Another great few weeks have passed for the cast and crew of the Wangaratta Players latest production, Waiting for God.

The play looks at the challenges which come with growing old ‘disgracefully'; set in the Bayview Retirement Village, where strong-minded single woman Diana Trent conspires with new resident and ally Tom Ballard, to give the conniving manager his comeuppance.

Milestone after milestone have been knocked out of the park, with half the total tickets already sold.

This week, we meet three more cast members of Waiting for God: Rachel Sime who plays numerous roles, Gillian Leonard who plays Reverend Denise, and Justin Wyllie who plays two roles.

When she was a young girl, Rachel Sime longed to be an actress, but life led her astray.

In late 2024 she came home to acting when she discovered Wangaratta Players.

“I love everything about the theatre,” Rachel said.

“It is magical and fills my soul.”

The heart she puts into every minute on stage truly reveals Rachel’s passion.

The last role she played was Sergeant Conklin in the Players' previous show, Rumours.

It is remarkable how dedicated she is.

From a “pile of cardigans” sitting at the dining table, to doctors who “can only divulge information to the wife”, Rachel was ecstatic to have been cast for a myriad of roles in Waiting for God.

“I was excited to continue exploring the theatre,” Rachel said.

“It has been wonderful working with such a talented cast and director - I love working with these amazing, talented people.”

Gillian Leonard moved to Wangaratta with her husband Peter in late 2018 from northern New South Wales.

After such a big move, Gillian needed to get back to her passion for entertaining, so she joined Wangaratta Players.

Since then, she has been an active part in making magic happen, both on stage and back stage, even directing a production of Catholic School Girls by Casey Kurtti in 2021 which received an APT Award for Best Play that season.

“It’s a very amusing play,” Gillian said, when asked what drew her to audition for Waiting for God.

"It has strong female leads which are few and far between for women.”

As Gillian appears during the last scene of Waiting for God, she has to play the waiting game, anticipating her big entrance.

Gillian plays the Parish Vicar, Denise Sparrow, an elderly, forgetful lady, who “lost the plot years ago.”

“I am really looking forward to opening night,” Gillian said.

Justin Wyllie had been reading his morning paper when he came across an ad in for a public information meeting for an upcoming local play.

As he had returned to Wangaratta after 35 years away, Justin wanted something to do, so he decided to attend in the hope of helping out backstage.

Instead, director Barb Ryan roped him into performing for a six-line speaking role in Waiting for God.

Justin joined Wangaratta Players shortly after getting the role as the undertaker for the upcoming play, enjoying various roles including director, stage manager, costumes and more.

“I like just seeing how a full production takes shape,” he said.

Justin previously worked as a pilot and has a strong interest in aviation.

Now that his parents have grown older, he returned to Wangaratta to care for them.

As this is Justin’s first time on stage, he has been through the ringer with emotions.

“Nervous, excited, curious, worried,” he said.

“My favourite part of being in this show has been they way it has boosted my self-confidence.”

Wangaratta Players will present the Michael Aitkens play Waiting for God at the Stage Door Studio in Evans Street, Wangaratta from Friday, 7 November to Sunday, 23 November, with tickets available at trybooking.com/DDWJE.