Jean Claude Van Itallie
after Bulgakov
The Master and Margarita
directed by Virginia Moore-Price
A note before the impossible begins
“Manuscripts don’t burn.”
Welcome to the world of The Master & Margarita.
When the mysterious Professor Woland arrives in Moscow, certainty begins to collapse. Bureaucrats, writers, theatre managers and citizens are swept into a series of strange and unsettling events that expose vanity, fear, greed and longing.
At the heart of the chaos is a tender human story: a writer broken by censorship, a woman whose devotion is fierce enough to cross worlds, and an ancient act of cowardice that still cries out for mercy…
CAST
ZAI COOK (THE MASTER)
AMANDA WATSON (MARGARITA)
JEFF WATKINS (WOLAND)
SHIVAS LINDSAY (KOROVIEV)
JULIETTE BOTHA (BEHEMOTH)
AARON WILKES (IVAN)
PETER NEAVES (PONTIUS PILATE, RIMSKY)
KEL CAMPONOVO (THE NAZARENE)
NEALE PATERSON (BERLIOZ, DR STRAVINSKY, BENGALSKY, ENSEMBLE)
SHARON MENZIES (OLD WOMAN, CAIAPHAS, MATTHEW THE LEVITE, ENSEMBLE)
MISHA YEO (HESTAS, GLUKHARYOV, VARENUKHA, ENSEMBLE)
JASON ROBERT LESTER (MARK MURIBELLUM, ARKADY APOLLONOVICH, LATUNSKY, ENSEMBLE)
GAIL LUSTED (HECATE, STYOPA, ENSEMBLE)
LIZY GRAY (RYUKHIN, TELEGRAPH WOMAN, ENSEMBLE)
JADE CHILCOTT (LADIES’ VOICE, ARKADY APOLLONOVICH’S FEMALE RELATIVE, NATASHA, ENSEMBLE)
ERIN SHAY HORRIGAN (HIERONYMOUS PROPRIKHIN, POLICE OFFICER, ENSEMBLE)
CODEY FINLAY (SECRETARY, NURSE, DISMAS, ENSEMBLE)
SOREN WATKINS (LITTLE BOY, ARTHANIUS, ENSEMBLE)
KRESNA (PIRATE PAUL, ARKADY APOLLONOVICH’S WIFE, POLICEMAN, ENSEMBLE)
Crew and Creatives
CREW
VIRGINIA MOORE-PRICE (DIRECTOR, LIGHTING, SOUND, SET & AUDIO-VISUAL DESIGN)
KEL CAMPONOVO (CHOREOGRAPHER)
MERRI FORD (COSTUMIER)
KRESNA (PROPS AND ARTWORK CREATOR)
LIZY GRAY (PROPS CREATOR)
DARYIEN FLEAY (LIGHTING & A.V. HELPER 1)
DECLAN O’BRIEN (LIGHTING & A.V. HELPER 2)
Special thanks:
ROSALIND MOORE (CREATIVE CONFIDANTE)
CHRIS BATTY (ARTISTIC AND LITERARY ADVISOR)
DON ALLEN (TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE)
JOHN WOOLRYCH (TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE)
BARRY & JULIE GORDIN (SET CONSTRUCTION)
DANIEL CASEY (SET CONSTRUCTION)
GEORGE BOYD (SET CONSTRUCTION)
ST MARGARET’S CHURCH (REHEARSAL SPACE)
LUKE OXLEY
ABOUT THE PLAY
A novel that refused to disappear
Mikhail Bulgakov wrote The Master & Margarita during a time when art, faith and free thought could be dangerous. The novel was not published in full during his lifetime, yet it survived to become one of the most extraordinary works of the twentieth century. Part satire, part love story, part supernatural comedy and part philosophical reckoning, the work refuses to belong to a single genre. It moves from Soviet Moscow to ancient Jerusalem, from a crowded theatre to a moonlit flight, from absurd farce to profound tenderness.
Jean-Claude van Itallie’s adaptation embraces the novel’s theatricality. Scenes transform rapidly. Worlds collide. Characters appear and disappear. The result is not a story to be pinned down, but a story to be entered.
THE WORLD OF THE PLAY
Four worlds, one question: what is true?
Moscow — A city of offices, theatres, committees and apartments, where order is carefully maintained until Woland and his retinue expose the absurdity beneath the surface.
Jerusalem — The world of Pontius Pilate and Yeshua, where political power, fear and conscience meet in one irreversible decision.
The Master and Margarita — A private world of manuscripts, longing and devotion. Their story gives the play its emotional centre and its deepest hope.
Woland’s Realm — A world of magic, ritual and revelation. Woland does not simply create chaos; he reveals what is already hidden.
The play asks the audience to move between these worlds without always being told where reality ends and imagination begins. That uncertainty is part of its power. In Bulgakov’s universe, truth may arrive disguised as madness, love may require impossible courage, and darkness may illuminate what daylight refuses to show.
