A History of SPAT

Since it's founding in 1973 SPAT has performed a wide variety of shows, for details of SPAT events during a specific year please click on the year below:

1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

 
SPAT Performance Archive
1974
December "Babes in the Woods", pantomime
Director: Joy Wiedersatz
1975
June "Many Moods of SPAT", excerpt, choral verse
Director: Joy Wiedersatz
  December "Cinderella", pantomime
Director: Joy Wiedersatz
1976
April "Play Parade", 3 x 1 act plays
Directors: Pat Simpson, Molly Billings & Dic Morgan
Producer: Joy Wiedersatz
  July "No Coal Dumping", Gilbert & Sullivan parody
Director: Joy Wiedersatz
  December "Dick Whittington", pantomime
Director: Joy Wiedersatz
1977
June "Spot on SPAT", variety, play excerpts
Director: Joy Wiedersatz
  December "Jack and the Beanstalk", pantomime
Director: Joy Wiedersatz
1978
April "Night of Violent Theatre", 2 x 1 act plays
Director: Rod Lander
  August "One Hand Clapping"
Director: Joy Wiedersatz
  December "Emperor of Trebizond", musical play
Director: Rod Lander
1979
April "One Hand Clapping", by Joy Wiedersatz,
Director: Rod Lander
  Sept "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder,
Director: Lauren Mitsak
  December "Platypus in Boots", pantomime,
Director: Rod Lander
1980
May "Astonish Me", 1 act play,
Director: Joy Wiedersatz
  July "Harlequinade" & "Browning Version" 2 x 1 act plays,
Directors: Margaret Cruickshank and Debbie Galianus
  December "A Christmas Story", pantomime
Director: Tony Harvy
1981
April "Bush Night", variety picnic supper
Directors: Yvenne Terkildsen & Christine Johnson
  April "Arsenic and Old Lace"
Director: Margaret Cruickshank
  December "Red Riding Hood" pantomime,
Director: Alan Collis
1982
April "The One Day of the Year" by Alan Seymour,
Director: Carol Foran
  June Adult acting workshop - Gordon Streek
October "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown", Youth workshop
Director: Alan Collis
  December "A Mermaids Tale"" pantomime, by Viv Whittaker
Director: Rod Lander
1983
April "SPAT in Revue" variety/dinner
Directors: Christine Johnson and Jan Chipperfield
Catering: Lorraine Morgan
  August "Love of Four Colonels" by Peter Ustinov
Director: Dic Morgan
September "Oh, What a Lovely War" Youth workshop
Director: Stephen Carr
  December "Mother Goose", pantomime
Director: Alan Collis
1984
April "Putting on the Ritz", music/dance/dinner with SPAT Singers
Directors: Thea Harris & Rod Lander
Catering: Lorraine Morgan
  July "Insect play", Youth Workshop
Director: Rod Lander
  August "Floating World" by John Romeril
Director: Mark Wilnott
  December "Beyond the Yellow Brick Road", musical play for children
Director: Thea Harris
1985
February "Here's to the 'Burgh", play building workshop for Helesburgh Centenary Celebrations
Director: David Efraemson
  May "Dimboola" by Jack Hibbert
Director: Rod Lander
  May-July Youth Workshop
Director: Margaret Cruickshank
  August "Not Now Darling" comedy
Director: Margaret Cruickshank
  November "Venetian Affair" musical/dinner with SPAT Singers
Directors: Thea Harris and Rod Lander
Catering: Lorraine Morgan
  December "Pirates at the Barn", pantomime
Director: David Efraemson
1986
February "Daring Ditties and Dirty Deeds", SPAT Singers
Directors: Thea Harris and Rod Lander
  May "Bullshot Crummond"
Director: Rod Lander
  July "Billy Liar"
Director: Erik Mitsak
  August "A Collection of Short Pieces & Sleeping Beauty", Youth Workshop
Director: Margaret Cruickshank
  September "The Fantasticks", musical
Directors: Lauren Mitsak and Thea Harris
