First Staged Reading of iMPERFECT messiah
Seymour Performers Workshop invited guests to the First Staged Reading of iMPERFECT messiah — a new libretto by Beth Mondragon Williams, with lead composer Sean Hutton, alongside Kasing Sining, Betchay, Miguel Hutton & Altiyan Childs, plus featured arrangements by Circus Marcus, Dar Golan and Yamma Ensemble.
Saturday 11 March, 2023, 6:00–8:30 PM, Anglican Christ Church, 4 Anzac Ave, Seymour. This presentation was for an invited audience only.
SPW resident artists Peter Read and Paul Lejins collaborated with librettist Beth M. Williams from May 2022 to develop this first completed version of the iMPERFECT book and score.
A Staged Reading is a semi-staged presentation of new work, with actors reading from the book/script, some or all of the songs sung live to a piano track, actors in neutral costumes using minimal representative costumes and props, with a narrator reading the stage directions. The purpose of this activity is to gauge whether the written work is ready to be fully produced for a paying audience.
An Open Forum followed the presentation to gather comments, reactions and feedback from the audience. Refreshments were served.
Updated November 14, 2023, by Beth Mondragon Williams: I learned about the significance of the Staged Reading of a new written work while frantically researching "How to Write a Musical". I even signed up for online membership to the Musical Writers Academy. It was here that I truly appreciated the pricelessness of slogging through the many, meticulous processes "prescribed" before considering taking new work into professional production. The Seymour Performers Workshop (SPW), despite being unfamiliar with the concept, agreed to help me through this development phase of iMPERFECT messiah.
The process, I believe, is invaluable — especially for an unpublished playwright like myself. To see and hear the weaknesses and possibilities in the written work before any major investment is poured into the staging and production of a full-length manuscript is a smart business decision, if not a moral obligation.
In October 2023, Seymour, Victoria was devastated by major flooding. The SPW rehearsal space was inundated and suffered considerable damage. Despite this, in March, a significant grouping of theatre enthusiasts from Seymour and nearby towns spent almost 20 days rehearsing dialogues and song drafts inside the Anglican Church. The process was enjoyably productive. The performance was long (2.15 hours) but was well received by the invited audience — around 25 theatre colleagues and friends. The learning was invaluable. And we served complimentary cheese, food and wine to complete the night — arguably, the best part. — Beth Mondragon Williams
