Professor George Werther and Dr Cheryl Threadgold
Professor George Werther AO MD FRACP
George is a paediatric endocrinologist who has participated in community theatre in Melbourne, Australia for some 30 years, both as an actor and director. His medical career, based at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, was devoted to looking after children and families with diabetes and disorders of growth and puberty, work supported by his internationally recognised research. He has trained many Australian and international specialist doctors and scientists.
George has been involved in community and independent theatre for over 30 years, having won awards for portraying both real and fictional characters as an actor, and more recently directing a variety of shows, including international Zoom productions during Covid. He has a major interest in the interaction between theatre and medicine/science, especially its portrayal on the stage.
Dr Cheryl Threadgold OAM
Cheryl’s theatre research includes writing Beaumaris Theatre's 50th anniversary Christmas Panto-Revue (2003), the 90-minute 150th anniversary tribute for Black Rock House, The Jewel by the Sea (2006) and Beaumaris Theatre's full-length 70th Anniversary production (2023). Her 2019 PhD thesis researched the history of amateur theatre in Victoria, and her award-winning 2020 book In the Name of Theatre: the history, culture and voices of amateur theatre in Victoria is based on the award-winning thesis. For Theatre Heritage Australia events at Arts Centre Melbourne, Cheryl was guest speaker (2018), and in conversation with Barry Dickins (2023). She enjoys writing articles for Theatre Heritage Australia’s Onstage magazine and conducting oral history interviews. Cheryl sincerely thanks Professor George Werther for sharing his story for the THA Oral History project.