STUDENT PRODUCTIONS OCTOBER 2020 nida.edu.au/october-2020
WELCOME STUDENT PRODUCTIONS OCTOBER 2020
I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we learn and tell stories, the Bidjigal and Gadigal people, and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and emerging. Welcome to the October Season of Student Productions at NIDA. It is fantastic to see the culmination of all the hard work that has happened here over the past few months, and it is wonderful to be able to experience the magic of face-to-face theatre again. I am excited to celebrate our amazingly talented graduating students, to witness the inherent creativity of their work and to be in the audience with you. After the outstanding success of our Digital Theatre Festival last August, we now present five fully staged and two workshop productions with award-winning directors, all working under COVID-19 restrictions – seven stories about how we cope with crisis and change and come out the other side. This season gives all our students the opportunity to push boundaries and to engage with industry representatives, agents, theatre and event companies, film, and television producers. The state-of-the-art performance spaces they work in, as well as the experts they have access to at every step of the creative process, are what makes NIDA one of the world’s top performing arts educators. We couldn’t present any of these high-calibre productions without support from the Australian Government, our Principal Partner for property services ARA, our Major Partners Technical Direction Company and Canon Australia, our Corporate Partner YouTube, our Supporters Tempus Two, Young Henrys and Media Super, and our legal services Supporter Kay and Hughes, the trusts and foundations and the generous individuals who make up our donors and supporters. So, thank you all. We hope you enjoy these live productions. We know the future is a bright one for all our brave graduates.
– Liz Hughes, CEO
Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey Music by Tom Kitt Directed by Darren Yap Choreography by Kelley Abbey
28–31 Oct, 2 Nov, 7pm 31 Oct, 2 Nov, 1pm NIDA Theatres, Parade Theatre
Running time 140 minutes Next to Normal will be performed in two acts and include a 20-minute interval. Although Next to Normal premiered in 2008, the issues of bipolar disorder and the complexities of grief are sadly relevant right now. How can a person’s Grief be measured by a medical manual? Medication cannot cure or take away the pain of losing someone you love… Next to Normal is the journey of an extraordinary woman who chooses to come to terms with her grief but also self-acceptance of what she doesn’t want in her life anymore. I dearly wish I had her courage. COVID-19 has been such a terrible time for many who are isolated and desperately trying to connect. And so, Next to Normal is the perfect remedy. It is such an honour to be back at NIDA. And to finally work with Andrew Ross and be with my dear friend Kelley Abbey again is a dream come true. Thank you Nick and Charlotte for designing this surreal, visceral and elegant world. To Simon, Liam, Anastasia, Isaac, Jesse, Ella, Chloe, Ethan and Gareth – you have brought so much rigour, fun and skill to the rehearsal room and production. Dear Charlotte, Bec, Brodie, Lochie, Luke and Albert THANK YOU for your trust and courage. And good luck out there… What an honour to be collaborating with the next generation of Australian theatre makers. Being in a rehearsal room in 2020 has been an incredibly healing time for all of us.
– Darren Yap, Director
These performances of Next to Normal by Kitt and Yorkey are licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia). All performance materials supplied by Hal Leonard Australia.
Presented by NIDA BFA Costume, BFA Properties and Objects, BFA Scenic Construction and Technologies, BFA Technical Theatre and Stage Management, BFA and MFA Design for Performance, MFA Directing, MFA Voice, MFA Writing for Performance and final year BFA Acting students.
