Program

Blithe Spirit

by

Noël Coward

Directed by

Roslyn Johnson

17th to 26th July

About the writer

Sir Noël Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".

Many of his works, such as Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter, and Blithe Spirit, have remained in the regular theatre repertoire. He composed hundreds of songs, in addition to well over a dozen musical theatre works.

Coward's plays and songs achieved new popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, and his work and style continue to influence popular culture.

Directors' Notes

Much as I love the challenge of breaking ground with new works and contemporary theatre, sometimes it’s great to revisit a tried-and-true theatre touchstone. Blithe Spirit is exactly that for me – an antidote to overthinking, and a test of the basics of the craft of Coward – the raised eyebrow, the tongue-twisting insults and the oblivious, unapologetic shallowness of the very recognisable characters who are just a tad overblown. We can tune in to any modern situation comedy and see characters with the same basic flaws and foibles, but frankly they are just not as funny. I don’t know exactly why this black comedy meets comedy of manners meets farce works so brilliantly still; but somehow it does. It’s been sitting on my bucket list for a long while, and now I’ve crossed it off.

Thanks to Villanova for facilitating that, and the actors and helpers who have given it a jolly good go! Special thanks to Ian and his helpers who built the set, Ashleigh who is the best AD ever, and the many people who put hours into learning lines, finding props and creating Coward’s world for us to play in.

Roslyn dedicates this show to the memory of her father,
Keith Frazer Saunders

Special Thanks

Ian Johnson, Brent Schon, Lucy Moxon and cast, crew and helpers on the set construction

Nicky Whichelow for the loan of props.

Nina and crew at the Do-Op Shop, 60 Godwin St, Bulimba 4171, for wonderful support and the loan of props. 60 Godwin St, Bulimba 4171 web: https://www.do-opshop.com/

Director

Roslyn Johnson

Assistant Director

Ashleigh Tibbs

Stage Manager

Mardi Schon

Assistant Stage Manager, Props

Liesa Silver

Lighting

Venus Abala

Set Design, Set Construction

Ian Johnson

Sound Operation

Peter Van Brucken

Sound Design

Roslyn Johnson

Costume Coordination

Leo Bradley, Roslyn Johnson, Lia Surrentino

Crew

Ken Dutt

Set Construction

Isaac Tibbs

Set Construction

Brent Schon

Charles Condomine

Michael McNish

Ruth Condomine

Phoebe Wolfgang

Elvira Condomine

Kiah Latham

Madame Arcati

Alison Pattinson

Edith

Jade Davis

Dr George Bradman

Troy Bullock

Mrs Violet Bradman

Jane Binstead

Cast

Charles Condomine

Michael McNish

Michael McNish has called Villanova Players home since 2010, accumulating over 20 productions across Brisbane's community theatre scene and a reputation for playing men who are absolutely not coping. Recent highlights include the grief-ravaged Macduff in Macbeth and a memorable turn in My Brilliant Career, both with St Luke's Theatre. Favourite roles include the tightly wound Walter Bryce in Natural Causes, the scheming Joseph Surface in The School for Scandal, Richard in The Lion in Winter, and Don John in Much Ado About Nothing — a rogues' gallery he is quietly proud of. Michael is delighted to return to Villanova Players in the wonderfully unhinged world of Blithe Spirit as Charles Condomine, a man convinced his life is perfectly under control. It is not. He hopes you enjoy watching it fall apart.

"My scariest moment on stage was in An Italian Straw Hat, 2010. My first speaking role. The lead actor forgot a prop, invented a line to excuse himself, and disappeared offstage — leaving me alone in the spotlight with nothing but a smile and a prayer. He came back... eventually."

Ruth Condomine

Phoebe Wolfgang

Phoebe moved to Brisbane from the Hunter Valley three years ago to study an arts and business degree. She has recently been a part of The Cliffnotes of Insanity (Brisbane Arts Theatre), Black Comedy (Sunnybank Theatrical Society) and Dido and Aeneas (Musical Matinees Inc).

Phoebe has also played an ancestral ghost in a production of The Addams Family (Singleton Theatrical Society), in which she enjoyed haunting the theatre and breaking the fourth wall to stare down and spook the audience… before bursting into song of course!

Elvira Condomine

Kiah Latham

Kiah is haunting the stage as Elvira in Villanova's production of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit. Previous credits include Roz Hay in Moon Over Buffalo, Julia Stoner in A Night of Sherlock Holmes, Lucy Steele in Sense & Sensibility, and Twink Futrelle in Christmas Belles. When not conjuring up spectral mischief, Kiah enjoys sewing and rollerskating, though she hasn't found a safe way to do both simultaneously, yet.

Kiah's spookiest moment on stage came mid-kick-ball-change, during a spirited dance number to "All That Jazz," she stood on a chair (as choreographed) and promptly went straight through the seat (not as choreographed).

