Harvest Rain Theatre Company
{{Short description|Australian theatre company}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
Harvest Rain Theatre Company was a not-for-profit theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.australianstage.com.au/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=89844&Itemid=81&year=2010&month=04&day=24&title=divas--harvest-rain&uid=1293099501evt7056&catids=179|title=Divas Harvest Rain|date=March 2010|website=Australian Stage|accessdate=10 March 2010}} Beginning as an amateur company, {{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,24715752-5003423,00.html |title=New home and new life for theatre company |author=Tonya Turner |date=28 November 2009 |accessdate=9 October 2009}} it evolved into a professional musical theatre company presenting arena productions around Australia, before closing in 2022.
Early history
Harvest Rain began in 1985 as a small drama group in New Farm, Queensland, Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.theatrepeople.com.au/reaping-the-harvest-harvest-rain//|title=Reaping the Harvest : Harvest Rain|website=Theatre People|accessdate=11 July 2017}} The founding members of the company were the brothers Robbie Parkin and David Parkin and the husband and wife team Chris Crooks and Judy Crooks. The name "Harvest Rain" was chosen because Chris Crooks liked the word "harvest" and the team felt that the word "rain" softened it.{{cite web|url=http://bmag.com.au/things-to-do-in-brisbane/latest/2013/10/07/harvest-rain-plans-bountiful-theatre-year/|title=Harvest Rain plans bountiful theatre year|date=7 October 2013|website=Bmag|accessdate=11 July 2017}} The company initially staged a range of amateur productions and the shows featured a small ensemble of dedicated actors, operating out of the Sydney Street Theatre in New Farm.{{cite web|url=http://performing.artshub.com.au/news-article/news/performing-arts/richard-watts/new-dawn-for-harvest-rain-theatre-197375|title=New dawn for Harvest Rain Theatre|website=Performing Arts Hub|date=19 November 2013 |accessdate=19 November 2013}}
In 2008 the company moved to the Mina Parade Warehouse in Alderley and began presenting all its mainhouse productions at QPAC.{{cite web|url=http://www.scenemagazine.com.au/arts/theatre/harvest-rain-25-interview|title=Harvest Rain 25 interview|date=24 March 2010|website=Scene Magazine|accessdate=11 July 2017}}
Professional productions
In 2012, the company announced that it was in the final stages of transitioning into becoming a fully professional musical theatre company, the first of its kind in Queensland. Harvest Rain produced Oklahoma! in 2013 as its first fully professional production.{{cite web|url=http://aussietheatre.com.au/news/harvest-rain-2014-season|title=Professional musical theatre for Brisbane : Harvest Rain's 2014 Season|date=1 January 2014|website=Aussie Theatre|accessdate=10 July 2017}}
In 2014, the company's first fully professional season included Guys and Dolls starring Ian Stenlake and Daryl Somers, Spamalot starring Jon English, Simon Gallaher, Frank Woodley and Julie Anthony, and an arena production of Cats starring Marina Prior and featuring over 500 performers on stage, making it the largest production of Cats ever staged in the southern hemisphere.{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/hey-hey-its-harvest-rains-first-professional-season-20131118-2xrdb.html|title=Hey Hey it's Harvest Rain's first professional season|date=9 November 2013|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=11 July 2017}}
In 2014, the company moved its training, rehearsals, and administration to a building on the north side of Brisbane known as the Hayward Street Studios.{{cite web |date=11 December 2013 |title=On Centre Stage |url=http://hushhushbiz.com/on-centre-stage-harvest-festival/ |accessdate=10 July 2017 |website=Hush Hush Biz}}
Spamalot won Harvest Rain the Matilda Award for Best Musical or Cabaret in 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/qld-theatre-excellence-recognised-at-matilda-awards-20150309-13zfom.html|title=Queensland theatre excellence at Matilda Awards|date=10 March 2015|website=Brisbane Times|accessdate=11 July 2017}}
In 2015, the company produced The Pirates of Penzance to celebrate QPAC's 30th birthday.{{cite web|url=http://aussietheatre.com.au/news/pirates-aboard-qpacs-30th-birthday|title=The Pirates are Aboard for QPAC's 30th birthday|date=12 December 2014|website=Aussie Theatre|accessdate=11 July 2017}} The show starred Andrew O'Keefe, John Wood and Nancye Hayes and featured Billy Bourchier as Frederic and Georgina Hopson as Mabel, in their professional debut. The production was directed by Simon Gallaher.
