The Boomkak Panto

Archived

The Boomkak
Panto

  • 20 Nov – 23 Dec 21 Upstairs Theatre
  • 2 hours & 35 minutes (incl. 20 min interval)
Archived

The Boomkak
Panto

by Virginia Gay
Directed by Richard Carroll and Virginia Gay

  • Venue Upstairs Theatre
  • Dates 20 Nov – 23 Dec 21
  • Duration 2 hours & 35 minutes (incl. 20 min interval)
  • Accessibility
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  • Content warning

    The Boomkak Panto uses strobe lighting effects, haze and includes strong language and sexual references. Not suitable for ages under 14.

    Should you wish to speak to a member of staff regarding running times, content warnings or any other show related queries, our box office can be contacted on 02 9699 3444.

★★★★ The Guardian
★★★★ TimeOut

A dry, dusty little Aussie town, somewhere in the back of beyond, with all the decency, diversity – and division – that you’d expect in a rural microcosm. But Boomkak is confronting some massive challenges now that the Big Developer has set his sights on the town, and this little community finds itself in a fight for survival. How can they possibly fight back?

By putting on a panto, of course.

From the creative minds behind Calamity Jane (a smash hit at Belvoir in 2018) comes a piece of utter joy – a love letter to theatre, to community, to the resilience of our Little Aussie Towns™ – lo-fi, big-hearted, and Belvoir to the back teeth. With new songs from Tony Award nominee Eddie Perfect, and a couple of Aussie rock classics, dance, and old-fashioned silliness, The Boomkak Panto promises to be a mad, sparkling jewel, a reward for getting through these dark and strange times.

There’s no-one like Virginia Gay – witty, clever, big of heart, and ridiculously talented. When she said she wanted (in her own way) to revive panto, how could we resist? And the team she’s assembling knows how to make a good night of theatre. This will be fun.
– Eamon Flack

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TEAM

  • Virginia Gay
    Writer and Director
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    Virginia Gay graduated WAAPA, then spent four years pretending to be a nurse on All Saints, six months pretending to be Julia Gillard in the STC’s Wharf Revue, and then five years on Winners & Losers, where she pretended to know a lot about high finance. That last one, particularly, was a stretch.  She won […]

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  • Richard Carroll
    Director
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    Richard Carroll is a director, writer and producer. His award-winning production of Calamity Jane began at Hayes Theatre Co, transferred to Belvoir, and toured to five other cities, culminating in a commercial run at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre. In 2020 he directed a new production of Oklahoma! for Black Swan State Theatre Company, and the new […]

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  • Cast

  • Deborah Galanos
    Parnia
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    For Belvoir, Deborah was seen in Stop Girl, The Boomkak Panto and 25A’s Son of Byblos. Other theatre credits: Greek Tragedy (Belvoir Company B), Wicked Sisters (Griffin), Lady Tabouli (National Theatre Of Parramatta/Sydney Festival), Gods Of Strangers (State Theatre Company South Australia), The God Committee, Heartbreak Kid (Ensemble), I’m With Her, The Mystery of Love & Sex (Darlinghurst Theatre Company), Antigone (Sport For Jove), Metamorphoses (Apocalypse/Old Fitz), Unfinished Works, Homesick (Bontom/Seymour/505), Seagull (Secret House), Dropped (The Goods Theatre Company/Old […]

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  • Virginia Gay
    Alison
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    Virginia Gay graduated WAAPA, then spent four years pretending to be a nurse on All Saints, six months pretending to be Julia Gillard in the STC’s Wharf Revue, and then five years on Winners & Losers, where she pretended to know a lot about high finance. That last one, particularly, was a stretch.  She won […]

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  • Rob Johnson
    Butch/BD
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    Rob Johnson is an actor, comedian and writer. Theatre credits [as performer]: Calamity Jane (Belvoir/ One Eyed Man); Spamalot (One Eyed Man); The Torrents (Sydney Theatre Company/Black Swan); Gypsy (Luckiest); The Detective’s Handbook (Hayes Theatre Co); Of Thee I Sing (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs); Exit the King, Bang Bang Rodeo, The Recidivists (Red Line); Babies’ Proms: […]

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  • Billy McPherson
    Darren
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    A Kamilaroi and Kooma man from south-west Queensland, Billy is an actor and playwright living in Sydney. He is also an accomplished didgeridoo player, not only playing professionally but specifically for HRH Prince William. Billy is also a mentor and boxing trainer with PCYC. Theatre productions include Gungies and I’m Your Man (Belvoir St Theatre), […]

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  • Hamed Sadeghi
    Musician
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    Born 1983 in Iran, Hamed Sadeghi is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Sydney, Australia. He studied Persian classical music in Tehran and master of sound engineering in Malaysia before he moves to Australia in 2013. His recent professional highlights in theatre, dance and film include Sami in Paradise Belvoir 2018, Stop Girl Belvoir 2021, […]

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  • Mary Soudi
    Yazmin
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    Mary Soudi is a Persian-Australian actress, born in Zanjan, Iran, and raised in Perth, WA. She trained at Curtin University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Performance.  Mary’s theatre credits include Bell Shakespeare’s “The Players”, JackRabbit Theatre’s “Front”, Twenty Seven Six’s “Blame Traffic”, Western Australian Youth Theatre Company’s “MINE”, West […]

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  • Zoe Terakes
    Zoe
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    Zoe is one of Australia’s most exciting new actors. Zoe’s stage credits include A View from the Bridge, A Doll’s House Part II (MTC), A View from the Bridge (Ensemble Theatre), and Metamorphoses, The Wolves, and A View From the Bridge (The Old Fitz).  Zoe was most recently seen in highly anticipated series, Nine Perfect […]

