Stags & Hens

13-18 August 2007 at 7.45pm

The Adamson Theatre Company at Wesley College St Kilda Roadby arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd on behalf of Josef Weinberger Ltd London

presents Middle School students in

HONK!A M U S I C A L C O M E D Y

Music byGeorge Stiles

Book and Lyrics by Anthony Drewe

Musical Direction byDAVID MOWAT

Vocal Direction byGRAHAM FOOTE

Costume Design bySTEPHANIE DES BARRES & JILL WELCH

Technical Direction bySABINO DEL BALSO

Designed byTONY SCANLON & SAM COOK

Directed & Choreographed by NATHAN ARMSTRONG & CLARE COOPER

31 October - 2 November 2007

The Adamson Theatre Company at Wesley College St Kilda Roadby arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd on behalf of Josef Weinberger Ltd London

presents Middle School students in

HONK!A M U S I C A L C O M E D Y

Music byGeorge Stiles

Book and Lyrics by Anthony Drewe

From the DirectorsIt is rare that a musical with such humour and heart comes along. Underpinning the toe-tapping tunes, beautiful ballads and side-splitting scenes is a brilliant message about celebrating difference. HONK! is an affirmation of all the things in our world that are different, and imagine how strange the world would be if we all were the same!

Charged with the responsibility of bringing to life this classic story and amazing musical, it has been thrilling to see our students, some already talented and polished veterans of many ATC productions, soaring to spectacular new heights. It has also been delightful to welcome students new to Wesley to the first of what will surely be many ATC performances throughout their years at school.

What you see on stage tonight is, of course, the product of all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to bring a show such as HONK! to life. It has been wonderful to welcome Grahram Foote (OW2003) back to Wesley as our vocal director, and his efforts with the students have inspired and extended them in a way not seen in a Middle School production before. Making and designing over ninety costumes ranging from a duck to a fish would appear a task too daunting to some, but not so to our tireless costume department. Once again the efforts of Stephanie Desbarre and Jill Welch ensure that each character looks exactly right. Nor can a production operate in darkness and silence, and we express our customary and heartfelt gratitude to Sabino Del Balso and his fantastic crew for bringing this show to life. The stylistic vision for HONK! was captured through the artistic flair and hard work of Tony Scanlon and Sam Cook (OW2003), and for their splendid efforts we are very grateful.

What makes the ATC such a beacon of energy, skill and dedication is the manner in which all parties involved come together to strive towards a common goal. Ultimately, bringing HONK! to life, and working with such amazing and talented students, has taught everyone involved to celebrate life in all its diversity and to hold their heads up high!

Clare Cooper and Nathan Armstrong

GEORGE STILES AND ANTHONY DREWE met as 21-year-old students at Exeter University where Anthony had set up a company called STAGE DOOR to do new musical comedies. At the same time George was the musical director of the Gilbert and Sullivan society which was very well established within the university. The pair met over a photocopier where they were preparing material for rival shows and became best friends.

Soon Stiles and Drewe were combining their talents to write Tutankhaman, the musical which launched their professional career. Other musicals were to follow, including Just So (based on the Kipling stories) and Peter Pan. The music was written by Stiles, the books and lyrics by Drewe. (Both partners are also talented singers and performers.)

But it was Honk! that put this team on the map. The earliest version was staged at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury in 1993. A revised version opened at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in 1997 and later moved to India and learned the Indian language. In its present form, Honk! A Musical Comedy made its spectacular debut on the London stage with a full-scale production at the National Theatre in 1999. The show was judged by London critics as Best New Musical for 2000, in competition with such heavyweights as Mama Mia and The Lion King. Since then it has attracted numerous awards, and more than 2000 productions have been mounted around the world.

Stiles & DreweAbout HONK! A Musical Comedy and its Creators

Along with these awards, Stiles and Drewe’s new songs for the Disney/Cameron Mackintosh production of Mary Poppins, currently playing on Broadway and at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End, have earned them international fame and recognition as Britain’s currently most suc-cessful musical writing team.

