As Lithgow Musical Society's production of Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 is in full swing, members pay tribute to their beloved musical Director Rae Burton.
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9 to 5 is set in the late 1970's and addresses misogyny in the workforce with a strong theme of the empowerment of women.
"You've got three ladies standing up to what is a very old school work environment where it was all about the boys," Member, Paul Goodwin said.
"It's basically the journey of how the women become empowered and end up taking on all those old school prejudices and work practices."
Despite all the light and love the show brings, it has been a bittersweet moment for the Musical Society as they go ahead with their first production without Mrs Burton, who was a founding member.
"It is going to be different for us knowing this is the first show ever that we've done where she wasn't still with us is going to be a huge challenge," Mr Goodwin said.
"Rae's put 37 years of her life into the Musical Society and this is the legacy of what she has given to the community.
"It's important for us to keep it as good as she has and maintain the quality the past shows have been."
According to Mr Goodwin, Mrs Burton's dedication to the production saw her take her spot in the Director's Chair as recently as the week before she passed away.
"Maintaining the continuity during Rae's illness was always a bit of a challenge and she was still engaged right up until almost the final week," Mr Goodwin said.
"She still wanted to be involved and we were keen to make sure she was involved for as long as it was possible.
"She was adamant right until the end to maintain that business as usual front."
According to Mr Goodwin, the Musical Society began in 1987 after Mrs Burton was approached by the owners of the Theatre Royal to rerun the musical she directed at Lithgow High School that year.
"I was in year 12, and the musical we did was South Pacific. Which was really well received and they approached Rae to restage it at the Theatre Royal because they wanted to get more events and people coming into the theatre," Mr Goodwin said.
"Following on from that, discussions took place for a Christmas concert. The concert took place on December, 5 1987 to basically save the Theatre Royal."
Despite best efforts, the Theatre Royal closed down- but the Musical Society continued when then Principal of Lithgow High School, Al Ritchie offered the auditorium for productions.
The school remained the home to the society until 2005, when the Union Theatre was restored.
Mrs Burton continued directing the school musicals until her retirement in 2018.
"She did a musical every year at the high school from 1981 through to 2018," Mr Goodwin said.
Mrs Burton passed away on Saturday, May 4 and leaves behind an enormous legacy in Lithgow's art and culture.
For upcoming sessions of 9-5 and ticket information, head to our what's on guide.
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
