The Book of Everything

A REHEARSED PLAY READING
MARCH 23, 2024
Richmond School or Arts
Corner March and West Market Streets, Richmond NSW
​Did you know that a play reading was how Richmond Players began – over 70 years ago?
We would like to step out again, but first we need to know if enough people are interested in coming along to hear more! If you are then please send an email Carol Wimmer at: [email protected] with your name and contact details and she‘ll get back to you. Meanwhile read on!
THE BIG QUESTIONS ANSWERED

What is a rehearsed play reading? I hear you ask.
Well it’s reading a play in front of an audience as the name suggests – but the actors who are ‘reading’ have spent a little time together getting to know the play, discussing what it’s about, learning about the objectives of the characters and actually doing several readings of the play so that they begin to take on the roles and make the characters more real.

What will you have to do?
It will mean meeting for several discussions and readings and maybe even organising some props – a table, some chairs, maybe even some simple costumes. But you won’t have to learn lines or blocking, just become confident about reading as the character and giving the lines meaning and emphasis.

It’s a great way to learn how to read ‘between the lines’ of a script and learn how to develop a character – and you get to see how the play comes together and the effect it might have on an audience.

​What's the Play?
The Book of Everything by Richard Tulloch.

Richard Tulloch is an Australian playwright who spends half the year in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and the other half of the year travelling or coming home to Australia.
He was one of the original writers of Bananas in Pyjamas.

The Book of Everything is based on a very famous Dutch book by Guus Kuijer that Tulloch was commissioned to adapt for the stage.

How Many Characters?
​There are 7 or 8 characters:
THOMAS KLOPPER - A young boy
MARGOT KLOPPER - His sister
MR KLOPPER - His Papa.
MRS KLOPPER - His Mamma.
MRS VAN AMERSFOORT - A witch!
AUNTY PIE - An Aunty
ELIZA - A friend
AN APPEARANCE! - Someone special
WHAT'S THE PLAY ABOUT?
When I grow up, I’m going to be happy. This is nine-year-old Thomas Klopper’s greatest wish. He isn’t quite an ordinary boy because he sees extraordinary things. Things most people seem to ignore: canals bursting with tropical fish, hailstorms in summer, plagues of hopping frogs. Thomas draws them all in his book, The Book of Everything.

For his stern and serious-minded Papa, the only books that matter are about God. Comical mistakes that Thomas makes are met with punishment instead of laughter. But when Papa attacks Thomas’ beloved Mamma he has definitely gone too far. Even the angels weep. Meanwhile a jovial Jesus drops in for chats, while Thomas befriends the startling Mrs van Amersfoort and a beautiful girl with a creaking leather leg. This is a magical story about a child who learns to act when beset by fear and faced with wrong.
​IMAGE CREDIT |
Matthew Whittet by Alex Craig