CDP proudly presents
BIDDIES
Written by Don Reid
Directed by Wayne Harrison
Cast includes:
Maggie Blinco
Annie Byron
Jeanie Drynan
Vivienne Garrett
Donna Lee
Linden Wilkinson
After CODGERS you told us it was time to hear from the ladies.
So move over Codgers, here come the Biddies!
Five ordinarily marvellous women find themselves back in their infants school classroom plying their needles in a good old-fashioned session of "stitch and bitch". Their confessions are frank, their rivalries intense and their jokes outrageous. They discover a common frustration with the limitations of being female and mature in a world still largely defined by men.
Accidentally locked in the classroom, with nothing but ingenuity, Adora Cream Wafers and a bucket to get them through the crisis, unknown reserves come to the fore. Released from their own constraints, they rediscover their capacity to love, forgive - and take control. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
Men see their wives, adult children see their mothers, grandchildren see Nana, and the mature Australian woman sees herself, as some of our most beloved actresses bring this delightful new comedy to life and laughter on the stage. You'll laugh till you cry.
Vulnerable, feisty and in full bloom, these gals are everything... except old!
MEET THE CAST
MAGGIE BLINCO
Maggie's extensive career spans four decades, with leading roles in Australian film, television and theatre. Her most recent stage appearances have been the tour of Embers for Hot House Theatre and STC, Kiss Me Like You Mean It and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Maggie has starred in many productions for Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Playbox, Belvoir, Nimrod and Griffin.
Her television appearances include All Saints, Blue Heelers, White Collar Blue, Above The Law, McLeod's Daughters and Escape Of The Artful Dodger and she has appeared in many feature films including Crocodile Dundee 1 & 2, Cheek To Cheek, Flirting, The Man Who Sued God and The Night the Prowler.
ANNIE BYRON
A NIDA graduate with a career that spans over 30 years, Annie's recent highlights include Australian tours of Calendar Girls, The Nargan and the Stars, Yibiyung, Embers; and international tours of The Age I'm In and STC's production of Hedda Gabler with Cate Blanchett. Also for STC, Annie appeared in Before/After, Bed and The Cripple of Inishmaan. She has worked with Q Theatre, Belvoir, Griffin, The Ensemble and HotHouse.
Her TV appearances include The Sullivans, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, Backberner, Home and Away, Always Greener, All Saints, Stingers, Murder Call and the TV mini-series Postcard Bandit. On film Annie appeared in My Mother Frank, Muriel's Wedding, The View From Greenhauen Drive, Doin' Time for Patsy Cline (for which she was nominated for an AFI) and Fran for which she won the AFI for Best Actress in a Supporting Role .
JEANIE DRYNAN
Jeanie is one of Australia's most prolific actresses, perhaps best known for her critically acclaimed role of Muriel's mum in Muriel's' Wedding, which won her an AFI Nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for an AFI for Best Actress for her starring role in David Williamson's comedy, Don's Party, directed by Bruce Beresford, and for her role as Patsy in Soft Fruit. Jeanie starred with Bryan Brown in another of Beresford's films, Money Movers, as well as in the classic British comedy They're a Weird Mob. Other film credits include: Cappuccino, Paperback Hero and Picture Show Man.
Jeanie's extensive television credits include familiar roles in such long-running and popular Australian series as Chopper Squad, Class of '74, Division 4, The Young Doctors, Prisoner, A Country Practice, GP, The Flying Doctors and the mini-series Pastures of the Blue Crane. Most recently Jeanie was a guest on the new ABC comedy/drama RAKE alongside Richard Roxburgh. Currently sharing her time between Australia and Los Angeles with her husband, writer-director Antony Bowman, Jeanie continues to expand her international career.
DONNA LEE
Donna's theatre credits started at 9 years of age when she appeared in J.C.Williamson's productions of Noel Coward's Sail Away followed by their revival of Annie Get Your Gun. Other theatre credits since have been Fiddler On The Roof, Gypsy, Jesus Christ Superstar, Showboat, They're Playing our Song, Dames at Sea, Stepping Out, Summer Rain, Crimes of the Heart and Oklahoma! for which she won a Green Room Award playing the role of Ado Annie.