ACT ONE SCENE GUIDE
Moscow begins to unravel
Scene 1 - DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS
An ordinary afternoon in Patriarch’s Ponds becomes extraordinary when two writers meet a stranger who seems to know far more than he should.
Scene 2 - PONTIUS PILATE
Across centuries, another conversation unfolds. A Roman Procurator meets a prisoner whose quiet wisdom leaves an indelible mark on his conscience.
Scene 3 - DECAPITATION
Woland’s impossible prediction becomes horrifyingly real.
Scene 4 - THE CHASE
Determined to expose Woland and his companions, Ivan pursues them through Moscow.
Scene 5 - THE AFFAIR AT MOSCOW LIT
The literary establishment receives news it cannot absorb. Ivan bursts in with the truth, but truth is mistaken for madness.
Scene 6 - IVAN ARRIVES AT THE MENTAL HOSPITAL
Ivan is taken to Professor Stravinsky’s hospital. He is unknowingly moving toward the one person who may understand him.
Scene 7 - STYOPA WAKES UP
A hungover theatre director wakes to find Woland in his apartment and reality rearranging itself around him.
Scene 8 - REPORT FROM YALTA
Telegrams, phone calls and impossible explanations throw the Variety Theatre into confusion.
Scene 9 - OUR HERO APPEARS
In the stillness of the hospital, Ivan meets the Master. Two broken stories begin to touch…
Scene 10 - BLACK MAGIC UNMASKED
At the Variety Theatre, entertainment becomes revelation. Woland’s performance strips away pretence, exposing not only illusion but the desires people hide from themselves.
ACT TWO SCENE GUIDE
Love, mercy and release
Scene 1 - A LOVE STORY TOLD
The Master tells Ivan of his novel, his destruction and his love for Margarita.
Scene 2 - THE CRUCIFIXION
On Golgotha, suffering and mercy unfold beneath a storm-darkened sky.
Scene 3 - MARGARITA
Alone with memory and longing, Margarita waits for news of the Master.
Scene 4 - TAKING WING
Margarita accepts transformation and discovers a dangerous, exhilarating freedom.
Scene 5 - MARGARITA THE QUEEN
In Apartment 50, Margarita is prepared for her strange new role.
Scene 6 - SATAN’S GREAT BALL
Margarita becomes hostess to a procession of damned souls.
Scene 7 - THE MASTER FREED
After enduring the Ball, Margarita’s deepest wish is answered.
Scene 8 - HOW THE PROCURATOR TRIES TO PROTECT JUDAS OF KARIOTH
Pilate remains trapped by guilt.
Scene 9 - THE END OF APARTMENT 50
The authorities close in on Woland’s apartment.
Scene 10 - THE REWARD OF THE MASTER AND MARGARITA
A final judgment is offered.
Scene 11 - IT’S TIME, IT’S TIME
The last journey begins.
Scene 12 - FAREWELL TO IVAN
The Master returns to say goodbye.
Scene 13 - RELEASE AND HOME
Pilate is released from centuries of torment, and the Master and Margarita are granted rest.
ZAI COOK
(THE MASTER)
An emerging performer, Zai has had the pleasure of studying at Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts and made his Perth stage debut with JETS in Secret Life of Humans. Among his hobbies, he has enjoyed ballroom dancing, martial arts, amateur photography, and fanfiction writing.
AMANDA WATSON
(MARGARITA)
Amanda has been performing in the local Perth independent and community theatre scene for many years, seen most recently in Don't Dress for Dinner here at The Old Mill Theatre. Past productions include The Man from Earth, Ashes to Dust and Endgame. She is extremely excited to be working again with the incredible Virginia Moore Price and among such a ridiculously talented cast!
JEFF WATKINS
(WOLAND)
Jeffrey Depp, I mean Watkins, is the chameleon of WA theatre. Villains, eccentric performers, royalty, emo goth philosophers, foppish nobility, hardened revolutionaries, enlightened spirits, comic relief, and priestly conservatives just to name a few. Now he caps his list with the Devil of Moscow, Woland. With over 35 years on the stage, he has lost count of the number of shows he has appeared in and directed. In this latest appearance, he has compressed all these years and characters into a confusing whole. Just try and keep up.
JULIETTE BOTHA
(BEHEMOTH)
Juliette, 16, has acted for 12 years and joined TAG in 2024. She played the Mad Narrator, Montresor, and Orange Guest in Poe: Dreams of Madness, and the Cook in Canterbury Tales (2025). A two-time TAG Best Actress winner, she also sings, including Bayu Bayushki Bayu in the play where she portrays Behemoth, a role she greatly enjoys.
