A Happy Family

October 22nd, 1926 — October 23rd, 1926


Venue

Theatre Royal, Brisbane

Producer

Brisbane Repertory Theatre Society

Director

Rhoda Felgate

Playwright

Vance Palmer

Composer

Music by Jean Mactaggart, Cecile Pritchard, Enid Stuart
and Margery Stuart

Cast

Jean Trundle
Gwen Campbell
George Eaton
Rhoda Felgate
Douglas Henderson
Roy Bulcock
E. Whatmore
Tom Stephens
Christina Wilson
Leo Guyatt
W.A. Blake
T.M. Barry


The Society’s first Australian play was a production of A Happy Family by Bundaberg-born playwright Vance Palmer, directed by Rhoda Felgate with herself and Jean Trundle in leading roles.

This production marked the beginning of Brisbane Repertory’s support for Queensland writing, support which it found difficult to sustain and which suffered long periods of neglect, but would eventually became a powerful feature of the future La Boite’s repertoire.

The following short article urged the public to go see a "purely Australian" play:

 Brisbane Courier, Saturday 9 October 1926

The opportunity of seeing a play with more than just an Australian background is rare, particularly in Brisbane, and there are few plays purely Australian of greater interest to the Queenslander than Vance Palmer's comedy "A Happy Family". A visit in a rehearsal of the next production of the Brisbane Repertory Theatre Society convinces one that the society has made an excellent choice. The play is full of life, and gives a picture of life in Western Queensland. A quarrel arises between neighbouring families, and in the heat of the meeting  between the paternal readers one reaches for his tobacco pouch; the other automatically offers his. The result shows in the author a knowledge of human nature that characterises the play. "A Happy Family" will be played at the Theatre Royal, on October 22 and 23. Box plans open at Paling's on Wednesday next. 

 

 


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