Old Mill's Romeo and Juliet - and the weather!

The latest bulletins from the Bureau of Meteorology indicate that the Romeo and Juliet performance scheduled for Friday 20th March may be affected by weather. Due to the nature of both the venue and the production, we will not be able to perform if it rains. The Old Mill Theatre is monitoring the situation, and will make a decision regarding this as soon as possible. For those people that have already purchased tickets for Friday 20th July and have left their contact details with BOCS, you will be notified if there is a cancellation. If this occurs, your tickets will be transferrable to any other performance date. Alternatively, if you are willing to change your plans at short notice, please feel free to attend the production tonight (Thursday 19th March) instead. Garry Davies Chair Old Mill Theatre

Hi Garry Any word on tonights show as yet?

That is ridiculous u play on...its outdoor theatre!

Current forescasts are available here: http://www.bom.gov.au/

you know what would be ridiculous? Going and watching the show in the rain - getting terribly sick (Both you and the actors) and then the having to end the season short because the actors are ill... Sounds like alot of fun!

If it is cancelled ............ Why not come and see 'The Merchant of Venice' at the New Fortune Theatre UWA. Outside theatre - but audience protected if it rains. We don't stop because of water!!! Happy Shakespearing x

Given everyone has said The Merchant of Venice is s-h-i-t-e, why bother?

As indicated above, a final decision on tonight's Romeo and Juliet performance won't be made until mid-afternoon today. However, latest indications from the Bureau of Meteorology are very positive. There is still a possibly of some patchy showers in the metro area this evening, but they are likely to be so light that they shouldn't interefere with anyone's comfort. The Bureau is expecting no more than 0.2 millimeters in total, and most areas of Perth are likely to get no rain at all. In response to some of the comments regarding our concerns about the weather, these go beyond comfort levels. Firstly, the play is accompanied by live musicians that are playing traditional medieval instruments, some of which could be damaged if played in wet weather. Secondly, we have incorporated some very complex fighting using some very real swords. It's certainly spectacular, but could be dangerous for the actors if performed on a slippery surface. For these reasons, we will be more conservative with our decision that might otherwise have been the case. Having said that, it's looking positive for us to go ahead with tonight's production - I'll provide a further update once a final decision has been made. Garry

The theatre gods are on Old Mill's side today - the forecast for this evening has improved as the day has gone on, and we are no longer expecting to be affected at all by the weather. Note that BOCS will have now closed sales for this weekend's performances, but you should be able to get tickets at the door tonight and on Sunday. Saturday night's bookings are approaching capacity, so if you were planning on buying tickets at the door I suggest you arrive at the venue early. Garry

Out of interest, how many is capacity for an outdoor production of this nature?

So is that 100? 150? If Saturday is almost sold out, there must be a cap on ticket sales.

We have a limit of 200 ticket sales per night. As instructed by the City of South Perth :)

185 tickets sold for tonights performance Capacity 300

is the show still on despite the recent downpour?

Yes show still on Doesn't matter if Juliet is damp RC

The recent heavy showers have taken everyone (including the Bureau of Meteorology it seems) by surprise. We have just checked the venue and the ground is too wet to continue with the production, and there is no guarantee that showers won't continue into the evening. All those that have purchased tickets will be able to transfer them to another evening. Apologies - it seems the theatre gods weren't smiling on us after all. Garry Davies Chair Old Mill Theatre

Oh dear . . . how's the set holding up? All that MDF and chipboard! Per Ardua Ad Astra

Hows the ticket situation for the rest of the season?

Are there any tickets left for this week?

There are currently tickets available for all shows this week. Patrons should be able to get tickets at the door on Wednesday and Thursday, but I would expect that there will be limited tickets available at the door for Friday and Saturday. If you are wanting to see the show this weekend, I recommend booking ahead.