Jane Eyre, The Musical - 2024
by Paul Gordon and John Caird
Directed by Rouba Palmer
April 18-21, 2024
Memorial City Hall, Marshall, Texas.
Based on the classic novel by Charlotte Bronte, written in 1847, this production with it’s haunting musical score, overflows with messages of redemption, forgiveness and adversity overcome.
Cagebirds - 2023
by David Campton
October 25 - 29, 2023
Directed by Rouba Palmer
Cagebirds is an absurdist allegory that is set entirely inside a birdcage. Performed in the round (arena seating) at the Black Box Theatre in ETBU’s Genna Guest Music Building.
The imprisoned women represent anyone who has ever had their freedom taken away for so long that they have learned to not ‘ruffle any feathers’ and just accept the status quo. Will the ‘birds’ escape once presented with the opportunity or remain captive to their conditioned mindsets?
AWARD: INVITED PRODUCTION at Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), 2024, Region 6.
The Secret in the Wings - 2023
by Mary Zimmerman, April 14 -23 2023
The Augusta Conradi Studio Theatre
Directed by Rouba Palmer for her thesis show in her final semester of her MFA in Directing at Florida State University.
The Secret in the Wings takes 6 lesser known fairytales with darker than usual themes and presents them within a uniquely structured plot where all but one of the tales is split in half and its conclusion delivered after the entirety of the middle tale is told.
The Lesson - 2022
by Eugene Ionesco, 2nd and 3rd December 2022.
The Laboratory Theatre
Directed by Rouba Palmer in the 2nd last semester of her MFA in Directing at FSU - this absurdist comedy takes a look inside the surrealist mind of a narcissistic educator.
The Lesson deals with the difference between knowledge and understanding, i.e., knowing something is not the same as understanding it. Surrealism, just like Absurdism, looks at life in a slanted, non-literal and unorganized way. Both leave their audiences with more questions than answers. This is exactly what the playwright is seeking, for according to Ionesco, ‘it is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.’
AMEND - 2021
December 2021.
A Middle Eastern Night’s Dream was part of the School of Theatre’s Shakespeare Shorts. A one hour edited version of the Bard’s Dream, this play is set in the Middle East where fairies belly dance, Puck dons a fez and the lovers do a dabke dance at their wedding.
This production was edited and directed by Rouba Palmer in the 3rd year of her MFA in Directing degree at FSU. Rouba is a Lebanese-born Australian currently living in the USA.
The Human Circus - 2019
A devised performance about human trafficking, December 2019.
During the fall semester of 2019, Rouba Palmer devised and directed The Human Circus collaborating with undergrad theatre students from FSU’s School of Theatre. The play uses an eclectic mix of theatrical styles and techniques to present the stark reality of the horrors of human trafficking and sex slavery.
Theatresports® Says No! - 2015
Theatresports® is a form of competitive improvisation where teams create impromptu scenes in front of a live audience and are awarded points from a panel of judges. The scenes are made up on the spot and are hilariously entertaining. This sold out event was the official launch of Theatresports® Central Coast and all the proceeds ($1500) went to Destiny Rescue, a charity that is saving children from the horrors of sex trafficking.
The Jewellery Box - 2011
The Jewellery Box is a play written and directed by Rouba Palmer to create awareness about the ever-growing issue of human trafficking through an eclectic mix of theatrical styles including realism, physical theatre and Ancient Greek chorus.
The jewellery box, a symbol of innocence and femininity
“...ripped, stripped and broken and ugly things are placed inside. But it was not made for ugly things, it was made for beauty...”
27 million people are held in slavery world wide, 1,838 women and children are sold for sex daily - that’s one slave every 47 seconds. The average age of a trafficked victim is 14!
The play, performed by a talented cast of high school students, raised $10,000 for the A21 Campaign, an organisation that helps rescue, restore and rehabilitate trafficked victims from all around the world.
Cast: Larissa Bateman, Laura Wallace, Evelyn Luck, Clara Yarnold, Chantelle McGiver, Lisa Phillips, Matthew Driver, Anthony Walker, Josiah Alchin, Shenai Marks, Alana Calwell, Grace George, Rosalie Heywood, Isaac Creanor, Jarrod Pearce, Brianna Weeks and Aliesha Gates.
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare - 2008
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is often coined Shakespeare’s greatest comedy. Quench Theatre’s version, although maintaining the richness of the language, was set in the 1980’s with slight adaptations to the original script. For example Egeus, Hermia’s father, is now Egea, Hermia’s mother. Peter Quince became Mrs Quince the ‘Drama teacher’ and all the tradesmen became Drama students. Our production also incorporated physical theatre, music, dance and song thus enhancing the melodramatic elements within the play.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream received full houses and standing ovations. All proceeds from the performances ($5000) went towards New Hope International, a charity organisation that provides quality training and resources for disadvantaged teachers in developing countries.
Reviews of A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
'Love is in the air' was a fitting tune to close the delightfully directed production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Avoca Beach Picture Theatre last week. Again, the venue proved a winner for live theatre and again, a 2008 production proved a winner for charity. Rouba Palmer and her company Quench Theatre raised approximately $5000 for New Hope International. Love is indeed, in the air…I must have a bit of a gush. The cast were fabulous and the 1980’s theme worked a treat. I must make mention of Steve Hilaire who, as Bottom, had me in stitches with his antics. – WAT-E News
‘I came and saw the matinee on Friday and loved it. I particularly loved Rouba Palmer as Helena, Alicia Simes as Hermia and the wonderful actor who played Bottom, Stephen Hillaire. He had me wetting myself. And kudos on the 80’s theme, it worked a treat.’ – Rose Cooper
‘Congratulations for opening night. I had a couple of work colleagues come last night, one who is a Shakespearean critic (wrote her thesis on Shakespeare's work). They absolutely raved- loved the '80s take on "The Dream", laughed the whole night, thought everyone was brilliant. Really impressed them to the point, they are coming back next week with more work mates’ – Hamish Salberg
‘I was at the performance on Saturday evening and absolutely LOVED it. I would describe it as a total romp and the highest praise I could give is to say that had Shakespeare been in the audience he would have loved it. I had tears of delight and joy running down my cheeks’. – Olive Lloyd.
Director: Rouba Palmer
Cast: Marc Calwell, Kylie Collins, Sandra Engstrom, Tri Nguyen, Hamish Salburg, Alicia Simes, Rouba Palmer, Jen Francis, Steve Hilaire, Matt Chapman, Daniel Dawes, Caroline Cherry, John Hunter, Lance Hawkins, Katie McManus, Sophie Berry-Porter, Shannon Faulkner, Anna Evans, Larissa Pearce, Daniella Scaturchio and Gabrielle Steele.
Three - 2004
Three, written and directed by Rouba Palmer, is a play about the creation of the world and the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is a story about love and redemption.
The cast of Quench Theatre’s production of Three took on a variety of performance styles, including symbolism and transformational acting to convey themes of forgiveness and unconditional love and present familiar biblical stories in an eclectic and visually evocative way.
Cast: Tom Franklin, Tri Nguyen, Genevieve Bird, Danielle O’Hara, Kelly Exley, Fiona Matthews, Sam Rae, Charlotte Ervin, Alicia Simes, Sandra Engstrom and Matthew Chapman.