One’s a pyromaniac, another’s a manic depressive, a third’s a heroin junkie – and a fourth likes Wagner.
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These inmates of a mental home are staging Mozart’s comic opera Così fan tutte – even though none of them can sing or speak Italian.
They’re certainly enthusiastic and ambitious.
So, too, are the cast and crew of Armidale’s Veracity Theatre Company. They’ve chosen one of Australia’s most popular plays, Louis Nowra’s Così, for their first big production, opening at the TAS Hoskins Centre on Thursday night.
Unlike the characters they play, though, they’re a talented group. Many have years of experience in the performing arts. They range from NIDA or UNE theatre graduates in their mid-30s, to first-year drama students.
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Veracity, the city's first independent co-operative theatre company, was set up last year to stage Australian plays and put Australian voices on stage.
After the success of the five-hander After Dinner in November, director Michael J. Cornford wanted to stage a production that would stretch his fledgling company’s wings, with opportunities for more actors.
Così fit the bill: a much-loved comedy that deals with some dark themes. The characters deal with problems, and get through life, in a way that makes the audience laugh.
“It hits at the very bone of Australian humour,” Mr Cornford said. "We never stop having these issues that the characters within the play have. There are ideological, political divides, but there's also how society treats what they consider ‘damaged’ people, and how do they treat themselves.”
Many people will have seen Mark Joffe’s movie, which was updated to the 1990s. The play, though, is set firmly in the 1970s, with the Vietnam War as backdrop – but it’s still relevant today.
“Within that political debate,” Mr Cornford said, “the question is asked: why are you doing Mozart's opera about love and fidelity, when there's a war going on? There's more serious stuff happening in the world; why are you making something so frivolous?
“Just because the world's a dark place doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves and laugh, and think about something else. On an individual scale, I can't fix a war, but maybe I can fix this person that's standing next to me.”
Louis Nowra’s Così runs from May 3 to 12 at TAS Hoskins Centre. Prices: adults $27; concession $22. For more information, and to book, see the company’s website.