Awards for live performance in Australia
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Described as a renegade opera star and cabaret artist, Ali McGregor began her career as a principal soprano with Opera Australia before running away to the circus to become an award winning cabaret performer. Nominated for an ARIA in 2014, she went on to win both a Green Room and Helpmann Award in 2015. She's one of the most in-demand performers on the international festival circuit and is a former artist director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, performing at venues from Glastonbury and Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House.She's currently collaborating with the Signum Saxophone Quartet and Musica Viva for Hollywood Songbook, a concert tour exploring the turbulent first half of the 20th Century through the music of emigres such as Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler, with performances until 17 May.In this interview, Ali traces her journey from performing at Opera Australia to creating innovative, genre-blending shows. She discusses the artistic freedom and creative risks involved in moving from traditional opera to the cabaret scene, and shares insights into her creative process plus her role as an artistic director. The conversation also touches on her efforts to make classical music more accessible and engaging to broader audiences through inventive programming and theatrical flair.
One of Australia's most eclectic, respected and prolific artists, Eddie Perfect has received multiple awards and nominations for the different strands of his work. He won the 2009 Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work for Shane Warne: The Musical, and received a Tony nomination for Best Original Score for his work as composer/lyricist of Beetlejuice. He's back on stage to star in Opera Australia's new production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide, and from this May will once again perform his own music as he takes on the title role in the Australian run of Beetlejuice.In this conversation, Eddie takes a deep dive into the development and creation of a successful Broadway show, charting his initial struggle to get his foot in the door, the long process of writing, workshopping, and re-writing, to coping with the initial out-of-town and Broadway premieres to an initially lacklustre critical response. The show went on to receive eight Tony nominations. He also talks about his formative years as a performer that eventually led to creating Shane Warne: The Musical.This episode of In Conversation contains additional content to the broadcast edition.
Welcome to the Season 4 Premiere of The Mouse and Me!Scott rubbed the Genie's lamp and his wish came true! Michael James Scott has become a household name in the world of Broadway. He's known for his incredible talent, energy, and versatility and is best recognized for his portrayal of the Genie in Disney'sAladdin.Michael originated the role of the Genie in the Australian production, which opened in Sydney in August 2016. For that production, he received a Helpmann Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. From there, he joined the North American Tour, then played the West End before hitting Broadway in 2019, where he's still in the show! Fun fact - Michael holds the record for the longest running Genie! Over the years, Michael has showcased his impressive singing and acting skills in various shows on Broadway, including the original Broadway productions ofThe Book of Mormon as Dr. Gostwana andSomething Rotten!as the Minstrel. Other Broadway credits include All Shook Up (where he made his Broadway debut), Mamma Mia as Eddie, Disney's Tarzan, The Pirate Queen, and Hair both on Broadway and then the West End production the following year. He then returned to Broadway in the original cast of Elf. Michael's numerous television and film appearances include "The Carrie Diaries" for the CW, the feature film “Independent Woman”, "The View", "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon", "The Late Show with Conan O'Brien", "Good Morning America", "The Today Show", "The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade", and "The TONY Awards".Michael was pure joy, happiness, and positivity and you'll realize that right away! So...without any further ado...we give you Scott's interview with the magical Michael James Scott!Email:TheMouseAndMePodcast@gmail.comSupport:www.patreon.com/themouseandmeFB & Instagram: The Mouse and MeTikTok: @TheMouseAndMePodcastTwitter: @MouseMePodcastMusic by Kevin MacLeod fromhttps://incompetech.filmmusic.io
If there was a huge asteroid hurtling toward Earth threatening to destroy life as we know it and you could see one more show before you die, what would it be? It can be anything you want - a show you've seen before, one that you wish you'd seen, or something you've made up entirely. What would be YOUR Last Show on Earth? This is the podcast in which we ask a special guest the big, BIG question that nobody ever needed (or indeed) bothered to ask. Our guest this episode is Philip QuastTo theatre fans, Philip Quast needs no introduction, but here's one anyway. He is a multi award winning and hugely influential hero to many musical actors – ourselves included – and has graced stage and screen for nearly 5 decades. During this time he has won Mo Awards, Helpmann Awards, three Olivier Awards and was appointed Member of the Order of Australia in 2022 for significant services to the arts. Most musical fans first heard of him when he played Javert in the 10th Anniversary concert and ever since then, seeing his name on a cast list is enough to make any theatre fan go weak at the knees!Links:Wikihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_QuastGuardian interviewhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/aug/10/cost-of-living-sydney-theatre-company-philip-quast-interviewJavert at the 10thhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urxk4mveLCwSunday in the Park with George documentary 1990https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av4M2Gzy4W0Pretty Women with Bryn terfelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjQo_YbFsETomorrow and Tomorrow speech analysis with McKellen and Nunnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGbZCgHQ9m8Hosted by John Owen-Jones and Alistair BrammerMusic written by John Owen-Jones and Alistair BrammerMusic performed by John Owen-Jones, Alistair Brammer and John QuirkRecorded & edited by John Owen-Jones and Alistair BrammerA 2024 John Owen-Jones Associates Productionwww.johnowenjones.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
“The complete package!” is how Tim Draxl has been described for his performance as Joe Gillis in Andrew Lloyd-Webber's musical Sunset Boulevard, currently playing at the Sydney Opera House. That part is just the latest in a long line of Tim's roles in his 20-plus year career which has garnered him nominations for AACTAs, Logies, and a Helpmann Award. On stage he has appeared in musicals such as Jagged Little Pill, Into the Woods and Catch Me If You Can. He is a familiar face on TV, most particularly for his long running role in A Place to Call Home, and more recently the ABC series about the Australian response to the AIDS crisis, In Our Blood. His films include Swimming Upstream and Blacklight among many others. He's also no stranger to cabaret, and has released four albums. Tim takes us through his career from budding cabaret performer, through his time in Hollywood and to his most recent roles. He candidly shares the story of coming out publicly, his embrace of which has led him to be a part of several ground-breaking productions and being an inspiration for many LGTBQIA+ Australians, young and old. Tim Draxl plays Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House until 1 November.
First Nations youth from Rubibi (Broome) and youth from Girrawheen Senior High School in Boorloo (Perth) unite in an energetic double bill in response to Co3's engagement project CONNECT 2024: THE INSIDE, delivered by Co3 Artistic Associate Dave Mack and Co3's Teaching Artist Team. Throughout Term 2, these youth participated in Co3's in-school dance residency and workshop program which involved an immersive virtual reality arts experience created by Artistic Director, Raewyn Hill. CONNECT 2024: THE INSIDE engages with themes of belonging and displacement and explores how youth consider and respond to their built and natural environments. This creative dance response in Boorloo brings our young people together from across Western Australia in a safe and inclusive environment - to voice, to exchange and to dance! Youth dancers ‘Burrb Wanggarraju Nurlu' created by Artistic Director Tara Gower from Rubibi will be presenting a devised response titled Retaliate. Youth from Girrawheen Senior High School will be presenting their devised response titled The Return, mentored in the program by Co3 Teaching Artists Jessica Pettitt and Alex Kay. This event isn't just about dance — it's about empowerment, expression, and forging connections. Supported by Act Belong Commit, we invite you to join us in celebrating our youth in what will be a wonderful and disarming showcase of movement and expression. Move with us. David Mack is an award-winning dancer with more than 20 years of experience performing with companies including Sydney Dance Company, Rambert Dance Company. Phoenix Dance Theatre, West Australian Ballet and Co3 Contemporary Dance. Throughout his career, he has performed principal and soloist roles in works by many notable classical and contemporary choreographers, receiving a nomination for a Helpmann Award and winning a Green Room Award and Australian Dance Award for his performances in William Forsythe's Qunitett and Rafael Bonachela's Frame of Mind.
One of Australia's most respected actors, Nadine Garner's career has spanned film, television and theatre for more than 30 years. Nadine recently performed on stage in the Melbourne Theatre Company's The Almighty Sometimes and Belvoir's production of Tell Me I'm Here to rave reviews. Her recent screen credits include the ABC crime drama series Savage River and Scott Major's debut feature film Darklands which premiered on Stan. Nadine's other television credits include the Network 10/Channel 5 (UK) series Lie With Me, the Stan original series Bloom, My Life Is Murder and Mr Black for Network 10, The Blake Mysteries: Ghost Stories Telemovie for the Seven Network, ABC's The Doctor Blake Mysteries, the Seven Network drama City Homicide, ABC comedy It's A Date, Blue Water High, The Henderson Kids, G.P, The Flying Doctors, Boys From The Bush, and RAW FM for which she was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Actress in a Television Drama. Nadine's feature film credits include Ben Hackworth's debut feature Celeste which premiered at the 2018 Melbourne International Film Festival, Ana Kokkinos' The Book Of Revelation, Darren Ashton's Razzle Dazzle and Amanda Jane's The Wedding Party, which earned her a New York City International Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1988, Nadine received an AFI Award for Best Actress for her role in Mull and in 1995, she received a Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Supporting Actress and an AFI Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in Metal Skin. Nadine has worked for many of Australia's theatre companies performing both contemporary and classical pieces including The Lifespan of a Fact which earned her a Green Room Award Nomination for Outstanding Performance , Emerald City (co-production with QT), Photograph 51, Di and Viv and Rose, The Distance, The Weir, Private Lives, The Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard for MTC; A Little Night Music for Watch This National Theatre; Zebra! and Life After George for STC; Miss Julie for Perth Theatre Company; Romeo & Juliet and Taming of the Shrew for The Australian Shakespeare Company. She starred in Sam Mendes' production of Cabaret and received a Helpmann Award and Green Room Award for her performance as Fraulein Kost. In 2011, Nadine wrote and directed the short film Afterglow which was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Screenplay. Nadine returns to the Musical stage in July for William Finn's Elegies, being presented at 45 Downstairs in Melbourne. In August she is in Sydney making her Opera House debut in a unique presentation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
"Counting and Cracking," an acclaimed theatre production, is returning to Sydney. The production has won 14 major awards, including Helpmann Awards for best production and best direction, and has recently been showcased at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and Edinburgh Festivals. Anthony Thasan Jesuthasan, a renowned writer and actor, is part of the cast. He discusses more about the show in an interview with Renuka Thuraisingham. The show will be performed at Carriageworks for a limited season from June 28 to July 21, 2024. - S. ஷக்திதரன் எழுதிய counting and cracking என்ற அரங்க காவியம் சிட்னியில் மீண்டும் மேடையேறுகிறது. எழுத்தாளர் மற்றும் நடிகர் ஷோபாசக்தி இதில் முக்கிய பாத்திரமேற்று நடித்திருக்கிறார். இந்நாடகம் தொடர்பிலும் இன்னும் சில விடயங்கள் தொடர்பிலும் அவரோடு உரையாடுகிறார் றேனுகா துரைசிங்கம்.
