Producing an annual Shakespeare in regional NQ was pioneered by Jean-Pierre Voos who directed and produced the first event with his professional theatre company TROPIC LINE in 1992.
The idea was to involve community actors in a production with his company. TWELFTH NIGHT featured his professional ensemble alongside the highest standard of actors within the Townsville community and students of theatre at James Cook University.
It took two more years before JP could begin to dream of making this an annual event. In 1995, the company lost its funding and its support from the University, but JP revisited his idea of an annual Shakespeare event in NQ.
THE TEMPEST saw the first of 3 annual productions to be performed at the old Echlin St Quarry. As was the edict, his Shakespeare’s cast his professional ensemble with community actors and also involved the youth theatre company LA LUNA, professional dance company DANCE NORTH and its youth arm EXTENSIONS. This was community theatre on a grand scale.
In January 1998, Townsville was hit by severe flooding which wiped out the access road to the Quarry. It would take a further two years for JP to find another performance spot with a supportive council.
Kissing Point was, at the time, a picnic area on an old army barracks overlooking the ocean. This became the site for the next two years. However, the September 11 attacks in the US put the worlds defence forces on alert and Kissing Point was closed to the public.
Having weathered two cyclones during the previous years, the idea arose to take Shakespeare indoors. Panorama House, an in-the-round restaurant placed at the summit of Castle Hill became the venue for 02/03 until the Townsville City Council came on board offering the beautiful Queens Gardens, which has been the venue for the past 6 years.
Jean-Pierre Voos passed away in 2008 and his company continued to produce the annual event under the direction of Terri Brabon and featuring actor Brendan O’Connor. Both past students of JP, past ensemble members of the company and alumni of the Shakespeare Under the Stars productions. A tribute page to Jean-Pierre here
Terri & Brendan are current members of the AUSTRALIAN SHAKESPEARE COMPANY in Melbourne and return home to work with the community for two months every year.
In 2010, TROPIC SUN lost its government funding and have reluctantly decided they cannot continue to produce this event. Terri & Brendan have personally taken up the challenge, with the support of the Townsville community, to keep this tradition alive, for the love of Shakespeare, the love of Townsville and in loving memory of Jean-Pierre Voos.
Jean-Pierre Voos 1932 - 2008
A tribute page to Jean-Pierre here
