The Theatre

It was now well into the 2000s (where did the decades go?) and with time on my hands, I combined what I’d done professionally over many years with another great love – the stage. 

By now I’d moved to Ballina in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales and found myself involved with the Ballina Players. I became Assistant Director for CHESS The Musical (2007) and The Cemetery Club (in 2011). I’d regularly fill the Guitar chair in the Orchestra (for over 10 productions) and in 2012, I even played an on-stage role as the Number 4 Cricket (guitarist) in The Buddy Holly Story. 

Prior to that, I’d set-up the hardware and content for 4 Channel Surround Sound and created the SFX and soundscapes for the company’s production of Miss Saigon in 2010. The SFX consisted mostly of combat aircraft including helicopters, the latter playing a big part in the famous final Helicopter evacuation scene. I also trained a second operator to manage the SFX. My work on ‘Miss Saigon’ was recognised with two Gold Coast Area Theatre Awards for Sound Design.

In 2014, I composed and produced for several stage productions, including the drama, Twelve Angry Men and again won the Award for Best Sound Design the following year for It’s A Wonderful Life.  This was a re-creation of one of the classic radio plays of yesteryear, produced in front a of a live audience. In keeping with the time, I decided to do all of the sound effects live – a full ‘Foley Stage’.

Video production in theatre

In 2016, I created a five-minute, live action video sequence to open the production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. (This involved pre-recorded music and VO used to cut the video, together with the stage presentation by a live band and VO.) That same year I created several pre-production live action videos, plus all graphics and sound effects for Return to the Forbidden Planet. 

In 2018 I produced one scene as a video (to allow for a set change) in A Few Good Men and wrote and produced an original jazz-style song to theme, used as incidental music in the company’s production of Last of The Red Hot Lovers. And in 2023, I played guitar for the Bangalow Theatre Company’s production of HAIR.

In 2024, I filled the ‘guitar chair’ for Noosa Art Theatre for their production Ladies in Black - a musical based on the novel by Madeleine St John, written by Carolyn Burns with music by the prolific Tim Finn.

Thoughout this time, I simultaneously worked on the various music projects detailed elsewhere within this website. Life’s always fun when it’s filled with music, right?