Madame Arcati

Alison Pattinson

This is Alison’s first production with Villanova and she is delighted to have this opportunity to play the eccentric Mme Arcati, a contrast to the kindly Beulah her most recent previous role in Come From Away. Past favourite roles have included : Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun; Mrs Johnson in Blood Brothers, Anna in The King and I, Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz and Sara Jane Moore in Assassins to name but a few. When not on stage Alison has enjoyed directing high school productions of West Side Story, Oliver, Les Miserables, My Fair Lady, The Secret Garden, Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music and Oklahoma! While she has some bucket list roles still to achieve on stage herself she hopes perhaps to pursue some further directing projects in the future.

Alison recalls her spookiest moment on stage was hearing her voice through a sound system for the first time!

Edith

Jade Davis

Jade has a background in dance and musical theatre, with past credits including ensemble roles in Carousel (Queensland Musical Theatre), Annie, and Oliver! (Savoyards). Most recently, Jade played Rachel in David Williamson’s The Great Divide with Villanova Players.

"My spookiest moment on stage was when so many cast members had COVID or other illnesses the director played Bill Sykes at one day’s notice!"

Dr George Bradman

Troy Bullock

Troy Bullock has been acting regularly in Brisbane for over ten years. He has played lead roles in productions including The Foreigner, Deathtrap, Private Lives, Gaslight, An Ideal Husband, Hidden in this Picture and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and David Williamson's The Great Divide for VPs in 2025.

This is Troy’s fourth performance with Villanova Players. Last time he bickered with his castmate, Jane Binstead, over beachfront property developments. This time it's just because they're married.

Mrs Violet Bradman

Jane Binstead

Jane has been involved in theatre – on and off the stage – for more than 20 years and loving every minute of it! Recent acting credits with Villanova Players (VPs) include The Great Divide by David Williamson (2025) Away (2024); Sweet Delilah Swim Club (2023) and Letters to Lindy (2022). Other VP’s highlights include Her Big Chance by Alan Bennett (2020); The Memory of Water (2009) and Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet (2007). Jane has also tread the boards with St Luke’s in Private Lives (2018), Philadelphia Story radio play with Nash Theatre (2017) and Sunnybank Theatre’s Beyond Reasonable Doubt (2016). Behind the scenes, Jane leads VP’s publicity efforts. She directed The Bear by Anton Chekhov (2021), and her next directorial effort, The Shoe-Horn Sonata runs from 18 to 20 September.

Book your tickets from www.villanovaplayers.com or the box office at Blithe Spirit !

"Not many spooky moments on stage, but certainly plenty of terrifying ones, such as playing Lindy Chamberlain!"

Crew

Director

Roslyn Johnson

Roslyn Johnson has been performing, directing, and working in theatre for over thirty years. Her past projects are as diverse as world premieres of original musicals and touring educational shows. The recipient of multiple directing awards in drama festivals across Queensland, Roslyn is a well-respected community and independent artist.

As a high-school Drama teacher, Roslyn directed more than her share of school musicals for schools across the state, and she created theatre for community groups in her native North Qld. For the past fifteen years she has directed across Brisbane for a number of companies and schools. Memorable past projects include: The Secret Garden, Blood Brothers, The Crucible, Noises Off, and The Lovely Bones for BTG; Female of the Species and Marvin’s Room for Ad Astra; First Date the Musical and Love’s Labour’s Lost the Musical for Footlights, and Taming of the Shrew for Phoenix Ensemble.

These days the roles which keep her busiest are as Festival Coordinator for the annual Beenleigh One Act Play Festival, and Artistic Director of independent company Footlights Theatrical. Roslyn has previously worked with Villanova as director of Much Ado About Nothing, The Lion in Winter, and The Cat’s Meow.

Assistant Director

Ashleigh Tibbs

Stage Manager

Mardi Schon

Assistant Stage Manager, Props

Liesa Silver

Liesa has a long history with the theatre and the arts. She began with drama classes as a teen with the Twelfth Night and enjoys improv and street theatre. Liesa has studied set design and been a prop maker which makes use of her fine art skills of drawing and painting. Liesa has also worked at the Qld Opera as an artist dresser and chaperone and currently Ushers at the Twelfth Night theatre.

Lighting

Venus Abala

Set Design, Set Construction

Ian Johnson

Sound Operation

Peter Van Brucken

Sound Design

Roslyn Johnson

Costume Coordination

Leo Bradley, Roslyn Johnson, Lia Surrentino

Crew

Ken Dutt

Set Construction

Isaac Tibbs

Set Construction

Brent Schon

Brent has performed in a range of productions and genres with various theatre groups over many years in greater Brisbane. The highlights of these endeavours being the role of William Randolph Hurst in The Cats Meow and Henry in The Lion in Winter, for Villanova. Also, Brutus in Julius Caesar, Lord Gloucester in King Lear, Polonius/Grave Digger in Hamlet for heartBeast Theatre, Roy in Tim Wynns production of Cosi, Pedro in Man of La Mancha and Telegin in the Curators production of Uncle Vanya and Dr Rank in A Doll's House.