Following the success of their 2023 productions and a huge influx of interest from Alice's Aussie Adventures auditions, MATES faced the challenge of keeping up momentum when a couple of scheduled 2024 projects fell through. With just a single one-act play in development, director Don Sanderson devised an innovative solution to create a full show. Thus, How Bard Can It Get? was born—an hilarious meta-theatrical production that combines reality and fiction in a uniquely engaging way.

The first act showcases real MATES actors presenting their own audition pieces as "hopefuls" vying for roles in the fictional theatre group’s chaotic attempt to stage A Midsummer Night’s Dream. These audition acts allowed performers to bring any skill set to the stage, blending comedy, music, and dramatic flair into an eclectic mix of talent.

The second act transitions into a scripted one-act play, diving into the fictional theatre company’s disastrous rehearsal process. With a frazzled director at the helm, the cast and crew face everything from costume calamities and prop fiascos to interpersonal drama, as they hilariously muddle their way through Shakespeare’s beloved classic.

A celebration of community theatre’s charm and chaos, How Bard Can It Get? showcased the resilience, creativity, and humour of performers both on and off the stage. It was an ironic testament to the idea that even when everything goes wrong, a show, any show, must go on!

Performance Dates & Venue:
10th-14th April, 2024 • Pineapple Cottage Theatre, Mission Beach

Written, Directed & Produced by Don Sanderson

In the laugh-out-loud comedy How Bard Can It Get?, the Cassowary Rep Amateur Productions (CRAP) theatre group attempts to stage Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream — with hilariously disastrous results. Directed by a perpetually frazzled and sleep-deprived “Director”, the production unravels in spectacularly chaotic fashion as the cast and crew grapple with forgotten lines, last-minute crises, and eccentric personalities.

From a lead actor with chickenpox to a stagehand who prioritizes texting over tasks, the group faces escalating absurdities. The stage manager loses her glasses, the costume and makeup departments feud over clashing visions, and a rogue assistant director with a knack for taking control unexpectedly steps up to save the day. Add in a snake-obsessed actress reciting Cleopatra’s lines and a tech guy more concerned about his mother’s missing cat, and you have the perfect storm of community theatre madness.

With witty dialogue, larger-than-life characters, and nonstop comedic chaos, How Bard Can It Get? is a playful and self-aware satire of the joys and perils of amateur theatre. Amid the chaos, it’s a celebration of the resilience and camaraderie that make live performance magical, even when everything goes wrong.