By CHERIE DONNELLAN
COMEDIAN Kate McLennan set herself a challenge when she agreed to write children’s comedy radio play Super Speedy Sound Shed.
But she was relieved when her six-year-old godson gave it the tick of approval.
“I took my godson to see it when the show first ran as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival season during March and April – he loved it,” McLennan beamed.
However, she expected her target audience would be slightly older.
“I thought maybe it would appeal to eight to 12-year-olds but I think that because of the interactive nature of the show the six-to-10 age bracket really looks forward to taking part.”
McLennan explained that writing for children was “completely different” to producing material for her “not-kid-friendly” stand-up shows at major events like the comedy festival.
“But I’m pretty in-touch with my inner-child,” she laughed.
The Super Speedy storyline told of Maddie and Sam Siddlepop attempting to make their father the best birthday present.
“The kids forget their father’s birthday and [when they remember] they set off to reinvent their dad’s shed into a recording studio,” McLennan explained.
“He’s got dreams to be a country and western music star so they think they’ve got the perfect idea but they head along to this crazy shopping centre and things go haywire.”
McLennan said sound engineer Brett Maverix produced “all sorts of disusting sound effects” for the show but children were also given a “show bag” to make their own effects.
“They get things like a pair of rubber gloves and they’re told what to do with them and when.”
McLennan praised performers Justin Kennedy, as the narrator, Lana Schwarcz, as Maddie and other characters, and Xavier Michelidas, who played Maddie’s younger brother Sam and their father.
“It’s their job to really keep their focus and they do it so well.”
McLennan, who attended Belmont High School, said she was happy Geelong audiences could experience a show she wrote.
“I actually used to work at GPAC, so it’s quite nice to see one of my shows being played there in my home town.”
Geelong Performing Arts Centre’s Drama Theatre will host Super Speedy Sound Shed on 31 August.