Spring has sprung in the duckyard. Drake, the Mallard Duck, and his long-suffering partner, Ida, await the birth of a new brood, but the clutch seems to contain one inordinately large eqg? this year. Sure enough, it cracks open to reveal an ugly chick nothing like his siblings who makes a strange ‘Honk” sound instead of the expected “Quack”. Ida warms to him, though, and takes him out onto the lake, discovering him to be a prodigious swimmer, but the other farmyard birds, including the rest of his family, ridicule him, driving him into the eager arms of the Tom Cat, who invites him home for “dinner”. Ugly escapes by the skin of his teeth, to the Cat’s chagrin, but with night failing Ugly becomes lost and, amid much fluster and flurrying of feathers, particularly from Ida, a search is launched.

Next day, Ugly finds himself on open marshland in the middle of a duck shoot. He is taken under the wing of Graylag, a pompous Goose, under the mistaken impression that he has had a glorious career in the military, and, though the Cat appears just at that moment, the birds take off and escape. Ugly finds a small cottage, home to a domesticated Hen, Lowbutt, and her feline companion, Queenie. The Cat appears yet again, but luckily develops an instant attraction for Queenie, which soon becomes mutual. The search back at the farmyard has become frantic but Ugly is further from home than ever and it seems he will never find his way back. With the onset of freezing winter, his prospects are bleak, but meeting a beautiful young Swan named Penny changes his fortune. She invites him to migrate for the winter and although he declines, desperately wanting to find his “Mother”, the Swans return in the spring and help Ida find him just in the nick of time, paving the way for a triumphant return to the farmyard.

The Story (You Thought You Knew)

Scenes and MusicACT ONE

SCENE 1: Various locations around the duckyard. Spring.

1. A Poultry Tale - Ida, Drake, Turkey, Henrietta, Maureen, Cat and Grace

2. The Joy of Motherhood - Ida, Maureen

3. Different (pre-reprise) - Ida

4. Hold Your Head up High - Ida, Ugly

5. Look at Him - Ida, Drake, Ugly, Henrietta, Turkey, Cat, Grace, Billy, Beaky, Downy, Timmy, Bobby, Fluff, Maureen

6. Different - Ugly

SCENE 2: The Cat’s lair, inside one of the farm buildings

7. You Can Play With your Food - Cat, Ugly

SCENE 3: The duckyard, later that evening

8. The Elegy - Company

9. Every Tear A Mother Cries - Ida

SCENE 4: The marsh. A late summer morning

10. The Wild Goose Chase - Greylag, Dot, Snowy, Barnacles, Pinkfoot, Ugly, Cat

11. Act One Finale: Hold Your Head Up High (Reprise) - Ida, Ugly

Scenes and MusicACT TWO

SCENE 1: The Old Woman’s Cottage. Late Summer

12. It Takes All Sorts - Queenie, Lowbutt

13. Together - Cat, Queenie, Lowbutt

SCENE 2: The Duckyard. Late autumn

14. The Collage - Drake, Ida, Company

SCENE 3: A collage, various locations.

