Lucy Durack is Legally Blonde

Inside WAAPA Issue 30 Page 1

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS, EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY (ISSUE 30) MARCH 2012

Lucy Durackis Legally Blonde...Page 2

PlusSecondments, Awards and much more!

A Perfect winPage 3

Meow Meow Page 5

Die Hard JaiPage 5

Page 2 Inside WAAPA Issue 30

Lucy DurAck to StAr In LegALLy BLonDe

Made famous by Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 film, the role will be a tour de force for Durack, who graduated from WAAPA’s Music Theatre course in 2002.

“Lucy Durack proved with Wicked she is one of Australia’s top musical theatre performers. With her fabulous voice and comic timing, Lucy is the ideal choice as Australia’s Elle Woods,” said producer John Frost.

The show premiered on Broadway in 2007 before moving to London’s Savoy Theatre in 2009 where it continues to sell out. Legally Blonde: The Musical has since toured 28 cities across the UK and was awarded Best New Musical at the 2011 Olivier Awards.

The musical comedy tells the story of sorority queen and Southern Californian social butterfly Elle who defies the odds and enrols at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner and then goes on to represent her fitness idol Brooke Wyndham.

Legally Blonde: The Musical opens at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on October 4.

Following years of success as Glinda the good witch in Wicked, Lucy Durack has won the coveted role of Elle Woods in the Australian production of Legally Blonde: The Musical.

Rob Mills and Lucy Durack in ‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’

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PURCELL DUE BACK HOMEPrison Break star Dominic Purcell is returning to work in Australia

for the first time in a decade.Purcell, who graduated from WAAPA in 1995, will produce and act

in Love the Beast, a Hangover-style road-trip comedy that begins in Canberra, travels across the Nullarbor and ends in Perth.

The 41-year-old will produce the film via his production company, NDHP with Rhys Muldoon, assisted by finance from ScreenWest and other funding.

“Western Australia has so many incredible locations and cinematically is extraordinary to look at, the light is amazing,” Purcell said recently in an interview.

Purcell was recently seen starring alongside Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro in the US-Australian co-production Killer Elite, which was released on February 23.

JACOB ALLAN JOiNS RAFTERSin February, the series return of the hit show Packed to the Rafters

saw WAAPA-trained Jacob Allan made his debut playing Dave Rafter’s long-lost brother Matt.

Before joining Rafters, Allan appeared as Charles ‘Chugga’ McKinnon in several episodes of Winners & Losers, which was the brainchild of Rafters creator Bevan Lee. He has also had television roles in All Saints and The Secret Life of Us and worked in theatre in Melbourne and Sydney.

Allan, who has been filming Rafters for six months, was warmly embraced by the cast and crew.

“They were so welcoming. it was really amazing. For a show that’s been running for the time it has, they are as energised and excited as when they first started...it’s very reassuring,” he said.

in September, during a Rafters filming break, Allan will return home to star in Black Swan State Theatre Company’s production of Boy Gets Girl.

WAAPA graduate Matthew Lutton, currently Associate Artist (Directing) at Malthouse Theatre, was in Perth in February to direct the first-ever WA performances of Richard Strauss’s opera Elektra at His Majesty’s Theatre.

A co-production between West Australian Opera, Opera Australia, Thinice and Perth international Arts Festival, Elektra was conducted by Richard Mills and starred internationally renowned Danish soprano Eva Johansson in the title role.

The reviews were unanimous in their praise, describing it as “superb” (The West Australian) and “spectacular”(Australian Stage). ilario Colli in

Limelight called it a “100-minute tour de force”, writing that “Director Matthew Lutton brings the opera’s musical and textual substance to life with intellectual and artistic sure-footedness”.

Among the cast were WAAPA graduates Ryan Sharp (Old Servant), Bernadette Lucarnus (First Maid), Fiona Campbell (Third Maid), Harriet Marshall (Fourth Maid) and Jennifer Barrington (Fifth Maid).

Lucarnus and Marshall are both 2012 WA Opera Young Artists, along with fellow WAAPA graduates Caitlin Cassidy, Sarah Guilmartin and David Costello. Cassidy was also recently awarded the prestigious Bendat Scholarship of $5,000.

eLektrA A trIuMPH for Lutton

Matthew Lutton in rehearsal for Elektra (2012)

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Scarlett Stevens might be a 2nd Year Arts Management student at WAAPA but it’s her

moonlighting job as drummer with Fremantle indi-pop band San Cisco that’s got everyone talking.

On January 26, San Cisco’s infectious track Awkward was voted No. 7 on triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown.

“i was stoked,” says Stevens, who has been playing in bands since she was 12. “i was also pretty shocked because i always listen to the Hottest 100 on Australia Day every year and to be in the Top 10 was really exciting.”

Yet even in her excitement, Stevens’ understanding of good marketing kicks in. “The song only came out in November so from an arts management perspective, it probably had a lot to do with timing. it was fresh in people’s minds, i think that helped us with the votes. But then i also think that people just connected with the song.”

Formed in 2009 as King George, San Cisco consists of Jordi Davieson (guitar, lead vocals), Josh Biondillo (guitar, vocals), Nick Gardner

(bass), and Stevens (drums, vocals). in November 2011, the band was signed by Albert Productions.

“i guess the band is my first priority but i also want to have a degree behind me,” says Stevens. “i’m very passionate about music and the music industry so i’d like to stay within that field of work but maybe from a managerial or administrative point of view.”

Stevens doesn’t have to look far for advice. San Cisco is managed by Philip Stevens, Scarlett’s father, who has managed artists and bands for the last 15 years and currently manages The Waifs and The John Butler Trio.

“He’s a great role model for me...i don’t know if i want to manage bands but there’s a lot of different work within the music industry that’s really cool.”

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San Cisco (from left): Scarlett, Nick, Jordi and Josh

AWKWARD HiT FOR ARTS MANAGEMENT STUDENT

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Actor, comedian and composer Eddie Perfect was announced the winner of the $50,000 individual award in the 2011 Sidney Myer

Performing Arts Awards on February 20 at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia.

The WAAPA Music Theatre graduate is no stranger to awards. Last year he took out the Helpmann Award for Best Cabaret Performer for his show Misanthropology. in 2009, his musical comedy Shane Warne: The Musical won the Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work, the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and the Green Room Award.

Perfect was voted number one in the field of Arts and Entertainment by the Bulletin Magazine for

its Smart 100 awards in 2004. Drink Pepsi Bitch won the Best Cabaret award at the 2006 Adelaide Fringe Festival and in 2008 he received a Green Room Award for his portrayal of Alexander Downer in Keating! The Musical.