She was again nominated for a Green Room Award for her portrayal of Madame Thenardier when Sir Cameron Mackintosh produced his 10th anniversary production in 1998 of Les Miserables, and again for her role as the Dubbo Housewife in the 2007 Australian Production of Menopause The Musical. Donna is the 6th generation in her family to carry on the show business tradition. Her father was Frank Cleary, a juggler and variety performer on the Tivoli Circuit, and her mother was Gloria Dawn, one of Australia's foremost music theatre performers. Donna is an established cabaret performer, and has been honoured with two Mo Awards for her cabaret work. In 2009 Donna appeared in High School Musical - Live on Stage! in the role of Ms Darbus, for which she received her third Mo Award Nomination.
LINDEN WILKINSON
Linden has worked extensively on the Australian stage and in major film and television productions. Most recently, she worked with the Chicago based Steppenwolf Theatre Company production August Osage County for Sydney Theatre Company, the Seymour Centre in The Good German, and Ensemble in Life Support and Daylight Saving. Other theatre credits include work for STC, MTC, Marian St, Griffin, QTC and Q Theatre.
Film credits include The Monkey's Mask, Looking for Alibrandi, Thank God He Met Lizzie and With Mother and on television she has appeared in Packed to the Rafters, Home and Away, Murder Call, Water Rats, Police Rescue, GP, A Country Practice, Prisoner, Cop Shop, The Sullivans and the acclaimed television mini-series The Leaving of Liverpool, Come in Spinner and Seven Deadly Sins – Pride.
VIVIENNE GARRETT
Vivienne Garrett is a NIDA graduate who has worked with the major theatre companies in Australia. Vivienne's career spans decades from iconic TV series like Number 96, Matlock Police, Homicide, Mother & Son to Haydaze, Ship to Shore, Minty and more. From early days at The Old Tote, STC and Nimrod she has starred in Dusa Fish Stas and Vi, The Dybukk, Top Girls, Extremities, The Crucible, On Our Selection, many works by Shakespeare and The Vagina Monologues.
Vivienne has lived and worked in Perth for many years and her work there is extensive. She won the WA Swan Gold Award for Outstanding Female Actor for her portrayal of Eleanor in Dead Funny and was nominated for Best Female Actor for Live Acts on Stage, Equus and The Clean House. Most recently she appeared in When the Rain Stops Falling for Black Swan Theatre Company, Lebensraum at His Majesty's Theatre and Checklist for an Armed Robber and The Lonely Hearts for Deckchair Theatre. Vivienne has starred in two one woman shows – The Death of Minnie and Witchplay, devised and directed Breaststroke, a stage play which she later adapted for radio, and she has directed 26 short stories for ABC Radio. A university lecturer with a BA in Drama, Vivienne has lectured at the West Australian Academy for the Performing Arts and at Notre Dame and Edith Cowan Universities.
