Girl Talk with director Lorraine Monshing

Lorraine is currently directing Girl Talk with the Allegro Theatre Company, a witty, moving production bursting with humour, heart, and life’s ups and downs.

Girl Talk is a laugh-out-loud exploration of friendship, womanhood, and life’s highs and lows, starring local favourites Julie McBurnie and Di McNamara.

“Crikey, I love this play, but the shifts in timelines made it a real challenge, and that’s what makes it so exciting,” Lorraine said.

“My particular love is directing and staging the written words of a script to life on stage through a talented cast.

“Theatre brings people together; it allows stories to be shared that make us laugh, move us deeply, and sometimes bring us to tears.

“It offers performers a chance to shine and leaves audiences with memories they carry long after the final curtain.”

From front-row awe as an eight-year-old at her first live performance, to directing shows that make people laugh, cry, and reflect, Lorraine’s journey is a testament to passion, persistence, and the power of theatre.

Her story begins on the steps of Melbourne Town Hall in 1953.

Lorraine, then eight, was among a group of children bound for the Lord Mayor’s Camp at Portsea.

Excited for the trip, the children were about to board their bus when fate intervened and the bus broke down.

While it was being repaired, organisers suggested an impromptu outing to a matinee at the Tivoli Theatre.

It was a twist that changed Lorraine’s life.

From the front row, she watched her first live show: Cinderella.

“This is where I fell so much in love with live theatre,” she said.

“I just wanted to become an actress.”

At Richmond Girls Secondary School, Lorraine first became involved in theatre, working on props and makeup for the school production Hole in the Road.

“After that, life just got in the way again,” she said.

In 1973, ??? years later, the stage called her again.

Lorraine met someone starting a theatre company in Whorouly, in the Ovens Valley.

She joined as an actress, but quickly realised her true calling lay elsewhere.

“I wasn’t good at learning lines,” she said

“So, I stepped into the role of director and that’s where I found my place.”

From that moment, directing became her vocation and her passion.

Over the next five decades, Lorraine helmed more than 150 productions across the region.

In 2003, her contributions were recognised with the Order of Australia Medal (OAM).

For her, the honour reflected not just her own efforts but the collective spirit of amateur theatre.

The stage has always meant more than performance, and 52 years after she first took up the director’s chair, Lorraine remains as passionate as ever.

Her career is proof of what can be achieved with vision, persistence, and heart.

Now based in Wangaratta, she shows no signs of slowing down.

Lorraine is a devoted family woman, married with two children and two grandchildren, who continue to inspire and support her lifelong dedication to theatre.

“The most important thing to me, especially with young people, is the small part I may have played in building their confidence through acting and sometimes inspiring them to further their studies in theatre and the arts,” she said.