Neil Armfield AO is a leading Australian director of theatre, opera and film. Alongside Rachel Healy, Neil was Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival between 2017 and 2022. Prior to that, Neil was the inaugural Artistic Director of Belvoir St Theatre, which he also co-founded, for 17 years. As Artistic Director of Belvoir, and for other companies, Neil has directed well over 100 productions, with a focus on new and Indigenous writing, Shakespeare, David Hare and Patrick White. Some highlights include; The Tempest, Hamlet, Up the Road, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Keating!, Toy Symphony, Dallas Winmar's Aliwa, Angels in America, A Cheery Soul, Signal Driver, The Blind Giant is Dancing and Things I KnowTo Be True. Neil's production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman opened in late 2023 to glowing reviews. Produced by GWB Entertainment and Red Line Productions at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne, it starred Anthony LaPaglia and Alison Whyte. After the success of the Melbourne season, the play will be presented at the Theatre Royal Sydney in May/June 2024. In 2022, Neil directed the world premiere of the oratorio Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan by Joseph Twist at the Adelaide Festival, and Glyndebourne Festival's production of Brett Dean's Hamlet at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Neil directed the same production of Hamlet at Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper in July 2023. For the 2021 Adelaide Festival, Neil directed the Australian premiere of A German Life by Christopher Hampton, starring Robyn Nevin, as well as Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Festival Theatre. Later that year he directed an acclaimed production of Rameau's comic masterpiece Platée for Pinchgut Opera. In addition to his extensive work in Australia, many of Neil's productions have played internationally. These include Cloudstreet (toured to London, Dublin, Zurich, New York), The Diary of a Madman (with Geoffrey Rush, toured to Moscow, St Petersburg, New York), Exit The King (Broadway), The Book of Everything (toured to New York), The Judas Kiss (toured Australia with Bille Brown, London, New York and Toronto with Rupert Everett), The Secret River (adapted by Andrew Bovell, toured to Edinburgh Festival and London) and the world premiere of David Hare's I'm Not Running for National Theatre in London. Neil frequently collaborates with major opera companies, having directed productions at The Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Chicago Lyric Opera, Zurich Opera, Bregenz Festival, Washington National Opera, Opera Australia, Pinchgut, Canadian Opera, Welsh National Opera, and Houston Grand Opera. In addition to classics by Mozart, Britten and Wagner, Neil directed the premieres of Frankie and The Eighth Wonder by Alan John, Whitsunday by Brian Howard, Love Burns by Graeme Koehne and Bliss and Hamlet by Brett Dean. For screen, Neil directed and co-wrote the feature film Candy, starring Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish, which screened at over twenty international films festivals including In Competition at the Berlinale. Neil was awarded Best Adapted Screenplay at the AFI Awards and an AWGIE for Best Screenplay. Neil's second feature film Holding the Man premiered at Sydney Film Festival in 2015. For television, Neil directed miniseries Edens Lost for ABC (AFI Award Best Director and Best Mini-Series), The Fisherman's Wake (by Andrew Bovell), which won an ATOM Award for Best Original TV Production, and Coral Island (by Nick Enright). Over his distinguished career, Neil has received 2 AFI Awards, 12 Helpmann Awards and several Sydney Theatre, Victorian Green Room and Sydney Theatre Critics Circle Awards. He holds Honorary Doctorates from Adelaide, Sydney and NSW Universities, and in 2007 was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts.
Send your questions or provocations to Adam or Budi here!In this episode, Budi sits down with renowned playwright Future D. Fidel to delve into their upcoming show, "La Belle Époque." Join us as Budi, who is also directing this production, and Future share an insiders look at the creative process, the inspirations behind the play and the journey of brining this story to life on stage.Support the team behind La Belle Époque!Future D. Fidel is an African Australian playwright, screenplay writer, and novelist originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1996, Future was forced to flee as an orphan stowaway to Tanzania. He tried desperately to trace his surviving family; he was finally reunited with his sister six years later. Future spent eight years in Nyarugusu, a Tanzanian refugee camp, before being accepted as a refugee in Australia where he now lives. Future's theatre journey started as an actor in the production of I am here (Brisbane PowerHouse 2012, Queensland Theatre Company 2013); later, he became a playwright in residence at Laboite Theatre. Future's debut play Prize Fighter was featured in both the Brisbane and Sydney Festivals. Prize Fighter was nominated for Best New Australian Work and Best Production at the 2016 Helpmann Awards.Mentioned in this episodeLa Boite TheatreBrisbane Festival La Belle Époque at Theatre WorksPatrice LumumbaSupport the Show.If you enjoyed this week´s podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. To submit a question: Voice- http://www.speakpipe.com/theatreofothers Email- podcast@theatreofothers.com Show Credits Co-Hosts: Adam Marple & Budi MillerProducer: Jack BurmeisterMusic: https://www.purple-planet.comAdditional compositions by @jack_burmeister
S. Shakthidharan's award-winning epic, Counting and Cracking, won seven Helpmann Awards and drew a huge audience to a story that many of them knew little about. Five years after its world premiere, Counting and Cracking is on in Melbourne as part of the RISING festival, after which it transfers to Sydney's Carriageworks and then New York.In 1972, a lecturer at the University of Adelaide was attacked at a gay beat and drowned. 50 years on, an oratorio shone a light into this appalling story and how his death changed Australia. Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan is now being restaged by Opera Australia.
Tim Draxl is an actor and singer with a career spanning more than two decades.Most recently he was seen in the SBS anthology television series Erotic Stories, for which he has received an AACTA Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama series, and the lead role in ABC's four-part musical drama In Our Blood, for which he has received both an AACTA Nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series and TV WEEK Logie Award Nomination for Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.On stage, Tim was most recently seen in Belvoir's Into The Woods as ‘Cinderella's Prince/ Wolf' and in the role of ‘Steve Healy' for the first overseas tour of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill produced by GWB. Other theatre credits include critically acclaimed Only Heaven Knows, Catch Me If You Can and Evie May (all for Hayes Theatre), Torch Song Trilogy (Darlinghurst Theatre Company), Lip Service, Mothers and Sons (Ensemble Theatre), Freeway – The Chet Baker Journey (Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Festival, Brisbane Festival), Nailed (Griffin Theatre Company), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Belvoir), The Sound Of Music (GFO) and She Loves Me (The Production Company).Other television credits include anthology series Summer Love and critically acclaimed The Newsreader both for the ABC, hit series A Place to Call Home as series regular Henry Fox (FOXTEL), the Molly Meldrum telemovie Molly, the critically acclaimed series Serangoon Road, Reef Break, Mrs Biggs, Home & Away, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Crownies, Day One, Tangle, Headland, Supernova, Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure and The Shark Net.Tim's film work includes action film Blacklight alongside Liam Neeson, Guardians of the Tomb, directed by Kimble Rendall, A Few Best Men, Undocumented, Ivory, In My Sleep, Red Canyon, Right Here Right Now, Travelling Light, Swimming Upstream, and Dirty Deeds.He received his first TV WEEK Logie Award Nomination for Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series in 2005 for The Shark Net and an ASTRA Award Nomination (later renamed The AACTA Awards) for Most Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Comedy for Supernova (2006). His one man show Tim Draxl in Concert was nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best Live Music Presentation in 2002 and has received several Sydney Theatre Award nominations for his cabaret and theatre shows winning the award for best cabaret production with Back For Seconds in 2006.He has released four solo albums. ‘Ordinary Miracles' and ‘Insongniac' for Sony Music Australia under the Columbia label, the independently released ‘Tim Draxl Live at the Supper Club' and ‘My Funny Valentine' released through Ambition Entertainment/EMI which reached number 1 on the iTunes jazz charts.Tim can currently be seen on Australian stages playing the role of Jodie Gillis opposite Sarah Brightman's Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard. This will be the musical theatre event of the year. Don't miss this strictly limited season at Melbourne's Princess Theatre from May, and at the Sydney Opera House from August, 2024.The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Since graduating from WAAPA in 2006, Lucy Maunder has cemented her reputation as one of Australia's musical theatre leading ladies performing in a huge range of roles over the last 17 years.Most recently she appeared as Winifred Banks in the critically acclaimed Cameron Mackintosh/Michael Cassel Group/Disney revival of Mary Poppins. Prior to this Lucy starred in Victorian Opera's production of Kurt Weill's anti-capitalist musical Happy End as Lillian Holiday. The start of 2022 also saw her play the protagonist Alison Bechdel in the acclaimed MTC/STC Australian premiere production of Fun Home (Green Room and Sydney Theatre Award nominations for Best Performer in a Leading Role in a musical). In between seasons of Fun Home, Lucy reprised her role of Mrs Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Crossroads Live) for which she received a Helpmann Award nomination.Following the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic to the Arts, Lucy was lucky enough to appear in the first main stage commercial musical to return after the shutdown of all theatre as Catherine in Pippin for Crossroads Live. Her other recent career highlights include Cynthia in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Michael Cassel Group, Green Room Award nomination), Miss Honey in Matilda: The Musical (Louise Withers/RSC, Helpmann Award nomination), The Spirit of Christmas (QPAC), There's Something About Music (The Little Red Company), Heather Chandler in Heathers (ShowWork Productions), Patty in Tim Finn's Ladies in Black (QTC/MTC), Rizzo in Grease (GFO, Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Award nominations), Cinderella in Into the Woods (Victorian Opera, Helpmann and Green Room Award nominations), Georgia Hendricks in Curtains (The Production Company), Gertrude Lawrence in Noël and Gertie (CDP Theatre Producers, Glug Award for Best Actress in a Musical), Polly Peachum in The Threepenny Opera (STC/Malthouse/Victorian Opera), Janet in The Rocky Horror Show (TML Enterprises), Emma in Jekyll & Hyde (TML Enterprises) and Anne in A Little Night Music (Opera Australia). Lucy also created the role of Lara in the world première of Doctor Zhivago opposite Anthony Warlow (GFO, Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Award nominations).Lucy's film credits include The Eternity Man (Channel 4 UK/ABC) and the lead role in the short film Identical, amongst other commercial and television appearances including the National Anthem at the State of Origin, The Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols (Channel 9) and appearances on The Morning Show (Channel 7) and Today Extra (Channel 9).Lucy's one-woman show Irving Berlin: Songs in the Key of Black toured Australia to rave reviews at venues such as the prestigious Spiegeltent, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, His Majesty's Theatre Perth and La Salon at Claire's Kitchen. Her album featuring arrangements and musical direction by Daniel Edmonds is available across all streaming platforms.Lucy is over the moon to be starring as Roxie in Chicago, a true bucket list moment.The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Robyn Arthur is one of Australia's leading theatre performers who soon celebrates 50 years working in the Industry. Robyn toured with Jonathan Church's Singin' in the Rain and Jonathan Biggins' Australia Day for Hit Productions and Mother & Son with Noeline Brown for McLaren House. In 2013, she toured Australia in Elizabeth Coleman's play It's My Party (And I'll Die If I Want To!) with Henri Szeps for Hit Productions and appeared in the Production Company's Singin' in the Rain directed by Gary Young at the State Theatre. In 2011, she starred again alongside Todd McKenney in the hit revival of The Boy From Oz having also appeared in the original cast. Robyn played Mrs Potts in the Aria Award winning Australian premiere season of Beauty and the Beast with Hugh Jackman and will be long remembered for her performance as Madame Thenardier (Victorian Green Room Award) in the original cast of Les Miserables directed in Australia by Trevor Nunn. Robyn clocked up almost 1,300 performances in the role. In 2007, she was nominated for a Helpmann Award for her performance in the Australian premiere of Sideshow Alley (Keelan/Young) for QPAC. Robyn's other theatre highlights include Stuart Maunder's production of My Fair Lady (Opera Australia); Minefield's and Miniskirts by Terence O'Connell (Malthouse), Gale Edwards' production of Sweeney Todd (Opera Queensland); Stephen Sondheim's Company directed by the late Richard Wherrett and Michael Gow's classic Away for the Sydney Theatre Company. Television credits include The Newsreader, Rosehaven, Five Bedrooms, Sisters, Woodley, Twentysomething, Laid 2, The Librarians, City Homicide, Very Small Business, Kath and Kim, Blue Heelers, MDA, Neighbours, and the US production, Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Robyn also appeared in Charlotte's Web with Dakota Fanning for Paramount Pictures and the Tropfest short film Hoarder Control directed by Nichola Colla. Robyn's been a proud member of Actors Equity since 1975 and serves on the Victorian Actors Benevolent Trust (VABT).The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Sarah joins Regina to talk about how she has paved her way in as a director and the things that interest her. As well as her latert production No Pay? No Way! on at Sydney Theatre Company. Sarah Giles is an award-winning opera and theatre director. Described by Limelight Magazine as one of Australia's most thoughtful theatre-makers, she has a passion for comedy and opera and has directed over 25 productions for companies including Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, State Theatre of South Australia, Malthouse Theatre, Griffin Theatre, The Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Chamber Opera, Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Australia and West Australian Opera. Sarah is a freelance artist, who works as a director, dramaturg and adaptor. She works across Australia and is based in Naarm / Melbourne where she lives with her family. Sarah received Helpmann Award and Green Room Award nominations for Best Direction of an Opera for her world premiere Victorian Opera production of Lorelei which won Best New Australian work and Best Design at the Green Room Awards where it was nominated in five categories.
