The Drowsy Chaperone
Note from the Director
The Drowsy Chaperone first presents itself as a playful parody of celebration of 1920s musical theatre. Tap-dancing grooms, glamorous showgirls and mistaken identities abound. Yet beneath this glittering surface lies something far more resonant: a meditation on loneliness, nostalgia, and the vital power of theatre to transform the everyday.
At the centre is the “Man in Chair”, a solitary figure who retreats into the cast recording of a fictional 1928 musical. As the record plays, his drab apartment is overtaken by a glittering art-deco fantasy. For a fleeting moment, his grey existence is filled with colour, joy and song. His apartment becomes a liminal space, poised between reality and imagination, memory and longing. The musical ends in a wedding and a flight into the sky, a literal dream of escape.
But the illusion is fragile. Records skip, illusions falter, and the apartment walls never vanish completely. Slowly, we realise this ritual is more than pastime. It is survival. The Man in Chair reminds us that theatre is not trivial. It is essential. It provides us with moments of release, meaning and connection when life feels too abstract or overwhelming.
This production leans into that duality: the absurdity and profundity of musical theatre. As the story unfolds, these realities bleed together. Fantasies malfunction, characters freeze, and the apartment reasserts itself. We are reminded again and again that this is not reality, but memory, imagination and longing.
The story also speaks powerfully to our own times. We are surrounded by war, political division, climate crisis, and the endless noise of social media. Many of us feel overwhelmed or powerless. In such a world, art is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Theatre gives us space to laugh in the dark, to process the chaos, and to glimpse a truth beyond the literal. It is a place where we can escape, reflect, and begin to make sense of this fragile and unpredictable life.
Ultimately, The Drowsy Chaperone is both comedy and elegy. Glitter collides with grief, parody with poignancy. It is a love letter to theatre itself: a fragile, flickering light that reminds us of our humanity and helps us survive the weight of the world.
- Alister Smith, Director
Cast
The Drowsy Chaperone
Zoe Stragalinos
Janet
Marina Lee
Man in Chair
Callan Barclay
Robert
Will Skarpona
George
Brendan Godwin
Trix
Rufaro Zimbudzi
Mrs Tottendale
Elizabeth Pardallis
Aldolpho
James-Paul Mountstevens
Underling
Jack Madigan
Mr Feldzeig
James Ydreos
Kitty
Heidi Milne
Gangster #1
Chloe Caffari
Gangster #2
Rebekah Sison
Featured Ensemble
Georgia Goodrick
Sophia Kouknas
Laila Salloum
Mia Paris Scalise
Sarah Wood
Second Year Ensemble
Millijana Arthur, Digby Bunnett, Noah Connelly, Ginger Freudenstein, Ella Hagon, Rachel Harding, Sophia Higgs, Bailey Hocking, Amelia Howell, Brooke Humphreys, Cooper James, Skyler Jed, Molly Keegan, Lexi Lethborg, Kiara Linke, Nathan Mariniello, Hayden McElholum, Zara Psirakis, Mason Pugh, Sienna Richardson, Michael Syme and Caden White
Creative Team
Director
Alister Smith
Music Director
David Young
Choreographer
Freya List
Set Designer
Reuben James*
Set Design Assistant
Eli Ismail
Costume Designer
Asha Robinson*
Lighting Designer
Andrew Thompson*
Sound Designer
Lachlan Jones*
Production Team
Production Stage Manager
Poppy Gordon*
Deputy Stage Manager
Isobel Long*
Assistant Stage Managers
Sarah Haines
Cass Ward
Workshop Head of Department (Staging)
Ryder Blizzard*
Workshop Head of Department (Scenic)
Georgia Formosa*
Workshop Head of Department (Props)
Rory Willingham*
Workshop Assistants
Courtney Dole, Grace Hicks, Chiara Nathan and Zac Waddington
Senior Costumier
Mia Gionfriddo*
Costume Manager
Astrid Brenchley
Costume Assistants
Shelby Grace Palm
Alicia Price
Head Electrician
Alessandra Alessio
Deputy Electrician
Lucy Christiansen
Lighting Programmer and Operator
Aimee John
Sound Technician
Cory Ferguson
*Third year Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production) student
Orchestra
Keys 1
Andrew Patterson
Keys 2
Jacob Abela
Reed 1
Carlo Barbaro
Reed 2
Stuart Brownley
Reed 3
Melissa Edwards
Reed 4
Luke Carbon
Trumpet 1
Sophie Spencer
Trumpet 2
Thien Pham
Trumpet 3
Sarah Henderson
Trombone
Ian Haines
Bass
Joanna Jinx To
Drums
David Beck
Percussion
Lara Wilson
Professional Staff
Artistic Operations and Planning Manager
Abe Watson
Producers
Ang Cuy
Production Coordinator
Rex Lockyer
Stagecraft Project Coordinator
Alan (Alby) Logan
Props and Scenic Supervisor
El Lyons-Dawson
Set Construction Supervisor
Taylor Chen
Set and Prop Technicians
Al Brill
Charlie Craft
Props and Scenic Technician
Nellie Summerfield
Scenic Artist
Morgan Jones
Production Mechanists
Mungo Mckenzie
Em Van Dyk
Tait Adams
Costume Supervisor
Sophie Woodward
Professional Costumiers
Lara Barwick
Ingrid Beilharz
Kate Camilleri
Chloe Simcox
Sound System Designer
Evan Drill
FOH Sound Engineer
Eugene MacKinnon
Radio Microphone Technician
Katrina Liston
Photographer
Ben Fon
Videographer
Latitude Video Production
Academic Staff
Head of Music Theatre
Tyran Parke
Head of Design and Production
Anna Cordingley
Music Theatre Course Coordinator
Ross Hannaford
Design and Production Course Coordinator
Lisa Osborn
Design and Production Subject Coordinator
Matt Scott
Design and Production Academic Consultants
Peter Darby, Evan Drill, Jen Langford and Erin Shepherd
Music Theatre Academic Staff
Tyran Parke, Dr Tracy Bourne, Lyndall Dawson, Dr Heather Fletcher, Ross Hannaford, Andrew Keegan, Jayde Kirchert, Bert LaBonte, Adam Lyon and Peter Rutherford
Design and Production Academic Staff
Anna Cordingley, Kris Bird, Jo Briscoe, Dr Peter Burke, Dr Danny Butt, Marco Cher-Gibard, Dr Emily Collett, Martyn Coutts, Narelle Desmond, Ela Egidy, Jo Evans, Dale Ferguson, John Ford, Nell Hanson, Amanda Hitten, Anna Hoyle, Lisa Mibus, Amanda Morgan, Lisa Osborn, Richard Roberts, Leon Salom, Marion Schaberl, Matt Scott, David Shea, Christina Smith, Darren Wardle, John Warwicker-Le Breton and Jethro Woodward