The untold tales of the Launceston Post Office, before it became such, are about to be brought to life.
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As part of Junction Arts Festival, theatre director, actor and historian Jane Woollard will take part for the first time.
She has accessed what was formerly known as the Olympic Theatre at the post office site.
The London Tavern, which housed the theatre, was demolished in the 1870s.
During the six shows, small audiences of 30 will be taken on a progressive journey behind the scenes of the building, back to the times of 1843.
"It comes out of my doctorate research into Australian theatre, and my exploration of how those early performers would have perhaps formed what was their repertoire," Woollard said.
"The scenario is that the ghosts are the actors from 1843 turning up expecting for the theatre to still be there. They were working actors. They were very diligent, they performed many many times on that site.
"They're still drawn to it and try to go through doorways that are no longer there ... the ghosts don't realise they're ghosts."
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The play is based on well-known Launceston actors from the 19th century: Feltham Bold Watson, Cordelia Cameron, John Herman Selwyn Lee and Eliza Winstanley-O'Flaherty.
Woollard, who is the Head of Theatre at the University of Tasmania, said her students took part in the play.
"The play is a bit meta-theatrical because I appear as a version of myself and students appear as versions of themselves and help me lure the ghosts back, and research more about 19th century acting styles," she said.
"Then it all starts to break down ... it starts to get quite fun because gradually the students start to take control and give the 19th century ghosts some acting lessons and it's like the ghosts and the students are making a play together."
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The piece will be performed in areas of the post office not usually open to the public.
"The staff at the Launceston Post Office have been really amazing. I think sometimes they might hear us thumping around upstairs, but that just makes it more lively," she said.
"Launceston has such a great love of theatre and people are just embracing it."
Junction starts on September 4 and finishes on September 8.
Tickets are available from www.junctionartsfestival.com.au.
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