METEOR SHOWER​

by Steve Martin

Directed and designed by Chris Baldock

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Season: June 26-July 5, 2025

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The Mockingbird Studio, Belconnen Arts Centre

Corky and Norm are excited to host Gerald and Laura at their home in the valley outside Los Angeles to watch a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower. But as the stars come out and the conversation gets rolling, it becomes clear that Gerald and Laura might not be all that they appear to be. Over the course of a crazy, starlit dinner party, the wildly unexpected occurs. The couples begin to flirt and insanity reigns. Martin, using his trademark absurdist humour, bends the fluid nature of time and reality to create a surprising and unforgettably funny new play.

PLEASE NOTE: The play is a laugh-out-loud adult-themed comedy with sexually suggestive (both straight and same-sex) scenes and language.

“…a wild and laugh-filled rocket ride” – San Diego Union Tribune

“…Mr. Martin is peerless at crafting tiny wit bombs, and always has been… It’s definitely funny!” – The New York Times

“…A very funny play. Keening-like-a-howler-monkey funny. Design-a-new-cry-laughing-emoji funny.” – Entertainment Weekly

“…Meteor Shower sparks with the same anarchic energy as Martin’s reckless comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile.” – Deadline

Great Plays. Great Actors. Great Stories. Mockingbird Theatre is an award-winning (Canberra Critics Circle – The Laramie Project plays) Canberra-based theatre company bringing discerning audiences the best text-based 20th and 21st Century plays from around the world. Utilising the talents of Canberra’s experienced and emerging theatrical talents, Mockingbird Theatre’s mission is to move, thrill, entertain and to create theatrical magic that will touch the soul.

From the Director:

The actor, Edmund Gwenn, supposedly on his deathbed, muttered the immortal “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard”. He’s not wrong! Trying to get the right beats, timing, contrasts, inflections, physicalities, the raise of an eyebrow at exactly the right moment, the correct stress on the correct syllable – it’s like a science. And because, in this country at least, we don’t have the luxury of weeks of previews to test the laughs out, in the end we must take a huge leap of faith and rely on our gut. But when you have a bonkers script from a comedy genius, not only is the job of interpreting it made easier but it becomes much less “hard” when it also inspires both your imagination and your funny bone.

This talented cast, my two hard-working cohorts and I have had a blast creating this delirious 80 minutes of comedic chaos for you. Absurdist comedy is an extra delight because it’s almost like there are no rules. Once Mr Martin sets the tone, the liberties taken to honour his script enable the flights of fancy to flow. I am honoured to have shared this particular “flight of fancy” with Anto, Sachin, Maxine, Jess, Steph and Rhiley.

Another esteemed artist, Stephen Sondheim, also once told us that art isn’t easy. It’s not. But as artists, if we are inspired and inspire others, the passion for what we do means we embrace the challenge. Running a theatre company and acting studio almost singlehandedly is a massive challenge. But the love and generosity I have already received from the Canberra community means that my art is made all the more easy because others are believing in it too. I think the world sometimes forgets that theatre directors, producers and actors are artists too. The work we create can be seen as disposable compared to the tangible work that painters, photographers, writers, sculptors, musicians etc put in front of you. But what we can create is a memory – something that can move, inspire, challenge or simply entertain you. I am proud that we here at Mockingbird have the opportunity to continue to do just that for audiences. Thank you for coming and supporting this crazy piece of art. I hope that the hard work we have put into it looks effortless. That, to me, is the hard part about comedy – making it look easy. Please enjoy!

By Arrangement with ORiGiNTM Theatrical On Behalf of Samuel French

A Concord Theatricals Company

Setting: Ojah, California. 1993

The performance will run for approximately 80 minutes with no interval

CAST: (in order of appearance)

Corky – Jess Beange

Norman – Sachin Nayak

Gerald – Anto Hermida

Laura – Maxine Eayrs

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director/Designer – Chris Baldock

Assistant Director – Stephanie Evans

Stage Manager – Rhiley Winnett

Lighting Design – Rhiley Winnett and Chris Baldock

Sound Design – Chris Baldock

Set Design and Painting – Chris Baldock

Set realisation – Chris Baldock, Rhiley Winnett, Steph Evans and cast

Projection, Sound & Lighting Operation – Rhiley Winnett

Costumes and Props – Chis Baldock, Steph Evans and cast

Intimacy Consultant – Steph Evans

Publicity – Jess Beange, Chris Baldock and Steph Evans

Rehearsal Prompt – Liz St Clair Long

FOR MOCKINGBIRD THEATRICS:

Artistic Director & Head Tutor – Chris Baldock

Technical Manager – Rhiley Winnett

Publicity, Graphics and Photography – Chris Baldock

Associate Directors – Zac Bridgman, Steph Evans, Céline Oudin

Associate Tutors – Ruth Pieloor, Liz Caddy, Callum Doherty, Marcel Cole, Ary White

