The Drowsy Chaperone- a musical within a comedy, a fundraiser within a musical
The Queen’s College Music and Drama Society (QCMADS) performed The Drowsy Chaperone, with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and the book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, to the delight of packed audiences in the new Union Theatre from the 7-9 September.
Emma Parfitt, second year science, Director, was thrilled the choice of musical achieved the desired effect- an evening of fun.
“It went really well; the energy was very high. We wanted to do a show that was a lot of fun, I think that’s what a production at Queen’s is all about. I also really love The Drowsy Chaperone because it’s a deep dive into the history of theatre, which makes it really interesting. It’s an awesome comedy but it’s also quite deep and has some meaningful messages, so it’s a good mix. The main thing is it’s fun to be a part of and to watch. It’s one of those productions that make you laugh and cry.”
Musicals are particularly challenging to produce but the hard work paid off.
“There are so many moving parts, you have your cast, a band, choreography, then costumes, set, lighting and sound. There’s so much to put together as well as the administration part of it, all of these things have to come together to make it happen. It’s like a machine, it all has to click together. The show ran very smoothly, everyone worked well together and we’ve had a great time doing it.”
Catriona Dyer first year science, Producer, enjoyed being involved.
“I learned that it takes an awful lot of time, organisational skills and paperwork to put on a production and having a good group of people makes all the difference. By being involved, I got to know people I wouldn’t have otherwise. One of the good things about Queen’s is it has many opportunities to participate in extra curricula activities. I’m studying a Bachelor of Science with a major in pharmacology, most people doing that don’t have the opportunity to participate in the performing arts. The fact Queen’s enables everyone to do so, is really cool.”
Catriona was particularly excited to be part of the first fundraising musical produced by MADS.
“We put together our budget at the start and it looked like we might be going to make a profit, and we really wanted to give back. We raised $1,500 and unanimously decided that the Victorian Actors Benevolence Trust would be a good charity to give to, they support actors and people in the performing arts during times of hardship and medical emergencies like COVID. We would really like to make this an ongoing thing. This is not just a first for Queen’s, we are the first of any of the Colleges as far as we know, to fundraise through their production. It is something we would like to encourage because to be in a College and have these opportunities, is something lots of people don’t have so we would like to encourage this idea of giving back to the community.”
