Welcome to…
Billy Casper is a shy adolescent whose potential is stifled by
a neglectful family, school bullies, and a callous education
system designed to push him into the world of manual
labour. As he struggles through poverty, his lessons,
and the stinging of Mrs. Gryce’s cane, it’s expected
that he’ll wind up leaving school in Easter of
1969 without any qualifications to join his
abusive brother Jud down in the coal
mines for the rest of his days.
On a quiet stroll through a forest one
afternoon, Billy finds himself awestruck by a
kestrel flying around overhead to a nearby farm.
Inspired by its wild nature and independence, he is
overcome with a passion to learn more about falcons, for
which his mother pays no mind. After a confrontation with a
drunken Jud, Billy is pushed to the edge and decides to head
back to the farm and steal a young kestrel from her nest.
He names her Kes and plans on training her. While
Billy’s new hobby gives him hope, his responsibilities
begin to pile up. Billy wakes up with a big day ahead
of him – he’ll have to manage his paper round, feeding
Kes, school, running errands for Jud, and a meeting
with a youth employment officer that
could determine his future.
“When I first watched the movie Kes,
I felt a strong connection to the characters.
Similarly to how Billy raises a kestrel to have some
respite through his school life, I delved into performing
arts through the Belgrade Youth Theatre and Highly
Sprung. I wanted to involve physical theatre to amplify
the hopes, dreams, and potential of young people
put through an education system designed
to mould them into an obedient workforce.
This production of Kes is propelling the
Saints through a turbulent, evolutionary
period of the group's existence. On top of
rehearsals, we've been running workshops to
nurture talent in digital media, set design, and
lighting. We've also worked with Highly Sprung
to give our youth actors the fundamental building
blocks they need to create their own movements and
expression. I'm honoured to be directing this group,
and I can't wait for audiences to see the
magic they're capable of.”
Jason Riley, Director -