Theatre 2026
Theatre 2026
Embedded Files
CAST
Jo March Sally Quinn
Professor Bhaer Zac Forey
Amy March/Troll Lucy McKenna
Meg March/Clarissa Emmerson Spencer
Beth March/Rodrigo 2 Zaia Meskanen
Marmee March/Hag Ainslie Lewis
Mr Laurence/Knight Raymond Dunstan
Laurie Laurence/Rodrigo Hartley Jak
Aunt March Eleanor Webster
Mr John Brooke/Braxton Jordan Miller
Mrs Kirk Judy McDavitt
Jo/Meg Swing Cate Watchorn
Amy/Beth Swing Sophie Cashion
Ensemble Oliver Thomas
Ensemble Jacob Cawthorn
PLAY SETTING
The action is primarily set in Concord, Massachusetts in the 1860s, during and after the American Civil War.
Company: Hobart Repertory Theatre Society
Season: 22 April - 2 May 2026
Venue: Playhouse Theatre, Hobart
Book by Allan Knee
Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott
Director Anne Blythe-Cooper
Production Managers Pip Tyrrell, Kathy Spencer
Stage Manager Rogan Brown
PRODUCTION TEAM
Musical Director Anne Blythe-Cooper
Choreographer Holly Pennington
Set Designers Anne Blythe-Cooper, Rogan Brown
Lighting Designer Hayden Green
Assistant Stage Manager Jessica Ashworth
Stage Crew Scarlett Higgs, Willow Lockett
Lighting Technician David Szoka
Lighting Operator Lucy Allen
Sound Operator Andrew Johns
Costume Coordinator Karen Fahey
Wig Designer Petrie Porter
Seamstresses Caroline Corrigan, Debra Dean, Sarah Henderson, Meredith McQueen, Denice Walters, Roz Wren
Sewing Assistants Heather Latham, Nicole Williams
Properties Jessica Ashworth, Judy McDavitt
Set Construction/Painting Anne Blythe-Cooper, Rogan Brown, Jessica Ashworth, Willow Lockett, David Szoka
Publicist Frances Xiberras
Graphic Designers Carolyn Whamond, Alex O’Brien
Photographers Wayne Wagg, Robert Linacre
FROM THE DIRECTOR
My dear Fellow! What did you want to be when you were a child? I wanted to be a writer, a teacher and a nun. For this, I can thank Jo March, Anne Shirley and Maria Van Trapp. I took them as my examples and I succeeded. Did I want to be a boy like Jo and Anne? Not really. But I did want to be me, rather than something socially prescribed.
In a book about growing up, Jo is adamant that she does not want to. As a young reader, I found Beth’s story sentimental and maudlin, but she serves as a reminder that not every child on earth has the privilege of health to realise their potential. Meg, meanwhile, chooses a traditional path whereas Amy wants (and gets) it all. Jo remains an enigma. She and Laurie are great mates so why don’t they marry? It is well known that Louisa May Alcott never intended to resolve Jo’s plot with marriage to anyone. As a team we believe Jo recognises that only Professor Bhaer will allow her to become a whole self-actualised person independent of her relationship with him. Bhaer is a complete and fully realised individual with a playful side and the self- awareness to change. Perhaps Jo recognises in Laurie’s youth, malleability and desperation for connection, something which would stifle her.
The other men of the story are largely passive, beneficent, absent and unthreatening. There is no predator, no Braxton, no manosphere and Laurie is smartly repelled when he begins to think of Jo as anything other than a sister. Seen in this light, Orchard House is an enclave of safety, a convent with Aunt March, Mother Superior. Sisters, forever!
Alcott wanted Jo to make her own way, prizing liberty above romantic love, and education above gendered expectations. This story, about how one chooses to live still speaks to my young cast, as I hope it will speak to our audiences. Health, education, freedom, meaningful work and rewarding relationships are things I wish for all young people.
