The Ravens Theatre Company co-founders Shelley Krape and Tim Heath join SmartArts to discuss the launch of Castlemaine’s new professional theatre company, and its inaugural production: Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, adapted by Anya Reiss.

Bringing ambitious, professional theatre to Central Victoria, The Ravens Theatre Company arrives in a town already rich with visual art, music and creative culture. Shelley and Tim saw a clear gap for regular, locally made theatre. "Professional” means paying artists properly, building a regional workforce, and making high-quality productions accessible without audiences needing to travel to Melbourne.

The pair unpack why The Seagull felt like the right place to begin: a classic work about artists, ambition, longing and creative frustration, made modern and immediate through Reiss’ contemporary adaptation.

The Seagull runs from the 12th to the 27th of June at Phee Broadway Theatre, Castlemaine.