Oily Rag Theatre Incorporated is a (very) small not-for-profit theatre group based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 2017 by long-time friends and collaborators Kristin Telfer and Shannon Norfolk. We aim to produce interesting, entertaining and challenging theatre on, well, the smell of an oily rag!
We had worked together on many projects over the years, mostly with former company Moore Books SA, Shannon as a production designer and Kristin in various capacities both onstage and behind the scenes.
In 2016, Moore Books SA generously took on an administrative and training role so Kristin could learn how to produce a play - Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman, a work she has loved since high school and had submitted unsuccessfully to other groups on several occasions. Although not a commercial success, Death and the Maiden received very strong and positive feedback (see the page for our reviews) and encouraged us to form our own group.
In 2016, Moore Books SA generously took on an administrative and training role so Kristin could learn how to produce a play - Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman, a work she has loved since high school and had submitted unsuccessfully to other groups on several occasions. Although not a commercial success, Death and the Maiden received very strong and positive feedback (see the page for our reviews) and encouraged us to form our own group.
We wanted a company name that shows we embrace the challenge of being a very small and lo-fi group doing the most we can with not very much. Kristin very much liked the sound of The Filthy Amateurs but googling it to see what else came up showed what a poor decision that would be. (If you are at work, do not google "filthy amateurs".) So Oily Rag Theatre it is!
We hope to be able to do one or two productions a year, definitely at least one "full scale" production.
Oily Rag Theatre have a preference for plays with challenging and interesting roles for women, especially ones where the number of female roles is equal to, or greater than, the number of male roles.
We are also strongly interested in exploring the possibility of producing new works by local writers. Kristin likes to read plays, so if you have something you'd like us to look at, please send us a message on our contact form.
Oily Rag Theatre have a preference for plays with challenging and interesting roles for women, especially ones where the number of female roles is equal to, or greater than, the number of male roles.
We are also strongly interested in exploring the possibility of producing new works by local writers. Kristin likes to read plays, so if you have something you'd like us to look at, please send us a message on our contact form.
Shannon trained in theatre design at WAAPA and has worked with various companies including Spotlight Theatre, Marie Clark Musical Theatre, Moore Books and Recycled Theatre. Highlights include The Laramie Project (buck fence with a wide blue sky), Ettie’s Boys (following sexual health campaigner Ettie Rout through WW1) and Wolf Lullaby (building blocks for a child killing child). More of Shannon’s work can be viewed at her personal website.
Kristin has worked with groups including Moore Books SA, the Blackwood Players, St Jude's Players and the former Burnside Players both as an actor and in various backstage and production capacities. She has directed plays for other groups including The Cat's Paw by Christine Croyden (Spotlight Theatre), Secret Bridesmaid's Business (the Blackwood Players) and House Guest (the Noarlunga Theatre Company). In 2017 a long-held dream came true when she got to direct a musical, The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee, for Marie Clarke Musical Theatre.
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