Luke Joslin is a graduate of The University of Western Sydney and The Actors College of Theatre and Television, Luke has forged a successful career in both musical theatre and straight drama, as well as being highly sort after as a director.Luke worked as an Actor for 15 years. His extensive credits include the national tour of Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Play That Goes Wrong, both for Lunchbox and Jon Nicholls, Brigadoon for Production Company, Machu Picchu for State Theatre Company of South Australia, Pinnochio for Windmill and Sydney Theatre Company, Threepenny Opera for Malthouse and Sydney Theatre Company, 25th Anniversary production of Les Miserables for Michael Cassel and Cameron McIntosh, Annie and Dr Zhivago both for GFO, Avenue Q for Arts Asia, Assassins for Neil Gooding, Dirty Dancing for Jacobsens, Titanic for Seabiscuit and Guys and Dolls for Dennis Smith.In 2009 he won the Helpmann and Greenroom Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Nicky/Trekky in Avenue Q. Luke was also Nominated for a Greenroom Award for Best Male in a Supporting Role in 2018 for Brigadoon.Directorial credits include Annie for Riverside Theatre, Educating Rita for Seymour Centre, Thank You For Being a Friend for Neil Gooding and Matt Henderson, Songs for a New World (Melbourne and Sydney) for Blue Saint and Hayes Theatre, Giggle and Hoot Live show for ABC and Live Nation, In the Heights (Hayes and Sydney Opera House) for Blue Saint and Sydney Opera House in which he was nominated for a Helpmann Award and Sydney Theatre Award for Best Director, Resident Director for Shrek the Musical for GFO, Les Miserables for Packemin Productions and Riverside Theatre, Revival Director – Otello with Opera Australia, Resident Director – Cinderella The Musical for John Frost at XRoads and Opera Australia and Bells are Ringing with Neglected Musicals. Luke also spearheaded the Riverside Theatre Digital Concert series where he conceptualised and directed six shows back to back. Luke most recently was show director for both Jimmy Rees's Not that Kinda Viral Tour and the Swag on the Beat Live Show.He presently helms the exciting new production of Grease which has made its way to Sydney following a triumphant season in Melbourne. And the next stop is Perth. Luke Joslin joined STAGES to reflect on his journey from actor to director; and why Grease is still the word!The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Francesca Zambello is an internationally recognised director of opera and theatre. She is the Artistic Director of The Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center; a role she has occupied since 2012. In 2022 she retired from a celebrated role as the General Director of The Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y., having been appointed in 2010. Francesca has also served as the Artistic Advisor to the San Francisco Opera from 2005–2011 and as the Artistic Director of the Skylight Theatre from 1987–1992. She has since staged new productions at major theatres, festivals and opera houses in Asia, Australia, South America, Europe and the USA. Collaborating with outstanding artists and designers and promoting emerging talent, she takes a special interest in new music theatre works, innovative productions, and in producing theatre and opera for wider audiences. Francesca Zambello has been awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for her contribution to French culture and the Russian Federation's medal for Service to Culture. Other honours for her work include three Olivier Awards from the London Society of Theatres and two Evening Standard Awards. The French Grand Prix des Critiques was awarded to her twice for her work at the Paris Opera. She has received the Medallion Society Award from the San Francisco Opera recognizing 30 years of work for the company. For Opera Australia, Francesca Zambello directed the 2012 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour production of La Traviata, as well as The Love for Three Oranges in 2016, and West Side Story on Sydney Harbour in 2019, for which she received the Helpmann Award for best direction of a musical. Ms. Zambello has also served as an adjunct professor at Yale University. An American who grew up in Europe, she speaks French, Italian, German, and Russian. She began her career as an Assistant Director to the late Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. Francesca Zambello lives in New York with her wife, Faith Gay, a founding partner of Selendy & Gay and son, Jackson. www.francescazambello.com The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
LA PETITE MORT: PETER GOLDSWORTHY IS GOING TO DIEEvery second week on MHIGTD we explore a conversation about mortality and survival with human beings who have skin in the game. And today we're asking the question: What happens when you're a doctor who is diagnosed with a terminal illness?Novelist and GP Peter Goldsworthy was faced with this specifically life-changing predicament in 2018 when a chance medical check-up revealed a blood cancer diagnosis. ‘My first stray thought: cancer is a gift. I'm lucky to have it. What priceless material for a doctor-writer.' Peter has won literary awards across a range of genres, including the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the FAW Christina Stead Award for fiction, and, together with composer Richard Mills, the inaugural Helpmann Award for Best New Work for the opera Batavia. His most recent novel is Minotaur, published by Penguin Viking in 2019; his 1995 novel Wish has been reissued in the Text Classics series, his 1988 novel Maestro as an Angus & Robertson Australian Classic, and Honk If you Are Jesus (1992) last year in the Untapped heritage series. His novels have been widely translated, and adapted for the stage. He has also written opera libretti for the composers Luke Styles and Graeme Koehne. Online, his poetry can be read and heard at The Poetry Archive, and read at The Australian Poetry Library and at The Poetry Foundation.Peter Goldsworthy (author page)The Cancer Finishing School (available here)Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy).You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePodMusic by Lord Fascinator (IG @lordfascinator)Produced by Darren Scarce (IG @Dazz26)Video edits by Andy Nedelkovski (IG @AndyNeds)Artwork by Lauren Egan (IG @heylaurenegan)Photography by Eamon Leggett (IG @anxietyoptions)With thanks to Amelia Chappelow (IG @ameliachappelow)Camilla McKewen (IG @CamillaLucyLucy)and Rhys Graham (IG @RhysJGraham)Support the show via www.patreon.com/mariekehardy and drop an email to mariekehardyisgoingtodie@gmail.comWhilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources:https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groupshttps://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspxhttps://www.headspace.com/meditation/griefhttps://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/https://griefline.org.au/get-help/ ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Groundhog Day The Musical made its Australian Premiere at Melbourne's Princess Theatre on Thursday February 1st - (incidentally February 2nd is the actual Groundhog Day). Direct from its record-breaking return season at London's Old Vic, the Australian production will play a 13-week season in Melbourne. Groundhog Day the Musical is a gloriously joyful and heart-warming production from the award-winning minds of Australia's one and only Tim Minchin AM, the writer of the iconic 1993 film Danny Rubin and director Matthew Warchus. Broadway Veteran Andy Karl returns to Groundhog Day after his critically-acclaimed reprisal at London's Old Vic as ‘Phil Connors,' the role he originated on Broadway which won him an Olivier Award and a Tony Nomination; the third of his Tony nominations.He was previously seen in the Broadway revival of Into The Woods as both ‘Rapunzel's Prince' and ‘Cinderella's Prince/The Wolf,' and leading the Broadway musical Pretty Woman as ‘Edward Lewis.'Other notable theatre credits include the Broadway revival of On the Twentieth Century, the title role in Rocky, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, 9 to 5, Legally Blonde, Wicked, The Wedding Singer, and Saturday Night Fever.On television he appeared in Season 17 of Law & Order: SVU as “Sergeant Mike Dodds.”, and also The Good Fight and Blue Bloods. The production also features Elise McCann, who is most well-known for originating the role of Miss Honey in the Australian production of Matilda for which she won the 2016 Helpmann Award.Her breadth of musical theatre experience is extensive with celebrated credits that include Lucille Ball in Everybody Loves Lucy, Mary Flynn in Merrily We Roll Along and most recently for her performance as Donna in the 2023 20th Anniversary Tour of MAMMA MIA! the Musical. Further theatre credits include The Last Five Years, The Wedding Singer; Oklahoma, Brigadoon, South Pacific, Doctor Zhivago, Fiddler on the Roof, Falsettos, Into The Woods, Little Women and My Fair Lady. Andy and Elise were recently in Sydney where we caught up to discuss the extraordinary show they're currently navigating and the many joys and challenges of a career in musical theatre.Groundhog Day - The Musical plays the Princess Theatre in Melbourne until April 20th.The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Today I'm speaking with Beau Dean Riley Smith. Beau was born on Wiradjuri Country in Dubbo, Western NSW. But as a little kid the family moved to Culburra on the NSW South Coast where Beau spent his childhood surrounded by siblings, love and chaos while growing up at the beach. Beau didn't learn to dance as a kid, instead he studied drama in high school, before being accepted into the performance program at WAPPA—the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth. It was a transformative year in which Beau's world exploded, and led to Beau auditioning for drama programs across the country, including NIDA—but Beau didn't get in, and so, in a surprise move, and with no dance experience, Beau auditioned for NAISDA—and was accepted. In this extraordinary conversation, Beau reveals his journey to joining Bangarra, his struggles with body image and weight, and his difficulties accepting the Helpmann Award for Best Male Dancer which coincided with the death of his sister. We also talk about the gravity of performing on Country, the pride and pressure that comes with that, and, in an unexpected announcement, Beau reveals that after nearly a decade with Bangarra he plans to leave the Company and reveals who he's signed with next.Beau continues to perform with Bangarra, but after more than a decade will leave the Company at the end of this year to join the Sydney Theatre Company. For Bangarra tour dates and to see Beau's final performances head to bangarra.com.au, and for Sydney Theatre Company tickets it's sydneytheatre.com.au. And to continue to follow all of Beau's adventures, you'll find him on Insta at @beaudrsmith.Beau and I met and recorded in Sydney on the land of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, to whom we pay our greatest respects.
