purporting the idea of children being “born evil” we are simply abdicating societal responsibility. “Wolf Lullaby” began life in mid 1993 inspired by a newspaper article about a thirteen year old boy in a small town who had murdered a four year old.” Bell felt that the greatest outrage was “the ease with which society relieved itself of any responsibility.”

Directing a confronting contemporary piece at Gold Coast Little Theatre has been very enjoyable for a number of reasons: the theatre space is wonderfully intimate and the team at GCLT friendly and supportive. I would particularly like to thank my husband Wal who has been a wonderful support throughout the process and Lighting Designer Chris King who has created amazing visual effects. It is teamwork that enables productions to be created with a creative edge. The cast have been wonderful to work with and their enthusiastic discussion of every scene and the resulting “making of meaning” has been enlightening. I would also like to thank the talented teenagers in this production who have engaged in the process in a highly professional manner - Annie Lotocki - Director

Director’s Notes - WOLF LULLABY

Wolf Lullaby 1.0.indd 3 9/4/2016 11:10:08 PM

Chloe is 17 years old and a passionate performer. She has been performing since the age of 8 with various theatre companies around the Gold Coast, and she trains at the National Academy of Performing Arts, as well as with Matt Ward Vocal Studios. Chloe is in her final year of High School at Palm Beach Currumbin and is a part of both their Music and Academic Extension programs. She is currently rehearsing to star as Elle Woods in ‘Legally Blonde’, and Abigail Williams in ‘The Crucible’ with NAPA, and has just

completed a very successful season in the ensemble of Mary Poppins at the Gold Coast Arts Centre. In 2016 she was a featured soloist in “The Creative Generation” at the Brisbane Convention Centre, a featured soloist in the Green Room Project at the Gold Coast Arts Centre and performed in the chorus of “West Side Story” at GCLT. In 2015 Chloe was the recipient of the International Women’s Day “Youth Leadership in the Performing Arts Award”, Intermediate Vocal Champion at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod and special guest vocalist at ArtsFest GC 2015 and the Lord Mayor’s Xmas Carols in the Broadwater Parklands. She has performed in productions for Tweed Theatre Company, Top Hat Productions, Spotlight Theatrical Company and Palm Beach Currumbin High School.

THE PLAY

Place: “Wolf Lullaby” by Hilary Bell is set in a small regional town in north N.W. TasmaniaTime: ContemporaryScenes: The play is set in 17 scenes with an interval after Scene 9Scene 1 - The WastelandScene 2 - The Hairdressing SalonScene 3 - The Police StationScene 4 - The HouseScene 5 - The WastelandScene 6 - The Police StationScene 7 - The WastelandScene 8 - Lizzie’s WorldScene 9 - Lizzie’s BedroomScene 10 - The Police StationScene 11 - The WastelandScene 12 - The Police StationScene 13 - The Police StationScene 14 - The GarageScene 15 - The Police StationScene 16 - The HouseScene 17 - The Wolf’s Domain

LIZZIE GAEL - Chloe Finlay

Wolf Lullaby 1.0.indd 4 9/4/2016 11:10:08 PM

Since dying melodramatically in a school play in the early 80’s, Jason has enjoyed a variety of stage experiences from ‘The Pajama Game’ and ‘Kiss Me Kate’ in the late 80’s, to singing and playing guitar as a soloist in a duo with his brother, and in the band ‘Surrender’ through the 90’s. Work then interrupted his performing career until 2008 when Jason returned to the stage with the Tugun Theatre Company as Mr Dodds in ‘My Friend Miss Flint.’ Since then he has been involved in shows such as ‘Love Nest’ – Tugun Theatre, ‘The Wedding Singer’ – Spotlight Theatre Company, ‘High Society’

and ‘Move Over Mrs Markham’ – Gold Coast Little Theatre, ‘All Shook Up’, and ‘Murder On The Nile’ – St Luke’s Theatre Company, Brisbane.

SGT RAY ARMSTRONG - Jason Hayden

Peta’s journey in to theatre began in 2013 when she perfprmed in Phantom of the Opera (her favourite musical). Since then Peta has fallen down the rabbit hole and shows no sign of coming back out again! Previous theatrical credits include “Communicating Doors” as Poopay Dayseer/Phoebe, “Over my Dead Body” as Shirley Tyler and “How the Other Half Loves” as Teresa Phillips. Previous musical theatre Credits include “Legally Blonde the Musical”, “Wizard of Oz”, “Oklahoma!” (as Gertie Cummings) and “Phantom of the Opera”. When not on stage Peta keeps busy working hard

in the finance field, taking singing lessons where she continues to work on her soprano range and studying veterinary nursing and doing work placement in a veterinary clinic.

ANGELA GAEL - Peta Simeon

Thomas has been performing since he was a young boy. After studying at the Helen O’Grady Drama School, Thomas played in the Forest Lake College’s musical production of “The ‘King and I” and that same year he also appeared in the MS Read-a-thon promotional video. Thomas has also appeared in the Scots PGC College production of “Return to the Forbidden Planet” and in “Chicago”, for which he also was an understudy for the role of Billy Flynn. In 2003 Thomas took to the stage again as lead in the Scots PGC College student composed musical “On Broadway”. Attending the

special CAD programme for talented young performers at Macgregor State High School Thomas also performed in “Sweet Charity”. Thomas took a break from performance for a number of years due to business commitments and returned to the stage at The Village Theatre, Sanctuary Cove in the NSTC’s production of “West Side Story” as Diesel. Most recently he played the comedic pedlar Ali Hakeem in Tweed Theatre’s production of “Oklahoma!”. Thomas returns to the stage to play the role of the father, Warren Gael in “Wolf Lullaby”.

