About The Show An Officer & A Gentleman Sydney Australia
A story of love and honour against all odds
Based on the iconic movie and now adapted for the stage by original screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart with Sharleen Cooper Cohen, it follows working class heroes Zack Mayo and Paula Pokrifki, as they overcome their upbringing and personal obstacles to achieve their dreams.
As a big budget musical, under the direction of Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), An Officer and a Gentleman The Musical brings a bold new vision to the classic movie, adding passionate duets, show stopping solos and dramatic scenes, made more powerful by their compelling chemistry.
An athletic cast of handsome Navy recruits, led by Ben Mingay singing “I’m Gonna Fly”, are put through their paces in an intensely physical dance and drill marathon. Bert Labonte as Sergeant Foley shows the men how it’s done with his powerful tenor voice and Josh Piterman leads the chorus in a show stopping dance number “Halfway”. Playing the tragic lovers, Alex Rathgeber and Kate Kendall will have you believing every moment of their love and Amanda Harrison provides the soaring vocals and inexhaustible faith needed to bring the story to an uplifting conclusion.
All the action on stage is set to a sizzling rock-pop score with memorable solos and more than one power ballad including the Academy Award winning song “Up Where We Belong”.
Gutsy, unashamedly star-spangled, and overflowing with the passion of a great love story….An Officer and a Gentleman will lift you up and out of your seat.
Technical Acknowledgments
Director Simon Phillips
Choreographer Andrew Hallsworth
Set and Costume Designer Dale Ferguson
Lighting Designer Matt Scott
Sound Designer Michael Waters
The Technical Review by Backstagejobs.com.au Staff Writer Trevor White
I attended the Saturday Preview on Saturday 12th May 2012 at 2.00pm.
In Summary the lighting designer Matt Scott did a great job with a simple lighting layout, The soft blues and grays created a feeling you were on a cold metal ship , the set design was simple but worked.
A few stage management and timing issues need to be looked at as set pops were left on stage but overall I was impressed with the show knowing the budget the Producers had to work with. (I have placed Matt Scott Bio below very impressive)
MATT SCOTT – lighting designer BIO
- For the past 17 years Matt has worked as a lighting designer for almost all of Australia’s leading performing arts companies. His credits for the Melbourne Theatre Company include Next to Normal, A Behanding in Spokane, Don Parties On, Life Without Me, All About My Mother, Boston Marriage, The Ugly One, The Grenade, The Swimming Club, The Drowsy Chaperone, Godzone, God of Carnage, The Birthday Party, August: Osage County, Realism, Grace, The Hypocrite, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Blackbird, Scarlett O’Hara at the Crimson Parrot, Frost/Nixon, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?, The Pillowman, Don’s Party, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Tomfoolery, The Female of the Species, Festen, Doubt, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dumb Show, Hitchcock Blonde, King Lear, The Sapphires, Urinetown, Blithe Spirit, The Blue Room and The Woman in the Window.
His long association with Queensland Theatre Company spans over thirty-five productions, including Betrayal, Titus-Anatomy, Heroes, The Woman Before, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Christmas Carol, Oedipus the King, The Goat, Proof, The Venetian Twins, The Lonesome West, Phaedra, The Messiah, Buried Child, The Forest, The Sunshine Club and Radiance.
For Sydney Theatre Company his lighting commissions include The Grenade, Rock ‘n’ Roll, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Urinetown, Doubt, Blithe Spirit, The Glass Menagerie, Morning Sacrifice and The Sunshine Club. He created the lighting for the multi-award-winning A Beautiful Life for Matrix Theatre, Kooemba Jdarra’s The 7 Stages of Grieving and Playbox/Ilbijerri’s Stolen. He has lit productions for Bell Shakespeare (Much Ado About Nothing, The Alchemist, As You Like it, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, The Merchant of Venice) Company B Belvoir (The Sapphires, Paul) and Playbox (Thieving Boy/ Like Stars in My Hands, The Sick Room). He has lit many shows for The Production Company including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, 42nd St, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Kiss Me Kate.
