Cast: Sue Ingelton (“Adelaide Hills”), Evelyn Krape (“Fanny ‘Granny’ Hills”), Fay Mokotow (“Antigone Hills”), Max Gillies (“Fitzroy Hills”), Bill Garner (“Sandringham Hills”), Robert Meldrum (“Clifton Hills”), Tony Taylor (“Winston Hills”) and Buz Leeson (“David Hills”). Photos: Larry Meltzer. Choreography: Lorry Clark and Bob Thorneycroft.
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Posted in Alternative theatre, APG, Australian Performing Group, Australian theatre, Live theatre, Plays, Pram Factory Theatre, Theatre History
Tagged 1975, Bill Garner, Buzz Leeson, Evelyn Krape, Fay Mokotow, Larry Meltzer, Max Gillies, October, Robert Meldrum, Sue Ingleton, The Hills Family Show, Tony Taylor
Cast: Sue Ingelton (“Adelaide Hills”), Evelyn Krape (“Fanny ‘Granny’ Hills”), Fay Mokotow (“Antigone Hills”), Max Gillies (“Fitzroy Hills”), Jack Weiner (“Bluey Hills”), Bill Garner (“Sandringham Hills”), Robert Meldrum (“Clifton Hills”) and Tony Taylor (“Winston Hills”). Jon Hawkes as “Albert Alps, manager”.
Presented by THE VICTORIAN ARTS COUNCIL, 31/5/76 – 26/6/76
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Cast: Evelyn Krape (“Fanny Hills”), Bill Garner (“Sandringham Hills”) , Max Gillies (“Fitzroy Hills”), Fay Mokotow (“Antigone Hills”), Tony Taylor (“Winston Hills”), Jack Weiner (“Bluey Hills”) and Laurel Frank (“Mona Vale”). Photographs: Brendan Hennessy.
In FRONT THEATRE from 5/5/77-12/6/77
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The movie “Dimboola” – produced by Pram Factory Pictures Pty Ltd – had it’s Melbourne premiere at the Bercy Cinema on 10 May 1979. Writer, Jack Hibberd; producer, John Weiley; director, John Duigan; leading actors, Max Gillies, Bruce Spence and Natalie Bate; (production accountant, Peter Keenan!).
“Dimboola” was not a critical or popular success, and that’s an understatement. Below is a copy of one of the reviews the movie received, this one by Colin Bennett of The Age. A copy of another review – one by Susan Adler appearing in Cinema Papers – is elsewhere on this site and may be viewed by clicking HERE.
Cinema review, The Age, Monday,14 May 1979
“A Stretch of the Imagination”, a one character play by Jack Hibberd, has been staged many times in many places with different actors in the lead. It has become an Australian classic.
In 1976, when staged in the back theatre of the Pram Factory, the character of Monk O’Neill was played by Max Gillies (directed by Paul Hampton); and the play and performance received rave reviews. Copies of three of those reviews appear below. (The play, with the same actor and director, was staged again at the Pram Factory – this time in the front theatre – in Aug/Sept 1977.)
Neil Jillet described the play as “probably the most beautiful Australian play ever written”; Bob Crimeen said “Hibberd’s masterpiece of hallucinations and shattered dreams gives Gillies the chance to prove his mettle in tragic-comedy”; and a writer for the Sunday Press said “This study of a singular man is Australian writer Jack Hibberd at his best …. Max Gillies as Monk O’Neil, is brilliant and gives Melbourne … the performance of the year”.
(“A Stretch of the Imagination” was first performed at the Pram Factory in 1972, with Peter Cummins as Monk O’Neill, directed by Jack Hibberd.)
Continue readingIn 1977 several members of the Australian Performing Group (APG), together with Marius Webb, a radio producer at the Australian Broadcasting Commission, put together a series of radio programs titled “Domestic Contradictions”.
Just before the program was due to go to air (June 1977) the series was banned by ABC management. But after protests by a “prominent actors group” and after making some “minor alterations and deletions”, the program was re-instated (July 1977).
“Domestic Contradictions” was written by Bob Daly and Bill Garner (APG members) and Peter Dickie (an anti-capitalist political cartoonist). Publicity and the show’s narrator described it as:
“… the continuing story of a rare experiment in building socialism in one room – the Blue Hills of collective living.”
The performers/voices from the APG were Max Gillies, Evelyn Krape, Fay Mokotow, Bill Garner and Tony Taylor, and the music was by Jack Weiner of the APG.
Two years after “Domestic Contradictions” went to air on the ABC, Greig Pickhaver of the APG (who went on to be HG Nelson) said the program was “the Pram’s most ambitious and successful radio exercise” (The Perambulator, Jan 1979).
