Hello and welcome.

On March 29, Shepparton Theatre Arts Group held its 50th birthday party — and it was an extraordinary evening.

The room was filled with memories and long hugs, laughter and tears, and — because theatre people are very good at this — a lot of love.

The inevitable bonding, which may have taken place last year or in 1975, was apparent everywhere.

My husband had been out, in the evening, just once in the past seven years — but didn’t hesitate about attending this event.

He sat at the table and there were constantly people coming to talk to him; at times there was a queue and some of his visitors brought tears to his eyes.

Perhaps he had thought he would never hear or hug these people ever again.

Before, during and after his years as president of STAG, his focus had been on encouraging the younger people, whom he saw as the company’s future.

Many of them were present.

And, for me, the room was also filled with stories. Here is one of them.

Chris Dickson

Chris was just 14 years of age when he joined STAG.

Like many of us, he was ‘searching for his tribe’, and like many of us, he had found it.

It was 1978.

The Dickson family had moved to Shepp from Melbourne just three years earlier.

His dad, Royce, would be principal of both Guthrie St and Wilmot Rd schools and was a well-known footballer — despite having lost an arm in an accident, at 17 years of age.

The family had relocated several times and Chris attended six primary schools.

However, Shepparton has now been home, for the family, for half a century.

Chris performed in seven musicals with the local company and, during our coffee chat, reminded me that he was one of my eight children in Carousel, which I had forgotten.

He also played the role of Jesus in Godspell, which I hadn’t forgotten.

One day, he called into my ‘baby shop’ (Maude St) to tell me that theatre was the life for him, and he was going to turn professional.

My maternal instincts kicked in, and I carefully explained the differences; how hard it would be.

Silently I wondered if he was strong enough — if he was good enough, especially his dancing — and I really didn’t want him hurt.

Fortunately, he ignored my advice, moved to Melbourne and took lessons at The Dance Factory.

The next time I saw him, he was on stage in Cats at His Majesty’s in Melbourne.

It was 1987.

He also performed in Anything Goes, Chess, and A Little Night Music in Australia — before relocating to London.

Chris had 30 successful years performing in London’s West End, New York’s Shubert Theatre and Dubai.

The shows included Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Crazy for You, Carousel, Kiss me Kate — and many more.

There were several tours around the UK.

Now, during this period (I’m not sure if it was 1994 or 1998) my husband, aware that Chris was performing in London, went looking for him.

While I took my mother shopping, he knocked on stage doors in the theatre districts — asking for Chris Dickson.

No-one recognised the name, and he came back to our hotel disappointed.

What we didn’t know was that Chris had been obliged to change his surname because there was an existing professional performer with the same name.

The boy from Shepp was now Chris Coleman.

During his time in London, based in his small but comfortable apartment, Chris studied classical acting, including Shakespeare, at Birkbeck, University of London.

He graduated with a distinction in 2007.

Chris and Martin

Chris first met his future husband in 1993, when Martin, a costume designer, was working on one of Chris’ musicals.

However, in 2012, they met up again and have been together ever since.

In 2013, they bought an old home in Greece, and they married, in Bavaria (Martin is German) in 2018.

In 2017, doctors discovered that Chris had thyroid cancer.

However, with the removal of the thyroid and radiology, he recovered well.

His singing is, fortunately, unaffected.

I asked him about the COVID years — which stopped the world.

Chris and Martin relocated to Greece, where life was a little easier.

But Chris had a role in The Power (an Amazon Prime production).

It was a small role as an Australian prime minister.

Travelling between Greece and London required a week’s isolation — every time — and they were required to have daily COVID tests.

However, and this was much more important, Chris started to write plays.

In 2022, he was selected, with nine other writers, as a hohort at the Royal Court; this is London’s leading theatre and dedicated to new work.

New plays premiered there — including The Rocky Horror Show, more than 50 years ago.

Then, in late 2022, Chris had a stroke.

The NHS doctors determined that it was caused by a hole in his heart.

They operated and put an ‘umbrella’ over the hole; he recovered, and life moved on.

He currently has a musical, Cycle, about to be workshopped, with a view to development, by Opera Australia.

It is the story of Cy Coleman and contains his music.

Surprisingly, little is known of Coleman, who wrote 11 Broadway musicals, including Sweet Charity and Barnum.

Chris has another play, Mercy House, which was also scheduled for workshopping in London, this year — so he had to choose.

Cycle and Opera Australia won.

Mercy House has been postponed.

He has also created a new online entity entitled Cycle Productions, which is designed to encourage new work for theatre or film — for Australia, the UK and Europe.

Unsurprisingly, Chris is excited about his writing and feels that this is what he was intended to do — as if he is on the right path.

It’s a good life

Thank Goodness he didn’t take my advice (and perhaps our regular readers should take note).

Like me, Chris is attempting to live a spiritual life, and he says it’s a good one.

There have been many challenges along the way, many rejections and some difficult times; also many opportunities to learn because theatre in London is not for the faint-hearted.

Perhaps it is true that life, itself, is not for the faint-hearted.

He and Martin are selling the house in Greece and moving to their forever home in Italy.

I said a brief ‘hello’ to Martin when he rang during our coffee chat.

However, it was time to stop talking; we were about to be thrown out of — or locked in — the coffee shop.

I wish them both ongoing success and continued happiness, and thank an old friend for his time.

Chris Coleman is more than a successful performer/writer, he is very nice man.

Have a good week and may it be easy, my friends

Marnie

Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au

Letter: Town Talk. The News. P.O. Box 204. Shepparton 3631.

Phone: Text or call 0409 317 187

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