The Palais
A building sings of lives in music
date: 2000
duration: 90 minutes
The Palais was produced by Urban Theatre Projects, 2000. Co-devised by Mary McMenamin, John Baylis and Richard Vella, The Palais is a celebration of the role music plays in the well being of elderly people's lives. As a music theatre event, The Palais harks back to the golden age of vaudeville and the music hall. The performance was held over three nights at the Parramatta Town Hall Sydney and involved community groups, aged care residents, senior performers and artists based in the western suburbs of Sydney.
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Musicians and community participants were Cecil Parkee (ventriloquist); Ron Martin (Db) & Lou [Casch] Nanlohy (guit) from the Johnny O'Keefe band; Sadool Singh (sitar); Ione Sheppard (tp & acc); Joy Dhammapala (voice); Terry Woo (voice); Pandit Ram Chandler Suman (tabla); Ted and Audrey Jay (voices); The U3A Choir; The Vietnamese Elderly Friendship Association; The West Ring Singers; The Ragmuffin Ragtime Band; The Nepean Choral Society; Marjory Murray (voice). Musical director, Carla Thackrah.
The Palais was documented by national broadcaster, the ABC, for television and radio.
ABC TV documentary: The Palais (2000)
This video is a documentary version filmed by the ABC focusing on a select number of performers from the production. They are: Cecil Parkee (ventriloquist); Ron Martin (Db) & Lou [Casch] Nanlohy (guit) from the Johnny O'Keefe band; Sadool Singh (sitar); Ione Sheppard (tp & acc); Joy Dhammapala (voice); Terry Woo (voice); and Pandit Ram Chandler Suman (tabla).
Radio Documentary: Inside The Palais (2000)
This radio documentary consists of a series of location recordings produced for Radio Eye, ABC Radio National. Produced by Lea Redfern; Sound engineer Russell Stapelton.