By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on November 23, 2019
LIFE-SIZE puppets, campfire singing and original scores will all be part of next weekend’s Let’s Shine Brightly theatre performance.
The Let’s Shine series began two decades ago when Albany Light Opera and Theatre (ALOTCo) member Janet McArtney decided to put on a production specifically showcasing the talents of people living with a disability.
This year’s Let’s Shine show will be the fifth in the series and feature many returning and new faces to the cast.
This year, McArtney is co-directing alongside fellow ALOTCo member Jill Larsen and the pair are excited for audiences to see the lineup.
“We have now completed our sixth rehearsal and it’s been hectic,” McArtney said.
“The Greatest Showman, YMCA, Sister Act and Queen tribute are looking fabulous as well as the 20 or so single acts in-between.”
Cast members Bayden Redshaw and Owen Cahill have produced a song in honour of the show – Let Your Light Shine Through.
They will perform it during the show.
McArtney and Larsen agreed that the most rewarding aspect of creating the show was seeing the “absolute joy” on the faces of the cast as they performed, as some have never been up on stage before.
“Each of us shines in a different way but this doesn’t make us less bright,” Larsen said.
“We all have different abilities and skills and Janet and I have done our best to allow for individual guest stars to shine.”
Let’s Shine Brightly will play at the Albany Port Theatre on November 30 and December 1.
Tickets are on sale now online and in-store via Paperbark Merchants.
