A Bellingen husband-and-wife duo return to the stage next month, driven by a dream to showcase “hard hitting”, professional-level theatre in their regional community.
Professionally-trained actors Amy Bradney-George and Seton Pollock launched Et Tu Theatre in Melbourne in 2019.
The why: Aware of a lack of professional theatre offerings on the Mid North Coast, the pair began to contemplate a move to Bellingen - where Bradney-George grew up - during Covid lockdowns in Victoria.
They made the move official in 2022, bringing the theatre company with them.
“Instead of being another independent professional company in Melbourne, we can now bring this work to audiences that would normally have to travel to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to see the same calibre of work,” Bradney-George, who has performed on-screen and on-stage in Australia and abroad, told the Mid North Coaster.
How it works: Et Tu brings one production to the stage in Bellingen a year.
Bradney-George and Pollock act in, produce and direct the run of shows, and select productions which showcase “exceptional writing” and “emotional depth”.
“We work with local people as much as possible, and try to share our professional experience and training to bring them to that professional level and standards,” Bradney-George said.
They hire locals to manage sets, sound and lighting and bring in specialised workers - such as dialect coaches or fight directors - when needed.
Transition period: Despite many years on stage, Bradney-George - who works professionally as a writer - said the move to producing plays was a “definite learning curve”.
“Now we're kind of familiar with wearing lots of different hats and switching between focuses at different times, I find it creatively enriching,” she said.
The value of regional creativity: Bradney-George believes “good theatre is good theatre”, regardless of where it is performed.
She said quality theatre in a regional setting is beneficial for both performer and audience.
“When you have a skill set that is different and you live in a regional area, it's really enriching to be able to share that,” she said.
“For audiences, it's also really valuable to be able to have an experience that you don't have to travel for.”
What’s next: Et Tu will present Orphans, by British playwright and screenwriter Dennis Kelly, at the Bellingen Memorial Hall Studio from October 1-11.
Bradney-George described the play as a “powerful adult family drama” which explores themes of class divides and the care system.
Tickets are available here.
