WANGARATTA Players' August production is the big, bold Australian musical Ladies in Black and will be held at the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre (WPACC) from August 17 to 19.

With almost 40 cast members plus the crew and band, experienced local director Colette Quin has gathered a veritable ‘who’s who’ of local actors from Wangaratta, Benalla, Yarrawonga and everywhere in between, along with plenty of new faces.

Based on the book by Carolyn Burns with music and lyrics by Tim Finn, the musical has been adapted from the book The Women In Black by Madeleine St John and is ‘a unicorn of the stage: a full-blown, home-grown musical that actually works’ according to The Age newspaper.

At the heart of the story is 17 year old Lisa, who doesn’t want to find the man of her dreams, but rather, advance her education – which in the 1950s, when the play is set, was the exception rather than the rule.

In her first role with the Wangaratta Players, Wangaratta High School student Gracie York has been cast perfectly in the lead as Lisa and has worked hard on both her singing and acting since rehearsals started in April.

Young Lisa has just completed her Leaving Certificate and as she and her mother (Wendy McLay), await her results, she takes a summer job at the Goodes department store.

There she meets an array of fascinating characters who are facing their own challenges which range from infertility to a man drought.

Lisa’s father (Reg Carmody) has pre-determined that university is out of the question for his daughter, so the central drama revolves around whether her results can change his mind and he will allow her to study poetry at Sydney University.

The Goodes ladies are a mixed bunch which include flamboyant Hungarian immigrant Magda (Alison Comensoli), Miss Jacobs (Tricia Voss), Patty (Julie Nolan), Fay (Amy Wighton) and Miss Cartwright (Rose Sexton).

The Crown family also feature with Mrs Crown (Bec Carta), Joy (Brenda Spilva), and Dawn (Joanne Pane) finding out all the gossip at Goodes from their daughter and sister Patty.

The ensemble is stacked with local faces including Zoe Cooper, Vanida O’Brien, Lyndall Perry, Dianne Feldtmann, Monique Hillenaar and Kendall King among others.

The men in the cast more often than not play second fiddle to the women and their world, but with local stage royalty Reg Carmody (Dad), Rick Harnwell (Stefan), Drew Wighton (Rudi) and Greg Wighton (Frank) in titular roles, their time on stage is likely to be anything but mundane.

Performances will be held at WPACC on Thursday, August 17, Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19 at 7pm, with a matinee performance on Saturday, August 19 at 2pm.

Tickets are on sale now via the WPACC box office in Ford Street or online at https://wpacc.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/95168.