CAST
Gary Farmer-Trickett
Voice, Organ Morgan, A Voice, Dai Bread, Ocky Milkman, Mr Waldo, Dicky
Nadia Butler
Voice, Second Neighbour, Mrs Willy Nilly, Mrs Organ Morgan, Mrs Pugh, Mrs Dai Bread One, Another Mother
Paul Mcnally
Voice, First Drowned, Reverend Eli Jenkins, Mr Pritchard, Old Man
Jenifa Dwyer
Voice, Mother, Second Woman, Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard, Mary Ann Sailors, Mrs Beynon
Alex Duffy
Voice, Second Drowned, Mog Edwards, Preacher, Voice Of The Guidebook
Jon Lenthall
Voice, Butcher Beynon, Sinbad Sailors, Fisherman, Pc Atilla Rees
Michael Fortescue
Captain Cat
Belle Duroe
Rosie Probert, First Neighbour, First Woman, Mrs Utah Watkins, Lily Smalls, Mrs Dai Bread Two, First Woman's Voice
Scott Lleonart
Third Drowned, Willy Nilly Postman, Lord Cut Glass, Evans The Death, Jack Black
David Bloomfield
Fourth Drowned, Mr Ogmore, Mr Cherry Owen, Billy
Andy Aisbett
Fifth Drowned, Utah Watkins, Mr Pugh, Nogood Boyo, Johnnie Christo, A Drinker
Cate Watchorn
Wife, Third Neighbour, Fourth Woman, Myfanwy Price, Gossamer Beynon, Second Woman's Voice
Immy Nock
Little Boy, Fourth Neighbour, Third Woman, Bessie Bighead, Polly Garter, Child
Stella Varcoe
Matti Richards, Fifth Woman, Mae Rose Cottage, Child, Gwennie, Woman
Company: Hobart Repertory Theatre Society
Season: 18 - 28 February 2026
Venue: Playhouse Theatre, Hobart
Playwright: Dylan Thomas
Director Anita Planchon
Production Manager Ingrid Ganley
Stage Managers Rogan Brown, Luca Cartledge
Music Michael Fortescue
PRODUCTION TEAM
Costume Coordinator Tricia Argawal
Costume Assistant Meredith McQueen
Properties Tricia Argawal, Rogan Brown, Meredith McQueen, Anita Planchon
Set Design Anita Planchon
Set Construction Lucy Allen, David Bloomfield, Rogan Brown, David Clements, Belle Duroe, Jenifa Dwyer, Eddie Halton, Jon Lenthall, Anita Planchon, Adam Savage, Louise Stubs, Stella Varcoe
Set Painting Lucy Allen, Luca Cartledge, Jon Lenthall, Anita Planchon, Louise Stubs
Lighting Design Chris McBride
Lighting Operation Lucy Allen
Original Image Artwork Jon Kudelka
Graphic Design and Marketing Suzen Parnell
Photography Robert Linacre, Wayne Wagg
PLAY SETTING
Under Milk Wood invites the audience into a single day in the life of the village of Llareggub. Guided by narrators — the Voices — we drift through the dreams, memories, secrets, and daily rhythms of the town’s colourful inhabitants.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Under Milk Wood was first performed publicly in 1953, with Thomas himself in the roles of the First Voice and the Reverend Eli Jenkins, only weeks before his death. Broadcast in 1954, it has since been adapted for stage, film, and television, becoming a cornerstone of Welsh cultural identity and modern poetic theatre.
While the centrality of the voices, words and sounds of Under Milk Wood, remind us of its origins as a radio drama, Under Milk Wood has been embraced by the stage, with its vivid imagery and fluid structure proving naturally theatrical and its poetic dialogue and ensemble storytelling making it a favourite of theatre companies around the world.
Beyond the stage, a film adaptation directed by Andrew Sinclair appeared in 1972, and a television version was produced in 2014 to mark the play’s 60th anniversary. Translated into around 30 languages and never out of print, Under Milk Wood continues to resonate across cultures and generations. Apart from two performances of Under Milk Wood at the Peacock Theatre last year, Hobart audiences have not been offered the opportunity to see this play since the 1981 production by Polygon Theatre.
Llareggub - the fictional Welsh village at the heart of the play - is widely believed to be inspired by Laugharne, where Dylan Thomas spent his later years.
The piece is celebrated for its blend of humour, pathos, and musicality, and for its compassionate portrayal of ordinary lives. Today, it remains one of the most frequently performed works in Welsh literature and a defining example of the radio drama form brought brilliantly to life on stage.
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