Lauren’s story with the Goldfields Repertory Club Community Theatre, affectionately known as the Rep Club, began shortly after she relocated to Kalgoorlie-Boulder from Perth in 2005 and thought it might be a good way to meet new people.
“I’d heard from others that the Rep Club was a good place, and if you aren’t a sporty person, it’s good there are other options. I’ve been involved with the Club for twenty years now, and in that time I have met some of my best and dearest friends. Many have become lifelong friendships and we continue to stay in touch even after they’ve moved away from Kalgoorlie to other parts of Australia and even overseas. I’ve met so many amazing and interesting people being involved in the Rep Club that I may never have otherwise met, and that makes my life richer.”
Longest running Community Theatre Group in WA
The Rep Club, was established in 1931 and is the longest continuously running community theatre group in WA. It produces four to five shows a year, as well as many social nights, hires out their venue to other community groups and travelling performers, provides a youth theatre program, and is used by many as a community hub. The organisation is run entirely by volunteers.
Although there can be an assumption in the wider community that you need to be a performer on stage to be involved in local theatre, it’s simply not true, and there’s a huge variety of roles and non-performing tasks that contribute to the successful operation and sustainability of a working community theatre.
During the last two decades (so far) of Lauren’s involvement with the Club, she has held almost every role – at least once – and undertaken virtually every job possible in the production of countless performances and the day-to-day running of the community theatre, including set designing, painting, and building, creating and sewing costumes, sourcing and creating props, front of house coordination, bar manager, building maintenance, sound and lighting tech, back stage management and crew, social coordinator, President, Vice President, membership coordinator, PR, director, producer, grant writer… AND talented performer.
If someone has an interest in something the Club can offer, we will teach them and help support them to do their best.
People who are interested in being involved have options, they can commit to the run of a show – usually 8 to 12 weeks, sometimes longer with planning and preparation if you are directing – or odd jobs and tasks that can fit into busy schedules whenever and aren’t contingent on show nights.
“The Club offers a lot of support and mentorship if people are interested in learning particular skills like lighting, tech, or set creation, and we actively provide opportunities for members to develop skills and try new things. We also create opportunities for audiences to see performances they might not get a chance to see. A mix of new theatre and popular shows… If acting is not your passion, there are many ways to be involved, including being an audience member. You can always come and support a show by watching it.”
Some of the many creative highlights for Lauren were the challenges of designing and creating the millinery requirements for the period production, The Importance of Being Earnest, and a specialised headpiece, a corn tiara, for the recent production of Guys and Dolls.
Club Life Membership
After 20 years involvement, Lauren’s enthusiasm for the Club, the vibrancy it brings to the community, and diversity of its members is still as strong as ever, and she was awarded a Club Life Membership for her contributions in 2020.
“Organisations like the Rep Club add to the really rich social fabric of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Not every show might be everyone’s cup of tea or a person might not think of themselves as a theatre-goer, but at the end of the day, having those options as well as footy or lawn bowls or darts is a good thing. We get to channel creativity in a social way. We have fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We take pride in what we do. And there’s a great sense of achievement in putting on a show well and getting feedback from audiences for shows – sometimes months or even years later – no matter what your role was in putting it together. Everyone in Kal has some connection to the Rep Club or a show. If you’re curious about being involved, come see a show, have a chat to cast members (*cast meet audiences in the foyer after shows) and find out where our interests might align.”
Lauren currently holds the position of Vice President at the Rep Club and is performing in the upcoming production of The Great Emu War, a comedic play based on a real Australian historic event.
Goldfields Repertory Club Community Theatre Club website: https://www.goldfieldsrepclub.org.au/
Interview by Sarah-Jayne Eeles