Matt has worked for Opera Australia (La Sonambula, La Boheme), Victorian Opera (The Turn of the Screw, Xerxes, Orphee et Eurydice), New Zealand Opera (Xerxes) and Opera Queensland (La Boheme, Cinderella, Cosi fan tutte). His work for dance includes productions for Expressions Dance Company (Where the Heart is) and Queensland Ballet (Sync, Petrushka, Cloudland, Don Quixote, The Fold/Burning). He has received or been nominated for numerous awards, including a 2005 Helpmann Award for his lighting on Urinetown, which followed his 2003 Helpmann Award forThe Blue Room.
More information on the show can be found http://anofficerandagentleman.com.au
Media information has been sourced from http://anofficerandagentleman.com.au/creatives.html
A new comedy BIDDIES
CDP and Riverside Theatres present BIDDIES By Don Reid Riverside Theatres May 1 – 5
Starring Maggie Blinco, Annie Byron, Julie Hudspeth, Donna Lee and Linden Wilkinson From the team that gave us CODGERSVulnerable, feisty and in full bloom, these gals are everything – except old!
From the team that brought you the much loved comedy Codgers, comes Biddies. Meet five ordinarily marvelous women, who find themselves back in their infants’ school classroom plying their needles in a good old-fashioned session of stitch and bitch. Written by Don Reid and directed by Wayne Harrison,the delightful new comedyBiddies is playing at Riverside Theatres from Tuesday, 1 May to Saturday, 5 May. Accidentally locked in the classroom, with nothing but ingenuity, Adora Cream Wafers and a bucket to get them through the crisis, unknown reserves come to the fore. Their confessions are frank, their rivalries intense and their jokes outrageous.
They discover a common frustration with the limitations of being female and mature in a world still largely defined by men. Released from their own constraints, these five ordinarily marvelous women rediscover their capacity to love, forgive and take control. Don Reid’s play CODGERS was a hit at Riverside and a touring favourite, described by the Sydney Morning Herald as “…a heart-warming comedy…you’re in the hands of skilled experts who really do know what they’re doing, how to do it and why.” Now it’s time to hear from the ladies, as some of Australia’s most beloved actresses bring this delightful new comedy to the stage. You’ll laugh till you cry. Move over Codgers, the Biddies are in town… “I haven’t had this much fun since I worked with Paul Hogan on the Crocodile Dundee movies,” said Maggie Blinco, who has also starred in productions with many of Australia’s major theatre companies. “I am really excited to be touring Australia with this beautiful cast and wonderful new play.” Maggie Blinco is best known for her appearances in Australian TV dramas including Blue Heelers and All Saints. An AFI Award Winner for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Fran, Annie Byron returns to Riverside following the successful season of her one woman show RU4ME. Julie Hudspeth has more than 40 years experience across theatre, television and film, with recent productions including David Williamson’s Nothing Personal and Mary Stuart with Greta Scacchi. Green Room Award Winner, Donna Lee’s Credits include Fiddler On The Roof; Gypsy; and her award winning Ado Annie in Oklahoma! Linden Wilkinson’s credits include Looking for Alibrandi; The Sullivans; and Water Rats to name a few.
Biddies Riverside Theatres, Cnr Church & Market Sts, ParramattaDate: Tue 1, Fri 4, Sat 5 at 8pm; Sat 5 at 2pm; Wed 2 at 1pm; Thu 3 at 11amTickets: Bookings: Riverside Box Office on 8839 3399 orwww.riversideparramatta.com.au*Transaction Fees apply Also playing at Glen St Theatre from April 11 – 28
www.riversideparramatta.com.au
Capitol Theatre Tours
Have you ever wanted to see the Capitol Theatre in Sydney well you can by checking out the tours!
Interesting Fact about Capitol Theatre !
