Iolanthe
Frankston Teachers College
1962
Iolanthe is a fairy who has committed a capital offence by marrying a mortal; rather than being killed, she was instead banished from the fairy kingdom, never to see her husband again. Twenty-five years later, at the start of the show, the fairies still miss Iolanthe deeply and convince the Fairy Queen to allow her to return. Iolanthe reveals that she bore her mortal husband a son, Strephon, who is a fairy down to the waist but has mortal legs. Strephon also happens to have fallen in love with the Lord Chancellor’s beautiful and much sought-after ward, Phyllis, who loves him in return but does not know of his mixed lineage. Strephon enlists his mother and the rest of the fairies to help him win his lover’s hand by convincing the Lord Chancellor (who loves Phyllis himself) and the government to allow them to marry. Seeing Strephon in the company of a young woman (fairies do not age, and so Iolanthe looks to be a girl of seventeen), the Peers try to convince Phyllis that her love is being unfaithful, and as punishment, the fairies make Strephon a member of Parliament, magically able to pass any bill he wants. In the meantime, the fairies all fall in love with members of the House of Peers, and the Fairy Queen finds herself with a political and moral mess on her hands.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director | Gordon E Brennan |
Musical Director | Bernard Carrigg |
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Stage Manager | Ian McWilliams |
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Costume Design | Maisie Papworth |
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Sets | Ray Gillies |
Lighting | Peter Hart |
Make Up | Margaret Brown |
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Assistant Musical Director | Basil Gleeson |
Assistant Stage Manager | Sue Pott |
Front of House | Leonie Carder |
Pianist | Helen Gibson |
Program | Thomas Wells |
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| D. Rattray |
| S. Prior |
| Marie Williamson |
| E. Kohlar |
| R. G. Rennie |
| Val Chadwick |
| A. Torry |
| John Atkinson |
| H. E. Hudson |
| H. Allfrey |
| Fred Hawkey |
| J. L. Johnson |
| J. Proctor |
| A. H. McGregor |
| Ray MacKay |
| H. Palser |
| R. Cameron |
| Helen Giubson |
CAST
The Lord Chancellor | Max Gillies |
Strephon | Llyod Lancaster |
Earl Mountararat | Ron McGregor |
Earl Tolloller | Peter Stennett |
Private Willis | Bob Hamilton |
Phyllis | Grace Leslie |
Queen of the Fairies | Margaret Hetherington |
Iolanthe | Shirley McDonald |
Celia | Coral Rekers |
Leila | Rae Bamford |
Fleta | Dianne Haig |
Fairies | Judy Aishett |
| Rae Borley |
| Josephine Dorian |
| Roslyn Herberson |
| Roma Hodge |
| Jennie Norton |
| Doris Edwards |
| Pam Irvine |
| Anne Walsh |
| Jennifer Hawkesford |
| Audrey Carruthers |
| Mireille Miroux |
| Chris Santvoort |
| Pauline Flemming |
| Suzanne Blenkiron |
| Helen Poulton |
| Heather Inman |
| Genevieve ward |
| Netta Karras |
| Jenny Gillman |
| Esther Greig |
| Margo Aldridge |
| Pat O’Sullivan |
| Elizabeth Rowan |
| Jean Dawson |
| Robin Sheather |
| Lorraine Williams |
Peers | John baker |
| Jan Bosscher |
| David Brammall |
| Robert Brewster |
| Bruce Clark |
| Haydn Danks |
| Jim Henry |
| Len Hodge |
| Neil Morrison |
| John McDonald |
| Peter Salmon |
| Trevor Wishart |
| Don Gillies |
| James Stanhope |
| Jan Blees |
| Errol Johnston |
| Mike Porter |
| Stephen Craddock |
| Bob Hamilton |
| Basil Gleeson |
| John Houston |
| John Battrick |
Chancellor’s Page | Mark Williams |
Woodman | Colin Howard |
Pages | Stephen Brennan |
| Shaun Williams |
