July 28th, 2026After-light play

After-Light, a dramatic prog-rock opera by composer/director Zac Vanstone and musical director Tom Foster is the Mount Players’ third show for 2026.

Players president Karen Hunt said it was a production to “excite, provoke and entertain”.
“A seven-piece rock band will perform live on stage, in full view of the audience, as singers tell the story of Boy as he struggles through his past mistakes, exorcising his demons in a journey of self discovery and ultimately redemption.”
Zac said After-Light was penned during Covid and explored some darker themes.
“This is a show about learning how to let go. Following the break-up between Boy and Girl, Boy falls into a life-threatening coma. In order for Boy to wake, he must forgive the past, reconcile with the future and learn to let go of Girl. If Boy fails, his intrusive thoughts: addiction, paranoia and depression will consume his soul.”
Zac grew up in Castlemaine and went to Castlemaine Secondary College. He has completed a Diploma of Theatre Arts and a Bachelor of Drama and is currently pursuing a Diploma in Live Production.
He works for the award-winning Macedon Ranges-based children’s entertainment company, Pass-the-Parcel, is a balloon artist, roaming musician and party host.
This show is his ultimate passion project, having spent the last five-plus years crafting it along with Tom Foster (his college guitar teacher) who joined the project as musical director in 2024.
Together, they hope to take the audience on a musical odyssey, as in the tradition of Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Tom Waits’ The Black Rider.
The Mount Players is proud to present this totally original and contemporary piece for the first time on stage in its complete form.
Players’ president Craig Lenaine-Smith and other committee members saw the scaled-down version presented at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2024 and after speaking to the creators decided the Mountview Theatre should be the place for them to launch their full production.
The season runs from Friday, August 14 to Sunday, August 30 at the Mountview Theatre, Macedon.
Tickets: www.themountplayers.com or 0419 329 052.

Cast members of After-Light, with musical director Tom Foster (red cap) and composer/director Zac Vanstone (white cap)
Image: Karlana Santamaria

Warnings: Suitable 18+, contains sexual and drug references and staged violence.