Restoration
For the first time in its history the theatre underwent a complete and thorough restoration that took two years and cost over $30m to complete. The orchestra pit was expanded with space for 110 musicians. New dressing rooms and technical areas incorporated part of the old tunnels used by the animals in the theatre’s former life as a hippodrome.The fly-tower was extended to become 30 metres high and 37 metres wide extending nine metres into Hay Street making it one of the largest in Australia. In July 1995 an acclaimed production of Miss Saigon put the Capitol back on the world stage.
Would you like to find out more about the fascinating history and unique architecture of the Capitol Theatre? Book a tour!
Our knowledgeable tour guide will take you on the Capitol’s journey over the last century from hippodrome to picture palace to rock venue to finally become a world-class musical theatre venue – it’s quite a story.
You’ll have the opportunity to experience the beautiful atmospheric auditorium and observe the quirky architectural elements of John Eberson’s theatrical design vision. You’ll also gain an insight into just what it takes to stage a major musical production.
Tour duration: 1.5 hours
For enquiries phone (02) 9320 5005
Adult
$23.50
Concession
$18.50 (pensioners, seniors card and valid student cards)
Children
$14.50 (12 years of age & under)
Groups Adult
$19.50pp (10+)
Groups Concession
$15.50pp (10+)
Groups Children
$12.50pp (10+)
Schools
$12.50 (per student)
Book online or phone (02) 8512 9020
Media Sourced : http://capitoltheatre.com.au
Clear-Com Tempest A Welcome Problem Solver
Clear-Com Tempest A Welcome Problem Solver
St Kilda’s Australian National Memorial Theatre is a 783 seat theatre and theatrical arts school which exists to provide Australian and international students with affordable, world-class training in ballet and dance, drama and music theatre. This not for profit theatre provides a dynamic, caring, non-discriminatory environment that recognises the potential of the performing arts to enhance life skills as well as provide a career.
The venue houses a versatile, professional performance space that is also available to community, educational and professional organisations at favourable rates. It operates with a minimal technical crew, usually only two, and so a reliable wireless communications system is a necessity.
“Keeping in contact with our staff was becoming more of a problem especially with the dance school performances where you may have up to 300 children in the venue and only two technicians who are trying to run the lights, audio, fly things in and out while also supplying supervision and assistance to the venue and its guests,” remarked Mick Crozier, production manager and head technician at the venue. “It became increasingly important to us to have communication wherever we were in the building.
“We looked at 2-way radios but found it too confusing and uncomfortable wearing two headsets. We really needed something that would integrate with our existing comms systems so we started looking at professional wireless intercom systems.”
This led Mick to the Clear-Com Tempest2400 wireless intercom system that offers the convenience of untethered communication for mobile users, while providing the power, flexibility and audio quality of wired systems.
“Jands sent us a demo unit which we had running within twenty minutes,” said Mick. “It’s one of the most straight forward systems that I have ever used, and even though we have a lot of thick concrete walls in the venue we still get very good coverage. We’ve found the Tempest2400 system to be exceedingly reliable and we haven’t had one problem with it. It has been an outstanding addition to our venue – all our technical staff (and our client’s technical staff) are thrilled at how our workflow has improved simply by being able communicate effectively.”
Clear-Com Tempest2400 offers multi-modes of operations, with each mode providing varying level of communication flexibility and user capacity. Unlimited number of users is possible in split and shared modes. In normal mode, up to 10 BaseStations and 5 full-duplex wireless BeltStations can operate on one system with no frequency coordination required.
The Australian National Memorial Theatre’s Clear-Com Tempest2400 system was supplied by ASL Systems.
Photo: Mick Crozier during a rehearsal of La Cage aux Folles presented by Quirky Productions which opens Thursday 15th March and runs till Saturday 24th March. He’s doing some last minute modifications to a set piece whilst able to listen in for his standbys.
Changes to Backstagejobs.com.au
We have made some important changes to our website backend this week to improve our service to our customers and visitors.
What’s New for Job Seekers
- You Can now create your own job seeker account at our register/login page which allows you to create your very own online resume and track your jobs you have applied for on your very own dashboard and choose to get news and job notifications.
