Hawkesbury actors travel back to the ’80s in new production of Room to Move

Henry Lawson Theatre is set to take you back to Australia’s 1980s where the colours were bright, greed was good, and the hair was as big as the shoulder pads.

Several Hawkesbury actors star in the play Room to Move which begins on Friday, May 20.

Peggy (Neridah James) and Roger (Ian Fletcher) in Room to Move

Written by award-winning Australian playwright Hannie Rayson, Room to Move tells the story of 29-year-old lodger, Bernie (Martin Crew of North Richmond) who moves in with 62-year-old widow, Peggy (Neridah James of Werrington County).

She is looking for company and he is looking for refuge.

Meanwhile, Peggy’s children, Virginia and Roger (Heloise Tolar of Pitt Town and Ian Fletcher of Emu Plains) are just looking for a drama to deflect from their own.

Director Sari Erasmus Hickey said Rayson was intrigued by the idea of developing a play that examines how the pervasive influence of feminism effected men.

The cast of Room to Move – Back row, L-R: Tayah Gulyas, Neridah James and Ian Fletcher.

Front row, L-R: Martin Crew, Heloise Tolar and Joel Baltaks

Hickey, of Kingswood, said the script was a favourite because it was given to her by Doreen Warburton who started the Q Theatre and brought it to Penrith in 1977.

“But I was really drawn to the play’s depiction of the character’s emotional make up and the turmoil of their relationships and the emotions associated with them,” she said.

Ms Hickey said audiences will relate to all the characters.

“Audiences will enjoy it, as even today there is so much they can relate to – it has fast-moving action with no drawn-out sections to test their attention spans,” she said.

“This is all performed on a flexible set with an innovative design displaying many 80s’ inventions that became part of our lives.”

Room to Move will run from Friday, May 20 to Saturday, May 28 at the Henry Lawson Theatre, 144 Henry Lawson Avenue, Werrington County.

Tickets: $25 adult, $20 concession

Bookings: hltheatre.com.au

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