Love for One Night digital program
A NORPA production
at the Eltham Hotel
Directed and devised by Julian Louis
Written and devised by Janis Balodis
27 Aug – 12 Sep 2026
A NOTE FROM DIRECTOR JULIAN LOUIS
Love For One Night is a love letter to The Eltham Hotel. When we first embarked on the original 2022 season, I was interested in creating another site-specific show, at a location with its own stories – or at least providing an evocative backdrop for a theatre work. The Eltham is an iconic venue in our region — a pub that celebrates its history and community spirit. It’s a place where strangers become familiar faces and familiar faces become something like family. But a pub is more than a backdrop for a show. That it is somewhere to go for life’s big conversation is at the heart of this production.
We’re grateful to Matt and Luke for welcoming Love For One Night back to the Eltham Hotel in 2026.
This new iteration of Love For One Night has been shaped and deepened by a wonderful group of creatives and performers, whose generosity has brought fresh perspectives and nuance to the work. New movement routines reflect country folk dances and complement the do-si-do structure of the storytelling. New songs and sound design heighten the emotional terrain. Updated audio-visuals bring fresh life to the overall experience. We’ve edited the script to tighten ideas and sharpen character journeys, and the costuming is bolder. It has been a massive effort in a short timeframe by the whole creative team.
This production marks a milestone for NORPA: the first show we’ve rehearsed in our new home at The Joinery. Working there with this cast and the whole team has been a daily pleasure and is genuinely one of the highlights of my theatre making career.
My thanks to Janis, my collaborator of fifteen years. It is rare and special for a creative partnership to endure this long.
This production is dedicated to my dad, Paul Julian Louis. He loved a beer and a chat at the pub. It was there that he found his friendships and community. He wasn’t a theatre man. If I’m honest, if not for me, he probably wouldn’t have set foot in a theatre ever. Love For One Night is made for people like my dad, who love a good story, told at their favourite local.
Paul Julian Louis 22 April 1945 – 22 November 2023
Julian Louis
Director
CREATING A DEVISED THEATRE WORK
Love For One Night began not with a script, but with a room full of ideas, people, and possibilities.
The work was created through a devised theatre-making process: a form of collective making where story, script and performance emerge through collaboration, improvisation and experimentation.
Read our Backstage article to discover the process behind creating a devised theatre work.
INSIDE THE REHEARSAL ROOM
Love for One Night was rehearsed inside The Joinery, where the team recreated the footprint of the Eltham Hotel to explore how the show would move through the space.
From the bar and pool room to the outdoor tables, doorways and stage, this temporary rehearsal set became a testing ground for the performers, camera operators and creative team to work out the intricate choreography of movement, live cameras and projections that make the production tick.
Take a peek inside the rehearsal room in this behind-the-scenes video, where we’ve captured a little of the action.
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
Love For One Night was devised through a collaborative creative process
Name
Julian is the Artistic Director of NORPA where he has directed a significant body of work that is place based, combining community research and engagement, with physical theatre, dance, music and text. Examples include: Dreamland (2016, 2019) – played in community halls and Railway Wonderland (2012, 2015) played on Lismore’s disused railway station. Julian is a graduate of NIDA’s Directors course, holds a BA Communications in Theatre/Media from Charles Sturt University and trained as a performer and theatre maker in London with renowned teacher Phillippe Gaulier.
Janis Balodis
Janis is a freelance writer, director and dramaturg. Major plays Too Young for Ghosts (1985), No Going Back (1992), My Father’s Father (1996) premiered at Melbourne Theatre Company. Music theatre works for NORPA include The Mercenary (1997), Mr. Barbecue (2001), The Flood (2004), Electric Lenin (2007), Railway Wonderland (2012 & 2015) and Dreamland (2016). Positions held include Associate Director MTC, Artistic Associate QTC, member of Literature and Theatre Boards of the Australia Council.
Claire Atkins
Claire is an artist and actor, and was a performer/devisor in NORPA’s 2022 season of Love For One Night. She recently performed in Eddie Perfect’s Vivid White (Brunswick Picture House), Zero Gravity (La Boite), Tiny Beautiful Things (BTC), and Roller Coaster (Everybody NOW). This year, Claire also performs in Mae West Undressed (Chance Productions).
Phil Blackman
Phil is a WAAPA graduate, performer, actor, deviser, teacher, facilitator and choreographer based in the Northern Rivers. He has worked extensively with NORPA and collaborated on Australia Council-funded projects. He facilitates workshops for arts and disability organisations, including REDInc, where he mentors creative arts practitioners.