SCENE 4: A ditch on the moors. Late autumn

15. Now I’ve Seen You - Ugly

16. Warts And All - Bullfrog, Ugly, Froglets, Company

17. The Blizzard - Company

SCENE 5: The open countryside. Late winter

18. Transformation - Ugly, Ida, Penny

18a. Melting Moggy - Cat

SCENE 6: The duckyard. Early spring

19. Act Two Finale: Look At Him (Reprise) - Company

20. Curtain Calls: Warts And All (Reprise) - Company

The Cast

Adam Friedmanas Ugly

Ellie Cokeras Ida

Daniel Smorgonas Cat

Charles Craigas Drake

Alice Maxwellas Grace

Wilde Andersonas Turkey

Edwina Orchardas Henrietta

Rachel Findlayas Maureen

Syd Zygieras Lowbutt

Zoe Castranas Queenie

Martin Quinnas Greylag

Maddy Huntas Dot

George Farraras Bullfrog

The CastUgly

IdaCat

DrakeGrace

MaureenTurkey

HenriettaLowbuttQueenieGreylag

DotBullfrog

Adam FriedmanEllie CokerDaniel SmorgonCharles CraigAlice MaxwellRachel FindlayWilde AndersonEdwina OrchardSyd ZygierZoe CastranMartin QuinnMaddy HuntGeorge Farrar

Back Row: Nathaniel de Bell, Helena Duniec, Julian Peters.

Front Row:Helena Panopoulos, Jazzy Bade-Boon and Pavel Suslov.

Ducklings

Principal Cast

The Cast

Left to Right:Freya Bascomb, Kathryn Hymer, Alchemy Oliver and Nayla Raad

Greek Chorus

PinkfootBarnacles

Snowy

PennyFather Swan

Mother SwanBewick

Jack Daw/Snowflake Floor Manager

Snowflakes

Hugo McLachlanJakub DuniecBranford Gruar

Alchemy OliverAlexander KindynisCait SymonGus Attwood

Seamus KavanaghEmile Frankel

Emilie AsselineauMilla Mclean

Swans

Principal Geese

Fish/Snowflake

Geese

Frogs

Brittany ArthurKristen CoombsBeth JacksonAnnabel MasonMaddie McEnroeSarah MealorEmmeline NeateEmma NorthropCassie SpanosAlexandra StrachanAnnabel SwannLauren BrownjohnAdam Eggleston

Amy GilbertsonSofia GodinhoTansy GormanBrandon JoelAnita QuistJack SchroffelCharlotte WardAlabama McMurruck

Jasmin ArthurRebecca AttanasioMeg DuncanIsabella EtnaHarry FortuneAlex GreenSophie HuntMaggie McKennaJessie NyghLucy OrrDemi ReechiaBen SymonHamish Taylor

Production CreditsDirected by ............................................... Clare Cooper and Nathan Armstrong

Assistant to the Directors .................................................... Nicholas Gregoriades

Student Direction by ............................................................................. Chris Borzillo

Designed by ............................................................... Tony Scanlon and Sam Cook

Technical Direction by ................................................................... Sabino Del Balso

Costumes by ............................................... Stephanie Des Barres and Jill Welch

Vocal Direction by ................................................................................ Graham Foote

Musical Direction by .............................................................................. David Mowat

Properties by ...................................................................................... Caroline Knaggs

Set Construction by ....................................................... Tony Scanlon, Sam Cook, Adam Stafford and Brett Fairbank

Stage Managers ................................. Caitlan Young and Francesca Kavanagh

Backstage Crew .................................................. Mark Lazarovits, Philippa Roso,Calvin Tanujaya, Bianca Vanselow, Bernard Chiong,

Dylan Evans, Aeddan Evans, Woo Joo Yong, Michael Kus,Isabella Wright, Xizhe Cheng, Ian Lu, Eric Li, Runhang Zhou,

Risako Huang, Annie-Rose Callanan and Ben Horewood

Technical Crew ................................. James Barber-Wilson, George Beresford,David Browne, Blake Carrington, Hugh Day,

Daniel Dimasi-Whyte, William Dornay, Adam Engel,Robyn Evely (OW), James Godfrey, Duncan Jaroslow,

Thomas Orchard, Adam Ousalkas, Remy Perin, Sam Whitney

Scenic Art ................................................................................................ Scenic Studios

Poster/Photography/Business Management by ....................... Brett Fairbank

Program by ........................................................ Brett Fairbank and Tony Scanlon Box Office Assistants ........................... Christopher McInnis and Kate Greene

Dance Captain .................................................................................... Wilde Anderson

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