1931, Sydney. West-Indian Australian singer Nellie Small puts on a sleek top hat and tails at a little Oxford Street venue, and a legend of Australian vaudeville and cabaret is born. Send For Nellie is a thrilling new Cabaret Show that unearths the great untold story of Singer, Nellie Small. Written by Helpmann Award-winning playwright Alana Valentine Send For Nellie celebrates a ground-breaking, non-conformist path. LOTL speaks to Alana about Nellie's life, her success and her battles. To read more go to http://tinyurl.com/2d9xnzvnSupport the showCheck out more content on www.lotl.com
This week, host Dr. Stephen B. Platt is joined by special guests Tegan Mulvany, Simon Haynes, and Brent Hill (star of the Australian stage production of 'School of Rock', for which he won a Helpmann Award!) as they review 'School of Rock'. Listen in as they discuss Spider, stage dives, and Sticking it to the Man. NOTE: This episode was originally recorded in early July 2023 but was not released at that time in solidarity with the subsequent SAG-AFTRA strike. Music from filmmusic.io "Hyperfun" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Five-time Helpmann Award winner Paul Capsis returns to Sunday Arts Magazine to chat with David, Brendan and Neil. Predominantly cabaret performer and singer, Paul will be starring in the hit... LEARN MORE The post Sunday Arts Magazine: Paul Capsis appeared first on Sunday Arts Magazine.
Karen Johnson Mortimer began her professional career at the age of 15 in the Cole Porter musical, Anything Goes starring Toni Lamond. She has subsequently carved a dynamic career in musical theatre, contributing via a succession of roles.As a performer, Karen played Cassie in the original Australian production of A Chorus Line and appeared in musicals as diverse as Company, The Conquest of Carmen Miranda, Dames at Sea, Kiss Me Kate, No No Nanette, Irene, Cabaret and Footloose. Throughout the 80's Karen was also a regular solo guest artist in television variety on The Don Lane Show and The Mike Walsh Show. Karen's choreographic credits also include a variety of experiences. She crafted dance and movement for the Reg Livermore productions of Turns, Wonder Woman and Sacred Cow, Grease-The Mega Musical (GFO), Stones In His Pockets (STC), Leader of The Pack - The Ellie Greenwich Musical (Star City), Anzac Military Tattoo (Acer Arena), the 2007 Helpmann Awards, Tin Symphony (Opening Ceremony – 2000 Sydney Olympics), the Norman Gunston Show (ABC TV) and Farnham & Byrne (ABC).A new direction pursuing Directorial roles as Associate, Resident and Director in her own right, have seen her steer a number of prominent commercial productions.In 2017 Karen enjoyed the great honour of working with Dame Julie Andrews as her Associate Director for the 60th anniversary production of My Fair Lady . A role she also assumed for Crossroads Live's production of Dolly Parton's 9 TO 5. She has also been the Associate Director for Grease -The Arena Spectacular, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard Of Oz, Dirty Dancing and the Australian tours of Wicked. Karen remounted the Korean Language production of Wicked in Seoul. Karen was Resident Director for the 2009 production of Chicago and returned for the 2019 production. She directed the production of Saturday Night Fever starring Marcia Hines, and Annie starring Anthony Warlow. She has directed three annual Rob Guest Endowment Finalists Concerts held in both Sydney and Melbourne. Karen has returned to the rehearsal room to mount the recently launched season of Wicked and soon shifts focus to the return of another audience favourite - Kander and Ebb's Chicago.The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Anna O'Byrne has established an international career spanning opera, theatre, concert and film. Well known for her performance as Eliza Doolittle in Opera Australia's My Fair Lady, Anna received the 2017 Helpmann Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Andrew Lloyd Webber cast Anna as Christine Daaé in Love Never Dies, his sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. Anna made her West End debut as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre, London. Subsequent West End credits include The Woman in White, Strangers on a Train, Kings of Broadway, and A Little Night Music. Anna debuted with English National Opera in Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, starring Emma Thompson. She recently completed the Australian Tour of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap and touring with her one-woman show Becoming Eliza. The show reflects on her unique experience and shares stories about working intimately with internationally adored icon Julie Andrews. Anna takes the show to Melbourne for a very special performance on August 26th. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Chatting With Sherri welcomes actor, singer, director, writer and artistic director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia; Mitchell Butel! Mitchell holds four Helpmann Awards, four Sydney Theatre Awards and two Victorian Green Room Awards for his work as a director, actor and writer in Australian theatre over three decades. He has also worked in New York, London, Hong Kong and New Zealand. He has worked extensively for Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre, State Theatre Company South Australia, Belvoir, Bell Shakespeare, Griffin, Malthouse, Opera Australia, Sydney Chamber Opera, Pinchgut Opera, Most recently, Mitchell directed Giovanni Busenello's The Loves of Apollo and Dafne for Pinchgut Opera and the sold-out season of Dennis Kelly's Girls & Boys for State Theatre Company South Australia during the Adelaide Festival (and its tour to Sydney Festival and Theatre Royal, Hobart). For the Company, Mitchell has also directed Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?, David Lindsay-Abaire's Ripcord, His performing highlights in theatre, music theatre and opera include A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, The Merchant of Venice (as Shylock for which he won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Actor), Mr Burns (Helpmann Award Best Supporting Actor), South Pacific,Angels in America. His film and TV highlights include A Sunburnt Christmas, Stateless, Dance Academy, Holding the Man, Gettin' Square (AFI nomination), The Bank, Strange Fits of Passion (AFI nomination),
Welcome to Triple M Rock News with Kalun, where we bring you the latest updates in the world of rock music. In today's episode, we have some exciting news for all music enthusiasts in Australia. The legendary Sir Paul McCartney is making his long-awaited return to Australian shores after six years on his highly anticipated Got Back world tour, scheduled for this October and November. Get ready to be blown away by the magic of one of the most successful singer-songwriters and performers of all time. Embark on a remarkable musical journey spanning six decades, as Sir Paul McCartney treats you to an unforgettable experience, featuring iconic songs from his solo, Wings, and Beatles catalogues. The tour kicks off with a spectacular arena show in Adelaide, a city that holds a special place in music history, as it was where The Beatles first set foot in Australia back in 1964. Let's reminisce about that significant moment when an estimated 350,000 people gathered to catch a glimpse of the iconic band. Fast forward almost six decades, and Paul McCartney is back to relive those cherished memories while creating new ones. The tour will take him to Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, and he'll also grace Newcastle and the Gold Coast with two intimate shows, marking his debut performances in these cities. Mark your calendars, as tickets go on sale on Friday, the 11th of August, with staggered times for each city. Telstra and frontier members will enjoy exclusive access to pre-sale tickets, so make sure to visit articles.listnr.com for more information. Australian fans will be in for a treat as they witness a one-of-a-kind experience of Paul McCartney reuniting on stage with John Lennon, thanks to state-of-the-art audio and video technology. For more details on this incredible event and to stay up-to-date with the latest music news, head to articles.listnr.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Robyn Archer AO FAHA is a singer, writer, artistic director and public advocate for the arts. Winner of the Helpmann Award for Best Cabaret Performer 2013 and named Cabaret Icon at the 2016 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, she currently performs highly acclaimed recitals of French (Que Reste-t'Il) , German (Dancing on the Volcano) and American (The Other Great American Songbook) song, wrote and directed The Sound of Falling Stars (2017/18) and released her album Classic Cabaret Rarities in 2019. In July 2022 Robyn premiered Robyn Archer: an Australian Songbook with a two-week season for Queensland Theatre. Working with long term accordionist George Butrumlis, actor and guitarist Cameron Goodall and pianist Enio Pozzebon the show was an audience and critical success and will tour in 2023. Robyn is recognised internationally for her expertise in the repertoire of the Weimar Republic (Brecht and his musical collaborators and others from 1920s and 30s Germany) which she has been performing through Australia and worldwide since the 1970s, including at the National Theatre, London in 1977, in Hong Kong, Honolulu, and at the Brecht Festival in Augsburg. Her many other stage successes include The Seven Deadly Sins which opened the Space in 1974, and one-woman shows A Star is Torn (through Australia and at Wyndham's in London's West End for a year) and Tonight Lola Blau both at the Adelaide Festival Centre. She has written and had produced, plays including Il Magnifico, Poor Joanna (with poet Judith Rodriguez), and Architektin; plays with music including Songs from Sideshow Alley, Café Fledermaus and The Bridge; and devised cabarets featuring her own songs and writing such as The Pack of Women, Scandals and Cut and Thrust. Robyn has published numerous books from The Robyn Archer Songbook to Mrs Bottle's Burp and Detritus (a collection of her public speeches) as well as writing for the Griffith Review and the Australian Book Review. Among her many awards, including the ABR Laureate, the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award, the SA Premier's Lifetime Achievement Award, the International Society for Performing Arts' International Achievement Award and an ARIA Award for Best Soundtrack (The Pack of Women), the 2018 Adelaide Festival of Ideas Dedication recognised Robyn for her contribution to the world of ideas and public life. In the same year she also received the JC Williamson Centenary Lifetime Achievement Award. Robyn is an Officer of the Order of Australia, Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), Officer of the Crown (Belgium), Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and has Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Sydney and Adelaide as well as Flinders, Canberra and Griffith Universities and the University of South Australia. Robyn Archer - An Australian Songbook - commences a National Tour - kicking off in Melbourne tonight playing …. June 12th & 13th - Victorian Arts CentreAdelaide Cabaret Festival - June 17th and 18thCanberra - July 7th and 8th - Canberra Arts CentreDarwin - August 19th and 20th - Darwin Entertainment CentreSydney - October 18 to 29 - Belvoir TheatreHobart - November 3rd and 4th - Theatre RoyalA journey through Australian music that spans 150 years, from convict lament to Kate Miller Heidke and First Nations songwriters, Robyn explores the unique sound of our country with a repertoire full of passion, politics, landscape and laughter. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Peter Carroll's distinguished career has spanned over 100 productions and 50 years. He continues to work in musical theatre, new Australian texts, and global classics. He has worked with the major theatre companies and commercial managements in Australia including, MTC, QTC, STC, STCSA, Belvoir, Bell Shakespeare, and Opera Australia. Peter began his career as a teacher (English, History and Drama) while gaining experiences in theatre work. In 1968 he went to London to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama where he topped the course. He returned to Sydney in 1970 and for three years headed the Voice and Speech department at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. During this time, he produced many plays for the students and kept up his acting work with guest appearances. At the end of 1973 Peter decided to attempt a full-time acting career and his work since then has more than vindicated his choice. He was a founding member in the 1970's of the Nimrod Theatre Company, performing up to seven or eight major roles a year, ranging from Shakespeare and Restoration comedy to contemporary Australian drama. He has acted for the Sydney Theatre Company from its beginnings at the Sydney Opera House. Some of his early performances were as Benedick in John Bell's hilarious production of Much Ado About Nothing, the dual roles of Hotspur and Pistol in Richard Wherrett's production of Henry IV, Jesus in a Perth Festival production of The Mystery Plays of Wakefield and Thomas à Becket in a Perth Festival production of Murder in the Cathedral. As one of Australia's most admired and popular stage actors, he is particularly well remembered for his beautifully studied role of the Catholic priest in Ron Blair's one-character play, The Christian Brothers, which was performed to acclaim from leading critics and audiences in all Australian capitals, numerous country centres, NZ and Riverside studios in London. In a vast career some standout performances include, Money and Friends, The Cherry Orchard, The Blind Giant is Dancing, A Hard God, Happy Days and Night on Bald Mountain. His repertoire is extensive. His casting in the role of Juan Peron, in the musical Evita marked a return to the earliest days of his career when he sang Gilbert and Sullivan productions at Sydney University. A resume of iconic musical theatre roles have peppered his career - Sweeney Todd, Thenadier in Les Miserables, Gus the theatre cat in CATS, Bella Zangler in Crazy for You, Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar and The Narrator in Into the Woods.His film and television career has been extensive here in Australia and internationally. TV credits include titles such as Aftertaste, The Letdown, Bloom, and Rake. Film credits include The Power of the Dog, Sleeping Beauty, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, and Crazy Rich Asians.Peter has won many awards including Green Room Awards, a Helpmann Award, a Sydney Theatre Critics' Circle Award and an Honorary Doctorate of Creative Arts. He is the inaugural recipient of the Media Arts & Entertainment Alliance's Lifetime Achievement Award; and he continues to be a proud supporter of the union and was awarded an AM for services to the theatre in 2021. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Peter Carroll's distinguished career has spanned over 100 productions and 50 years. He continues to work in musical theatre, new Australian texts, and global classics. He has worked with the major theatre companies and commercial managements in Australia including, MTC, QTC, STC, STCSA, Belvoir, Bell Shakespeare, and Opera Australia. Peter began his career as a teacher (English, History and Drama) while gaining experiences in theatre work. In 1968 he went to London to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama where he topped the course. He returned to Sydney in 1970 and for three years headed the Voice and Speech department at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. During this time, he produced many plays for the students and kept up his acting work with guest appearances. At the end of 1973 Peter decided to attempt a full-time acting career and his work since then has more than vindicated his choice. He was a founding member in the 1970's of the Nimrod Theatre Company, performing up to seven or eight major roles a year, ranging from Shakespeare and Restoration comedy to contemporary Australian drama. He has acted for the Sydney Theatre Company from its beginnings at the Sydney Opera House. Some of his early performances were as Benedick in John Bell's hilarious production of Much Ado About Nothing, the dual roles of Hotspur and Pistol in Richard Wherrett's production of Henry IV, Jesus in a Perth Festival production of The Mystery Plays of Wakefield and Thomas à Becket in a Perth Festival production of Murder in the Cathedral. As one of Australia's most admired and popular stage actors, he is particularly well remembered for his beautifully studied role of the Catholic priest in Ron Blair's one-character play, The Christian Brothers, which was performed to acclaim from leading critics and audiences in all Australian capitals, numerous country centres, NZ and Riverside studios in London. In a vast career some standout performances include, Money and Friends, The Cherry Orchard, The Blind Giant is Dancing, A Hard God, Happy Days and Night on Bald Mountain. His repertoire is extensive. His casting in the role of Juan Peron, in the musical Evita marked a return to the earliest days of his career when he sang Gilbert and Sullivan productions at Sydney University. A resume of iconic musical theatre roles have peppered his career - Sweeney Todd, Thenadier in Les Miserables, Gus the theatre cat in CATS, Bella Zangler in Crazy for You, Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar and The Narrator in Into the Woods. His film and television career has been extensive here in Australia and internationally. TV credits include titles such as Aftertaste, The Letdown, Bloom, and Rake. Film credits include The Power of the Dog, Sleeping Beauty, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, and Crazy Rich Asians.Peter has won many awards including Green Room Awards, a Helpmann Award, a Sydney Theatre Critics' Circle Award and an Honorary Doctorate of Creative Arts. He is the inaugural recipient of the Media Arts & Entertainment Alliance's Lifetime Achievement Award; and he continues to be a proud supporter of the union and was awarded an AM for services to the theatre in 2021. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).www.stagespodcast.com.au
Mark Samual Bonanno is a writer and performer best known for his general silliness within comedy troupe Aunty Donna, one of Australia's biggest comedic acts who have garnered a huge international audience both live, online and most recently with their smash hit Netflix special, Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun. He also co-wrote/created the six part sitcom Why Are You Like This, for ABC (Australia) and Netflix in 2021. Mark's work has won and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Helpmann Award for Best Comedy in 2017, Best of The Fest at Sydney Comedy Festival in 2018, and across the last few years, Best Supporting Actor, Best Ensemble and Best Comedy Web Series at the Melbourne International Web Festival. Mark's work directing Demi Lardner's 2017 and 2018 stage shows also saw award attention, winning both the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Director's Choice Award and Pinder Prize in their respective years, on top of directing “Woah, Alyssa” in 2021 which was nominated for The Golden Gibbo Award (best independent production). Mark's new show Aunty Donna's Coffee Café is now out on ABC iview! We chat about collaboration and working in a team, art and fulfillment, Aunty Donna, KFC, taking a break, performing live with food poisoning, failed pilots plus more! The video footage of this entire chat is now out as well (one day after release)! So check them out on YouTube under Michael Kahan Check Mark/ Aunty Donna out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theauntydonnagallery/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_mneEC0wc29EGGmIsN_xLA Website: https://www.auntydonna.com/ AUNTY DONNA'S COFFEE CAFE: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/aunty-donna-s-coffee-cafe ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/ and @Michael_Kahan on Insta & Twitter to keep up to date with the latest info. https://www.instagram.com/michael_kahan/ https://twitter.com/Michael_Kahan
For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HoICdC7LFU&t=50s Today, I'll be wrapping up the week with five artists making a difference. Grab some coffee cake and join us! Celia Berk is an award-winning vocalist whose recordings have attracted listeners around the world. She has made memorable appearances at Carnegie Hall, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Birdland Theater, The Town Hall and the National Arts Club. https://celiaberk.com Dana P. Rowe is an American musical theater composer whose works have been performed internationally with productions in London's West End (Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Prince of Wales, The Donmar Warehouse), Russia, Czech Republic, Japan (including Tokyo's Imperial Garden Theatre), Germany, Australia, New York City, São Paulo, Brazil and Slovenia. A native New Yorker, Deborah Stone began studying ballet at age eight at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School. She became smitten by the stage when cast as a supernumerary in Met Opera productions from that time forward into her late teens. While there, she studied with Margaret Craske, Alfredo Corvino, and Antony Tudor. Mark Nadler is an internationally acclaimed singer, pianist, tap-dancer and comedian. He is the recipient of the 2015 Broadway World Editor's Choice Award for Entertainer of the Year. His recent off-Broadway hit, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, has been honored with the 2013 Nightlife Award Mark Nadlerand was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and two Broadway World Awards. The show was presented at The Adelaide Cabaret Festival in Adelaide, Australia, where it was nominated for the prestigious Helpmann Award.
