According to the people behind the nightly drama program, the story that is unfolding night-by-night is the result of more than a year of planning. Casting and stage planning began early last year and the script—written by camporee director, Tony Knight—gave direction to actors, costumer designers and set planners from October last year.
However, despite the long preparation time, the team only assembled last week to pull the pieces together. “The drama team and crew have been excellent to work with,” says director, Tania Calais. “And since we have arrived here as a team we have drawn in some additional cast members with just a few days notice and they are doing wonderfully.”
The drama re-tells the Bible story of Josiah, the boy king who chose to stand for God and turned his nation around, with a modern-sub-story of a couple of young people involved in an archaeological expedition exploring the story for themselves.
Stefan Lares, from Perth (WA), plays the character Ashley. “Everyone has been really good to work with,” he says. “We were praying as we were back stage on the first night and I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be.”
He’s says Tania’s a “brilliant director” and Tony did a great job at writing the script. “We hope that everyone at camporee will focus on the message that is coming through,” he adds. “This is my first camporee and being a member of the staff has been tiring but heaps of fun.”
