Euroa Little Theatre (ELT) may have wrapped up its final production Palm Beach Legal last week, but the future of regional stage theatre looks strong, with plays being one of the most searched entertainment options when local people want to go out. While it is a catch-cry among the London-based theatre chic to 'go catch a play' on any night, Google Trends found live theatre is holding strong in second place behind cinema screenings in regional Victoria as the most popular searched-for outing. Visiting wineries is the third most searched activity. Euroa Little Theatre's director Alison Hayes said stage theatre was still a hit with locals despite journeys to Melbourne shows being 'all well and good'. "But heading down there costs money, and then there's the traveling back late," she said. "People support local theatre, even though it ebbs and flows over time, but local theatre gives people a chance to be in the audience as well as on the stage. "We are in our 70th year after all, and we are now doing two shows a year." Of note are the search trends among regional people for live music, festivals, art galleries, and museums, which - although remaining healthy - polled minimally in Google searches. Alison said Euroa Little Theatre would be a future entertainment mainstay. To this end, the company still has events coming up before year's end, holding another theatre skills workshop next month. "These are for the young actors still out there in the community, to create their own short plays," Alison said. And given that the company's popular workshops are all about having fun, The Euroa Gazette posed a curly one to Alison. Are theatre productions still fun for those involved, given the gruelling rehearsals reputation that live theatre has always had? "The backstage crew have a lot to do, for them it is gruelling but fun," Alison said. "For those onstage, the main gruelling is actors learning their lines, but they are always having a fun time, even if people are messing up their lines, it's always fun. "I don’t think it would work without the fun element." Palm Beach Legal was written by former Sydney lawyer Tony Laumberg who based the comedy on true events, exploring the lawsuit against a chemical company brought by a mother who claimed one of their products caused all the hair to fall from her pony. The ensemble cast was a blend of seasoned actors with a lot of newer faces on the stage. What are plans for next year? "We are planning to do similar stuff, another junior play and a senior one, and a few workshops for kids and adults." Euroa Little Theatre will be holding its 70th anniversary celebration on 5 December, where everyone is invited. Past actors and participants and those wishing to be a part of the company's future are welcome to come along. For more information email euroalittletheatre@gmail.com This content is part of a paid partnership with Google to promote Google Trends. It uses Google Trends data to explore search interest in entertainment. Google Trends data is aggregated and anonymous. Search interest is measured on a relative scale and does not represent total search volume.