Patron: Liz St Clair Long

THANKS TO:

Anni, Shan & the Belconnen Arts Centre staff, City News & Helen Musa, ABC Radio Canberra, Canberra Weekly & Bernie Ryan Stage Whispers, Canberra Critics Circle, ArtsSound, Living Arts Canberra, HerCanberra

REVIEWS:

https://citynews.com.au/2025/wild-ride-of-humour-emotions-and-a-clever-ending/

https://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/meteor-shower

http://ccc-canberracriticscircle.blogspot.com/2025/07/meteor-shower-mockingbird-theatrics.html

http://ccc-canberracriticscircle.blogspot.com/2025/07/meteor-shower-by-steve-martin.html

PRODUCTION PHOTOS  AT BOTTOM OF PAGE – PLEASE SCROLL DOWN

Corky – Jess Beange

Jess ‘grew up’ as an artist in the theatre and recently got the bug again. She just joined the Chorus of Greek Theatre Now’s inaugural production, Antigone; and recently portrayed the older Gabrielle York in Mockingbird’s acclaimed When The Rain Stops Falling. She wrote, produced and directed upcoming Australian / French language feature film Animal. Through Taliesin Pictures, she’s developing a diverse slate of projects, many designed and pitched to be made locally. Jess is Workshop Leader with Bus Stop Films Canberra and founded ‘Set Ready Film’ to help create opportunities for local filmmakers and screenwriters.

Her performing arts practice is grounded in years of live, news and factual content creation as a broadcast journalist and presenter: searching for the truth and sharing it in the living moment with an audience.

Norman – Sachin Nayak

Sachin Ramkrishna Nayak is a Dubai-based Indian actor with an extensive background in theatre, film, and commercial work across the UAE and India. With formal training in the Meisner and Stanislavsky acting techniques, Sachin has portrayed diverse roles in short films (Swan Song, A Prayer for the Devil), regional TVCs, and immersive theatre. His versatility and stage presence have been shaped by over two decades of performance experience. He now takes on the role of Norm in Meteor Shower by Steve Martin, marking his Australian stage debut in Canberra.

Gerald – Anto Hermida

Before moving from Madrid to Sydney, this Spanish actor with Galician roots spent his Uni days studying arts and performance. In 2017, he enrolled in the Sydney Theatre School bringing the opportunity to be part of popular contemporary plays like God of Carnage. Anto’s latest work involved writing, producing and playing one of the main roles in the acclaimed comedy Random Shit which was part of the Sydney Fringe Festival’s program in 2019. He has also played Manuel in the Fawlty Towers dinner experience and Bobby – the handsome and lovable psychotic air conditioning technician – in the play A Good Man.

After achieving experience on screen in tv series and commercials in Sydney, he decides to spend time in Spain doing theatre in his native language, Galician.
Anto is back in Australia ready to give the audience a great dose of laughs and absurdity.

Laura – Maxine Eayrs 

Having previously starred as Dionysos in NUTS’s The Bakkhai, Virginia in ACT HUB’s Ruben Guthrie, and Pierrette in Mockingbird’s 8 Women; Meteor Shower marks Maxine’s fourth theatrical appearance in Canberra. Being an actress has been Maxine’s life passion since she was a teenager and when she isn’t studying for her undergraduate degree in Sociology, engaging in all sorts of activism, reading novels, or writing magazine articles, she’s busy attending Chris’ acting classes to hone her skills and chase her ambition. She hope’s you enjoy the show!

Chris Baldock – Director/Designer

Please find more information about Chris HERE.

Rhiley Winnett – Technical Director & Stage Manager

Steph Evans – Assistant Director

Steph is a proud Wiradjuri woman and emerging director, having re-ignited her love for theatre after moving to Canberra in 2022. Steph has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with Chris & Mockingbird this year, especially loving stepping back into comedies with Meteor Shower. Up next, Steph will be making her independent directorial debut with Consent (31 July – 2 August), produced under the Mockingbird Too banner. Later this year, Steph is looking forward to assistant directing Mockingbird’s The Wolves and directing Sloshed: The Merry Wives of Windsor for the ANU Shakespeare Society.

Steph’s directing credits include Rumors by Neil Simon (2023), Then I’ll Be Brief (2023 & 2024) and Sloshed: Romeo & Juliet (2024). As well as assistant directing The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2025). Other credits include President of ANU Shakespeare Society (2024); Stage Manager: When the Rain Stops Falling (2022), Bakkhai (2022) and Much Ado About Nothing (2023); Producer/Production Manager: Little Women (2022), Then I’ll Be Brief (2022) and The Taming of the Shrew (2023); Assistant Stage Manager: Dracula (2022); and Lighting Designer: The Comedy of Errors (2024). Steph has also intimacy coordinated 13 shows since 2023.

Steph is looking forward to continuing to grow as a Director as she continues her studies in Canberra.

 

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