One of Australia's most versatile performing artists, Todd McKenney is an award winning and critically acclaimed performer on stage and screen. As an actor and the leading man of song and dance in musical theatre productions, he has entertained Australians for 40 years, from the main stage to intimate venues. It's not surprising that Todd McKenney is a household name. National exposure came with his delicious portrayal of the acerbic adjudicator on Dancing with the Stars - a television juggernaut that has completed multiple seasons. Todd's stage credit roll and career highlights include his most notable role of Peter Allen in the Australian hit production The Boy From Oz, in which he performed over 1000 shows nationally and became one of the longest running and most successful musical productions in Australian history. Todd's first professional musical role was in 1983 in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance. His career followed with lead and headline roles in Cats, 42nd Street, West Side Story, Crazy For You, Born Yesterday, Camelot, Pirates of Penzance, Cabaret, Strictly Ballroom, La Cage aux Folles, Singin' In the Rain, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Orpheus In the Underworld for Opera Australia, Annie the Musical, Grease, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks and Anything Goes. In 2018 he stepped into the stilettos and successfully took on the role of Frank N' Furter in The Rocky Horror Show in Melbourne. In 2019 Todd stepped out on stage as Australia's Greatest Showman in the title role of Barnum, and most recently played Lord Farquaad in the hit musical Shrek and Lord Chancellor Sebastian in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. As a dancer, his journey started at the age of three at his mother's dancing school in Perth, training in jazz, tap, acrobatics and ballroom dancing. He represented Australia in ballroom and Latin American dancing, winning many international dance titles. Amongst his Australian awards for performance in musical theatre he has two Mo Awards, the Variety Club Heart Award, the Glug Award, the Green Room Award, two Australian Dance Awards and a Helpmann Award. On the small screen Todd has starred in the hit show Winners and Losers on the 7 Network. He has also appeared as a guest judge on Australia's Got Talent, hosted on a range of morning Television programs and appeared as an entertaining guest across all networks. On radio Todd co-hosted Sydney's MIX106.5 breakfast radio program with Sonia Kruger for two years and is a regular guest on the airwaves. In 2020, Todd played Lewis in the award winning feature film Unsound. On the small screen Todd has appeared in the acclaimed ABC series Significant Others; an engrossing, intelligently crafted six-part series about a missing persons case. On a personal level, Todd had the delight of becoming a father in 2007 and his daughter Charlotte is the light of his life. He is a student of Auslan sign language and has worked within the deaf community all around Australia. Todd is also a keen supporter of The Grace Centre For Newborn Intensive Care at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Over the past year, Todd has starred as Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray the Musical and Sebastian in Cinderella. In 2023 he commences a tour of his one-man show - Todd McKenney sings Peter Allen and lots more! A perfect way to celebrate 40 years on the boards! For dates and details go to www.toddmckenney.com.au The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au
One of Australia's most versatile performing artists, Todd McKenney is an award winning and critically acclaimed performer on stage and screen. As an actor and the leading man of song and dance in musical theatre productions, he has entertained Australians for 40 years, from the main stage to intimate venues. It's not surprising that Todd McKenney is a household name. National exposure came with his delicious portrayal of the acerbic adjudicator on Dancing with the Stars - a television juggernaut that has completed multiple seasons. Todd's stage credit roll and career highlights include his most notable role of Peter Allen in the Australian hit production The Boy From Oz, in which he performed over 1000 shows nationally and became one of the longest running and most successful musical productions in Australian history. Todd's first professional musical role was in 1983 in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance. His career followed with lead and headline roles in Cats, 42nd Street, West Side Story, Crazy For You, Born Yesterday, Camelot, Pirates of Penzance, Cabaret, Strictly Ballroom, La Cage aux Folles, Singin' In the Rain, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Orpheus In the Underworld for Opera Australia, Annie the Musical, Grease, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks and Anything Goes. In 2018 he stepped into the stilettos and successfully took on the role of Frank N' Furter in The Rocky Horror Show in Melbourne. In 2019 Todd stepped out on stage as Australia's Greatest Showman in the title role of Barnum, and most recently played Lord Farquaad in the hit musical Shrek and Lord Chancellor Sebastian in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. As a dancer, his journey started at the age of three at his mother's dancing school in Perth, training in jazz, tap, acrobatics and ballroom dancing. He represented Australia in ballroom and Latin American dancing, winning many international dance titles. Amongst his Australian awards for performance in musical theatre he has two Mo Awards, the Variety Club Heart Award, the Glug Award, the Green Room Award, two Australian Dance Awards and a Helpmann Award. On the small screen Todd has starred in the hit show Winners and Losers on the 7 Network. He has also appeared as a guest judge on Australia's Got Talent, hosted on a range of morning Television programs and appeared as an entertaining guest across all networks. On radio Todd co-hosted Sydney's MIX106.5 breakfast radio program with Sonia Kruger for two years and is a regular guest on the airwaves. In 2020, Todd played Lewis in the award winning feature film Unsound. On the small screen Todd has appeared in the acclaimed ABC series Significant Others; an engrossing, intelligently crafted six-part series about a missing persons case. On a personal level, Todd had the delight of becoming a father in 2007 and his daughter Charlotte is the light of his life. He is a student of Auslan sign language and has worked within the deaf community all around Australia. Todd is also a keen supporter of The Grace Centre For Newborn Intensive Care at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Over the past year, Todd has starred as Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray the Musical and Sebastian in Cinderella. In 2023 he commences a tour of his one-man show - Todd McKenney sings Peter Allen and lots more! A perfect way to celebrate 40 years on the boards! For dates and details go to www.toddmckenney.com.au The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au
One of Australia's most versatile performing artists, Todd McKenney is an award winning and critically acclaimed performer on stage and screen. As an actor and the leading man of song and dance in musical theatre productions, he has entertained Australians for 40 years, from the main stage to intimate venues. It's not surprising that Todd McKenney is a household name. National exposure came with his delicious portrayal of the acerbic adjudicator on Dancing with the Stars - a television juggernaut that has completed multiple seasons. Todd's stage credit roll and career highlights include his most notable role of Peter Allen in the Australian hit production The Boy From Oz, in which he performed over 1000 shows nationally and became one of the longest running and most successful musical productions in Australian history. Todd's first professional musical role was in 1983 in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance. His career followed with lead and headline roles in Cats, 42nd Street, West Side Story, Crazy For You, Born Yesterday, Camelot, Pirates of Penzance, Cabaret, Strictly Ballroom, La Cage aux Folles, Singin' In the Rain, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Orpheus In the Underworld for Opera Australia, Annie the Musical, Grease, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks and Anything Goes. In 2018 he stepped into the stilettos and successfully took on the role of Frank N' Furter in The Rocky Horror Show in Melbourne. In 2019 Todd stepped out on stage as Australia's Greatest Showman in the title role of Barnum, and most recently played Lord Farquaad in the hit musical Shrek and Lord Chancellor Sebastian in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. As a dancer, his journey started at the age of three at his mother's dancing school in Perth, training in jazz, tap, acrobatics and ballroom dancing. He represented Australia in ballroom and Latin American dancing, winning many international dance titles. Amongst his Australian awards for performance in musical theatre he has two Mo Awards, the Variety Club Heart Award, the Glug Award, the Green Room Award, two Australian Dance Awards and a Helpmann Award. On the small screen Todd has starred in the hit show Winners and Losers on the 7 Network. He has also appeared as a guest judge on Australia's Got Talent, hosted on a range of morning Television programs and appeared as an entertaining guest across all networks. On radio Todd co-hosted Sydney's MIX106.5 breakfast radio program with Sonia Kruger for two years and is a regular guest on the airwaves. In 2020, Todd played Lewis in the award winning feature film Unsound. On the small screen Todd has appeared in the acclaimed ABC series Significant Others; an engrossing, intelligently crafted six-part series about a missing persons case. On a personal level, Todd had the delight of becoming a father in 2007 and his daughter Charlotte is the light of his life. He is a student of Auslan sign language and has worked within the deaf community all around Australia. Todd is also a keen supporter of The Grace Centre For Newborn Intensive Care at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Over the past year, Todd has starred as Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray the Musical and Sebastian in Cinderella. In 2023 he commences a tour of his one-man show - Todd McKenney sings Peter Allen and lots more! A perfect way to celebrate 40 years on the boards! For dates and details go to www.toddmckenney.com.au The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au
Luke Joslin is Resident Director of 'Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella', which has landed at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, the final leg of the national tour. Luke is a Greenroom and Helpmann Award winning actor (Avenue Q) and has successfully made the transition from actor to behind the stage, recently earning a Helpmann nomination as Director (In The Heights). Luke's last role was playing a villain in a pantomime (which can be a child's first introduction to theatre). In this podcast, hear Luke describe why this beloved adaption of Cinderella is different that has Sydney audiences loving the onstage magic and musical. Tickets: https://cinderellamusical.com.au/ Watch Performances: - 'A Lovely Night' from Cinderella - 'Impossible/It's Possible' from Cinderella - Opening Night Sydney curtain call - 'Freak Flag' from Shrek (previous Resident Director role, as discussed in the Podcast) - Luke Joslin last onstage performance (as the villain in the pantomime, as discussed in the Podcast)
Bobby Fox has been described as annoyingly talented. He's a very proud Irishman who moved to Australia in the early 00's and has since carved an incredible career for himself here in Australia. He's been on your TV screen, you've seen him on stage, but you would probably remember him best for originating the role as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys the musical. Please enjoy this interview with Green Room and Helpmann Award nominee the fantastic Mr Bobby Fox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Paul Capsis is an Australian icon and one of a kind. From day 1 he was told he would never work in the industry; a gay man of Greek and Maltese heritage which in the 80's in Australia meant he was largely uncastable. That didn't stop Paul and thank goodness it didn't. Cut to headlining some of the world's most prestigious arts festivals, feature roles on screen and treading the boards for the likes of the Sydney Theatre Company and the Victorian Opera. His message? Never give up! Talking everything from his fascinating obsession and synchronicity with Janis Joplin, to how he shaped his career. Please enjoy this interview with multiple Helpmann Award winner, Paul Capsis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today I'm speaking with Beau Dean Riley Smith. Beau was born on Wiradjuri Country in Dubbo, Western NSW. But as a little kid the family moved to Culburra on the NSW South Coast where Beau spent his childhood surrounded by siblings, love and chaos while growing up at the beach. Beau didn't learn to dance as a kid, instead he studied drama in high school, before being accepted into the performance program at WAPPA—the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth. It was a transformative year in which Beau's world exploded, and led to Beau auditioning for drama programs across the country, including NIDA—but Beau didn't get in, and so, in a surprise move, and with no dance experience, Beau auditioned for NAISDA—and was accepted. In this extraordinary conversation, Beau reveals his journey to joining Bangarra, his struggles with body image and weight, and his difficulties accepting the Helpmann Award for Best Male Dancer which coincided with the death of his sister. We also talk about the gravity of performing on Country, the pride and pressure that comes with that, and, in an unexpected announcement, Beau reveals that after nearly a decade with Bangarra he plans to leave the Company and reveals who he's signed with next.Beau continues to perform with Bangarra, but after more than a decade will leave the Company at the end of this year to join the Sydney Theatre Company. For Bangarra tour dates and to see Beau's final performances head to bangarra.com.au, and for Sydney Theatre Company tickets it's sydneytheatre.com.au. And to continue to follow all of Beau's adventures, you'll find him on Insta at @beaudrsmith.Beau and I met and recorded in Sydney on the land of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, to whom we pay our greatest respects.
RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for the next in his regular Connect Radio audio described theatre reviews. This week Vidar was reviewing the audio described performance of Counting and Cracking at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Friday 26 August 7pm with audio description by professional Describer Julia Grundy. Counting and Cracking follows the journey of one Sri Lankan-Australian family in a story of break up and reunion across two nations. Winner of 14 major awards including Helpmann Awards for Best Production and Best Direction, Counting and Cracking is written by Sri Lankan Australian S. Shakthidharan and directed by Eamon Flack, Artistic Director of Belvoir, one of Australia's most celebrated theatre companies. Toby began by asking Vidar whether Counting and cracking is a vital tale for our times as Critics have been saying. You can find out more about Counting and cracking by visiting the following pages of Belvoir's website - https://belvoir.com.au/productions/counting-and-cracking-3/ (Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)
With a celebrated career spanning over 25 years, David is one of Australia's most acclaimed leading men. Based in New York City, David is currently starring as the Duke of Monroth in the North American production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical and is delighted to return to Do You Hear the People Sing? after appearing in the show since its inception in Shanghai, Manila, and Taipei. David gained critical acclaim for his portrayal of Chris in Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil's new production of Miss Saigon which earned him Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Award nominations for "the year's most truthful and moving stage portrayals" (Sydney Morning Herald). He received a further Helpmann Award nomination for his performance as Fiyero in Wicked. David was awarded a Green Room Award for Best Actor as well as Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Award nominations for his portrayal of Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde and was awarded Theatre People's Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of The Baker in Victorian Opera's production of Into The Woods. In 2018, David was nominated for his fourth Helpmann Award and second Green Room Award for his portrayal of Tick in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Relocating to New York City in 2014, David received a Connecticut Critics Circle Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance of Dan in Next to Normal and starred as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables which co-starred and was directed by Tony Award winner Terrence Mann. He starred as Billy Crocker in Anything Goes, as Father in Ragtime and originated the role of Max Bronfman in the new, reworked production of Rags with Stephen Schwartz. Other Australian performances include; the dual roles of Adam and Noah in the Australian premiere performance of Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden (Theatre People Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical); Malcolm in The Full Monty; The Beast in Beauty and the Beast; Greg in The Boy From Oz; Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees; John Brookes in Little Women; Prez in The Pajama Game; Perchik in Fiddler On The Roof alongside Topol; John in Andrew Lippa's John & Jen; Oscar in The Wild Party; Orville Wright in Richard Maltby Jnr and David Shire's new musical Take Flight; and Jimmy Smith in the Australian premiere of Thoroughly Modern Millie. David originated the role of Bud in the Australian premiere production of the two-man comedy, Gutenberg! - The Musical; created the numerous male roles in the Australian premiere of Breast Wishes; and received a GLUG Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in LOVEBiTES. David began his professional career in the original Australian productions of The Boy From Oz and Mamma Mia and was awarded a MO Award for Best New Talent in 1997. In concert, David toured with Michael Ball on his Australian tour; performed with Lea Salonga in Vietnam; performed with Stephen Schwartz in Stephen Schwartz and Friends; with Andrew Lippa in Lippa and Friends. In 2016, David starred alongside Sutton Foster, Aaron Tveit, Betty Buckley, Joanna Ampil and Helen Dallimore in Defying Gravity - the songs of Stephen Schwartz. David has released two solo albums, 'Til The Night Is Gone and At This Stage. He premiered his solo show, ‘Til The Night Is Gone to sold out audiences at the 2010 Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Newcastle's Civic Theatre and returned to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2014 to headline the Australian premiere of Picture Perfect. David's most recent solo show, Time Is a Traveller premiered to a sold out, extended season at the Hayes Theatre and toured nationally to great acclaim, being awarded the Theatre People's Award for Best Male Cabaret in 2014. Do You Hear the People Sing? plays the Hamer Hall, Arts Centre, Melbourne, September 27th and 28th. Then the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, September 30th to October 2nd www.davidharrisofficial.com The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favouri
Courage takes many different shapes and forms for all of us. Whether you're walking down a catwalk, standing on top of a stage, or finding yourself through challenging times, the strength and resilience it takes to keep striving and showing up for yourself everyday is inspiring and truly powerful. I am bringing you the incredibly talented Erika Heynatz. I have known Erika for two decades and she is one of my absolute favourite performing artists. Erika studied graphic design at university before beginning in the fashion industry as a model. She built a very successful career, including walking catwalks in Europe and hosting Australia's Top Model, before changing paths to become a performing artist. In this episode, we discuss Erika's early career and her bold move to become a singer and perform on stage for ‘It Takes Two', Marie Claire, and three musicals including Legally Blonde, Singin' in the Rain, and Rocky Horror. Her show stopping performance won her BWW's Best Featured Actress in a Musical and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress In A Musical at the Helpmann Awards. Erika shares her challenges, including how difficult it was to find a tribe and community when she was a model because so many people in that industry have blocked themselves off from others. Erika warmly opens up about the nerves and fear she felt before going on stage. Through strength she changed her mindset to face her fears, find her courage and realise that it's not about her. The incredible thing about theatre is that it's all about the impact for the audience and purely just being in the moment that makes it a one-of-a-kind experience. Erika talks about how she found her voice through standing up for herself and for other women. She discovered her power and strength through fear and pain. This experience has changed her as a performer and led her to build boundaries for herself and for others. She has found her passion to write her own content and plug in with amazing female creatives to tell a story of her own about perfection and disconnection. Erika's journey embodies bravery and courage. I know that it will resonate with many women and I'm so grateful to be bringing it to you. Where to Find Erika: Linked In:Erika Heynatz Instagram: ErikaHeynatz (@erikaheynatz) • Instagram photos and videos Where to Find Tory: Website: https://powerful-steps.com/ Instagram: @powerfulsteps Powerful Steps Coffee Challenge: https://powerful-steps.com/coffee-challenge/. Join The Confidence to Pitch Workshop - Nov 15th: https://powerful-steps.com/mentor-global-entrepreneur-program/the-confidence-to-pitch/ Youtube Channel: Powerful Steps - YouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A songwriter, singer, pianist, actor, and comedian known for his caustic sociopolitical humor, Eddie Perfect (IG: @edmundperfect) (TW:@theeddieperfect) released his first comedy album, Welcome to the Inside of Ed's Head, in 2003. Having already worked original songs into his live comedy act, he wrote the satirical Shane Warne: The Musical, based on the life of the Australian cricketer. It premiered in 2008. Starting in 2010, he spent six years on the TV comedy-drama Offspring, and appeared as a judge on Australia's Got Talent's eighth season in 2016. Trying his hand at Broadway, he found work as a lyricist on King Kong in 2018. A year later, Perfect received a Tony Award nomination for his playful score to Broadway's Beetlejuice. A native of Mentone, Victoria, Perfect earned a bachelor's degree from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2001. While honing his live stage material, he landed guests spots on Australian TV series such as the drama Blue Heelers and sitcom Kath & Kim. He released his first two comedy albums, Welcome to the Inside of Ed's Head and Angry Eddie, in 2003 and 2005, respectively. His live show The Big Con, a collaboration with actor Max Gillies, toured theaters in 2005. Also that year, he premiered his own comedy show, Drink Pepsi, Bitch!, releasing an album of the same name in 2006. The year 2007 saw Perfect playing multiple characters in Casey Bennetto's Keating! The Musical, about former prime minister Paul Keating. Perfect's own Shane Warne: The Musical opened at the Melbourne Athenaeum Theatre in December 2008, with a national tour to follow. The show won the Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work. Meanwhile, Eddie Perfect & the Renovators contributed two songs to the March 2009 Vitamin Records release The Colors Tribute Album, Vol. 1. The show-business polymath next directed and hosted all ten episodes of reality show The Ultimate School Musical and performed the autobiographical song cycle Songs from the Middle, both in 2010. Later in 2010, he took the role of Mick Holland in the hit Channel Ten comedy-drama series Offspring, where he stayed through 2016. In the meantime, he played Mack the Knife in two different productions of the musical play The Threepenny Opera, and his show Misanthropology, a mix of music and social satire, premiered at the Sydney Festival in 2011. A live album of the show arrived later that year. Perfectstarred in an updated version of Shane Warne: The Musical in 2013, with a cast recording to follow a year later. In 2015, a revived Songs from the Middle was captured live at the Sydney Opera House, featuring Perfect, Iain Grandage, and the Brodsky Quartet. Around the end of his run on Offspring in 2016, Perfect appeared as a judge on the eighth edition of Australia's Got Talent, alongside Kelly Osbourne, writer/actor Ian Dickson, and actress Sophie Monk. By then, Perfect had moved his home base to New York City, where, partly inspired by the success of countryman Tim Minchin, he pursued a career on Broadway. His first credit was writing lyrics for the Broadway version King Kong. With music by Marius de Vries, the musical had premiered in Melbourne in 2013, with a reworked version making its New York debut in October 2018. Featuring music and lyrics by Perfect and a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, the stage musical Beetlejuice (based on the 1988 Tim Burton film) premiered in Washington, D.C., that same month before moving to Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre in April 2019. The show went on to receive eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. The cast album was released by Ghostlight in June 2019 and reached the Top Ten of Billboard's independent albums chart.