Perfect also has a string of television credits to his name, including his recent turn as Mick Holland in Channel Ten’s drama series, Offspring, and has starred in numerous stage shows.

However for Perfect, winning the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award is different. Although he has been writing since 2002, he has never been paid to do it – it has always been funded out of his own pocket. So this prize money, which is for use at the winner’s discretion, is

a blessing – particularly as he and his wife recently welcomed their second daughter into their family.

“As a lowly artist providing for the family and starting a new project i wasn’t sure if i had the time and money to do it. This money will allow me to do what i do best, which is making middle-class people feel uncomfortable,” said Perfect.

Perfect currently has three projects on the boil, two musicals and a play. The first is a “very black and dark musical comedy about a chapter of Australian history”; the second is a musical for children based on a book; and the play is a satire about “a group of tree-changers, loosely based on me and my wife.”

A P e r f e c t W I n f o r e D D I e


Eddie Perfect - Photo by Neil Bennett


creAtIng connectIonS: WAAPA AnD tHe WeSt AuStrALIAn BALLet

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issue 30

Throughout the world, it is a common phenomenon that a ballet school is closely associated with a professional ballet

company in the same city. London’s Royal Ballet School is the associate school of the internationally renowned Royal Ballet, Canada’s National Ballet School is the feeder school for the National Ballet of Canada and here in Australia, our national Ballet School has close connections with The Australian Ballet Company.

So it seems natural in a city as isolated as Perth that a similar relationship should develop between WAAPA’s Classical Dance program and the West Australian Ballet.

This has been facilitated in no small part by ivan Cavallari’s appointment as Artistic Director of the West Australian Ballet in 2007, and Kim McCarthy – previously a Senior Artist with WAB – joining WAAPA a year later as Lecturer in Classical Dance.

“it has been a real joy collaborating in the past five years with many wonderful WAAPA students,” says Cavallari. “Their human and artistic qualities have allowed them to embrace, with great generosity, every opportunity that has been offered by West Australian Ballet.”

These opportunities have been many and continue to grow. in 2007, Cavallari initiated the WA Ballet’s Young Artist Program, which provides graduating students with a year of intensive training to assist them with their next step towards a professional career. The first dancer to be accepted into the program was 2006 WAAPA graduate Sarah Sutcliffe. A month later, after stepping in at short notice to replace an injured dancer for the 2007 Quarry season, Sutcliffe was promoted to Artist.

“Perth is my hometown and i have idolised the West Australian Ballet since i was a child,” says Sutcliffe. “So to be taken on as a Young Artist was a dream come true. i felt i really matured during that year. i learnt so much. At WAAPA, i was taught steps and technique whereas at WAB i learnt to put it into practice. And the dancers were so welcoming, they really helped me settle into company life.”

Since then, a steady stream of WAAPA graduates have been chosen for the Young Artist program, including Meg Parry, Victoria Maughan, Benjamin Kirkman, Chloe Henderson and Ashley McClellan, many of whom have then been promoted within the company to Artist.

For this year’s intake of Young Artists, two of the four dancers selected are recent WAAPA graduates, Rebekah Conry and Alexandra MacNish.

it is not a coincidence that in 2011 both of these dancers were among ten WAAPA students who performed in WAB’s production of The Taming of the Shrew.

“Offering our students on a secondment basis as extra dancers for the WA Ballet’s larger ballets creates positives both ways,” explains Kim McCarthy. “The WA Ballet gets more dancers on stage and our 3rd Year students get the opportunity to experience for a short time what it is to be part of a large professional company.”

“The other great benefit for WAAPA is that ivan is able to assess our students over a number of weeks as they rehearse and perform, which has in the past led to a number of our graduates being selected for the Young Artist program.”

The reciprocality between the two institutions was also evident during the recent coup to stage George Balanchine’s iconic neoclassical work, Serenade, in Perth.

For WAAPA’s inaugural Winter Dance Workshop in June last year, Classical Dance Lecturer Andries Weidemann contacted his friend Eve Lawson about staging Serenade at the Academy. Lawson is the invited repetiteur for the Balanchine Trust, the New York-based board responsible for granting permission to perform Balanchine’s works.

After a rigorous long-distance audition process via DVD, WAAPA’s classical dance students were not only allowed to workshop Serenade but were also able to perform the WA premiere of the piece in November as part of Summerdance, WAAPA’s final dance season for 2011.

initial funding from Edith Cowan University to bring Lawson from New York to Perth was supplemented by support from the Australian institute of Classical Dance and from the Royal Academy of Dance.

Having a renowned Balanchine repetiteur in town for the WAAPA engagement provided an ideal opportunity for the WA Ballet to also seek permission to perform Balanchine’s work. Eve Lawson stayed on in Perth to stage Serenade for WAB’s annual Ballet at the Quarry in February and ten WAAPA students were invited to perform with the company in the season.

Seven of these – Jessica Garside, Lara Hedgcock, Rhianna isard, Abigail Smith, Karley Spence, Amelia Stokes and Mia Thompson – are currently enrolled in the Advanced Diploma course. Lianne Goodwin and Jessica Ausserlechner last year became the first classical ballet graduates of WAAPA’s Bachelor of Arts conversion course; Samuel Maxted is in this

year’s intake.The BA conversion course, which provides

an extra year of study to convert an Advanced Diploma into a Bachelor of Arts degree, has been carefully designed to foster the students’ transition from a training course to a more academic tertiary environment and life as a professional dancer. in addition to the formal study component, the students are given the opportunity to perform in two seasons with WAB, providing an ideal blend of theoretical and practical experience.

“The experiences and skills i’m gaining through this conversion year are preparing me for placement in the dance industry,” says Sam Maxted. “it’s also an excellent opportunity to form bonds and relationships with the company’s dancers and artistic staff, and in a way ‘network’ for any future employment.”

Sarah Sutcliffe agrees. “i believe the relationship between WAAPA and WAB is great for young aspiring dancers. it is so hard for dancers to get any form of experience before leaving a school and auditioning for a company, but thanks to ivan and Kim they have made this possible.”

While the immediate benefits of the BA conversion are obvious, it is the long term benefits that Kim McCarthy is particularly happy about. “in an industry where injury and age play such a crucial role in defining the length of a career, it is vital that dancers also have the academic qualifications to enable them to explore other avenues of employment.”