SHIVAS LINDSAY
(KOROVIEV)
Shivas is charmed to return to director Ginny’s surreal world and The Old Mill as Koroviev, Woland’s right-hand man. His proudest roles include Creon in Antigone, Finley Award-winning Gus in The Dumb Waiter, and a Panto Dame. Shivas relishes strange, layered characters and looks forward to audiences debating what the hell’s going on.
AARON WILKES
(IVAN)
Aaron is excited to leap into the madness of this production alongside a wonderful and whimsical cast and crew. Certainly more excited than his character anyway. Most recently Aaron performed as Seyton in the GRADS production of The Scottish Play.
KEL CAMPONOVO
(THE NAZARENE)
Kel has performed in such roles as: The Porter in Macbeth put on by GRADS earlier this year, Caliban in The Tempest by Modicum Theatre, Puck in Midsummer Dreams by Modicum Theatre company, Pirelli in Garrick Theatre’s Sweeney Todd, and this year made their directing debut with Garrick Theatre’s one-act season in January. Outside of theatre they are mostly known for making up 1 Quarter of a Folklore themed comedy show of the name FairyFales who perform each year at Perth Fringe.
PETER NEAVES
(PONTIUS PILATE, RIMSKY)
This is the fourth time Peter has been directed by Ginny, the first time being in Dinner in 2021 at Stirling Theatre, then in 2023 in No Exit at KADS Theatre and then later the same year in Man From Earth. Ginny is proving to be, in Peter’s humble opinion, one of Perth's top directors, bringing to audiences plays that are somewhat “outside of the box,” and Master and Margarita will be no exception
JASON ROBERT LESTER
(MARK MURIBELLUM, ARKADY APOLLONOVICH, LATUNSKY, ENSEMBLE)
Jason has been appearing on stage since 2020 in shows such as Art (Company O), According to Schedule (JETS) and The Canterbury Tales (Garrick). He has also recently completed his first feature film as director, 'Bleederville'. The Master and Margarita is his first production with GRADS.
NEALE PATERSON
(BERLIOZ, DR STRAVINSKY, BENGALSKY, ENSEMBLE)
Neale has been involved in community theatre since 1980, mostly with GRADS. He has recently played Hamm in Endgame for KADS, Finley-Award winning Sean in Salad Day for Irish Theatre Players and Sir Hugo Latymer in A Song at Twilight for Old Mill Theatre. After Master & Margarita he will be playing Lord Melchett in Harbour Theatre’s Blackadder. He has become the go-to actor for playing silly old men.
SHARON MENZIES
(OLD WOMAN, CAIAPHAS, MATTHEW THE LEVITE, ENSEMBLE)
Sharon is so excited to be working with Ginny again as well as lots (and I do mean lots!) of actors she's never met before. Sharon has performed for the past 45 years in London, PNG, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth and loves Perth's thriving community theatre. Her favourite roles and Finley nominations include Myra in Colder than Here at Melville, Chris in Calendar Girls at Stirling, and Lucy in On a First Name Basis at KADS. She hopes you enjoy this mind-boggling play.
MISHA YEO (HESTAS, GLUKHARYOV, VARENUKHA, ENSEMBLE)
In his first production with GRADS, Misha would like to confirm that he is a freak first and an actor second. His previous roles include lithium-addicted accordionist Zac in Louis Nowra's Cosí. He's excited to return to theatre after graduating, and apologises to his parents for what they are about to witness him do.
JADE CHILCOTT
(LADIES’ VOICE, ARKADY APOLLONOVICH’S FEMALE RELATIVE, NATASHA, ENSEMBLE)
Jade has long had a passion for the performing arts, starting in dance and acting from a young age, and going on to study and pursue theatre. Jade has performed in regional productions and is excited to perform with GRADS, playing ‘Natasha’ in Bulgakov / Jean-Claude van Itallie’s The Master and Margarita, or The Devil Comes to Moscow.
LIZY GRAY
(RYUKHIN, TELEGRAPH WOMAN, ENSEMBLE)
A long time lover of the arts, Lizy is excited to step out of the audience and onto the stage to make her debut under the direction of Virginia Moore-Price. Lizy jumped at the chance to put herself outside of her comfort zone with this new experience and has embraced the creative process. She is grateful to the entire cast and crew for their support.
ERIN SHAY HORRIGAN
(HIERONYMOUS PROPRIKHIN, POLICE OFFICER, ENSEMBLE)
Ever since she was a toddler, Erin has been performing, mostly by inflicting her original one-child plays on her mother. After being deemed “too old” for these no-budget living-room productions, Erin has become a tragic for the community theatre stage. She’s delighted to be part of this Russian classic!
GAIL LUSTED
(HECATE, STYOPA, ENSEMBLE)
Gail (Drama B.Ed (Hons)) has spent years collecting theatre jobs like other people collect mugs — performing, directing, teaching, mentoring, and generally causing dramatic chaos. Currently wrangling Teens at Garrick, she still treads the boards herself because apparently free time is overrated. This production? Easily the most gloriously bonkers fun she’s ever had.