Aurora Kurth
Aurora is a critically acclaimed singer and actor known for her sublime vocals, sharp wit and compelling stage presence. Her credits include La Clique (Edinburgh Fringe), MARA (Theatre Works), ROUGE, Loving the Alien, Walkabout (Chamber Made Opera) and Suburban Gothic (Adelaide Cabaret Festival).
Belle Power
Belle is an actor, theatre maker and 5Rhythms movement teacher. A graduate of the USQ BCA (Theatre), her stage and screen credits include Sensing Murder (Channel 7), Harvest, Women in Love, and her acclaimed one-woman show Snakeskin at La Mama. She co-created the award-winning interactive theatre experience A Life with No Sauce/Source collaborating with actors and deaf blind performers, and recently played Valerie in Bangalow Theatre’s Speaking in Tongues.
Jo Turner
Jo Turner is an Australian director, writer, dramaturg, actor and facilitator and has built an extensive career across stage and screen. Theatre credits include Henry V, Antony And Cleopatra, The Merchant of Venice (Bell Shakespeare), The Resistance (ATYP), Evie May (Hayes Theatre), Hysteria (Eternity Playhouse), Railway Wonderland (NORPA), The Ugly One (Griffin Theatre), Ruby Moon, Thyestes, Howard Katz (Sydney Theatre Company).
Poppy Walker
Poppy is a film director and writer based on Bundjalung Country, whose award-winning work has screened in Australia and abroad. Poppy’s collaborative practice spans documentary, narrative film and theatre, crafting stories to illuminate our shared humanity.
Matt Blackman
Matt Blackman is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and sound designer known for his work on the popular television shows Colin From Accounts, Population: 11 and No Activity. Matt constructs soulful sonic universes that are passionately original and memorable. Nothing makes Matt happier than working closely with clever storytellers and artistic visionaries to find a unique musical language that will bring their ideas to life.
Alex Torney
Alex is a multi-disciplinary queer artist. They attained a Bachelor of Creative Arts: Performance from the University of Wollongong and work primarily as a lighting designer, sound engineer, AV technician, production manager and installation artist. Their work seeks interactivity and playfulness as a tool to provoke critical thought. They are best described by long-time collaborator Betty Grumble: “hunk, punk, skater, maker, tech sensation”.
Vanessa Kellas
Vanessa is a photographer, performance artist and producer with a passion for connecting and supporting the many storytellers of this region, working with Public Act Theatre for 5 years, a social arts theatre company, then based at the Byron Community Centre, through to her current role as Creative Support for Sprung!! Dance Theatre.
Charlotte Haywood
Charlotte lives on Bundjalung Country. She is an experimental interdisciplinary artist who works across the senses. She trades between the tactile and the digital, form and phenomena, working across textiles, sculpture, installation, public art, film, theatre, live art, music, food, linguistics, communities and ecologies. She has exhibited and worked on projects nationally and internationally.
Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal
Jade is a Javanese Australian choreographer, dancer and director celebrated for transcultural, interdisciplinary works that awaken the senses and spirit. Performed across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, her evocative creations ripple through theatres, galleries and natural landscapes. Collaborations with NORPA include Djurra, Wildskin and Flow.
Luke Bennett
Luke is Tasmanian born singer songwriter/guitarist who settled into the Northern Rivers region in 2014. A regular gigging musician usually seen sharing his songs at all kinds of local venues and collaborating with other artists. This is Luke’s second time performing in a theatre production after featuring in the first run of Love For One Night, he’s thrilled to be back again for more of the magic!
Ben Cox
Born in Lismore and brought up in Lennox Head in a gospel/church music family, Ben has toured nationally and internationally with various artists for the past 20 years. While still maintain a busy live and recording schedule, Ben has recently settled back in Lismore with his wife and sons and is passionate about fostering and maintaining the world class standard of our region’s music scene and its artists.
Asline Adjalle
Originally from Paris, Asline is a Stage Manager now based in the Northern Rivers. She trained as a Stage Manager and Live Performance Technician, and has international experience across cabaret, music, exhibitions and festival events. This is Asline’s second show with NORPA, having worked as Production Stage Manager on NORPA’s Village Circuit tour of Prima Facie earlier this year.