Someone who has experienced this journey first-hand is Kasey McCarthy, nee Polkinghorne, a 2004 graduate of WAAPA’s Advanced Diploma course who joined the WA Ballet, rising to the rank of soloist. She then completed her BA conversion course and is now back at WAB as the company’s Sponsorship and Events Coordinator.

The WA Ballet also encourages professional diversity. “ivan is very understanding when it comes to retraining or furthering your studies in other fields,” says Sutcliffe. “He believes that all dancers should have an interest outside of ballet to keep a balance in one’s life.”

When ivan Cavallari leaves the WA Ballet at the end of 2012 to take up the role of Artistic Director with Ballet du Rhin in France, WAAPA will bid farewell to a passionate champion of young and emerging artists.

However Kim McCarthy looks forward to creating even stronger co-institutional bonds in the future. “These are highly valued opportunities, allowing young dancers to achieve their goals in an environment that supports them fully and extends them beyond what they thought was possible.”

The relationship between WAAPA and

WAB is great for young aspiring dancers.


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in December, eight WAAPA graduates and students participated in a workshop facilitated

by actor Kevin Spacey at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney. An initiative of the Kevin Spacey Foundation, the Richard’s Rampage Onstage

workshop was open to actors aged 18-25 from across Australia through audition.

Only 21 actors were chosen for the workshop. Among them were WAAPA graduates Elizabeth Blackmore (2008), Wade Briggs (2010),

Shannon Ashlyn (Rae-Kapps) (2009), Elizabeth Schebesta (2009), Nicole Shostak (2011) and Alex Williams (2011), and current students Andrew Hearle and Travis Jeffery.

The Kevin Spacey Foundation supports young actors, writers, directors and producers by offering a range of creative opportunities, including workshops, masterclasses and special events led by industry professionals.

One of these opportunities is Richard’s Rampage, a creative learning program that spans 11 countries and three continents, connecting young people and emerging artists on stage, in school and online.

The workshop was held while Spacey, Artistic Director of the Old Vic, was in Sydney performing the lead role in The Bridge Project’s Richard III, directed by Sam Mendes. Richard III opened at The Old Vic in London in June and, before its Sydney season in December, had played in eight international cities, including sold-out seasons in Hong Kong, istanbul and Beijing.

GRADUATES ATTEND KEViN SPACEY WORKSHOP

A number of WAAPA graduates have been nominated for the 2011 Green Room Awards, Melbourne’s premier arts awards.

in the category of Cabaret, Meow Meow has been nominated both for Best Artiste and Best Production for her show Little Match Girl, a co-production with Melbourne’s Malthouse, where the show opened last November before moving to the Sydney Festival in January.

Eddie Perfect has also been nominated in the Best Cabaret Artist category for his show Misanthropology, and the title song has been nominated for Best Original Song.

in the Music Theatre category, graduates

Matt Hetherington and Gareth Keegan have both been nominated for Best Male Artist in a Featured Role for their work in Next to Normal, while Francine Cain is among the nominees for Female Artist in a Featured Role for Rock of Ages.

in the Opera category, conductor Tom Woods has been nominated for his conducting of Opera Australia’s Of Mice and Men and Aldo di Toro is a nominee for Best Principal Male for his role as Alfredo in Opera Australia’s La Traviata.

The awards will be announced on March 18 at a ceremony in the Arts Centre Melbourne.

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JAI courtney LAnDS DIe HArD 5 LeADFollowing a global casting search spanning

several months, Jai Courtney has nabbed the coveted role of Jack McClane, the son of Bruce Willis’ iconic action hero, in 20th Century Fox’s fifth instalment of the Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard.

The role was highly sought-after, with actors Aaron Paul, James Badge Dale, Paul Walker, and Milo Ventimiglia in contention for the part. in the end, it was down to Courtney and Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth.

After graduating from WAAPA in 2008, Courtney

played guest star roles on television series Packed to the Rafters and All Saints before winning a Theatre Critics Award as Best Newcomer for his performance in The Turning for the Perth Theatre Company. in 2009 he landed the role of Varro in the international television hit, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Last year, Courtney starred opposite Tom Cruise in One Shot, directed by Christopher McQuarrie and opposite Aaron Eckhart in I, Frankenstein.

A Good Day to Die Hard begins production this April for a February 2013 release.

Jai Courtney, photo courtesy of Mark Morrissey & Associates

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Meow Meow - Little Match Girl courtesy of Malthouse TheatrePhoto by Jeff Busby


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TAiWAN TRiP FOR MASTERS STUDENTZoe tuffin is in her final year of a Master of

Performing Arts in Directing, and her research is on directing Shakespeare in Australia in the twenty-first century. Here she tells Inside WAAPA about her recent trip to taiwan as part of her research to see leading director Wu Hsing-kuo perform King Lear...

Over the past year through the guidance and encouragement of my supervisors, the scope of my studies has broadened to encompass the treatment of Shakespeare in Asia. in Taiwan, where my research has focussed, Shakespeare’s plays are not treated with reverence, which is how Australians commonly treat Shakespeare. Consequently Taiwanese productions of Shakespeare are generally far more experimental than Australian productions. Given that i ultimately intend to develop my own approach to directing Shakespeare for a twenty-first century Australian audience, Taiwanese directors provide a wealth of liberal approaches.

in November last year i travelled to Taipei to visit the leading director of Shakespeare in Taiwan, Wu Hsing-Kuo. With his company, Contemporary Legend Theatre, Mr Wu has directed four productions of Shakespeare, the most successful of which is his King Lear. Mr Wu was already a highly regarded Beijing opera performer when he established CLT with his colleagues in 1986. He wanted to give his traditional art form new life by combining it with modern theatre. The types of productions Mr Wu creates are therefore highly experimental. For

instance, his King Lear is a solo performance in which he performs seven of Shakespeare’s characters in the style of Beijing opera. in King Lear he breaks the conventions of Beijing opera and indeed modern theatre by presenting himself, Wu Hsing-Kuo the actor, to the audience. He introduces his own text to Shakespeare’s and in this way he uses the play to contemplate his issues with identity.

By far the biggest challenge i faced during my visit was the language barrier. Mr Wu and many of the company members do not speak English or if they do, they only speak a little. Unfortunately i do not speak Mandarin. This obviously limited my interaction with the company because it meant a secondment was not really an option. However, as i discovered, the Taiwanese are unbelievably generous, warm, open people and CLT did everything they could to ensure that my journey was worthwhile. Wu YanXian, the Production Coordinator, spoke very good English and took care of me while i was in Taiwan. She organised tickets for me to all the shows (which all thankfully had subtitles) and arranged for me to interview Mr Wu. She also told me where to eat, what to see and introduced me to the other company members such as Sung Pei-Chen (Ann) who acted as my interpreter during the interview.