Touring Australia in 2012 - Stay tuned for more details
NEW SOUTH WALES
Sydney (Belrose)
11 - 22 April 2012
Glen St Theatre
BOOKINGS: (02) 9975 1455 or www.glenstreet.com.au/
Sydney (Parramatta)
1 – 5 May 2012
Riverside Theatres
BOOKINGS: (02) 8839 3399 or www.riversideparramatta.com.au
Groups 8+ Can save! Call Ticketmaster Groups on 02 8240 2290 or www.ticketmaster.com.au/groups
Sydney (Penrith)
11 - 15 September 2012
The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre
BOOKINGS: (02) 4323 3233 or www.jspac.com.au
Lismore
15 June 2012
NORPA
BOOKINGS: 1300 066 742 or www.norpa.org.au
Port Macquarie
19 - 20 June 2012
The Glasshouse Arts Conference and Entertainment Centre
BOOKINGS: (02) 6581 8888 or www.glasshouse.org.au
Taree
23 June 2012
Manning Entertainment Centre
BOOKINGS: (02) 6592 5466 or
www.gtcc.nsw.gov.au/mec
Tamworth
29 - 30 June
The Capitol Theatre Tamworth
BOOKINGS: (02) 6767 5300 or www.capitoltheatretamworth.com.au
Cessnock
4 July 2012
Cessnock Performing Arts Centre
BOOKINGS: (02) 49 907134 or www.cessnock.nsw.gov.au/cpac
Casula
6 - 7 July 2012
Casula Powerhouse
BOOKINGS: 02 9824 1121 or www.casulapowerhouse.com
Bathurst
10 - 11 July 2012
Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre
BOOKINGS: 02 6333 6161 or www.bmec.com.au
Wagga Wagga
13 July 2012
Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre
BOOKINGS: 02 6926 9688 or www.civictheatre.com.au
Albury
18 - 19 July 2012
Albury Entertainment Centre
BOOKINGS: (02) 6051 3051 or www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au
Queanbeyan
4 - 8 September 2012
The 'Q' - Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre
BOOKINGS: (02) 6285 6290 or www.theq.net.au
Gosford
18 - 20 September 2012
Laycock Street Theatre
BOOKINGS: (02) 4323 3233 or www.laycockstreettheatre.com
ACT
Canberra
8 - 12 May 2012
The Street Theatre
BOOKINGS: (02) 62471519 or www.thestreet.org.au
QUEENSLAND
Brisbane
18 - 19 May
Gardens Theatre QUT
BOOKINGS: (07) 3138 4455 or www.gardenstheatre.qut.edu.au
Ipswich
15 May 2012
Ipswich Civic Theatre
BOOKINGS: (07) 3810 6100 or www.ipswichciviccentre.com.au
Cairns
22 - 23 May 2012
Cairns Civic Theatre
BOOKINGS: 1300 855 835 or www.cct.com.au
Townsville
25 - 26 May 2012
Townsville Civic Theatre
BOOKINGS: 07 4727 9797 or www.ticketshop.com.au
Mackay
29 May 2012
Mackay Entertainment Convention Centre
BOOKINGS: 07 4961 9777 or www.mackaytix.com.au
Gladstone
31 May 2012
Gladstone Entertainment Centre
BOOKINGS: 07 4972 2822 or www.gladstone.aticket.com.au
Rockhampton
2 June 2012
Pilbeam Theatre
BOOKINGS: 07 4927 4111 or www.seeitlive.com.au
Nambour
6 June 2012
Nambour Civic Centre
BOOKINGS: (07) 5475-7777 or www.scvenuesandevents.com.au/nambour-civic-centre
Cleveland
8 - 9 June 2012
Redland Performing Arts Centre
BOOKINGS: ON SALE FROM 31 JANUARY 2012 - PHONE (07) 3829 8131 or www.rpac.com.au
Toowoomba
12 June 2012
Empire Theatre, Toowoomba
BOOKINGS: 1300 655 299 or www.empiretheatre.com.au
VICTORIA
Bendigo
21 July 2012
Capital Theatre
BOOKINGS: (03) 5434 6100 or www.thecapital.com.au
Geelong
26 - 28 July 2012
Geelong Performing Arts Centre
BOOKINGS: (03) 5225 1200 or www.gpac.org.au
Ballarat
1 August 2012
Her Majestys Theatre
BOOKINGS: MajesTix (03) 5333 5888 or www.hermaj.com
Moonee Ponds
3 - 4 August 2012
The Clocktower Centre
BOOKINGS: (03) 9243 9191 or www.clocktowercentre.com.au
Frankston
7 - 8 August 2012
Frankston Arts Centre
BOOKINGS: (03) 9784 1060 or www.thefac.com.au
Nunawading
9 - 11 August 2012
Whitehorse Centre
BOOKINGS: (03) 9262 6555 or www.whitehorsecentre.com.au
Ringwood
31 August - 1st September 2012
Karralyka Centre
BOOKINGS: (03) 9879 2933 or www.karralyka.com.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Adelaide
14 - 18 August 2012
Adelaide Festival Centre
BOOKINGS: BASS - 131 246 or www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Geraldton
25 August 2012
Queens Park Theatre
BOOKINGS: (08) 9956 6662 or www.queensparktheatre.com.au
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