Billy Elliot on a grand stage with the usual friendly Lyric vibe
Show opens Friday July 3
THE CLOSENESS of those at Leongatha Lyric Theatre helps drive the high quality of its productions, many sharing the feeling of its long-term director Colin Mitchell OAM who immediately knew he’d found his tribe when he joined the group, the upcoming production of Billy Elliot to be no exception.
A broad mix of people from an array of backgrounds form the cast, ensemble, backstage and front of house team, Sentinel-Times chatting with dancing dairy farm worker Nathan Ingram about his first Lyric Theatre production.
He arrived at Leongatha Memorial Hall wearing his dairy gumboots, getting straight into helping with the continuing set up of the theatre.
Nathan has over a decade of experience in hip hop, tap dancing, ballet, contemporary and lyrical dancing, including participating in competitions, his older brother who is now making a career in dance being his inspiration to get involved in the art form.
While describing his current schedule going back and forth between work in Nilma and Lyric rehearsals as “chaos”, Nathan adds, “That’s the way I like it; I like to keep myself busy.”
He sometimes works on his tap dancing moves in the milking shed, his heavy gumboots adding to the challenge and helping him shine when he puts his tap shoes on, bringing back memories of the late long-distance runner Cliff Young who famously triumphed in a race from Sydney to Melbourne after training in gumboots.
While this scribe and no doubt many other people would love to see one of Nathan’s milking shed tap dancing displays, the cows don’t seem impressed.
“They’re focused on food; they’ve got no interest in me,” he responded when asked if they pay much attention to his performances.
Having previously been in school productions and not yet having taken part in a Lyric Theatre show, Nathan has been pleasantly surprised by the amateur company’s professional approach and the grand scale of the Billy Elliot production with its extensive stage and set.
Leongatha Lyric Theatre president, and policeman, Nick Carlson loves the community feel of the group and the fact its members come from all walks of life.
He enjoys seeing the blend of experienced cast members and those starting out, and noted the age of those involved in the show ranges from nine to those in their sixties.
Tickets for Billy Elliot are selling strongly and are available through TryBooking.