After meeting Mr Wu and seeing four of his productions i was able to appreciate the subtle qualities of his approach to Shakespeare. His King Lear showed me first and foremost the importance of bringing yourself to the

performance. When watching it live i appreciated how deeply personal the performance was. He was honest about his problems with his relationships and his identity; he exposed his inner turmoil to the audience and allowed himself to be completely vulnerable.

in this way, through visiting CLT i learnt more than i ever expected. i arrived in Taiwan thinking that i would gather useful information for my thesis and by the time i left i discovered i had also gained some important lessons in being an artist. Mr Wu showed me the significance of being honest and open in performance and respecting your audience. He taught me that ‘your culture’ is alive inside your heart and is there to be shared with your audience. He also taught me to utilise all the skills you have as a performer, physically, emotionally and spiritually, and to use those abilities to express what is buried deep within your being.

SECONDMENT STORiESelizabeth Wratten, in her 3rd year of an Advanced Diploma of Live Production for theatre and events (Design), recently completed a secondment with cirque du Soleil in Montreal, canada. Here she answers a few questions about her experience:

How long was your secondment?The total time i spent with the company

was approximately four weeks, all throughout January. Even though it was only a month, by the end it felt like i had been there for years. The people of Cirque are incredibly welcoming, they make it feel like home.

How did the secondment come about?it was all down to timing really, so i feel like

the luckiest person alive to have contacted the company when i did. Cirque was in the midst of producing a new show, Cirque 2012, now titled Amaluna. i received confirmation that the secondment could happen almost six months after my initial inquiry, so it came as a massive surprise.

Describe what you did on your secondment?i was mainly involved in the props department

backstage of the main rehearsal studio in Cirque

HQ. Some projects to mention include making props for clowns, constructing Chinese meteors, fire juggling balls and making repairs to unicycles.

Being able to take a break from work and sit down in front of rehearsals is unbelievable. it felt like having a free show put on in front of you everyday – every moment was incredibly surreal. A lot of the time i ended up getting lost in the enormous building, it’s like it’s own little kooky city. Each corridor and room has something amazing for you to discover.

What was the most challenging part of your secondment?

All of the organising to get there! Passports, tickets, transportation, accommodation, insurance, visas, food...i’m not going to say the experience was cheap, because that would be an incredibly unconvincing lie. i had been saving for a good while. Once the groundwork is done though, it’s so beneficial. You can leave all your worries at the departure gate and finally enjoy yourself. investing in experience that is priceless is probably one of the smartest moves i’ve ever made.

What was the highlight of your secondment?Meeting so many fascinating people.

Being completely new to a place is a terrifying experience but you learn to put yourself out there and talk to people, even if it means speaking a very broken French. i’ve made some incredible friends that i still have regular contact with. it’s safe to say that because of these people, Montreal now feels like a city i can confidently return to.


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Mr Wu Hsing-Kuo and Zoe

Elizabeth in Montreal, Canada


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AWArD-WInnIng PLAyWrIgHt receIveS WA PreMIere At WAAPA

Having deferred starting a science degree, Lewis enrolled in the Australian Army’s Ready Reserves – a year of full-time service followed by four years’ part-time in return for a fully-paid tertiary education.

But fate, in the form of a broken ankle, intervened. Unable to begin Army training and unable to get reinstated into his deferred degree, Lewis found himself at a loose end.

“So i tried a whole heap of things i’d never done before,” says Lewis. “i was taking blues harmonica lessons and volunteering with the State Emergency Service and i realised very quickly what i was good at and what i was interested in.”

One of the things Lewis tried was amateur theatre, which led him to enrol at Flinders University Drama Centre. “i liked acting but i think what drew me to it was the storytelling aspect of it. i figured out that i’d rather tell my stories than be the six-hundredth Hamlet.”

Since then, telling his own stories has seen Lewis pen plays that range widely in both genre and subject, from a tragedy about teenagers on the run in 1959 to a modern comedy about the rituals of Aussie blokedom and a children’s play described as a ‘steampunk/Chekhov mashup’.

He has been mentored by Nick Enright, enjoyed a two-year residency with Griffin Theatre Company and workshopped with Edward Albee. He has won numerous awards and scholarships, and in 2010 caused controversy by turning down the prestigious Philip Parsons Award in protest.

That same year, his play Clinchfield won the inaugural Richard Burton Award for New Plays, with a prize of $20,000. The award was announced by Sally Burton, Richard Burton’s widow, at the opening of the 2011 Black Swan State Theatre Company season.

“i can’t thank Sally Burton enough, she’s been a real champion of my work and so encouraging,” says Lewis. “Prize money like this allows me to write. i wrote my first play in the spare hours i could grab around working a telemarketing job

so it’s nice to be a position now where i don’t have to do that.”

Clinchfield is based on the bizarre but true story of the hanging in Erwin, Tennessee of ‘Murderous Mary’, a circus elephant that killed its trainer. This event, which occurred in 1916, becomes the catalyst to explore modern questions of justice and retribution.

Clinchfield was first performed in Adelaide at Lewis’s alma mater, Flinders University. Last year, Clinchfield received a reading by Black Swan State Theatre Company. Now Lewis is back in Perth to see a fully staged production of his play – the WA premiere – presented by WAAPA, Sally Burton and Onward Productions open in Perth on March 16.

Lewis believes that Clinchfield is a better play because of the development process it has gone

through with student actors, firstly at Flinders and now at WAAPA.

“This play wouldn’t be what it is without being able to really perfect it over a solid period of time and having a whole bunch of creative minds focus on it, coming at it with their own attitudes and questions and thoughts.”

“We don’t have a culture in Australia of shows getting a second production, they tend to go up once and then they’re gone so if that show’s not ready the first time, you’re doing it a disservice. But being here at WAAPA is a terrific way of honing the work, of being able to challenge the text.”

Lewis has been impressed by the resources available at WAAPA. “i was a bit stunned when i walked in on the first day of rehearsal and there were 40 people in the room, a cast of 17 actors, costume designers, lighting designers and production crew...it was huge!”

Another unexpected treat for Lewis was the presence of a student dramaturg in rehearsals, supporting his role as playwright by providing research material and input into the creative process.

Lewis always has a number of plays in different stages of writing on the go at once.