In 2016, Harvest Rain presented an arena production of Hairspray in Brisbane, Adelaide and Newcastle, with a cast featuring Lauren McKenna, Simon Burke, Christine Anu, Tim Campbell, Wayne Scott Kermond and Amanda Muggleton.{{cite news|url=http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/brisbane-host-world-record-production-hairspray|title=Record-breaking 'Hairspray' in search of performers|last1=Bartle|first1=Delia|date=29 January 2016|work=Limelight Magazine|accessdate=3 May 2016}} An arena production of Grease followed, performed in Brisbane, Newcastle and Adelaide in 2017, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and Brisbane again, in 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/4792981/greases-massive-cast-deserves-applause-photos/|title=Grease's massive cast deserves applause|last=Longworth|first=Ken|date=2017-07-16|work=Newcastle Herald|access-date=2017-09-28|language=en}} In 2019, an arena production of The Wizard of Oz toured Brisbane, Adelaide and Newcastle in 2019{{Cite web|url=https://www.newcastlestar.com.au/story/5972065/wizard-of-oz-reimagined-in-arena-spectacular/|title=Wizard of Oz reimagined in arena spectacular|date=2019-03-25|website=The Star|language=en|access-date=2020-01-07}} and Sydney in 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.australianstage.com.au/201907139008/reviews/brisbane/the-wizard-of-oz-%E2%80%93-arena-spectacular-%7C-harvest-rain.html|title=The Wizard of Oz – Arena Spectacular {{!}} Harvest Rain|website=www.australianstage.com.au|language=en-gb|access-date=2020-01-07}}
Closure of the company
Multiple media outlets reported that O'Connor and his partner had been charged with sex offences against children.{{Cite web |title=Theatre Producer Charged {{!}} Stage Whispers |url=https://www.stagewhispers.com.au/news/theatre-producer-charged |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=www.stagewhispers.com.au}} {{cite web |date=4 October 2023 |title=Serkan Ozturk News |url=https://x.com/SerkanTheWriter/status/1709478678881767766 |accessdate=4 October 2023 |publisher=SerkanTheWriter}}
Notable people
Notable people associated with the company include:
=Crew and staff=
{{div col |colwidth=30em}}
- Jack Bradford, theatrical director, 1996–1997, 1999–2001
- Simon Gallaher, company chair, 2012–2015
- Tim O'Connor, administrator, theatrical director, CEO
{{div col end}}
=Cast=
{{div col |colwidth=30em}}
- Jack Bradford, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, roles in multiple productions
- Tim Campbell, 2017, Johnny Casino in Grease the Arena Experience
- Mark Conaghan, 1999, 2005, roles in multiple productions
- Julie Eckersley, 1999, in Much Ado About Nothing
- Jon English, 2014, King Arthur in Spamalot
- Michael Falzon, 2009, in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
- Simon Gallaher, 2012 in Hairspray,{{Cite web|url=http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/community-theatre/simon-gallaher-star-harvest-rain%E2%80%99s-production-hairspray|title=Simon Gallaher to star in Harvest Rain's Production of Hairspray|last=|first=|date=|website=Stage Whispers|publisher=|access-date=3 January 2017}} 2014, in Spamalot
- David Knijnenburg, 1999–2001, 2005, 2007, roles in multiple productions
- Tod Strike, 2000, Joseph in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- Daryl Somers, 2014, Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls.{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/hey-hey-its-harvest-rains-first-professional-season-20131118-2xrdb.html|title=Hey Hey it's Harvest Rain's first professional season|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 November 2013}}
- Steven Tandy, 2010, 2012, roles in multiple productions
- John Wood, 2019, The Wizard in "The Wizard of Oz"
{{div col end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.harvestrain.com.au Harvest Rain Theatre Company] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520155420/http://www.harvestrain.com.au/ |date=20 May 2007 }}
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Category:Theatre companies in Australia
Category:Companies based in Brisbane
Category:Musical theatre companies in Australia
Category:1985 establishments in Australia
Category:2022 disestablishments in Australia