CDP Theatre Producers, Magic Beach

CDP Kids presents

MAGIC BEACH

A play by Finegan Kruckemeyer
Based on the book by Alison Lester

At our beach, at our magic beach...

Every year, an everyday family go on a beach holiday. This isn't just any beach - it's Magic Beach, where everything you can imagine becomes real. But this year is different. As the eldest child begins to grow up, does she have to leave the magic behind?

Alison Lester AM's classic book comes to life on stage in a wonderful world of text, song, light, shadow and movement for children aged 3-12 and their adults.

From the team behind The Gruffalo and The 13-, 26-, 52-, 78- and 91-Storey Treehouses, this new Australian adaptation from multi-award winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer is a celebration of the power of the imagination and the differences that make every child special.

Kate Betcher - Sally

Born and raised in suburban Sydney, Kate was drawn to the performing arts from a young age. She first studied dance for many years, before switching her focus to singing and acting. After finishing high school, Kate was accepted into WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) to study a Bachelor of Arts in Acting.

After graduating from WAAPA and returning to Sydney, Kate has found herself on Australian screens and stages, appearing in iconic soap Home and Away and films directed by some of Australia's most renowned directors, Russell Mulcahy and Bruce Beresford. She also debuted the new Australian play Thai-Riffic with The Theatre Division and starred as May in Patina Productions' Fool for Love to excellent reviews.

Kate has always loved improvisation and was lucky enough to participate in a Groundlings workshop, run by co-founder Phyllis Katz in 2018, and since then Kate has studied and begun performing stand-up comedy.

Some of Kate's screen credits include The Other Guy (Stan), Ladies In Black (dir. Bruce Beresford), In Like Flynn (dir. Russell Mulcahy) and theatre credits Les Miserables (Packemin Productions), Coriolanus (dir. Michael Jennings) and A Tale of Two Cities (WAAPA). After a worldwide break from live performances, Kate is thrilled to be able to tour with Magic Beach to share her love of theatre with Australian audiences once again.

Petronella van Tienen - Lucy

Petronella graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2016 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre). Her previous theatre credits include Tiger in Girl Running, Boy Falling (Mudlark Theatre Company), Actor in Playlist (Siren Theatre Company), Aaron Dangerfield/Edward Ashbrook in Coram Boy (bAKEHOUSE Theatre Company), and Claudia Nardi in Nine (Little Triangle).

She has recently toured with CDP Theatre Producers as Cat in Room on the Broom, Madame Know-It-All in The 91-Storey Treehouse, and Child in The Gruffalo's Child.

Petronella holds associate degrees in piano (AMEB) & classical voice (Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music). She appeared as presenter for the web series Storytime @ Koorong, as featured vocalist in Nathan Glenn's CD & concert series Tell Me His Story, and as Birdie in the musical album Antarctica: Beneath the Storm (Sundog Productions). Petronella is a proud member of Actors Equity since 2016 & is represented by Mollison Keightley Management.

She is absolutely delighted to be touring with CDP again as Lucy in Magic Beach.

Alex Packard - Danny

Alex is an actor originally from Canberra. He is a 2013 graduate of Charles Sturt University's Bachelor of Arts (Acting for Screen and Stage), and has studied under a number of acting and performance teachers in Sydney where he now lives.

Having toured nationally a number of times, Alex is very excited to get back on the road, this time with Magic Beach. Other tours include: Possum Magic (Monkey Baa), Alice In Wonderland (Sydney Festival and Michael Sieders Presents) and a theatre in education tour with Brainstorm Productions.

Other theatre credits include: Lulu: A Modern Sex Tragedy (NIDA), The Van De Maar Papers (An Assorted Few), Blackrock (Seymour Centre and White Box), All Good Things (ATYP), Drift (ATYP and Two Peas), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged (Bindle Brothers).

Alex played the lead role in Metroscreen and Azure Productions' award-winning short film Oasis, airing on ABC, and is featured in the SBS short film Cherry Season. Alex co- produced The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged with Bindle Brothers and worked as production assistant for The Nether (Catnip Productions).

We believe in making our shows accessible for children with additional sensory and learning needs.

A visual story is available for Magic Beach to help you prepare for your visit to the theatre.

DOWNLOAD VISUAL STORY

Accessible performances may be available at some venues. Please check with your local venue for details.

For additional online resources to extend the theatre experience, visit CDP Digital.

Teachers and registered homeschoolers can also access education activities and resources at CDP Education.