His current crop includes a play based around a woman he once worked with and a play about the world-wide beekeeping course.

To research the latter, Lewis undertook a one-week beekeeping course. Having an excuse to learn about new and different things is what he loves about playwriting. “i think that high school is the last

time, and university to a degree, that you really get to be a dilettante in your life, where you go from woodwork to chemistry to mathematics to dance and you get to try all those things. As we get older, our lives can seem a slow process of narrowing. Writing is a good way to avoid that.”

Clinchfield written by Caleb Lewis, directed by Andrew Lewis and performed by WAAPA’s 3rd Year Acting students, runs from March 16-22 in WAAPA’s Roundhouse Theatre.

iF YOU WOULD LiKE TO RECEiVE iNSiDE WAAPA ViA EMAiL, PLEASE SEND YOUR EMAiL ADDRESS TO

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Being knocked back by the army is not the usual launch pad for a career as a playwright. But that’s how Caleb Lewis came to find himself drawn into a life in the arts...

Photo by Donna FererriCaleb Lewis (centre) with 3rd year actors Arrabella Mason and Georgie Scott


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RESiDENCiES, WORKSHOPS AND ViSiTORSWhile in town as director of I Fagiolini for the Perth

international Arts Festival, early music specialist Robert Hollingworth held two masterclasses for WAAPA’s Classical Voice students in early March. Hollingworth discussed Baroque and Renaissance music and styles in preparation for the students’ forthcoming triple bill, Sweet Airs Which Give Delight, directed in May by well-loved WAAPA associate, John Milson. “Hollingworth is the only person to have filmed the piece that we shall perform, so we feel very fortunate to have had him visit us,” says WAAPA Classical Voice Lecturer, Patricia Price. WAAPA Lecturer David Wickham accompanied from the harpsichord for the masterclasses.

Graduate Matthew Lutton, currently Associate Artist (Directing) at Malthouse Theatre, returned to WAAPA

to talk with students in February. Lutton was in Perth to direct Richard Strauss’s opera Elektra at His Majesty’s Theatre.

During a visit to Perth in February, US Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich addressed an audience of WAAPA students on the topic of protecting intellectual property. Ambassador Bleich outlined the efforts of both the US and Australia in finding a balance between protecting the intellectual property of artists while ensuring the internet remains a place to collaborate and share ideas. He also discussed the problem of online piracy and the diplomatic efforts to protect artists in developing countries. “Pushing for intellectual property protection doesn’t just benefit countries like ours. it also benefits the playwright, poet and composer,” said Bleich.

On March 3, for the third year in a row, Taylor held his unique festival at his family home of Warrambeen, a 4200-hectare sheep farm at Shelford, 100 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the Victorian Western Plains.

Taylor, who graduated from WAAPA in 2006, has worked in TV and film with roles in Blue Heelers, Canal Road and The Pacific. But he has also spent much of his life on the land, managing crops and herds of sheep, and working as a jackaroo.

“Acting is like farming,” he says. “They can both be a bloody brutal way of earning a living. i love doing both but i needed to do something that would iron out the [financial] ups and downs. But it had to be something creative.”

in its first year, the Warrambeen Film Festival was a small success, with 1100 patrons attending day and night screenings. Last year,

the audience swelled to 1500 and the screens were increased from three to four. This year, with fellow WAAPA alumnus Hugh Jackman enlisted to promote the festival, Taylor planned a six-screen festival.

Over 100 local and international short film entrants are whittled down to nine finalists vying for a $2,000 prize. The judging panel is made up of screen producers, actors and farmers.

“When we select films for Warrambeen we’re looking for films that are not only technically good but also have a good story,” Taylor says. “Farmers make up a lot of our audience and they are very vocal about what they like and don’t like. Basically we are looking for films that people actually want to watch.”

in addition to screening the finalists of the short-film festival, 40 other films were also

screened this year, including three features and science shorts from the Canberra-based Australia institute.

The screens are spread around the grounds and buildings of the 1847 property. The main, 15-metre-high screen is set up on the flats of the Warrambine Creek with hay bales for seats. Other screens are found in the 1850s shearers’ mess, the sheep yards, in an old woolshed and in an orchard. There are camping sites for the festival audience – a screen in a plantation near the camp site offers late night screenings – and Taylor provides family entertainment, food, wine and beer stalls.

“i am an actor. i studied theatre,” Taylor says. “i know how to put on a bloody good show.”

WAAPA grADuAte BeHInD fArM fILM feStIvAL

DANCE FiLMS CHOSEN FOR NEXT SCREENiNGS FiLMiNGTwo of the nine short films selected to screen in

the Dance program at the NexT international Film Festival in Bucharest, Romania from March 28 to April 1 were made by WAAPA dance graduates.

The Door was produced by 2011 Honours student Anya McKee and Features of Habit was made by Storm Helmore, who graduated last year with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance.

“it’s fantastic, i’m very excited,” says McKee of the news of her film’s selection. “Dance film is an amazing medium, its possibilities are limitless and it’s so accessible to the public.”

McKee used current 3rd Year dancers Linton Aberle, Katherine Gurr, Tahlia Russell and Annabel Saies in her film. The original score was by Tom Hogan and WAAPA Lecturer Jason Garbenis designed and constructed the door which featured in the film.

“My dance film asks you to take a moment to consider the door, as both symbol and physical place, and what it could say about the relationship western society has with space.”

McKee is hoping to further her filmmaking skills through her upcoming Australia Council/Youth Arts QLD Jump mentorship this year under Sydney based choreographer and dance-film/multimedia interdisciplinary artist Sue Healey.

Helmore’s short film Features of Habit was based on her final year choreography project. it explores the notion of fidgeting – the physicality of it, why we do it, how it differs depending on the context, and the way in which it can affect others nearby. She adapted her stage version by setting her film in a café and using only the parts of her original choreography she felt would work best in this new medium.

Helmore’s main collaborator on the project was film director Paddy Maddon and the original score was composed by WAAPA music composition graduate George Capelas. The dancers were all WAAPA students: Jess Garside, Blaine Hall-Jones, Mitchell Harvey, Yilin Kong, Kye Maurer, Charity Ng, Lily May Roberts, Talia Russel, Daisy Sanders and Michael Smith.

“You can capture and emphasise things with film that just aren’t possible in a live dance performance,” says Helmore, who is also keen to create more dance films in the future. in the meantime, Perth audiences can catch her short film Features of Habit later this year at Dance Films @ The Piazza in Northbridge as part of the Be Active Dance Week events.

