What's on at Stanwell Park Arts Theatre in August

SPAT Singers

Now that the annual Singers show is behind us, with all three performances sold out, it’s a great time for those who love to sing and or play a musical instrument to join our group. Eight of our singing members enriched the event by playing a variety of musical instruments during the show and at interval, as well as singing.  If any of this has piqued your interest, we would love to see you. We meet every Friday evening at the Stanwell Park CWA Hall at 7:30pm.  You’d be hard-pressed to find a lovelier and more inviting group of talented people.

SPAT Film Society

The third film for this year is Hamnet, which will be shown on August 22. It’s a “not to be missed” film as it has received rave reviews and was listed among the top 10 films of 2025 by the American Film Institute. Its awards include Golden Globe’s Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Actress. It was also nominated in eight categories at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. 

With the final film for 2026 will be screened in October, joining the society still offer great value with the annual membership fee of $25 for adults and $15 for students, school-aged children or concession holders.

Many thanks to Wayne Turner, who started the Film Society and continues to source and show all the films, and his wife Barbara, who helps make these evenings so enjoyable. 

Late August/early September show

We were unable to secure the rights for the play we wanted to put on in late August/early September, because its first Australian appearance is scheduled for the Adelaide Festival.  We will be able to stage the play next year, so we’re still considering options for this period 

Annual Pantomime

This year’s panto, written by Cameron Sharp, is entitled Save the Moon: A Cheesy Pantomime and Rod Lander, our own seasoned writer, director and composer, will take on the roles of both director and musical director. The multi-talented Catherine Rostrum will once again accompany on piano. 

At our last committee meeting, Christine Higgins, one of the co-writers of last year’s pantomime, suggested we run a few stagecraft workshops for the children a week or so before the rehearsal period starts, so they gain an understanding of things like voice projection, and blocking, which will lead to more productive rehearsals.  She also suggested that the parents sign a memorandum of understanding, prior to the children being cast, to ensure that they are present at all rehearsals (sickness being the only exception). Having a part in a play is no different from being on a sporting team.  When you’re not there, you let the team down. We would also like some parents to be present to help keep the kids engaged and to avoid any disruptive behaviour. It’s more fun if these parents also take on acting roles, or any of the many and varied production roles.