Stepping Out

The Armidale district is home to maybe just 30,000 people, but recent statistics on spatial well-being put us in the top 10% of local government areas on a range of educational, occupational, and other indicators. These characteristics are behind our abundant cultural life, as reported in several postings. So, for example, we have:

• the Armidale Playhouse (AP) staging a series of ambitious amateur productions,
• occasional Shakespeare plays,
• opera in the paddock and concerts from at least three orchestras including the Sydney SO,
• an annual Bach Festival,
• brass band (like last weekend), bagpipe, and jazz concerts, and so on.

Well, a couple of nights ago, we went to AP's latest extravaganza: a performance of Richard Harris' Stepping Out! It's about a dysfunctional tap dancing club and its members' struggle not only to dance convincingly, but to relate to one another. I didn't know that anyone in Armidale could tap dance, yet alone 10 coming literally in all shapes, sizes, and age groups. Their teacher obviously had some idea, but she must have had an uphill job teaching the other 8 women and one bloke. However, the play culminates in stunning and snappy routines by a coherent and nattily attired group! It was very entertaining.

We await the next performance in two months with interest. They're putting on TITANIC in UNE's Lazenby Hall. I can't quite envisage the sinking of the Titanic on what is quite a small stage 1000 m above sea level. And, no doubt, we'll soon see a performance of Aida or Gotterdammerung and the local reconstruction of the Pyramids or Valhalla. And we're five months away from a realistic reconstruction of the Last Night of the Proms complete with all the old favourites in the second half with the audience armed with flags and streamers! The last are supplied by Armidale's "British Shop" which sells UK memorabilia.

AS