WARREN GAEL - Thomas Warr

Wolf Lullaby 1.0.indd 5 9/4/2016 11:10:09 PM

Viviane’s acting career began in her teens at high school where she actively performed in the usual popular school musicals like “Kismet” and “Camelot”, and played Maria in “West Side Story”. She took up acting again when she moved to Queensland 25 years later, performing at the Village Theatre in Sanctuary Cove in melodramas and pantomimes for 6 years from 2004 through to 2009. Since, she has played a variety of roles, including a 2 timing mistress in “Key for 2”, a naïve but compliant wife in “Move Over Mrs Markham“ which earned her the prestigious Golden Palm Award for Best Actress in a Play at the Gold Coast Theatre Awards, and a French vixen in “Trap for a Lonely Man”. Viviane has

performed previously at Javeenbah Theatre in “A Streetcar Named Desire”, “There’s a Burglar in my Bed” and “Communicating Doors”. Viviane plays the voice of Toby, an offstage role, and is the SM for “Wolf Lullaby”.

VOICE OF TOBY - Viviane Gian

Chelsea has always loved performing, studying since 2009 with National Academy of Performing Arts, Matt Ward, and The Performance Studio. She has been lucky enough to have a host of lead and supporting roles in musical theatre, including “Annie”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “Peter Pan”, “Seussical the Musical” and “The Secret Garden” (as Molly).Chelsea also sings, does voice over work, acts, dances and has enjoyed performing for Twin Towns Services Club, the Australian Youth Choir, The Green Room Junior Project, jazz festivals, charity events, eisteddfods, and several TV shows. She recently proudly

completed, with distinction, her Level 6 Trinity College of London examinations and won the Queensland Barbara Sisley Drama Award.

Gabriella has trained with Spotlight Youth Theatre, the Gold Coast Youth Theatre Academy, the Hinterland Dancing Academy, Kirri Adams (singing) and Julie Evotos (piano). She has also completed Grade 6 of Trinity College Speech and Drama examinations. Gabriella has performed previously for the Queensland Academy of Health Sciences in “A Very Potter Musical” and “Murder Mystery”; in “Cinderella”, “The Shakespeare Code Climb Mate Change” for Spotlight Theatre; and in “Gee, What’s up next?” and “Anne of Green Gables” for St Hilda’s School. Gabriella travelled to Japan to perform dance in Osaka with HDA together with Yuki Irie Modern Ballet Arts and has also performed in the dance

productions Dance Across the Boards, Alice in Wonderland, Summer Dance Celebration and Coppelia. Gabriella joins the children’s chorus in Wolf Lullaby and will also understudy Lizzie Gael.

CHILDREN’S CHORUS / LIZZIE UNDERSTUDY - Gabriella Oxley

Jessica is 13 and trains at the National Academy of Performing Arts, and is in her second year of Drama Excellence at PBC High. She studies acting, musical theatre, dance and singing and has performed in numerous musicals and productions such as “Little Shop of Horrors”, “Peter Pan”, “Seussical the Musical”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and several showcases. Last year she performed in her 1st community theatre production “Dreamland Panto” at Spotlight Theatre. Jessica achieved a 1st Place in the Gold Coast Eisteddfod and is currently studying for her Level 4 Trinity Speech and Drama exam later

in the year. Jessica would like to thank the director for this opportunity.

CHILDREN’S CHORUS - Jessica Armour

CHILDREN’S CHORUS - Chelsea Burton

Wolf Lullaby 1.0.indd 6 9/4/2016 11:10:10 PM

Production Team

Gold Coast Little Theatre is a participant in the 2016 Gold Coast Theatre Awards

Director: Annie LotockiAssistant Director: Wal LotockiStage Manager: Viviane GianAssistant Stage Manager: Martin RamshawCrew: Tracey BurtonGCLT Liaison: Valerie CooneySet Design: Annie & Wal LotockiProps: Annie & Wal Lotocki, Rod Drummond, Jyle Kennaway & castSet Construction: Annie & Wal Lotocki, Set Assistants: Viviane Gian & Jyle KennawayLighting Design & rigging: Chris KingTechnical Design: Chris King Lighting Liaison: Alex MoloneyLighting Operation: Wal LotockiSound Design: Marcus du Toit, Annie & Wal LotockiSound Operator: Russell WilliamsPromotional videos: Craig SmithCostumes: Annie Lotocki & CastPhotographer: Shane CaddayeProgramme Design: Shane CaddayeFront of House Staff: Gold Coast Little Theatre Company membersPublicity: Laney McLean & Annie LotockiFoyer Board: Leo & Nellie MevissenWork Experience Student: Jyle Kennaway (Varsity College)CASTLizzie Gael – Chloe FinlayAngela Gael – Peta SimeonWarren Gael – Thomas WarrSergeant Ray Armstrong – Jason HaydenVoice of Toby – Viviane GianChildren’s Chorus – Gabriella Oxley; Chelsea Burton; Jessica Armour

Wolf Lullaby 1.0.indd 7 9/4/2016 11:10:10 PM

Our Final 2016 Production ...

Director Shane CaddayeAssistant Director Noella JohnsonMusical Director Brady Watkins

ChoreographersTiahni Wilton & Erin Brummage

Performances 8pm Nov 12 - Dec 10, 2016Sunday Matinees 2pm Nov 13, 20 & 27, Dec 4

Musical By Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock & Willie GilbertLyricist Frank Loesser

Wolf Lullaby 1.0.indd 8 9/4/2016 11:10:10 PM