Maleny Players impress Dalby audiences
MALENY Players’ actress Kim Zwalf from Peachester walked away from the Dalby Drama Festival earlier this month with the prestigious Adjudicator’s Award.
The adjudicator Aaron Evans was full of praise for Kim and the other five performers in The Widows, a short play set in Maleny and written and directed by Jill Morris.
Jill, Sharon Hirt and Ross Hurwood all received nominations for various awards in the weekend (July 13-14) program of ten plays, of which Maleny Players provided three: The Widows and Sweetpea and I Loved Him… Dead, both by Sharon Hirt.
A preview performance on Friday July 5, serving as a fundraiser to cover some of the costs of the Maleny Players’ first tour to the west, attracted a sell-out crowd, with a generous raffle of items donated by local Maleny businesses.
The Dalby Drama Festival of 2024 featured serious confrontations faced by today’s youth, presented with verve by a large team of students from North Lakes College in Brisbane.
“Our works from older players provided a balanced voice about mature concerns, and this was recognised by Aaron Evans,” said Jill.
“There is so much yet to be explored about retirement,” Aaron Evans agreed in his commentary on the presentations.
“It made us feel that our work in our theatre, expressing the dilemmas of older people, is on very exciting ground,” said Patricia Lovell.
The Dalby touring ensemble from Maleny included Kim, Patricia, Sharon and Jill as well as Ross Hurwood, Monica Rogers and Shelley Love.