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  • Toby Truslove
    John
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    Toby Truslove has been a favourite on Australian stage and screen for over 15 years.  Some of his theatre credits include Bliss, for Malthouse Theatre/Belvoir, Private Lives, and Strange Interlude for Belvoir Home, I’m Darling, The Speechmaker, The Last Man Standing, and The Cherry Orchard  for MTC, Eddie Perfect’s The Beast, Children of the Sun […]

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  • Creatives

  • Michael Hankin
    Set and Costume Designer
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    Michael is a NIDA trained Set and Costume Designer for theatre, dance, opera and film. His credits for Belvoir include Hir, Ghosts, Mark Colvin’s Kidney, The Sugar House, Jasper Jones, My Urrwai, The Great Fire, Ivanov and The Glass Menagerie, Twelfth Night, The Dark Room, A Christmas Carol, Angels in America, The Boomkak Panto and Rep Season.  Michael’s other theatre credits include designs for Ireland’s entry to Eurovison; Bourgeois and Maurice’s musical Insane Animals (Manchester’s Home Theatre, UK);  Memorial (Barbican Centre/Adelaide Festival/Brisbane Festival/Brink […]

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  • Jasmine Rizk
    Lighting Designer
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    Jasmine is an accomplished Sydney-based theatrical lighting designer and programmer, working with both the professional and independent theatre community. Jasmine is part of Belvoir’s ongoing Co Curious associates program. As Lighting Designer: ATYP – Mrock; Concertworks – Jekyll and Hyde 25th Anniversary Concerts; Kings of the Keys Tour; So Popera Production -Priscilla, Chicago, Jersey Boys; […]

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  • Cris Baldwin
    Assistant Designer
  • Keerthi Subramanyam
    Assistant Designer
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    Keerthi is a Sydney based set and costume designer for live performance and film. Keerthi is a National Institute of Dramatic Art, BFA (Design for Performance, 2019) graduate, and a member of the Australian Production Design Guild. Keerthi has designed set and costumes for Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner, Chewing Gum […]

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  • Eddie Perfect
    Composer
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    Eddie Perfect is one of Australia’s most diverse, respected and prolific writer/ composer/ performers. His most recent work as Composer of Beetlejuice The Musical on Broadway won him a nomination for Best Original Score at the 2019 Tony Awards.  He has already made his mark in the fields of comedy, music theatre composition and book […]

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  • Kellie-Anne Kimber
    Sound Designer
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    Kellie-Anne’s sound Design/Composer credits include Animal Farm (The Bloomshed), Open For Business and Poopie Tum Tums (Hot Department), The Drill (Women’s Circus and Due West Fest), Batmania (The Very Good Looking Initiative), Sneakyville (Before Shot), Twink Ascending (Don’t Be Down), Wages Of Fear (Mechanics), Cuckoo’s Nest (ATC), and 2018 Tropfest finalist film, PaperCut, directed by […]

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  • Zara Stanton
    Music Director
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    Zara (she/her) is an accomplished Music Director, Performer, Arranger and Composer with a Bachelor of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.Zara’s credits as Music Director include Bonnie & Clyde (JRP), Every Musical Ever (Adelaide Cabaret Festival), The Deb (ATYP), The Boomkak Panto (Belvoir), and Associate Music Director for A Chorus Line (DTC). Zara has […]

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  • Elle Evangelista
    Choreographer
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    Elle Evangelista loves dancing. Her BELVOIR choreography credits include The Cherry Orchard, The Boomkak Panto, The Rep Season and A Midnight Summer’s Dream with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Her other theatre choreography credits include Twelfth Night (Bell Shakespeare), A Very Expensive Poison (NIDA) and How To Catch A Star (Australian Chamber Orchestra). As a dancer […]

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  • Chloë Dallimore
    Intimacy Coordinator
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    Chloë is internationally trained and accredited as an Intimacy Coordinator by Ita O’Brien of Intimacy on Set (UK).  She is currently working on “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” starring Sigourney Weaver, the Broadway musical “Jagged Little Pill”, as well as productions for Netflix, Warner Bros, Fremantle, Ch9 and Ch10.  Recent credits include Netflix’s “Pieces […]

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  • Russell Carey
    Scenic Artist
  • Luke McGettigan
    Stage Manager
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    Luke is Belvoir’s Resident Stage Manager. For Belvoir, he has stage managed The Jungle and the Sea, Tell Me I’m Here, Opening Night, The Boomkak Panto, Stop Girl, My Brilliant Career, A Room of One’s Own, Packer & Sons, Things I Know To Be True, Counting and Cracking, The Dance of Death, A Taste of […]

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  • Ayah Tayeh
    Assistant Stage Manager
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    Born on Wurundjeri land and currently working on Gadigal land, Ayah is a stage manager with a passion for new work and diverse storytelling. Her Belvoir credits include: The Boomkak Panto (2021), A Room of One’s Own (2021) and My Brilliant Career (2020). Other credits include: 7 Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner (Darlinghurst Theatre Company), […]

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  • Bradley Barrack
    Assistant Stage Manager
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    Bradley Barrack has worked across many alternating roles in the industry, and is excited to be joining the team in his first Belvoir production. Working primarily in both Company and Stage Management, Bradley enjoys every aspects of working with casts and companies on a daily basis, making Australian theatre a reality. Some of his recent […]

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Information
for schools

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    ‘The Boomkak Panto’

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    Recommended for Years 10 – 12

    SCHOOL PERFORMANCE TIMES

    TERM 4

    The dedicated Schools Performance of The Boomkak Panto will not be going ahead.

    Contact Us

    For more information about our education programs, please get in touch.

    Education Manager Jane May
    Education Coordinator Stevie Bryant
    +61 (2) 8396 6241

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    Booking request form for
    ‘The Boomkak Panto’

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