‘‘I get my Saturdays back,’’ he laughed.

Mr Markham, a three-decade veteran of the Corrimal theatre group, will open his last play this weekend. After directing every Arcadians Children’s Theatre production for the last 14 years, he will bring down the curtain on a long career with the premiere of Wonder In Aliceland.

‘‘I got into it when my kids joined. I used to help out, and then one of the directors said we should split the plays and direct one each,’’ Mr Markham said.

‘‘I did every show for the last 14 years, rehearsing every Saturday afternoon.’’

Almost 40 children aged between six and 16 make up the Wonder In Aliceland cast. 

Mr Markham said young theatre members were involved in as many facets of the production as possible, from lighting to costumes, giving kids the chance to test their skills and gain confidence.

‘‘Some kids come in very shy, talking to the floor. By the time they finish, they can talk in front of big crowds,’’ he said.

‘‘I’m honoured when the kids go on to bigger lead roles. It’s wonderful when they act with other companies, the directors of those shows tell me they can tell they are one of my kids. They always know what to do on stage, how to follow directions.’’

Wonder In Aliceland opens on Friday night, with two shows on Saturday and ending its run on Sunday. More information at arcadians.org.au.