A sheep farm is not the usual location for a film festival but that’s where actor Geordie Taylor holds his annual Warrambeen Film Festival.

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US Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich


WAAPA neWSBUSiNESS DEVELOPMENT AT WAAPA

WAAAPA is proud not only of its teachers, students and graduates but also of its positioning as an institution internationally renowned for its excellence and consistent success. This position requires hard work as well as financial support over and above that of core funding. One way that WAAPA attracts extra investment into its activities is by maintaining strong networks with Alumni, industry and communities on national and international levels.

2012 brings a more focussed approach to building on our success via developing strategic partnerships with sponsors, foundations, the corporate sector, government and communities. A new business development strategy will see WAAPA plan to increase revenue over the next three to five years to invest in the following key areas:

• Artists in residence at WAAPA• Contemporary best practice• international standards of delivery and

performance• Equipment and facilities for excellence

in performance• New works and commissions• Opportunities and support for Aboriginal

young people• Guest directors, mentors and role

models for young people• Community engagement opportunities• Sustainable approaches to health and

wellbeing• Outreach programs and regional

engagement

All of the above are vital elements which make WAAPA what it is. Growing and strengthening these opportunities further is crucial to ensuring that young people obtain the best educational experience to put them ahead in a tough and highly competitive industry. Statistics to date are testimony to the fact that WAAPA graduates are extremely successful in the employment stakes; something that remains critical to WAAPA’s success in the future.

The value of creating engaging partnerships with corporate, private and government entities is at the heart of a successful model of business development for WAAPA. Current partnerships with Allens Arthur robinson and Hawaiian, who are both supporting partners of WAAPA, see a mutual integration of business activities with WAAPA to strengthen outcomes for all. Likewise the partnerships with kosmic and yamaha see outcomes go far beyond the initial financial investment into the partnership.

The value of performing arts activity is that it provides unique and creative opportunities for engagement at community, staff and individual levels. Just as the impact of performing arts training at WAAPA extends far beyond the making of great individual artists, the impact of developing sponsorship partnerships with WAAPA can be rich and multilayered.

We invite you to watch out for this space in the next edition of inside WAAPA to monitor our new developments. if you are interested in a partnership with WAAPA please contact Aine Whelan, Leader of Learning and Business Development at [email protected]

congratulations to these outstanding students who won awards at the end of last year. WAAPA is grateful to the sponsors who generously support the following awards:

Hawaiian Awards:Arts Management – Alexis JohnsBallet – Kye MaurerDance – Niharika SenapatiContemporary Music – Michael ChewterJazz – Patrick van der MoezelCostume – Alexandra WettsteinProps and Scenery – Jorja ChristensenLighting – Ben DavisSound – Brodie GreenStage Management – Erin Coubrough

finlay Awards:Dance (Bachelor) – Rosslyn WythesDance (Advanced Diploma) – Annabelle Lefebvre and Alexandra MacnishActing (1st Year) – Charlotte DevenportActing (2nd Year) – Byron HajduczokActing (3rd Year) – Emma BarnesMusic Theatre (2nd Year) – James TraillMusic Theatre (3rd Year) – Loren Hunter

effie crump theatre Awards: Acting – Emily KennedyMusic Theatre – Riley Sutton

Leslie Anderson Awards: Acting – Ben O’TooleMusic Theatre – Andrew Cook

Melville toyota Jazz Music Award:Jacob Evans

Sally Burton Awards for Acting: Ryan Jones and Abby Earl

Dame Peggy van Praagh Dance Award: Mia Thompson

Leinster Dance Award: Lydia Pedrana

John curtin college of the Arts Dance Award:Jake McLarnon

Dance theatre Award: Zoe Wozniak

Julie Michael Award in Musical cabaret: Nicole Shostak and Philippe Klaus

David Hough Award for Design: india Mehta

Don Paynter Award for Arts Management: Belinda Madonini

Lillian P. kavanagh Award for Broadcasting: Hannah Buck

2011 WAAPA PRiZE WiNNERS

StAff cAMeoSJUST A FEW OF THE ONGOiNG ACHiEVEMENTS OF WAAPA STAFF

Decibel, made up of Composition Lecturers Dr cat Hope, Lindsay vickery, Malcolm riddoch, Stuart James and WAAPA graduates Aaron Wyatt and Tristen Parr, recently returned from a three week tour of Europe. Funded by a Faculty Small Grant and Tura New Music, the ensemble travelled to Belgium, Germany and italy. They performed eight concerts in Berlin, Ghent, Sicily and two for German radio. in addition to programs of Australian music, they also premiered their performance of the

complete John Cage Variations i – Viii at the Goethe institute in Palermo, italy, to much acclaim, and will be presenting this program in Perth on March 28 and Brisbane in April. in February, Decibel performed at the Perth Writers Festival launch of the book Women of Note, written by Rosalind Appleby and featuring Dr Cat Hope. Decibel performed In the Cut, which has also been nominated as one of five works to represent Australia in the international Society for Contemporary Music in Slovenia in 2013. Decibel also is a finalist in the 2012 Art Music Awards in the category of Award for Excellence in Experimental Music for their PiCA performance series. The winners will be announced on April 3.

While visiting the USA over the summer break, Associate Professor Andrew Lewis (Program Director, Performance) conducted academic benchmarking in New York with organisations that run similar programs to WAAPA. He met with Associate Professor Paul Thompson, Head of Screenwriting at New York University Film School Department and Richard Feldman, Associate Director Drama Division of Juilliard, to compare their programs with the WA Screen

Decibel - Performing Live in Palermo


JUST A FEW OF THE ONGOiNG ACHiEVEMENTS OF WAAPA STUDENTS

DANCEPhD candidate russya connor was one of the performers in Proximity, Australia’s first micro-festival of one-on-one art performed at Perth’s Blue Room Theatre as part of Fringe World in February. The show, which transformed 12 spaces with 12 performances, offered the audience the options of combining four shows into a one-hour experience or of seeing the entire program over three hours. Proximity won the Spirit of Fringe Award.

Harrison elliott and rikki Bremner performed in Driving into Walls, written by Suzie Miller, directed by John Sheedy and presented as part of the Perth international Arts Festival.

StuDent SnAPSHot

JUST A FEW OF THE ONGOiNG ACHiEVEMENTS OF WAAPA ALUMNi

ABORiGiNAL THEATREOn January 17, Meyne Wyatt (1997) won a 2011 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Newcomer for his performances in Griffin Theatre Company’s The Brothers Size and Silent Disco.

