Unlikely friendship blooms in Castle Hill Players' latest show

Community, friendship and modern Australia collide in the latest production from the Castle Hill Players.

Margaret Olive and Jacqui Wilson star in Castle Hill Players' production of Neighbourhood Watch. Pictures: Chris Lundie

Community, friendship and modern Australia collide in the latest production from the Castle Hill Players.

Neighbourhood Watch is a classic story of opposites gaining a new understanding from each other, told through the unlikely friendship between a young woman and an elderly migrant, set in suburban Australia.

Normanhurst’s Emma Widenström, who has held numerous roles within the Players over the years, has taken on the role of director for the first time for Neighbourhood Watch.

Margaret Olive and Annette Dix in a scene from Neighbourhood Watch.

“I was really drawn to the play … it tells a story that’s very easy to drawn into I guess,” she said.

“It’s about suburban experiences but also combines that with life in other places and other times, going back into the past.”

Set in 2007, the play follows an unlikely friendship between Catherine (Jacqui Wilson), an out of work actor hung up on her ex-boyfriend, and Ana (Margaret Olive), an elderly Hungarian migrant who shares stories of survival — a world totally foreign to Catherine’s.

“Ana’s story is really what drives the show, and they (the audience) get drawn in by listening to her experiences,” Widenström said.

Actors Jacqui Wilson, Margaret Olive, Axel Smit, Marilyn Parsons, Michelle Masefield and Bob Parsons in a scene from Neighbourhood Watch.

Joining Wilson and Olive in the cast are Ben Freeman, Stijn Vermeulen, Annette Dix, Axel Smit, Marilyn Parsons, Bob Parsons and Michelle Masefield.

The set, designed by Paul Sztelma, aims to transport audiences between Mary Street and Ana’s tales of the past, while lighting and sound is looked after by Sean Churchward and Mehran Mortezaei respectively.

Widenström said creating the show required a lot of collaboration from the crew.

“It was a very tricky play to be able to visualise all of those details beforehand because there are so many scene changes and character changes, so it was something that needed a lot of creative input from a lot of people,” she said.

Margaret Olive, Jacqui Wilson and Annette Dix.

Curtains opened on July 28 and the final show will be held on August 18, with performances running on Wednesday, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Widenström said audiences have responded well to the play.

“There are lots of shifts in time and place that happen quite quickly, so it’s something that’s taken audiences by surprise I think,” she said.

“They’re drawn in by the characters and the way in which they’re being portrayed.”

The details

What: Neighbourhood Watch by Castle Hill Players

Where: Pavilion Theatre, Castle Hill Showground

When: Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8.15pm, Sundays at 4.30pm

Tickets: $22-$27, book online at paviliontheatre.org.au or by calling 9634 2929.