It's not every day you see two groups get together in Bathurst to discuss the process of bell ringing.
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But with a roving theatrical production at Inland Sea of Sound set to showcase the art of campanology [bell ringing], the opportunity arose for the Society of Bathurst Bell Ringers to share notes.
The 5 Angry Men theatre group, who are in town to perform 'The Bells' at this weekend's Inland Sea of Sound festival, were given a grand tour of the All Saints Cathedral bell tower on Wednesday evening.
To return the favour, the group invited the Bathurst Bell Ringers up to their festival installation the following day to offer a brand new perspective on the bell ringing process.
5 Angry Men director Steve Phillips said the group gained a lot of interesting pointers from the experience.
"Our show is essentially a cover version of what the Bathurst Bell Ringers do," Mr Phillips said.
"There's a rule in their tower where your feet aren't allowed to leave the ground, whereas in our performance, it's the exact opposite due to an absence of real bells and more room to move around."
'The Bells' incorporates a MIDI [musical instrument digital interface] system on each rope to emulate the sound of real bells.
Mr Phillips said it was a joy to see how a real bell tower operates.
"It was great to go back to the source and learn a lot about their terminology and processes," he said.
"We'd never taken a tour through a real bell tower before, so it was interesting to view the belfry and the role each bell plays in the overall sound."
Denison College Kelso High Campus Year 10 student Jared Bignell has been a bell ringer for two years, and enjoyed interacting with a different approach to bell ringing.
"I've enjoyed being able to jump around, and it's a far cry from what we do in the bell tower," Jared said.
"The process is heavily dependent on timing and to ensure the bells produce a consistent sound, you have to maintain a solid rhythm with your arms."
The 5 Angry Men will stage two performances of 'The Bells' today at 1.45pm and 5.30pm near the Guhanawalni Stage.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