  December "The Owl and the Pussycat", pantomime
Director: Sian O'Sullivan
1987
March "Victoriana" dinner/show with SPAT Singers
Directors: Thea Harris and Rod Lander
Catering: Lorraine Morgan
  April Youth Workshop
Director: Margaret Cruickshank
  June "Double Yolk, Hugh and Margaret Williams"
Director Margaret Cruickshank
  July "Between Mouthfuls", by Alan Ayckbourne
  September "An Evening of Coward" with SPAT Singers
Directors: Thea Harris & Alan Collis
  December "Cinderella" by Joy Wiedersatz, pantomime
Director: Mike Mitsak
1988
March "A Lasting Impression", youth play building for Parkfest Bicentennial Celebrations
Director: Paul Barrs
  April "Stockade" by Kenneth Cook, with Bulli High School
Director: Rod Lander
  June Youth Workshop
Director: Margaret Cruickshank
  August "Bananas and Other Monkey Business", 4 x Australian short plays
Directors: Lauren Mitsak, Margaret Cruickshank & Liz Halkett
  August "Bananas" and "The Forth Wall"
SPAT's entries to Theatrefest Chatswood
  September "Pastimes with Goode Company" Renaissance music/dinner/dance/show with excerpts from "Rosencrants and Guilderstern are Dead"
Helensburgh Community Centre, with Wollongong University's Renaissance Players and SPAT Singers
Directors: Rod Lander, Thea Harris
Catering: Lorraine Morgan
  December "Wind in the Willows" children's play with music, from story by Kenneth Graham
Director: Margaret Cruickshank
1989
February "Musical Soiree" at Sonia Westwood's home
Rod Lander and SPAT Singers
  April Five one-act plays by Alan Ayckbourn
Director's workshop
  May "Mother Figure" by Alan Ayckbourn
Entry into 1-Act Play Festival, Zentih Theatre, Chatswood
Director: Janelle Hanley
  June "The Real Inspector Hound" by Tom Stoppard
Director: Margaret Cruickshank
  September "Orphans" drama
IPAC Wollongong, Proceeds to Illawarra Homeless Youth
Director: Lauren Mitsak
  October "Under Milkwood" by Dylan Thomas
Director: Rod Lander
  November Treetops garden party SPAT Singers and Sydney Technical College Boys High
Catering: Lorraine Morgan
Producer: Ruth Church
  December SPAT Singers - Illawarra Choral Festival, Kiama
  December "Frankenstein" pantomime by David Swan
Director: Brent Percy
1990
April "Auntie Mame" comedy
Director: Kevin James
  June "Endgames" 1-act plays: "No Exit" by Jean-Paul Sartre, "Out of the Flying Pan" by David Campton and "Sorry Wrong Mumber" by Lucille Fletcher
Directors: Rod Lander and Ed Hills
  July "Out of the Flying Pan" and "No Exit"
Entries in Port Maquarie Play Festival
SPAT winner Best Production
4 nominations for best Actors
  July "Dido & Aeneas", opera by Purcell
University Singers, SPAT Singers, orchestra and principals from Sydney Motet Choir
Director: Rod Lander
  December "Alice in Wonderland" musical play for children
Director: Sian Morgan
Producer: Maura O'Sullivan
1991
February "Big Al's Birthday" dinner/dance with cabaret, Helensburgh Community Centre,
Director: Janelle Hanley
Producer: Sonia Westwood
Caterer: Lorraine Morgan
  April "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" by Tom Stoppard
  September "Here to Save You, but Not Sure from What" a revue at Coledale by Kevin James
Director: Kevin James
Musical Director: Thea Harris
  December "Dick Whittington" panotmime
1992
April "Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare at Wollongong University
Director: Ed Hills
  November "Divertimento - Musical Soiree" at Hillcrest House
Director: Lindy Sharp
  December "Scrooge" Australian translation by Lisa Skene
Director: Margaret Cruikshank
Musical Director: Judy Riley
