Ipswich First went along to rehearsal of the Ipswich City Council Seniors Concert Group ahead of this year’s Christmas Concert
S.O.S. Calling The Angels.
The seniors of Ipswich are preparing for their Christmas Concert.
Many have been seen around town buying up tinsel and baubles, getting in the mood for a party.
Together they will relive a Christmas soiree from Ipswich’s past. Reminisce on family get-togethers with visiting relatives, neighbours and local carol singers. A sing-along around the piano and the reverie of Christmases gone by.
Ipswich City Council presents a community concert, S.O.S. Calling The Angles, performed by the Ipswich City Council Seniors Concert Group.
“Watch Angel Fa-Cili-Tayta bring her ‘merry’ band of angels together for this once in a millennium event,” says the promotional material.
“Join this unusual group as they lift their voices upwards, singing some of your favourite Christmas songs and carols including Away In A Manger, Mary’s Boy Child, Joy To The World and A Christmas Carol.
“Only two shows will be performed on Wednesday, 6 December at 10am and 1.30pm. There will also be pre show entertainment starting 30 minutes before the concert (9.30 and 1pm).”
Tickets are $8 available from the Ipswich Civic Centre online or when you get there on Wednesday.
Ipswich First caught up with some of the cast and crew
Brent Muller from Ipswich is a founding member and has been in every production since it started 15 years ago, that’s 30 performances.
““This is great, we are very fortunate here, we have a lovely group of people with no egos and it is wonderful to work with them all.
I think the Christmas one is a little bit different. The audience comes here full of Christmas cheer. I’m 81 now and I’m still enjoying it. We’re all reasonably old and we have to rest on each other’s shoulders. Working with these people is a privilege really.”
Jane Sheppard from Walloon is the Director.
“I have been directing for over 40 years at the Ipswich Little Theatre but this is my first production for the Ipswich City Council Seniors Concert Group. It’s very different. I’m used to have to coordinate everything. Here I responsible for the artist direction of the acting. There is someone else doing set building, stage managing, the business side of things, directing the music, there is a choreographer and costume designer. It’s nice to know someone else is looking after those areas of responsibility. They are a lovely group of people who have been very welcoming. We are now just getting the last minute nitty gritty sorted. I’ll probably have a fairly restless night the night before.”
George Bould is an Actor and set constructor.
“When they first set the show and decide what they want, we research it and find what we need to go ahead and make them. I made the harp and the hand held harp and the rocks. The rocks are wire and paper mache, then woodwork for the instruments. We have to construct the sets with MDF board. Then do the painting. My workshop is under the house.”
Chris Steinmuller has been the Music Director since 2012.
“There is a link that keeps us all together. It’s the music, it’s the food, it’s the camaraderie and knowing that everybody is in it for the same reason. They enjoy each other’s company and we all come together for a single goal and that’s for the audience to have a good time. I play the piano throughout the show. It’s a bit more traditional, the idea of a coming with the family around the fire for a few Christmas carols. A lot of the times people sing along too, which is also encouraged. It’s my final show as I am moving away, but this group will be in my thoughts.”
June Pidgeon is one of the performers. She has been performing with the group for the past 13 years.
“I enjoy the comeraderie and the social aspect. Building up to the actual show is the fun part. We have long lunches. I make all the costumes too with my helper Kay Cross. She did all the halo’s and I did the sewing. Sometimes we source our costumes from the big choirs but this one we did from scratch. I had 14 to make over the past 12 weeks.”
Chris White is the Stage Manager responsible for back of house and he also helped out with the painting of the sets.
“We wanted a cloud scene but none of us had any idea how to paint clouds. We developed a technique that looks close enough to clouds but it took us ages to do it. We apply lots of layers and scrub the paint and keep applying layers to intensify the light. It took us about 4 weeks, 3 days a weeks. It was a labour of love.”
