In mid-2001, BTR Productions became one of the first Internet-based Doctor Who fan groups to tackle their very own original live theatrical production. Produced as part of the Golden Valley/Keperra Lions Club "Miss Personality Quest" Christmas in July extravaganza, our show was the feature item in a fabulous evening of laughs, food and wine. The play, which we spent three solid months preparing, was a huge success:
CHRISTMAS UNDER SIEGE BY BILL BILLINGSLEY AND DARRAN JORDAN
Nick is just your ordinary kinda guy -- nothing special about him, save for the fact that he has an unhealthy fascination with tanks and guns. Apart from that, he's normal in every other way.
However, he's just joined the Australia Post Dead Letter Office, and has found himself plunged into the strangest world he's yet encountered. Plus, he doesn't even have any backup on hand to pull him out if things turn nasty.
This year, Nick is going to find love in all the right places, enemies in all the wrong places, and even get a chance at becoming wealthy. Only two things stand in his way: a pain of a boss, and a Santa Claus that's universally despised by the entire Multiverse.
Nick's determined to get the girl, the money, and survive to tell the tale to as many drunken army troopers as he can. He just doesn't quite know how he's gonna pull it off, that's all...
Nick: MICHAEL BURGE
Sally: JEANNE LEAKE
Pete: KANE MAJOR
Viola: DONNA GLEESON
Karen: JANA KILDEY
Chris: STEPHEN CRONK
Script Editor: WITOLD TIETZE
Lighting: KANE MAJOR
Music: ROBERT WARNOCK
Sound: MATTHEW KOPELKE
Assistant Director: BILL BILLINGSLEY
Producer / Director: MATTHEW KOPELKE
(c) 2001 BTR Productions
For BTR Video
Camera: MICHAEL KOPELKE
Executive Producer: MATTHEW KOPELKE
Editor / Sound design / Producer: WITOLD TIETZE
(c) 2002 BTR Productions
The Christmas Under Siege script book is also available from BTR's online store at http://www.cafepress.com/btrproductions.
Flush with our success with Christmas Under Siege, BTR Theatre was quickly booked once again by the Lions Club to produce a second evening of entertainment, for the 2002 Christmas in July extravaganza. The original intention had been to produce a Natasha X adventure, which sadly was curtailed a week before performance, due to a crisis in the life of our lead actor. In the end, quick decisions resulted in a good night:
BEYOND TRADITIONAL RECOGNITION: THE STAGE EXPERIENCE
Bring out the candles, turn off the lights, and prepare for an evening's entertainment which is Beyond Traditional Recognition...
The Six Million Dollar Brain by Cameron Harris: Four characters in search of an exit. For three of them, the plan is to make the exit as swift and painless as possible, taking with them a technological artefact of unimaginable value. For the fourth, the plan is to hold them back with all his might, stop their plan from coming to fruition. The only problem is, he had also planned to exit with his life...
Adapted from the audio drama released on CD in March 2002, the stage version is a faithful adaptation of the audio original, with only some alterations to cut down on the number of actors required.
Josiah Prenneman: BILL BILLINGSLEY
Matteus Brunner: MATTHEW KOPELKE
Ricardo Strauss: WITOLD TIETZE
Bruno Chagrin Davies: KANE MAJOR
Waiter / Auctioneer: DAVID HUTCHISON
Rival Bidders: KATHRYN FALLON and audience members
Script Editor: WITOLD TIETZE
Music: ROBERT WARNOCK
Sound: MATTHEW KOPELKE
Producer / Director: MATTHEW KOPELKE
For BTR Video
Rehearsal video camera: KATHRYN FALLON
Performance video camera: KATHRYN FALLON and BEN KOPELKE
Executive Producer: MATTHEW KOPELKE
Editor / Performance video sound design / Producer: WITOLD TIETZE
Rehearsal video director: KATHRYN FALLON
(c) 2002 BTR Productions
Doggy X and the Claws of Santa by Darran Jordan: T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring -- except for a talking dog, the evil supervillian Professor Tango, the Ghost of Christmas Past, Santa Claus, and a man in a dressing gown who only got up for a glass of milk. Hmmm... Looks like it'll be a quiet New Year...
Doggy X: The Battledog from Beyond is the former sidekick of comic-book superhero Natasha X. Here, BTR presents him in his own solo adventure, where he battles Natasha's nemesis -- Professor Tango.
Doggy X: WITOLD TIETZE
Santa Claus: MATTHEW KOPELKE
Derek Holland: BILL BILLINGSLEY
The Ghost of Christmas Past: DARRAN JORDAN
Professor Tango: DAVID HUTCHISON
Voiceovers by MATTHEW KOPELKE
Script Editor: WITOLD TIETZE
Music: ROBERT WARNOCK
Sound: MATTHEW KOPELKE
Producer: MATTHEW KOPELKE
Director: KANE MAJOR
For BTR Video
Rehearsal video camera: KATHRYN FALLON
Performance video camera: KATHRYN FALLON and BEN KOPELKE
Executive Producer: MATTHEW KOPELKE
Editor / Performance video sound design / Producer: WITOLD TIETZE
Rehearsal video director: KATHRYN FALLON
(c) 2002 BTR Productions
The original audio drama version of Beyond Traditional Recognition: The Six Million Dollar Brain is available on CD from BTR's online store at http://www.cafepress.com/btrproductions. Natasha X graphic novels and script books, co-starring Doggy X, are available from Eclectica Press, Sydney.
Reminders
> To download the media files of each of our productions, right-click the "Save Target As" link below the embedded player under the Play links of each individual track. There is no downloading link under Play Entire CD.
> BTRchat is on at the BTR website, http://www.btrproductions.org, each Saturday night at 11pm Brisbane time (23:00 GMT/UTC+10). For other parts of the world, this timeslot currently equates to--
- New Zealand: 1:00 Sunday
- Adelaide and Darwin: 22:30 Saturday
- Perth: 21:00 Saturday
- UK: 14:00 Saturday (summertime)
- GMT/UTC: 13:00 Saturday
- US/Canada Eastern: 9:00 Saturday (summertime)
- US/Canada Central: 8:00 Saturday (summertime)
- US/Canada Pacific: 6:00 Saturday (summertime)
> BTR's WAP service is now in-house and upgraded to a new web page optimised for 3G networks' mobile browsers. The latest BTRnews bulletin for mobiles is now available at its new address, http://www.btrproductions.org/mobile.html.