Every regional town has a hall, and every hall committee member has countless stories to tell.
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The Hall Committee is a celebration of the role halls have played in the fabric of small-town Australia but challenges the audience to look forward to the next phase of community life.
Damian Callinan, director and writer, first came up with the idea in 2016 after attending the Wagga Comedy Festival in 2016.
After a few more discussions with Carrissa Campbell at the Civic Theatre, it was time to get to work.
"The first phase was I came to Wagga for a week and interviewed hall committees around the area," he said. "Easily one of my favourite working weeks of my life, just sitting listening to committees talk about the moisture levels for a cake.
"Standing with people and them saying 'I met my husband there', 'I married him there'."
In 2018, Mr Callinan started writing the script after conducting a survey and hosting a night at the Civic Theatre to hear stories about local halls.
"Then in November I got together with the cast, and we started workshopping the script, and from then I have gone away and belted it into shape," he said.
"We started rehearsals this week, and it's feeling good."
The play tells the story of the Rummage South Memorial Hall when tree changer Penny manages to wrangle her way onto the committee.
When she reveals that a grant is within their reach, the fractured committee joins forces to outbid a rival. Unbeknownst to them, the hall is inhabited by the spirits of the past who weave their magic.
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