Ninety-three-year-old Viv Barrett of Methven has one more accolade to hang on his wall.
He, and his daughter Catherine Dickson, have been honoured by the Methven Theatre Company with life memberships.
The pair have a given a combined tally of 128 years to the group; it’s a long time family association.
Viv said he was honoured to be presented with the award alongside Catherine.
‘‘Being involved like this in the community is a marvellous thing really.
‘‘I’ve made life long friends.”
Viv’s said his late wife Marion, also a life member of the theatre company, had a passion for the piano, music, acting and musical directing and it was through her Viv got involved.
‘‘Sixty-nine years later I am still there,” he said.
Catherine first took to the Methven stage at age 10.
She played the ballet dancer and one of Mr Snow’s children in Carousel.
‘‘The song I vividly remember is ‘You Will Never Walk Alone,” she said.
‘‘I find it a privilege to work alongside my dad and I’m great at bossing him around.”
Viv has taken to the stage a few times, but admits he prefers front of house and helping build sets.
‘‘We made the sets out of bits and pieces picked up around the place.
‘‘Some of the people I worked with, like John Gray for example, could think up how to make what we needed. Very talented.”
‘‘We would spend hours and hours working on the sets. John and I would be there for weeks on end before the show and when the show was on I would be out the front on the door.”
Catherine was also found at the front of house now.
‘‘I love meeting and chatting to people and to reconnect with some very familiar faces,” she said.
Looking back Catherine said she is very proud of her family’s involvement with the company for many years.
“It is an honour to be part of this company where we all support each other.”
Both Catherine and Viv fondly remember the end of production parties in their garage.
“We’d put the piano out in the garage and sing all the old songs from the shows.
‘‘There would be people dancing all over the place until five o’clock in the morning,” Viv said.
The Barrett connection to the theatre continues with four generations now caught in its clutches; Viv’s granddaughter Tammy has acted in many productions and his great grandson, four-year-old Cooper, now attends shows and cheers wildly from his seat.
