Staging "Aussie Song" (Donate to enter Drawing!)
Donation protected
The song above by The Waifs poignantly describes the theme of my show...
G'day mates! I'm hoping very much you will consider supporting this project and put your name in a drawing for some lovely prizes:) Here are some details...
THE HISTORY OF AUSSIE SONG
Twelve years ago, I was inspired to write a musical about my mother's life growing up in Australia in the 1920s and immigrating to the USA as a war bride during WWII. I'd heard stories from my mother all my life about her intriguing experiences, and I believed the world would love them as much as I did.
Within a year, AUSSIE SONG was on stage at the Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre near Jacksonville, FL where it received a resoundingly positive reception. My mother and her sister, who are portrayed in the show, were able to watch the performance multiple times- a true gift as they both passed away not long after.
TEN YEARS LATER. . .
A theatre festival in NYC has now chosen the show for their competitive festival, a great honor! They supply the theatre and a website; however I am responsible for all costs, and they keep all the ticket sales to support the festival. I have a marvelous team of choreographers, music and show directors and actors on board, but the costs in NYC are, as you can imagine, quite high. My family and I have poured a great deal of heart and money into getting the show to this point; I need the help of my friends with this last hurdle!
WHO WAS TEDDY KEY?
If you knew my mother (or have simply heard about her), you know she was a woman ahead of her time. She came to the USA with 30 other Aussie war brides on a troop ship of 5,000 sailors in the middle of a war, zigzagging to avoid detection by the enemy. She opened the first private school and day care center for post-WWII women who wanted to keep working in Jacksonville, Florida, and in her older years was a house mother for abused girls, winning a Shelter of the Year award from the City of Jacksonville. She touched and inspired many people's lives with her vivacious personality, her optimism, and her spirit of compassion. What you may not know is that she was a beautiful, professionally-trained singer whose voice graced many people's lives. She even sang on the radio in Australia from age 12-18 and won an Eistedford singing award in Sydney! She was also a truly spiritual person, living a life of compassion, simplicity and humility.
WHY SUPPORT AUSSIE SONG?
Her experiences deserve to be immortalized because of who she was but also because her story reflects so much of the mindset and the history of the WWII era. The veterans from that time are soon to be all gone, as well as the stories of their loves, their challenges, their personal stories. We baby boomers and our children can help to immortalize some of those memories.
WHERE/WHEN IS THE SHOW?
It will run on Monday, September 30th at 6:15 pm, Friday, October 4th at 9:00 pm, and Sunday, October 6th at 4:00 pm at the Hudson Guild Theatre, West 441 26th Street in NYC. You may buy tickets at the link below. ( All ticket money is kept by the theatre.)
http://newyorktheaterfestival.com/aussie-song/
WHAT IS THE DRAWING FOR?
Donate $100 and you may choose to put your name in a drawing for one of the following!
* A night in the beautiful Hotel Palms In Neptune Beach, Florida, just a few blocks from the ocean. (Sleeps 2)
* A night in a studio apartment in NYC's iconic West Village, blocks away from Greenwich Village. (double bed & air mattress)
* A night in a two bedroom apartment in NYC's West Village, sleeps 6 (weekends only June-Sept 2019)
* All arrangements according to availability
Thank you, one and all for your support!
Frances Key
[email redacted]
Organizer
Frances Key
Organizer
New York, NY
