IF it weren’t for Goulburn’s venerable Lieder Theatre Company, the advent of World Theatre Day, earlier this week (March 27) might have eluded us completely, but they’ve celebrated it in style, with the release of a short film.

A documentation of their world-premiere production of “Prophecy”, by former local Patrick Russell, the film was screened and released in Paris last year by the Association Internationale du Théâtre Amateur (International Online Festival of Amateur Theatre).

But Lieder Theatre is no newcomer to performing abroad and under the artistic direction of Chrisjohn Hancock, has taken original work to the Czech Republic, the UK, Monaco, Spain, and others.

“While the Lieder has a passionate and supportive following in town, nationally we are caught up in the stigma associated with regional community arts,” Hancock says. “It is often assumed that regional work is not of a high standard compared with city-based companies.”

In fact, Goulburn companies and artists have been selected to represent Australia in several international theatre, music and dance festivals, and because physical travel has been impossible, some of them online.

In 2018 I covered the fascinating theatre of social change festival, “Periphery”. held in partnership with Polish company Teatr Brama, who visited Goulburn and reciprocated the hospitality in 2019 by inviting Lieder to perform in Goleniow and Kraków in association with the Polish Academy of Fine Arts.

The company holds a standing invitation to the Worldfest International Festival in Paradise in Florida, where they’ve performed works such as “The Colour Play”, The Lieder Youth Theatre “Acrobatic Fireshow” and “Monochrome”.

Unable to travel out of the country in 2021, the company developed a new work, “Prophecy”, for submission to the French Online Festival of Amateur Theatre, where it was accepted, screened and released.

A dreamlike, one-act absurdist comedy-drama, which uses puppetry, special effects, magic, multimedia and on-stage technicians, the play was directed by Hancock, with live music and composition by Steve Routley, it proved the perfect way for the Lieder Theatre Company to flex its artistic muscles in celebration of its 130th year.

Shot by Danny Gwynn-Field and edited and mixed by Selmes, the film was the icing on the birthday cake.

“Prophecy” is accessible free here

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