IN many ways, Alison Walker epitomises what is wonderful about amateur theatre.
By day, she is helping save lives as the head of intensive care at Mildura Base Public Hospital, but by night she transforms into a singing and dancing queen.
Alison Walker was one of the stars of Mildura Theatre Company’s production Mamma Mia, which has just concluded at the Art Centre. She played the role of the mother Donna and shared the stage with other talented local actors, singers and dancers who dedicate countless hours out of their regular day jobs to hone their craft.
It doesn’t matter if they are police officers, students, doctors, plumbers, bakers or candlestick makers, the cast is quite literally made up of very different characters who all share the one passion.
I spoke to Dr Walker a few weeks ago about the COVID-19 situation at MBPH and we got to talking about her role in the show. It was a friendly, off-the-record chat, so I hope the good doctor doesn’t mind me revealing the passion with which she spoke about theatre and her love for the people involved.
And it all made sense.
What better way to escape the stresses of daily life, particularly a role heading up ICU at a hospital, than to dress up as a different character and dance and sing with your friends for a few hours?
There’s no debate which of her roles is more important, but only one of them ends with a rousing ovation from the audience.
For Dr Walker and her fellow cast members, though, a lot of the fun is not just when the bright lights come on, but in the rehearsing, the choreography and camaraderie that comes with performing as a team.
I have never performed in theatre (I blame my two left feet, terrible singing voice and lack of musical talent), but I see many similarities to being involved in a sporting team.
It is that positive outlet away from school or work or even family life, where we get to pursue a passion with like-minded people, improve ourselves and ultimately strive to put on our best performance come game day. We all work towards showtime and the thrill of success on the big stage, when the pressure of the lights is upon us. It is an addictive feeling.
My wife and I were in the large audience watching Mamma Mia and enjoyed every bit of it.
To know that these are local people who are performing not for the money but for the love of it makes it a warmer experience.
The audience in Mildura understands that and the atmosphere reflects the mood. It’s feel-good stuff.
When the curtain came down on the show after the big ovation from the audience, it occurred to me that that moment must be a euphoric experience for everyone involved in the show, from the musicians to the production and lighting crews and all the actors, no matter how big a role they played.
My only comparison coming from a sporting background was the immediate moments after a big win in footy, when you hug your mates and belt out the team song.
After two years of lockdowns and no audiences to perform in front of, it was wonderful to see the talent of Sunraysia shining on the big stage again.
Bravo to you all.