Tia Nelson
Tia is a performer and theatre maker with experience spanning across musical theatre, dance, assistant directing and stage management. She has worked with companies including Bangalow Theatre Company and Drill Hall Theatre Company, both onstage and behind the scenes. With a lifelong background in dance and performance, Tia brings a strong understanding of movement, storytelling and live production to her work. She is thrilled to be joining NORPA as Assistant Stage Manager for this production.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Show Production Manager Mikey Richardson
Camera Operator Marcus O’Brien
Video Switcher Jake Dix
Audio Engineer Steve Shaw
Head of Lighting Padi Bolliger
Technical Crew Jesse Scott and Lachlan McAulay
Front of House Managers Bobbie Field, Joss Lewis
Directing Mentorship Janie Gibson
ORIGINAL 2022 TEAM
Director & Devisor Julian Louis
Writer & Devisor Janis Balodis
Video Producer Mic Gruchy
Video Designer Poppy Walker
Musical Director Jamie Birrell
Musicians Luke Bennett & Ben Cox
Movement Consultant Kimberley McIntyre
Production & Costume Designer Charlotte Haywood
Lighting Designer Alex Torney
Associate Artist Anna Marais
Associate Artist Jo Turner
Performers Lloyd Allison-Young, Claire Atkins, Phil Blackman, Zoe Gameau, Katia Molino
Stage Manager Kylie Fuad & Adrienne Meg Lester
Assistant Stage Manager Ava Jarrett
Production Manager Steve Gooding
Production Consultant Karl Johnson
Camera Operator Marcus O’Brien
Video Switchers Rohan Langford, Eden Crawford-Harriman
Audio Technician Steve Shaw
Technicians Rich Morrod, Patrick Bollinger, Andrew Thompson, Nat Rolls-Gordon
ABOUT NORTHERN RIVERS PERFORMING ARTS (NORPA)
NORPA creates bold, contemporary theatre that lives beyond traditional stages. Guided by a belief in theatre without walls, we make work that connects deeply with place, people and the world we live in.
We are committed to nurturing local talent and championing ambitious storytelling — proof that regional communities are rich with creative possibility.
At the heart of NORPA’s work is collaboration. We partner with local artists, community organisations, businesses and government to create shared cultural experiences and meaningful opportunities for artists to live and work in our region.
NORPA is a not-for-profit company led by a small team of theatre professionals and supported by a dedicated group of volunteers.
The magic of shows like Love for One Night comes from the extraordinary skill, care and commitment of this small NORPA team behind them.
NORPA Board — thank you to
Damian Kassabgi (Chair)
Bill Harris
Edwina Johnson
Mitch King
Jen Djula
Kate Stroud (Secretary)
Luke Sullivan
Meredith Wray (Deputy Chair)
Mitzi Zaphir (Treasurer)
NORPA Team — congratulations to
Julian Louis – Artistic Director
Libby Lincoln – Executive Director
Julie Toussaint – Fundraising and Partnerships Manager
Alexia Saeck – Marketing and Communications Manager
Sasha Bradbury – Lead Producer
Michael Richardson – Production and Technical Lead
Jenni Law – Company Administrator
Jacq Driscoll — Associate Producer
WHAT’S NEXT AT NORPA
POV in The Joinery
★★★★ “There is the thrill of the unexpected at every turn.” – Cultural Binge
Be among the first to experience theatre at The Joinery, NORPA’s new creative home, when we open the doors for re:group performance collective’s acclaimed POV.
Opening The Joinery is a milestone we’ve worked towards for years, and it feels fitting to mark this new chapter with a work centred on connection, imagination and shared experience. POV invites audiences to lean in, stay curious and discover what unfolds alongside the performers. Every performance is different, shaped by the people in the room and the magic of the unexpected.
1 — 3 Oct | The Joinery
Tickets $30 – $55
SUPPORT BOLD STORIES. SUPPORT NORPA.
Love for One Night celebrates the stories, people and places that make our region extraordinary.
Your donation helps NORPA create and present bold, original theatre right here in the Northern Rivers — supporting local artists, bringing communities together and ensuring powerful regional stories continue to be told.
Every gift, big or small, helps keep independent theatre thriving in our region.
DONATE TODAYTHANK YOU TO
The Eltham Hotel team of Matt Rabbidge, Luke Sullivan, Lily McKnight, Matt Finch and Jane Buxton who willingly said ‘yes’ to the original season in 2022, then welcomed us back with open arms for the return season.
All the box office, usher and merchandise staff, residents of Eltham Village and surrounds, Rachelle Blake, Kate Holmes, Leigh McGrane, Kurt Petersen, Linden Tierney.
LOVE FOR ONE NIGHT PARTNERS
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, and the NSW Government through Create NSW.
CELEBRATION PARTNER
NORPA PARTNERS
