2005, The Hobyahs

In late December 2005 and early January 2006 a two week season of The Hobyahs ran at Warrandyte High School. This was an original pantomime written by John Counsel and directed by Lynne Counsel, first performed 30 years earlier in Wonthaggi followed by a professional season at the National theatre in St. Kilda. The story was based loosely on the well-known story from the Victorian Grade 2 reader in times past.

It was the first time that DVS had staged a pantomime. The cast included a sizeable group of children, many of whom are still performing in various capacities. There were so many keen to take part that two groups of chorus (the Hobs and the Yahs) were formed to take turns. A small group of musicians formed the band. Rehearsals started in mid-November and opened on Boxing Day. The show was great fun for all involved and was very well received by audiences, some attending more than one performance. Unfortunately the timing of the season was not good and in spite of everyone's best efforts, insufficient seats were sold to reach budget, the show regrettably running at a loss. It seem that a hot January may have kept people away from a theatre without air-conditioning.

These history notes have been kindly provided by our long-term artistic director and co-founder, Graham Ford.