CODEY FINLAY
(SECRETARY, NURSE, DISMAS, ENSEMBLE)
Codey returns to the world of GRADS productions, previously performing the other worldly form of a Tragedian in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, but never before in the directorial hands of Ginny and first time on the Old Mill stage, now in this surreal ensemble of Master and Margarita.
SOREN WATKINS
(LITTLE BOY, ARTHANIUS, ENSEMBLE)
After taking somewhat of an acting nap, Soren is absolutely thrilled to be back in the scene, bringing life to multiple roles scattered throughout the show. From a little boy to a ruthless executioner, Soren hopes his brain won't explode from confusion and brings you both laughs and chills, maybe even both at the same time!
KRESNA
(PIRATE PAUL, ARKADY APOLLONOVICH’S WIFE, ENSEMBLE)
After years of working behind the scenes on props and set pieces, Kresna has made the questionable decision to put down the glue gun and step out onto the stage for the first time…
Crew Biographies
VIRGINIA MOORE-PRICE
(DIRECTOR, LIGHTING, SOUND, SET & AUDIO-VISUAL DESIGN)
As a director, I am drawn to theatre that allows the impossible to become visible. This play gives us devils, poets, bureaucrats, lovers, ghosts, a talking cat and a Roman governor who cannot escape his conscience. Yet beneath all of that spectacle is something beautifully simple: people longing to be seen, forgiven, understood and free.
My hope is that you allow yourself to enter the world of the play without needing to solve every mystery. Laugh when it is absurd. Sit with it when it becomes uncomfortable. Follow the moonlight. Listen for the quiet moments of mercy. Thank you for joining us on this extraordinary journey, and for supporting live theatre.
KEL CAMPONOVO
(CHOREOGRAPHER)
is a 25 yr old Italian/Australian Muslim Circus Teacher from Fremantle. From Aerial Silks to Acro, from Clowning to Dancing - when he’s not performing, he’s teaching (sometimes both at once). Kel has been teaching circus since he was 15, and performing since he was 8 years old - having previously worked with brilliant artists such as Cirque du Soleil's Andrii Lytvak, Aerialist mastermind Daniel Power and Artistic Director of Eclipse Meredith Kitchen.
Kel is delighted that Virginia Moore Price has embraced their choreography in The Master and Margherita, allowing him to combine his various disciplines to bring some wacky magic to the ever growing chaos of the text. “I wanted the dance sequence to feel like a familiar dance of the bourgeois but with something that felt off or uncanny” he says in a hypothetical interview…
MERRI FORD
(COSTUMIER)
For over 40 years Merri has designed and created costumes for dance competitions, stage plays, musicals, operas, film work and music clips and has costumed over 100 shows. This is her second time working for Ginny as a director and is very excited to be a part of this eclectic production.
KRESNA
(PROPS AND ARTWORK CREATOR)
Kresna draws inspiration from the parallels between the creative oppression explored in Master and Margarita and the increasing reliance on generative AI in design in today’s world. In the spirit of community theatre, Kresna prioritises hand-crafted authenticity and ‘human creativity’ over machine-generated perfection to bring Virginia Moore-Price’s brilliant creative vision to life.
LIZY GRAY
(PROPS CREATOR)
Guided by Kresna's insightful design for the shadow puppets, Lizy soon discovered that the devil is in the detail when it comes to prop making.
DARYIEN FLEAY
(LIGHTING & AV OPERATOR)
Daryien is excited to be part of this production. Previous credits include Theatre to Die For and Puss in Boots. When not in the theatre, they're usually writing or pretending to. Thanks to the cast, crew, and creative team for all their hard work.
DECLAN O’BRIEN
(SOUND & AV OPERATOR)
Declan is thrilled to assist this production. Previous credits include Theatre to Die For and Garrick Theatre’s Musical Medley. When not at the theatre, they are often playing and running tabletop games. Incredibly blessed to be working with such a hard-working and talented team.
COMING IN OCTOBER 2026
Set during the waning days of the Roman Republic on the dawn of the Roman Empire, Julius Caesar chronicles the events surrounding and following the assassination of Caesar by a group of senators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus.
Taking the action out of Ancient Rome and transposing it to the waning days of the Cold War in Europe, this new interpretation will examine the various ways democracies have fallen by drawing parallels between the death of the Roman Republic and the political upheaval of the late Cold War era. Holding a mirror to both out worlds and the ancient worlds, Julius Caesar will ask “What would you do to protect freedom?” “Is there a right way to stage a revolution?” and “Can it ever be noble to take a life?”
Directed by Ellis Kinnear
New Fortune Theatre UWA | 7-17 October 2026