Company
Construction Manager Nick Day** Charlotte Grimmer Masini Costume Supervisor Tess Healy Brodie Kent Properties Supervisor Amanda Torrisi Lachlan Production Stage Manager Anastasia Mowen Rebecca Attanasio Deputy Stage Manager Isaac Barron Albert Mwangi Assistant Stage Managers Ethan Hamill Luke Visentin Chloe Langdon Head Electrician Saint Clair Sound Systems/ Eleanor Weller-Brown Voices, an Anaesthesiologist, Nurses, Doctors Floor Electrician and others all played by the company Video Systems Alex Makaronopoulos Staging Assistant Angus Nott Band Ross** Costume Assistant Lucy Francis Musical Director/Piano Andrew Properties Assistants Ally Vyner Keyboard Chris King** Tallulah Baran Drums Andy Davies* Design Assistants Lachlan Odgers Bass Mark Harris* Ruby Jenkins Guitar Cameron Henderson* Tammetta* Mic Tech/ Zoe Davis Violin Vanessa Technical Assistant Cello Clare Kahn* Fly Operator/ Scott Cleggett Yap* Technical Assistant Director Darren Choreographer Kelley Abbey* Assistant Director Liam McIlwain Set/Video/Co-Costume Nick Fry* Designer Co-Costume Designer Charlotte Mungomery* Lighting Designer Jesse Greig Sound Designer Ella Van Dam *Guest artist Vocal Coach Simon Masterton* **NIDA staff MFA Vocal Support Gareth Isaac Diana Dan Gabe Natalie Henry Doctor Madden/ Doctor Fine
Special thanks to: Julia Robertson, Wayne Gillespie, Dr Linda Hartley-Clark, Max Lambert, Jimi Rawlings, Chris Shultz and Glenn Wysman Thank you to our October 2020 Student Productions Project Supporter Chameleon Touring Systems.
Graduating students 2020 Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
Reb e cc a At t ana sio
Ayla B eaufils
A nna Clark
Leinad C oulthur s t
Philip D’A mbrosio
T hom a s Daws on
Mic aela Ellis
Charlot te G rimmer
Ja s on Jef ferie s
L achlan Kent
N athaniel L angwor thy
A lana Louis e
T hom a s Loveluck
Patrick M andziy
Brodie Ma sini
A lb er t Mwangi
R yan Paniz za
Zo e Re snick
B randon S c ane
Je s sic a S p ie s
A lexandra St amell
L uke V is entin
A lan Zhu
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Costume)
Av ril B radbur yG e orgia Hoath At tewell-Mo ore
A llo quois C allaway
Te s s Healy
S arah Murdo ch
Emily Pire s
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Design for Performance)
Meret te B ou tros
Te s s B urg
O liv ia Hu tley
Jordan Leah
Iz S p erling
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Properties and Objects)
A lexandra A llans on
Daniel D ruer y
L uc a s G uillemin
A m anda Torrisi
S idney Tulau
Ruru Zhu
Bachelor of Fine Arts ( Technical Theatre and Stage Management)
T hom a s B ensley
Fiona Lloyd Harding
A mellia B ruderlin
K hyam C ox
Morgan Moroney
A na s t a sia Mowen
Je s s e G reig
L ucia Haddad
Daniel Her ten
Tom Houghton
Ros e Mulc are
C ameron S mith
L achlan Ste el
Mali Tauro Cesca
Mellit a Ver tigan
Master of Fine Arts (Design for Performance)
Adrienne A ndrews
S om a G arner
A ngus Kons ti
Claudia K r ys zk iew ic z
Monique L angford
Rit a N aidu
Zo e Hollyoak
M at thew L atham
L iam McIlwain
Ruby Re e s
G areth Is a ac
Adam Lyon
Eleanor St ank iew ic z
Jack St arkey- G ill
Master of Fine Arts (Directing)
S ophie B ena s si
Mark B olotin
A melia B urke
Master of Fine Arts ( Voice)
Lea B aker
Rae chyl French
Rudolf Hendrik x
Jennifer Jackson
Ella Van Dam
STUDENT PRODUCTIONS OCTOBER 2020
NIDA employs a wide range of industry professionals on both a part-time and casual basis who teach students across all the courses. NIDA would like to acknowledge and thank all members of staff who have shared their expertise with the 2020 students.
NIDA is grateful for the support of our corporate partners, trusts and foundations, supporters and donors. Principal Partner for Property Services
Major Partners
National Institute of Dramatic Art 215 Anzac Parade Kensington NSW 2033 02 9697 7600 nida.edu.au NIDAcommunity
Corporate Partner
Supporters
Legal Services
The National Institute of Dramatic Art is supported by the Australian Government