What’s New for employers
- We have upgraded the backend software which now allows you to set up a employers profile and account , you can track your applicants and views and set up job packages. (if you have a current account you will need to create a new account)
We hope you enjoy the changes we have made and like to thank the great supporters of this site that have given us the feedback to make these important changes
Regards,
Online Team
Backstagejobs.com.au
A Morning With … Melanie Parry
Judy Garland – A Life in SongIn a sensational tribute, Melanie Parry brings to life the legendary Judy Garland at The Arts Centre Gold Coast on Wednesday 18 April at 11.00am. Audiences will love this journey through Judy’s career, spanning the years of films, concerts, TV shows, her Carnegie Hall triumphs and her nightclub appearances.
Don’t miss the this sparkling tribute with favourite songs including Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Zing Went the Strings, Meet Me in St Louis, Get Happy, Almost Like Being in Love and many more.
Starting from the young, two year old Judy, the journey features film clips and narratives of Judy’s life and career, from her auditions with MGM, her golden years with Vincent Minnelli (who directed her in many memorable MGM musicals), her eventual split with Metro, her triumphant concert years with producer and manager Sid Luft, her dramatically demanding film role in A Star is Born, her Carnegie Hall triumphs and then finally to the end of her life and career, with her tragic death in 1969 at the age of only 47 years.
Melanie is a trained coloratura soprano singer and actress, and one of Australia’s leading ladies of song. Parry started in show business at the age of eleven with the Nine Network and made guest appearances on shows such as Johnny Young’s Young Talent Time.
Much of her early adult career was spent in the theatres and cabaret rooms of United Kingdom and Europe performing songs from Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Sunset Boulevard, Mack & Mable, while studying further with the Welsh National Opera.
In 1999, Melanie created and produced the acclaimed show Judy Garland – A Life in Song and released the CD in the same year. In 2001, Melanie was invited to perform the show at the prestigious Monte Carlo Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Melanie continues to perform this show nationally and internationally to the present day.
Take a ride with the fabulous voice and sparkling personality of this sensational artist, as she sings the songs of Judy Garland like no other performer.
DATE: Wed 18 April, 11.00am
VENUE: Paradise Showroom
CALL: 5588 4000
WEB: www.theartscentregc.com.auCOST:
Single ticket $16.00, Groups 6+ $14.00ppTickets include complimentary light morning tea from 10.15am and lucky door prizes.
Other A Morning With … performances include Choir of Hard Knocks founder Jonathon Welch (Mon 25 Jun), Irish favourite John MacNally (Wed 15 Aug), Jan Preston performing Winifred Atwell – Queen of the Ivories (Wed 17 Oct) and The Tenors (Wed 12 Dec).
Swing Out Sydney hits The Imperial Hotel
Have you tried to find a dance class for you and your partner to go to, where you feel comfortable dancing together?
Have you wanted to go to a dance class to meet other queer people into dancing, but had very limited options?
Sadly, for such a large Gay and Lesbian community, Sydney is lacking Same Sex Dance Classes.
Well here’s your answer!
Swing Out Sydney hits The Imperial Hotel, Erskineville every Monday night from 7pm, with classes starting 19th March.
Swing dancing is popular worldwide, with people getting into the whole Vintage/Retro look and feel with 40’s/50’s fashion huge right now. Who doesn’t find a Pin-Up Girl or a Suave Man in a Suit hot!!
Theres also a big Swing influence in the Burlesque scene, that is hitting the Sydney Scene in a big way!!
For more information head to
Jands Unveil The Vista L5 – The Ultimate Platform For The Creative Mind
Jands announce the launch of their new flagship media and lighting control console – the Vista L5.
As the latest addition to the revolutionary Jands Vista range the L5 console has been designed by listening to the creative people who deliver some of the most stunning shows worldwide, every day.
The Vista L5’s stunning 21-inch High Definition Wacom pen tablet makes it easy to manage today’s lighting rigs which often include a large number of moving lights, media servers and LEDs. The L5 display lets you see the entire rig on one screen and provides instant access to presets, palettes, effect and more. Its crisp, detailed image shows a huge amount of information in a flexible, clear and easy-to-understand way.