ACTiNGJimi Bani (2007), kate Jenkinson (2004) and James Mackay (2008) are all currently appearing in the ABC’s 10-part television drama series The Straits. Due for screening later this year is the ABC TV/Blackfella Films telemovie Mabo, in which Bani stars as Eddie Mabo alongside Deborah Mailman, Colin Friels, Miranda Otto and fellow WAAPA graduates William McInnes (1988) and ewen Leslie (2000).

Abby earl (2011) starred as Diana, the love interest of protagonist Peter Mickelberg, in the Nine Network’s new telemovie The Great Mint Swindle, which aired on March 11. The Great Mint Swindle follows the 20-year saga of the Mickelberg brothers and the most famous gold heist in Australia’s history.

in early March, georgina Haig (2008) did two weeks filming on the American science fiction television series, Fringe. Created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurzman and Roberto Orci in 2008, the Fox network series is currently filming its fifth season.

Scott Sheridan’s (2009) short film, Unwanted Friend, directed by Matt Levett (2009)and made with a group of WAAPA graduates, made the final 16 shortlist for Tropfest 2012. Sheridan is currently appearing on stage as Septimus Hodge in Arcadia with Black Swan State Theatre Company.

ARTSMANAGEMENTrobbert van der Zwaag (2005) recently returned from working for Cirque du Soleil in North America to take up a position with the Gordon/Frost Organisation as Company Manager for the world premiere production of An Officer and a Gentleman - The Musical which opens in Sydney in May.

DANCEin February, five dance graduates and students were involved in Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers for WA Opera’s Opera in the Park in the Supreme Court Gardens: Linton Aberle (3rd Year BA 2012), Storm Helmore (2011), Bernadette Lewis (2011), Jeanine Lui (2011) and kye Maurern (LiNK 2012).

2011 Advanced Diploma graduates victoria Bonnet, carl Sciberras and rosslyn Wythes and Honours graduate Anya Mckee successfully auditioned for the 2012 youMove Company 6-month mentorship program in Sydney.

On December 9, dancer/choreographer carl Sciberras (2011) and visual artist Todd Fuller launched their performance collective, Flatline, as part of Dance Compass week at the i O Myers studios at the University of New South Wales. Dance Australia reviewer Geraldine Higginson wrote that “The eight dancers, all 2011 graduates of WAAPA, acquitted themselves well... WAAPA has a reputation for producing excellent contemporary dancers with quite a few graduates in SDC’s current roster. This year’s standout performer was niharika Senapati. With a strikingly lucid, expressive upper body and a unique movement quality that draws your eye, she already looks a seasoned performer.” At the end of last year, Sciberras was awarded an Artstart Grant of $10,000. He plans to use the funding “to develop my creative dance practice, grow my networks and enhance interdisciplinary collaboration”.

APPLAuSe

Academy and the WAAPA Acting course. Both schools are keen to foster relationships and arrange possible staff exchanges with WAAPA. in LA Lewis met with Jeffrey Gelber, the Casting Director of Universal Studios. Gelber, who expressed interest in seeing WAAPA graduates if they visit America, was happy to receive WAAPA’s Acting course showreels and to receive screen test auditions from WAAPA students for pilot season consideration. Lewis also met with a number of high profile LA agents including Priscilla Moralez from One Talent Management. One Talent, who represent Kevin Costner, Charlize Theron, Kate Bosworth and Dakota Fanning, have just taken on recent WAAPA graduate TJ Power. Moralez was keen to receive the annual show reels of the graduates and consider them for American representation.

Micheál Mccarthy (Senior Lecturer, Music) and Michael Goldschlager were invited to teach at the Mount Buller Chamber String Summer School in January. They worked alongside four other tutors, including Wilma Smith (Concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra), Natsuko Yoshimoto (Concertmaster of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra), ian Munro (Composer, Pianist), and Caroline Henbest (Australian Chamber Orchestra violist) to provide coaching to professional, semi-professional and amateur chamber groups.

Jamie oehlers (Lecturer, Jazz) recently recorded a new CD with Gian Slater and Paul Grabowsky which will be released later this year, as will his new quartet CD featuring last year’s WAAPA visiting artist, Ari Hoenig.

tom o’Halloran (Lecturer, Jazz) is a finalist in the 2012 Art Music Awards in the category of Work of the Year: Jazz for his masterful Dissolve for two pianos. The awards, which acknowledge the achievements of Australia’s outstanding talent in the fields of contemporary art music, jazz and experimental music, will be announced at a ceremony held at the Sydney Opera House on April 3.

Following on from the creation of a section of dance and music performance for the opening ceremony for CHOGM in October last year, Andries Weidemann (Lecturer, Classical Dance) spent a week in February in Kuwait choreographing a work for the 50th anniversary of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Development. The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development takes an active role in international development efforts, providing finance, technical assistance and training programs for projects in developing countries. For the anniversary celebrations, Weidemann worked with 110 dancers from Uzbekistan, Senegal, China, Cuba, Lebanon and Kuwait. The performance took place in the theatre of the palace of the Amir of Kuwait. Earlier in February, Weidemann choreographed Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers for WA Opera’s Opera in the Park in the Supreme Court Gardens.

Michael Whaites (LiNK Artistic Director) facilitated a public talk in February with Lucinda Childs in the Heath Ledger Theatre. Childs, one of New York’s great postmodern artists, was in Perth with her dance company for the Perth international Arts Festival.

in January, Associate Professor graham Wood (Program Director, Music) visited New York City for two weeks to perform with George Garzone at the Cornelia St Café Jazz Club. This is now an annual event called George Garzone and The Australian Connection. Wood then travelled to Boston to perform with Garzone’s band The Fringe, who have been performing together for 40 years and are known as ‘The Rolling Stones of Jazz’. While in Boston, Wood also visited Berklee College to explore WAAPA/Berklee articulations and collaborations. in New York, he visited New York University to explore the possibility of study tours for WAAPA Jazz students to NYU summer intensive programs.


Michael Smith and Matthew tupper (2011) performed in Driving into Walls, written by Suzie Miller, directed by John Sheedy and presented as part of the Perth international Arts Festival.

