Spike is Back! Pick up a Pen!
The Spike is Back tour began on 24 August 2005 in a charming
independent cinema in Murwillumbah and took off on a wild
and ambitious experiment down the east coast of Australia.
Phase one of the Spike is Back tour
Live show generates interest for theatrical
shows
Phase two of the Spike is Back tour
More about the live show
Phase One of the Spike is Back tour
The live show played the following venues:
Wed 24 Aug – Murwillumbah Regent Cinema
Thurs 25 August - Yamba Bowling Club
Fri 26 Aug – Southport Sharks
Sun 28 Aug – Rocklea (Brisbane) Brothers St
Brendans
Tue 30 Aug – Coffs Ex Services
Wed 31 Aug – Port Macquarie Panthers
Thu 1 Sept – Cessnock Supporters
Fri 2 Sept – Forster Bowling Club
Sun 4 Sept – Rooty Hill RSL
Sat 10 Sept - Ettalong Beach War Memorial Club
View the interactive map,
where you can read audience reactions to the evening and
blogs from Laura Milligan who toured with the show.
Live show generates interest for
theatrical shows
The question we were asking was: Would people come out
to see a live show and documentary film in regional club
venues during the week and without an enormous publicity
budget to promote it? We knew it was a high risk venture,
but we went ahead anyway.
After nine shows, we took stock of the experiment and decided
that, although the audiences who were coming to the show
were loving it, and often staying back for up to an hour
to talk to Laura and Glenn, the audience numbers just weren't
enough to keep the live show going. So we moved into Phase
Two of the tour, which was film screenings only.
However we all agreed to do one more live show and film,
and that was in Ettalong, near Woy Woy, where Spike had
spent so much time and where his parents lived for almost
forty years. This show takes place at 7.30pm on Saturday
10 September at the Ettalong Beach War Memorial Club.
Read Cathy
Henkel's blog about the tour
Phase two of the Spike is Back tour
The dates and venues for phase two of the tour are:
5 September - Byron Bay Community Centre
6 September - Orange Ex Services
15-21 September (daily at 1.15pm and 5.30pm) - Electric
Shadows Cinema Canberra - phone 02 6247 5060 for
bookings
21, 28 September - Mackay Film Society
- phone 03 5523 3467 for bookings
1 October - Mt Tamborine Film Society -
phone 07 5545 1895
8, 9, 15, 16 October - Portland Star Cinema
- phone 03 5523 3467 for bookings
23 October, 28 October, 1 November - Murwillumbah
Regent Cinema - phone 6672 8265 for bookings
Other locations yet to confirm include Noosa Heads, Darwin
and Woodford.
More about the live show
There were two components to the live show: music and songs
by Glenn Cardier (toured with Spike in 80's); readings
of Spike's letters and poems by his eldest daughter,
Laura Milligan; and a screening of the new documentary I
TOLD YOU I WAS ILL: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF SPIKE MILLIGAN.
Laura Milligan
Laura is Spike's eldest daughter who sketched a number
of cartoons in his books. Laura and her sisters' decision
to open their personal archives has given the world a much
greater insight into the man voted by the BBC as the funniest
person of the millennium.
Glenn Cardier
Australian singer-songwriter Glenn Cardier toured with
Spike Milligan around Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong
in the 1980s. Glenn appears in the documentary, two of his
songs are part of the film's soundtrack, and he will share
amusing and revealing anecdotes about the comic genius as
part of the Spike is Back! Tour.
..and Spike Milligan!
Spike was a dedicated activist who took a stand on many
issues and was a prolific letter writer about things he
considered important. Writing was also a tool he used in
his fight with depression. A theme of the night is encouraging
the audience to play a more active role in democracy. A
life size Spike doll, with pen in hand, will be in attendance.
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