Most of this information about the program comes from newspaper reports in The Age and its radio and TV guide, The Green Guide, copies of which appear below.
Although reportedly a nine-part series, copies of twenty episodes can be found on the YouTube channel of VancePackardTV (whoever that is!). I have prepared a schedule of those 20 episodes with links to the YouTube videos. See below.
Note: “Domestic Contradictions” was also broadcast on Melbourne’s community radio station 3 CR
Posted in Alternative theatre, APG, Australian Performing Group, Australian theatre, Community Radio, Pram Factory Theatre
Tagged 20 episodes, ABC, APG, Australian Performing Group, Bill Garner, Bob Daley, Domestic Contradictions, Evelyn Krape, Fay Mokotow, July 1977, Marius Webb, Max Gillies, Peter Dickie, Pram Factory radio, radio, Tony Taylor, YouTube
Most of the filming of “Dimboola” took place in and around the small Victoria township of Dimboola. For those few weeks the people of Dimboola took a great deal of interest in the filming, with some even taking part as extras in the movie. The local paper, The Dimboola Banner, published several articles about the event which were accompanied by publicity photos taken by the film’s stills photographer, Ponch Hawkes.
This is the SECOND of four post on this subject.
Most of the filming of the APG’s movie, “Dimboola”, took place in mid-1978 in and around the small Victoria township of Dimboola. For those few weeks the people of Dimboola took a great deal of interest in the filming, with some even taking part as extras in the movie. Naturally, the local paper, The Dimboola Banner, published several articles about the event. These were often accompanied by publicity photos taken by the film’s stills photographer and APG member, Ponch Hawkes.
Posted in APG, Australian Performing Group, Dimboola the movie, Movies
Tagged 1978, Australia, Banner, Bruce Spence, cuttings, Dimboola, Dimboola Banner, Evelyn Krape, filming, films, Jack Hibberd, John Duigan, Matchbox Band, Max Gillies, Mick Morris, movie, movie review, Natalie Bate, news articles, newspaper, Paul Ammitzboll, Phil Stirling, Ponch Hawkes, Pram Factory Pictures, Tom Cowan, town
Max Gillies – 1977 (Cover photo by Ian McKenzie)
This edition of Theatre Australia contains articles titled:
Advertisement appearing in the “Carlton special” edition of Theatre Australia magazine, August 1977
“The Hills Family Show” was arguably the most popular and critically acclaimed theatre production by the Australian Performing Group. (More memorabilia from this production will be posted on this site later.)
The fact that the APG recorded a version of the Hills Family Show for radio seems to have been overlooked in written accounts of the APG.
(Additional comment May 2020) Furthermore, I’ve searched the internet thoroughly but cannot find a copy of audio of the show.
The in-costume recording took place at the Pram Factory Theatre in Carlton on Saturday, 3 July 1976. (Max Gillies’ injured arm is real!) I believe the recording was aired on community radio station 3CR, Melbourne. Over the next few weeks I will be posting here my 20 exclusive photos of the event. (I’m almost certain that I was the only person at the event with a camera.) Peter J Keenan 25/6/2014.
Updated 22/10/2021: Max Gillies played Fitzroy Hills; Sue Ingelton played Adelaide Hills; Tony Taylor played Winston Hills; Fay Mokotow played Antigone Hills; Robert Meldrum played Clifton Hills; Evelyn Krape played Fanny ‘Granny’ Hills; Bill Garner played Sandringham Hills; and Jack Weiner played Bluey Hills. Jon Hawkes was Albert Alp, manager of the Hills Family.
Updated 22/10/2021: All of my photos are now posted. Number of photos posted to 8/9/2014 = 15. Number of photos posted to 22/10/21 = 20.
Photo 16 (below) – Max Gillies, Sue Ingleton, Tony Taylor, Fay Mokotow, Robert Meldrum, Evelyn Krape & Bill Garner
Photo 17 (below) – Tony Taylor
Photo 18 (below) – Robert Meldrum, Fay Mokotow, Jack Weiner, Evelyn Krape, Bill Garner & Max Gillies
Photo 19 (below) – Robert Meldrum and Bill Garner, making sounds
Photo 20 (below) – Sue Ingleton
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Posted in Alternative theatre, APG, Australian Performing Group, Australian theatre, Live theatre, Pram Factory Theatre, Theatre History
Tagged 1976, APG, Bill Garner, Evelyn Krape, Fay Mokotow, Hills Family Show, Jack Weiner, Jon Hawkes, Lloyd Carrick, Max Gillies, photos, Pram Factory, radio recording, Robert Meldrum, Sue Ingleton, Susy Potter, Theatre, Tony Taylor