MUSiCMezzo soprano fiona campbell (1992), who won Best Solo Performance in the 2011 Limelight Awards, has just released her first solo album Love + Loss. Future engagements this year include performing Beethoven’s 9th with the Australian Chamber Ochestra, Orfeo with the Australian Baroque Orchestra and the Mozart Requiem with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Opera House with David Zinman conducting.

in February, soprano caitlin cassidy (2010) performed the song cycle In This Garden by Australian composer Betty Beath at UWA’s Octagon Theatre as part of the launch of Women of Note, a book about female Australian composers written by Rosalind Appleby. Earlier that month Cassidy had performed at Fringe World in Cabaret Allsorts, a cabaret featuring the self-devised work of WAAPA students and graduates nick Maclaine, Laura Djanegara and clint Strindberg (2011).

French horn player Stephanie Davis (2011) was awarded Edith Cowan University’s 2011 Faculty Medal (Education and Arts) for outstanding scholarship. Honours composition student Suzanne kosowitz was also presented with an award for being one of the university’s Top 100 students.

The song cycle City of Shadows composed by rachael Dease (2007) won the inaugural Marin Sims Award for most promising Western Australian work. Fringe World Award judges described the work as “devastatingly moving and breath-takingly beautiful”. The work also took out this year’s RTRfm Music Award.

Composition graduate elliot Hughes (2009) won the Jazz category of the 2011 WAMi Awards. Jack Doepel (Bastian’s Happy Flight) won the Electronic/Dance category – all the nominees in this category were WAAPA Composition/Music Technology graduates. Matt Mclean, kevin Penkin, Sam Wylde and Benjamin Hoare were all also nominated for awards.

Composers Laura Lowther and Mitchell Mollison (2011) were chosen to compose and rehearse works for the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra’s ECHO Ensemble.

Sopranos emma Matthews (1992), Principal Artist with Opera Australia, and rachelle Durkin (1997) are sharing the lead role of Violetta in Opera Australia’s La Traviata in the inaugural Opera on Sydney Harbour, held at Mrs Macquarie’s Point in the Royal Botanic Garden, from March 24 to April 15. This outdoor production features fireworks and a 9-metre chandelier suspended above a purpose-built

stage on the waters of Sydney Harbour.

Jared newall (2006) who joined the Ten Tenors in May 2011, returned to Perth at the end of last year when the Australian rock-opera touring group performed at the Burswood Theatre. The Ten Tenors, who perform about 250 shows a year, have sold more than four million tickets around the world and released 10 studio albums and five live DVDs in their 11-year history.

Award-winning saxophonist troy roberts (2002) is a finalist in the 2012 Art Music Awards in the category of Work of the Year: Jazz for his original compositions Siarus and Oscar and the Shoe Box. The awards will be announced at a ceremony held at the Sydney Opera House on April 3.

in February, katja Webb (2004) sang the role of Leila in Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers for WA Opera’s Opera in the Park in the Supreme Court Gardens, Sitiveni Talei.

MUSiC THEATREgillian cosgriff (2010) is touring her self-devised, one-woman cabaret show Waitressing, and Other Things I do Well to Brisbane and Sydney after opening in Melbourne last year at Prahan’s Chapel off Chapel. in August, she would like to take the show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. “it’s a daunting prospect, but i would love to get it there,” she says. “it means i am applying for grants wherever i can and hoping like crazy.”

The Jinglists, written and performed by 2001 graduates tamlyn Henderson and Warwick Allsopp, opened at the Bondi Pavilion Theatre on February 1. The show had previously enjoyed successful runs at the Old Fitzroy Theatre in Woolloomooloo in 2008, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010 and at the Soho Theatre in London’s West End. The clowning and slapstick elements of The Jinglists were developed with comic actor Darren Gilshenan and director Jo Turner.

tim Lawson (1990) is the producer of the Australian production of A Chorus Line which, after playing in Adelaide and Melbourne, is due to open in Sydney in July. Lawson is the CEO of TML Enterprises, a theatrical producing house based in Melbourne. Among his many producing credits, Lawson has produced Australasian tours of Sweet Charity starring

Kelley Abbey, Fiddler on the Roof starring Topol, the London productions of Buddy The Musical and Jolson starring Rob Guest. Current tours include the new production of the Broadway musical Jekyll and Hyde through Asia, and The Rocky Horror Show in Korea, New Zealand and Singapore.

The DVD of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Love Never Dies, featuring the Australian cast and Benjamin Lewis (2004) as the Phantom, was released in February. Filmed at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre last September, it is currently screening in 600 cinemas across the USA.

Lisa Mccune (1990) is the star of Network Ten’s new family adventure drama Reef Doctors, which is due to air later this year. McCune, who is also a producer of the series, plays Sam Stewart, the leader of a team of doctors serving the remote Hope island Clinic.

PRODUCTiON AND DESiGNStage manager Jenna Boston (2006), costume designer Alicia clements (2008), lighting designer Matt Marshall (2000) and sound designer kingsley reeve (1998) all worked on Driving into Walls, written by Suzie Miller, directed by John Sheedy and presented in association with the Perth international Arts Festival.

rosie Hodge (2011 Costume) is currently a wardrobe assistant at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London.

in February at the 16th annual WA Fashion Awards, nicole Marrington (2011 Costume) was chosen as one of the top three student winners for the Carton mentorship program.

For the second year in a row, two sculptures by Matthew Mcveigh (2009 Design) were chosen for the annual Sculpture by the Sea at Perth’s Cottesloe Beach in March. The New Covenant utilised the sun to create a prismatic rainbow between two shopping trolleys while Covenant Under Question? portrayed a neon rainbow sitting between two melting shopping trolleys. McVeigh’s work also featured in a group art exhibition entitled Young Guns at Linton and Kay Contemporary gallery in Subiaco from March 1-19.

Alexandra Wettstein (2011 Costume) has a full-time position at the West Australian Ballet as a wardrobe assistant.

The New Covenant - Matthew McVeigh Design

Katja Webb in “The Pearl Fishers” 2009Photo by James Rogers, courtesy of WA Opera


Perth Variety Cavalcade

Summerdance

Summerdance

Summerdance

Summerdance

Who’s Afraid of the Working Class

tHAnk you to our PArtnerS

Cover CreditsLucy Durack - photo by Brian Geach, Legally Blonde ©Jai Courtney - photo courtesy of Mark Morrissey & AssociatesEddie Perfect - photo by Rob Banks / FairfaxMeow Meow - photo by Jeff BusbyBack Cover - photos by Jon Green

crIcoS IPc 00279B


Perth Variety Cavalcade

Summerdance Summerdance


In tHe SPotLIgHtA glimpse of what’s been happening onstage at WAAPA

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Lucy Durack is Legally Blonde