Mr Herod's Christmas Pageant

November 30th, 1978 — November 30th, 1978


Venue

La Boite Theatre, Brisbane

Producer

La Boite Theatre

Director

Jennifer Blocksidge

Playwright

John O'Toole

Composer

Sean Mee

Cast

Joe Woodward, Victoria Cardiff, Kerry Williamson, Robert Gore, Craige Cronin, Robbie Warwick, Jackie Conn, Chris Willems, Gregory Silverman, Maureen Owen, Keith Avent, Rosemary Pares, Shirley Gilkins, Rosanne Joyner, Stephen Billett, Simon Denver, Ian Thomson, Keith Fleming, Ted Chicoteau, Helen Forsyth, Joan Docwra, Elizabeth Davis, Rod Tyson, Greg Van Dam, Brett Gudmann, Steve Vale, Kim Theo-Harris, Jenny O'Neill, Janice Quinn, Julie Yates

Costume Designer

Luigi Forzin

Set Designer

Luigi Forzin

Lighting Designer

Shirley Williamson
David Wade

Sound Designer

Leigh Wayper


Mr Herod’s Christmas Pageant by John O’Toole

John O’Toole’s new work Mr Herod’s Christmas Pageant directed by Jennifer Blocksidge presented a political spin on the traditional nativity story.

It was written and workshopped during O’Toole’s term as writer-in-residence at La Boite, made possible by a grant from the Literature Board of the Australia Council. Whilst admitting there were flaws in the show, theatre reviewer Don Batchelor saw it as “a richly resonant piece of writing whose implications have been disturbing me since I saw the show … La Boite continues to serve us well by challenging our preconceptions, even quite sacred ones”.[i]

Writer: Christine Comans


[i] Theatre Australia, Feb. 1979.


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