Producer: Sue Scott
1993
May "Nacheral Gentleman", local playwright
Coledale Senior Citizen' Centre and Woonona/Bulli RSL
Director: Lauren Mitsak
    "Time and the Conways" by JB Priestly
Director: Mark Wilmott
  December "Marriage at Botany Bay", by Adam Blackshore
1994
April "The Dining Room" by A. R. Gurney
Director: Taina Maleen
  December "The Blue Hole", by Erik Mitsak
Director: Damion
  December "Pinocchio" pantomime adapted by Bruce Carr
Director: Margaret Cruikshank
1995
May "Heddar Gabler" by Ibsen
Director: Taina Maleen
1996
April "An Evening of Cowards", youth musical play
Directors: Lauren Mitsak, Thea Harris
  June "Virtues, Vices, and Victuals"
Director: Tanya Leach
  September "Diving for Pearls" by Katherine Thomson
Director: Mark Wilmott
  December "Jock & The Golden Lyrebird", by Cameron Sharp
Director: Stacey Bale
1997
April "Over the Top" youth musical
Directors: Lauren Mitsak
  June "Play On", comedy
Director: Kevin James
  December No pantomime! Variety show
1998
December "Hansel and Gretel and the Three Pigs" by Cameron Sharp
Directors: Stacey Bale and Thea Harris
1999
April Youth Workshop - Story Telling
Director: Erik Mitsak
  April Start of SPAT Film, Laurel and Hardy and Buster Keaton silent
Piano: Elida Dickson
  April SPAT Singers perform for Heritage Week celebrations, Stanwell Park
  April SPAT Dance - Old Time at Helensburgh Community Centre
  May SPAT Singers perform for Thirroul Seaside Arts Festival
  June "Pushin' Up Daisies" by Terence Crawford
Director: David Efraemson
  August SPAT 25th Birthday party, retrospective,
Directors: Thea Harris and Janelle Campbell
  September 3 x 1-Act plays, "Facing the Truth" by Xenia Natalenko, "Louis and Dave" by Norm Foster
Director: Ed Harris
  December "The Ugly Sisters' Adventure", pantomime, by Cameron Sharp
Director: Joshua Reed
2000
June "Music Hall" musical with 1-act play "To Love a Lamp Boy" by Dic Morgan
Directors: Dic Morgan and Sonia Westwood
  December "Snow White Strikes Back" pantomime by Cameron Sharp
Director: Olivia Duval
2001
May "Shakespeare Revue"
Directors: Dic Morgan and Sonia Westwood
  September "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" an outdoor performance
Director: Wendy Regan
  December "Aladdin Down Under" pantomime by Cameron Sharp
Director: Cory Newman
2002
March "Gentle Tiger Burning", by James Michael Langley
Director: Lauren Mitsak
  June "What the Butler Saw", by Joe Orton
Director: Van Badham
  December "Goldilocks & the Three Fiery Koalas", by Cameron Sharp
Director: Cory Newman
Producer: Brian Hiscocks
2003
January Youth Workshop
Director: Wendy Regan
  April "Pig Kazoo", by Cameron Sharp, playwriting competition winner
Director: Lajos Hamers
  September "Wind in the Willows" by Graham Greene
Directors: Cory Newman and Rosie Catalano
  December "The Princess and the Lobster Potter", by Cameron Sharp
Director: Lisa Divall and Sally Redman
Producer: Penelope Wood
2004
April TheatreSports
Director: Corey Newman
  July "Youth Workshop"
Director: Wendy Regan
  August "Our Towne - Thirty Years of SPAT" by Eric Alexander
Director: Eric Alexander
  December "Tunnel of Love", by Cameron Sharp
Director: Lajos Hamers
2005
January "Youth Workshop"
Director: Wendy Regan
  February Progressive Dinner, SPAT Singers
Producer: Sonia Westwood
  June SPAT Trivia Night;
Producers: Penelope Wood and Wayne Turner
  July "Youth Workshop"
Director: Wendy Regan
  December "Antarctica Ho!" by Cameron Sharp
Director: Natalie Griffin
2006
March "TheatreSports"
Director: Cory Newman
  June "The Magic Flout"
Director: Rod Lander