A songwriter, singer, pianist, actor, and comedian known for his caustic sociopolitical humor, Eddie Perfect (IG: @edmundperfect) (TW:@theeddieperfect) released his first comedy album, Welcome to the Inside of Ed's Head, in 2003. Having already worked original songs into his live comedy act, he wrote the satirical Shane Warne: The Musical, based on the life of the Australian cricketer. It premiered in 2008. Starting in 2010, he spent six years on the TV comedy-drama Offspring, and appeared as a judge on Australia's Got Talent's eighth season in 2016. Trying his hand at Broadway, he found work as a lyricist on King Kong in 2018. A year later, Perfect received a Tony Award nomination for his playful score to Broadway's Beetlejuice. A native of Mentone, Victoria, Perfect earned a bachelor's degree from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2001. While honing his live stage material, he landed guests spots on Australian TV series such as the drama Blue Heelers and sitcom Kath & Kim. He released his first two comedy albums, Welcome to the Inside of Ed's Head and Angry Eddie, in 2003 and 2005, respectively. His live show The Big Con, a collaboration with actor Max Gillies, toured theaters in 2005. Also that year, he premiered his own comedy show, Drink Pepsi, Bitch!, releasing an album of the same name in 2006. The year 2007 saw Perfect playing multiple characters in Casey Bennetto's Keating! The Musical, about former prime minister Paul Keating. Perfect's own Shane Warne: The Musical opened at the Melbourne Athenaeum Theatre in December 2008, with a national tour to follow. The show won the Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work. Meanwhile, Eddie Perfect & the Renovators contributed two songs to the March 2009 Vitamin Records release The Colors Tribute Album, Vol. 1. The show-business polymath next directed and hosted all ten episodes of reality show The Ultimate School Musical and performed the autobiographical song cycle Songs from the Middle, both in 2010. Later in 2010, he took the role of Mick Holland in the hit Channel Ten comedy-drama series Offspring, where he stayed through 2016. In the meantime, he played Mack the Knife in two different productions of the musical play The Threepenny Opera, and his show Misanthropology, a mix of music and social satire, premiered at the Sydney Festival in 2011. A live album of the show arrived later that year. Perfectstarred in an updated version of Shane Warne: The Musical in 2013, with a cast recording to follow a year later. In 2015, a revived Songs from the Middle was captured live at the Sydney Opera House, featuring Perfect, Iain Grandage, and the Brodsky Quartet. Around the end of his run on Offspring in 2016, Perfect appeared as a judge on the eighth edition of Australia's Got Talent, alongside Kelly Osbourne, writer/actor Ian Dickson, and actress Sophie Monk. By then, Perfect had moved his home base to New York City, where, partly inspired by the success of countryman Tim Minchin, he pursued a career on Broadway. His first credit was writing lyrics for the Broadway version King Kong. With music by Marius de Vries, the musical had premiered in Melbourne in 2013, with a reworked version making its New York debut in October 2018. Featuring music and lyrics by Perfect and a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, the stage musical Beetlejuice (based on the 1988 Tim Burton film) premiered in Washington, D.C., that same month before moving to Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre in April 2019. The show went on to receive eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. The cast album was released by Ghostlight in June 2019 and reached the Top Ten of Billboard's independent albums chart.
Taylor Mac (who uses “judy”—lowercase sic—as a gender pronoun) is the author of The Hang (composed by Matt Ray); Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus; A 24-Decade History of Popular Music; The Fre; Hir; The Walk Across America for Mother Earth; The Lily's Revenge; The Young Ladies Of; Red Tide Blooming; The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac; and the revues Comparison is Violence; Holiday Sauce; and The Last Two People on Earth: an Apocalyptic Vaudeville (created with Mandy Patinkin, Susan Stroman and Paul Ford). Mac is the first American to receive the International Ibsen Award, is a MacArthur Fellow, a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, a Tony nominee for Best Play, and the recipient of the Kennedy Prize (with Matt Ray), the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim, the Herb Alpert Award, a Drama League Award, the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, the Booth, two Helpmann Awards, a NY Drama Critics Circle Award, two Obie's, two Bessies, and an Ethyl Eichelberger award. Philanthropic/Activist Causes: The LGBT Asylum Task Force
Alex Rathgeber is an Award-Winning Australian actor, best known for his work as Billy Crocker in Anything Goes, the Tin Man in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz and his UK performance of Raoul in the 21st Anniversary cast of The Phantom of the Opera in the West End. Originally from Horsham, Alex graduated from the world renowned Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2003, and established an amazing reputation across many performance disciplines including: musical theatre, television, cabaret, concert, album recordings, solo shows, voice-overs as well as the development of original stage and screen works. He appeared in several household television programs such as Rush (Network 10), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (ABC) and Winners and Losers (Seven Network). In 2015, Alex was awarded the prestigious Helpmann Award for his performance in Anything Goes, and earlier in his career he received a Civic Reception by the Mayor of Horsham for his outstanding work and success in London. In addition to these, Alex has received many other notable nominations including both the Sydney Theatre Awards and Green Room Awards for various performances. On top of his career success, Alex is also a keen ambassador for Entertainment Assist, where he advocates for increased mental health awareness and support for Australian entertainment industry workers. Additionally, he continues to support his hometown and is ambassador for the Horsham Town Hall Performing Arts Centre. More recently, Alex has also collaborated with Global Citizen Australia in their endeavour to increase Australian vaccination numbers against COVID-19. In this episode we talk to Alex about change and challenge, what it's like to be a performer and about finding your voice. This episode will also help parents who have children who want to work and live in the Performing Arts world discover what is required of them, and they can help their sons bounce back and maintain a sense of optimism or resilience in a changing world.
Patrice Tipoki has been a part of the entertainment industry since she was a girl, performing cultural shows with her family as a child and her first musical The King and I at age 7. After graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Patrice went on to play a number of dream roles such as Nala in The Lion King, Elphaba in Wicked, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Fantine in Les Misérables, for which she received a Helpmann Award nomination for best female actor. In this episode Patrice shares what it's like to have a career in the arts and how her faith in God has influenced her life.
Born in Darwin, Meryl began ballet classes at a young age before heading to The Australian Ballet School. Shortly after being accepted into the company, Meryl took a leave of absence to work as a Principal dancer with the infamous Pina Bausch in Germany. Eventually craving to be artistically challenged even more, Meryl then spent time between Germany and Australia appearing in television series for ABC television before finally returning to Australia to continue her love for choreographing as the Director of the Meryl Tankard Company in Canberra before moving onto the Director of Australian Dance Theatre in Adelaide. Meryl's work is nothing short of varied and colourful; creating Bolero for the Lyon Opera Ballet, commissioned by Tiffany & Co to produce a piece for New York's Museum of National History, she was also responsible for Nikki Webster's debut and the entire Deep Sea Dreaming piece in the Sydney Olympic Games opening ceremony, a piece titled Ocean Dance to welcome the Dalai Lama to Australia, the choreography for Broadway's Tarzan The Musical and finally but not even close to covering it all worked with Sydney Dance Company, The Australian Ballet, Sydney Opera House and Netherlands Dance Theatre. Honestly, what you just heard only scrapes the surface of Meryl Tankard's credits. I haven't even mentioned achievements like a Helpmann Award in 2000 or Officer of the Order of Australia in 2019. I've just chosen a handful to share with you as otherwise this would be a very long episode! I think todays story is a beautiful example of following your gut and that 'chance encounters' often take time and patience... and aren't really 'chance' at all! It was obviously wonderful sitting down for a conversation with Meryl Tankard however it was an honour simply meeting her. Much respect. Please enjoy this conversation and don't mind a little background noise as we were recording in the art gallery and a small child decided to run circles around us as we recorded... _________________________ Get your FREE Balanced Ballerinas 'Intention Setting' worksheet HERE and start kicking GOALS: https://www.balancedballerinas.com/product/balanced-ballerinas-intention-setting-worksheet/ You can find more resources at www.balancedballerinas.com Instagram @thebalancedballerina Podcast @balancedballerinas Facebook - Balanced Ballerinas (ensure you join the *SECRET* Facebook group too!)
Michael James Scott has played the Genie in Disney's Aladdin internationally including Broadway, London, the North American Tour and originating the role in the Australian Production for which he won the prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.He's also known for originating the role of the Minstrel on Broadway in Something Rotten and originating Dr. Gotswana (aka The Maggots Guy) in the Tony-winning phenomenon The Book of Mormon. Other Broadway credits include Mamma Mia, Tarzan, All Shook Up, The Pirate Queen, Elf, and Hair.On the West End, he was the associate choreographer and performed in the Broadway revival transfer of Hair. Off-Broadway, co-starring in Here's to the Public opposite Donna McKechnie, and was also part of the concert cast of Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall. He was the standby for the legendary Ben Vereen in the Int. tour of Fosse, taking over the role in Paris, France at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Outside NYC, original Las Vegas Co. of Jersey Boys and in Shrek the Musical as the Donkey at the famous St. Louis Muny.Regional credits include Aida, Ragtime, South Pacific, Cinderella and Little Shop of Horrors to name a few. Numerous television and film appearances including The Carrie Diaries (The WB), Independent Woman (Feature Film), The View (ABC), The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC), The Late Show with Conan O'Brien (NBC), Good Morning America (ABC), The Today Show (NBC) The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (CBS), The TONY Awards (CBS) and the new Showtime series Black Monday.He was a member of the critically acclaimed singing group The Broadway Boys and Grammy-nominated Broadway Inspirational Voices and he can be heard on many original Broadway cast albums, multiple studio recordings, and the Broadway Boy's debut Album Lullaby of Broadway.He was a member of the critically acclaimed singing group The Broadway Boys and Grammy-nominated Broadway Inspirational Voices and he can be heard on many original Broadway cast albums, multiple studio recordings, and the Broadway Boy's debut Album Lullaby of Broadway. MichaelJamesScott.comCheck him out on Instagram/Twitter @iamMJScottInterested in learning more and growing your brand and career? Check out The Private Music Studio . Follow us on social media:Instagram: @gretapopeFacebook: The Private Music StudioTwitter: @gretapope
Bluey's Brisbane is the podcast that explores the real life world of your favourite Heeler family. After a year of disruptions that saw the cancellation of https://www.qpac.com.au/event/bluey_20 (Bluey's Big Play The Stage Show )earlier this year, the production will be launching its national tour, kicking off at https://www.qpac.com.au/ (QPAC) in Brisbane on December 22nd through to January 10th 2021. The great news is that due to COVID restrictions being lifted, QPAC can operate at 100% capacity, which will mean fresh tickets being available shortly. https://www.qpac.com.au/waitlists/family-waitlist/ (Sign up to their waitlist) to get the word on when the tickets drop! A brand-new theatrical adaptation of the Emmy® award-winning children's television series, Bluey's Big Play The Stage Show features an original story by Brisbane's own Bluey creator Joe Brumm and new music by Brisbane based Bluey composer, Joff Bush. Thanks to our friends at QPAC we spoke to Rose Myers who is the director of Bluey's Big Play. Rose Myers is the Artistic Director of https://www.windmill.org.au/ (Windmill Theatre Company), an award-winning national performing arts company based in Adelaide, South Australia. A multi-Helpmann Award nominated director, her productions regularly visit leading stages and festivals around Australia and the world, including the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne's International Comedy Festival and New York City's New Victory Theatre. Her directing credits for Windmill include the multi-award winning Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, Fugitive, School Dance, Big Bad Wolf and Girl Asleep. Prior to Windmill, Rose was the Artistic Director of Arena Theatre Company and also the Artistic Director of Queensland Performing Arts Centre's Out of the Box Festival in 2010. Rose has worked independently for ABC Television, Back to Back Theatre Company, Victorian College of the Arts, Queensland Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company. In 2006, she was a Creative Director for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. Bluey's Brisbane is hosted by Justin Rouillon and Lou Bromley. Follow us on https://www.facebook.com/blueysbrisbane (Facebook) and https://www.instagram.com/blueysbrisbane/ (Instagram) - @blueysbrisbane