About
Villanova Players Incorporated

Management Committee

Casting Committee

A Brief History of Villanova Players

Villanova Players was formed in 1948, and has been producing plays and nurturing the theatrical talents of the people of Brisbane for over sixty years.

In the early years, the group performed in St James's Hall at Coorparoo, Brisbane. Performances were also mounted in the Albert Hall in the city, where the Suncorp building is now.

With the rebuilding of the hall, we moved to the recently vacated St Luke's school building in Taylor St Buranda, Brisbane, and converted the ground floor into a 120 seat theatre with a well equipped stage.

In late 2000, we moved our productions to the McElligott Theatre in St Lawrence’s College, South Brisbane.

Since the start of 2004, we have been performing our major productions in the theatre at the Morningside Campus of the Southbank Institute of Technology, Clearview Terrace, Morningside, and the Hanrahan Theatre, at Villanova College, Coorparoo.

Membership:

Is open to all. (No religious or sectarian restrictions).

Some Well Known Members:

• Judi Connelli, currently a patron of the group.
• The late Bernard King
• The late Barbara Stellmach (patron and published playwright)
• The late Lawrence Hodge (actor in films and Queensland Theatre Company)
• Leo Wockner (actor in films and Queensland Theatre Company)
• Margery and Michael Forde (award winning playwrights and actors)

Type of Plays Presented:

There is no restriction on the type of plays performed, the choice being made by the Casting Committee of five experienced members.

Our productions have always been a mix of contemporary comedies and dramas, classical comedies and dramas, and musicals with a preference for Australian plays. A number of plays by Brisbane authors have been premiered by the Players, including:

• The Big Five O by Lorna Bol
• Lottie - The Musical by Aleathea Monsour and KT Forde
• Dr Ox - The Experiment by Rod Thompson (from a story by Jules Verne)
• Dark Heritage by Barbara Stellmach
• The Astrologist by Benedict Allen
• Ships that Pass by Jill Shearer

We have also presented Faces in the Street by Errol O’Neill, Snapshots From Home by Margery Forde and Over the Top with Jim by Hugh Lunn, all Brisbane playwrights.

Activity

We are currently performing four major plays per year, playing for usually twelve performances within a three week period (including bump in, final rehearsals and bump out).

Typical rehearsal schedule prior to bump-in is 6-8 weeks, (3 nights and Sunday, with set building on Saturday).

Small productions are mounted at the monthly general meetings, performing to members and visitors – up to 10 per year, for one night only. These are intended as a training ground for members, and also provide an alternative to auditions for roles in major productions.

Interested in Joining?

Just phone 3395 5168, or email:villanovaplayers@gmail.com for directions to the Theatre where our monthly meetings are held. Then come along and see how we operate.