Udderly fine look at history

Anne-Louise Rentell wants people to become half cow for a walking tour of Wollongong.

WHAT do you call a man with the head of a cow?

Local woman Anne-Louise Rentell calls it good entertainment.

With the much-anticipated Viva La Gong Festival just around the corner Ms Rentell is looking for people to don the unusual mantle of a human-cow hybrid for a day, to help with the theatrical tours she is running at the festival.

Cows on Crown is a historical tour of four sites in the Wollongong CBD that incorporates theatre, musical entertainment and volunteers with their own heads substituted for those of the world's favourite cud-chewers.

Ms Rentell is the director of the Society of Histrionic Happenings, and found inspiration for her latest production in the intriguing entertainment history of the Wollongong CBD.

Ms Rentell wanted to convey the fact that Wollongong's Central Business District was a very different place not so long ago, and she felt a herd of human cows would be a unique way of communicating her ideas.

“It's looking at what that part of town used to be and sticking along the theme of cows and cattle-yards,” she said.

“They will provide the context and the more absurd element of the text.”

Ms Rentell said history is a 'funny beast' because it is always being retold and reinterpreted after the fact.

She said Wollongong is a very interesting place historically because it seems to be constantly undergoing change, with old buildings being knocked down and new ones put in their place.

Ms Rentell has more than 10 'cows' already lined up for her production but would love to increase the herd.

Anyone interested in joining in the fun of Cows on Crown can contact her on 0419692667.

There will be a day of 'cow training' this Sunday, September 30 to help people get a feel for their roles.

The day will involve constructing the cow heads and receiving instructions for the performance on the day.

Cows on Crown will start at 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm from the Keira Street end of the mall on Saturday, October 6.