A free performance of acclaimed theatre production, A Prudent Man, will be held at the Daylesford Town Hall Wednesday 22 June starting at 6:00 pm.
A darkly comedic political thriller, A Prudent Man, is a one-man ‘tour de force’ drawing inspiration from historical and contemporary figures to explore how leaders use power. Dubbed ‘political satire at its sharpest’, it won the coveted Audience Choice Award from over 400 productions at the 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival and has since been performed over 100 times across Australia and New Zealand.
The highly acclaimed work will be performed by Hepburn Springs resident Lyall Brooks, an award-winning actor and director with a twenty-year history across stage and screen. Lyall most recently worked as assistant director on Melbourne Theatre Company’s The Heartbreak Choir.
The performance is being sponsored by LabKelpie, a Daylesford-based not-for-profit theatre company dedicated to the development of playwrights and the presentation of new Australian work. They are offering the work to support a new community group, Hepburn Matters, which has arisen from the Rethink the Rex group which has advocated for Council to rescind its decision to abandon the Rex project and sell the building.
Running at 50 minutes and recommended for audiences 16+, the performance of A Prudent Man will be followed by a brief introduction to Hepburn Matters, by newly elected President, Jules McDonald. Entry is free, with donations welcome.
Jules said that with a decision on the future of the Rex imminent, they hope the performance will highlight the potential a space like the Rex could offer our community. “From a cinema and performing arts space to a hub for local artisans and food producers, we have so much creative talent on our doorstep, but no central place to nurture and support them,” she said.
McDonald stressed the newly formed group was not advocating for one solution above any other. Instead, the group have identified four essential elements they believe the community cannot afford to lose, whatever happens to the 95-year-old iconic building. “The return of our cinema, provision of public toilets, community space for locals and maintaining heritage protections are absolutely vital to the future re-design or sale of the Rex,” she said.
Council has advised that they will make a decision on the Rex at their meeting either on June 28 and July 19.
For enquiries on Hepburn Matters, contact Jules McDonald at julesmcd11@gmail.com or sign up to the newsletter by visiting their Facebook page.
For enquiries on Lab Kelpie, visit their website.