As well as its massive screen, the L5 gives you the tools you need to control any design simply, powerfully and visually, regardless of the technology. The L5 has 16 universes of DMX processed onboard and a backlit keyboard for working in dark environments. The 25 physical playbacks each have their own LCD legend and you can split them to create an impressive 70 playbacks per page.
Inside, the Vista L5 has the power to cope easily with even the most demanding shows long into the future, with the Linux OS driving an Intel Core i7 processor with 8GB of Dynamic RAM. All this power is contained in a rugged monocoque design that is lightweight yet impressively strong and sleek. Embodying many hours of work with media and lighting professionals, the L5 is the perfect balance of form and function.
Paul Mulholland, CEO of Jands said “By combining the second-generation Vista software with superb design, the Vista L5 proves that powerful media and lighting control doesn’t have to be complicated – the L5 is quite simply a physical extension of the way you think.”
The Vista L5, the ultimate platform for the creative mind. Available now.
Media Sourced : http://www.jands.com.au/news/product_news
The Lion King returns to Sydney
The Lion King returns to Sydney
Updated February 07, 2012 15:43:54
The Lion King is set to return to Sydney in 2013 and the New South Wales Government hopes the stage musical will make the city a tourist magnet.
The musical finished its run in Sydney in 2005 after playing for two years and to 1.35 million people.
It will reopen at the Capitol Theatre in December next year.
Tourism Minister George Souris says a new generation of young families is ready to enjoy the musical.
“It’s the most successful musical in the world and it exceeded all expectation in 2003,” he said.
Mr Souris says the 2013 production is expected to attract 500,000 visitors from interstate and overseas, generating $36 million for NSW.
He hopes visitors who come to watch the show will also take part in other activities in the city.
“If they came right now, they’d go to the Picasso exhibition, they’d go to the Harry Potter exhibition, they would have enjoyed the Festival of Sydney,” Mr Souris said.
“They may have even enjoyed the cricket season against India.
“All of that drives tourism and the importance of having a premier run in your state cannot be overestimated.”
Thomas Schumacher, Disney’s president of theatrical productions, says although the musical premiered in 1997, enormous demand for it continues worldwide.
“It’s still going to be new to the audience that see it for the first time,” Mr Schumacher said.
“Then of course there’s the people that want to come back to it.
“We get many more requests around the world for productions of The Lion King that we can’t accommodate or in fact are interested in accommodating.”
Since opening in America in 1997, there have been 19 productions of the musical around the world.
It is estimated to have been seen by 63 million people and grossed more than $4.7 billion.
The Sydney production is predicted to run for about eight months.
AAP
Media Sourced http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-07/lion-king-returning-to-sydney/3816042
Chart topping Australian band Moving Pictures returned after a long absence for a sold-out show at The State Theatre, Sydney in July.
With the original lineup playing, the set featured all their hits including Bustin’ Loose and What About Me, and had the crowd up on their feet from the first song.
Entertainment Installations supplied a rig that relied heavily on LED technology in fact the only fixture on the back truss that was not LED was a few Molefay Duets.
Bryce Mace designed and operated the show using a MA Lighting grandMA2 Lite using the on-board visualizer prior to the gig for setup and programming.
The rig featured twenty Martin MAC101, six Martin MAC301, eight Martin LC Panels and eight Martin TW1 tungsten fixtures for front wash.
“For something a bit different, we started the show with the rear truss as low as possible and kept it there for the first few songs,” explained Bryce. “Having all the beams from the MAC101′s and MAC301′s down this close to the stage gave the show a bit of a “pub” feel. Then during one their bigger songs we raised the rear truss and the LC Panels came to life and the show now had a complete new look.
“The MAC101′s and MAC301′s performed flawlessly and the great saturated colours really suited the show.”
“Everyone here loves the MAC101′s,” added Neale Mace, managing director of Entertainment Installations. “We can’t believe such a small fixture can have so much output!”
Photos: Bob King
