PAST STUDENTS
Q&A FRASER ORFORD (RGS 2007) Fraser Orford has a passion for the arts, and his energetic personality continues to tap into new opportunities. The stage has provided many platforms for Fraser to shine, from being a company manager to being a curator with TEDxSydney. A new chapter now awaits Fraser as he prepares to move to London later this year.
“ ...once I did the RGS production of Singin’ in the Rain in 2003, that was it, I was sold.”
CQ: How did you enter the Arts industry? FO: “After school I moved to Brisbane to undertake a Bachelor Degree in town planning at UQ, before heading to Sydney to study at NIDA – No I Don’t Act. My studies were in the area of production with hopes of moving into management and producing.” CQ: What initially sparked your interest in moving into this career? FO: “Perhaps an early found love of the arts, in all its forms, but a particular interest in theatre and musical theatre. What sparked that? Probably the Rogers & Hammerstein and MGM movie musicals, but once I did the RGS production of Singin’ in the Rain in 2003, that was it. I was sold. Beyond those formative experiences, an understanding of professional productions to be commercial enterprises was perhaps the final piece to that puzzle.” CQ: What do you enjoy most about working in this industry? FO: “The collaborative nature of people that the industry attracts. There’s a great John Steinbeck quote where he says “The theatre is the only institution in the world which has been dying for four thousand years and has never succumbed. It requires tough and devoted people to keep it alive.” And it’s true, never more so than right now.” CQ: What are some of the most exciting productions you have been involved with? FO: “I’ve been fortunate to work on a number of large-scale events and productions. Career highlights include the International Tour of Disney’s The Lion King as well as my current role on An American in Paris. We rehearsed
and opened Disney’s The Lion King in the Philippines before taking the show throughout South East Asia to Singapore and South Korea. With An American in Paris we are lucky enough to be joined by principal dancers of The Australian Ballet. It’s more special as it’s one of the first commercial productions to go into rehearsal and open as the live performance sector awoke after the pandemic.“ CQ: What are some of the biggest challenges that the industry is now facing? FO: “The entertainment industry is dealing with the fallout of the hiatus caused by the pandemic. Namely, the huge gap left in the skilled workforce by those who sought other work and career-changes as they weren’t supported during the pandemic. Our industry is one of the biggest contributors to the gig-economy which unfortunately went largely unsupported and unfortunately our industry is now paying the price. Prior to the pandemic the arts and entertainment sector employed 193,600 and contributed $14.7 billion per year to the national economy.” CQ: When you’re not backstage you also enjoy public speaking? FO: “As a child I was sent to speech and drama classes pretty early to help combat my rhotacism – a challenge for anyone with a couple of r’s in their own name! Oratory and debating became staples in my high school experience and I’ve never met a microphone I didn’t like. It’s been my work curating and coaching TED Talks that has been a true synthesis of these skills and passions. The key is knowing and understanding your audience, and remembering to breathe.”
THE ROCKHAMPTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL CAPRICORNUS QUARTERLY / 7
