12 minute read
Artistic Flair
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.
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.”
What does volunteering mean to me?
RGS Year 10 students have the opportunity to help in the broader community through their Certificate II in Active Volunteering service, from cooking a sausage sizzle to helping at an air show. Year 10 students Samridhi Lamichhane and Abenaya Suntharavadivel shared their experiences.
Samridhi
“This Certificate creates the perfect balance between practical and theory. We have had various volunteering opportunities, both within the School and local community, that allows us to give back to society. Community activities such as the Rockhampton Parkrun, Rockhampton River Run, Salvation Army Sausage Sizzle, Rockhampton Dance Festival, Raglan Fly-In and Heritage Show are just few of the opportunities students have experienced. In the theoretical aspect, there are a variety of units that focus on a characteristic of being an effective volunteer. With seven units, the course focuses on being the best volunteer possible and assessment tasks are integrated to test and consolidate this knowledge. At the end of the Certificate course, Year 10s will be awarded with four additional QCE points to set us off on the right foot in our Senior school journey. Volunteering to me is a chance to give back to my community and be more involved. When I volunteer, I don’t see myself as wasting time to do work for free, it allows me to give my
Abenaya
“The course provides key foundation skills which are essential to a range of occupations and volunteering roles around the community.
time and abilities to aid others. By being able to support smaller organisations that require volunteers to accomplish day-to-day tasks allows me to help them achieve goals and give more to service the community. Volunteering has given me a sense of satisfaction, that I am doing good for others and the community, providing a feeling of accomplishment. Being more involved in the social presence of the community allows me to interact and have more experiences. Volunteering is about looking beyond the factor of monetary repayment, by being able to give my abilities to help others, and just by giving my time, knowing the impact that I am having gives me a great feeling of pride and identity. Through volunteering I have met incredible people that give up so much of their time for the betterment of others and it is truly inspiring to see their positive attitudes towards making the world a better place for everyone. This motivates me to continue doing more for my community with the knowledge that my small actions benefit more than myself. The idea of touching other peoples lives is incredibly empowering and uplifting.” This course also aids in students finding roles in which they are passionate about. We complete a range of assessments including written assessments, case studies and volunteer placement.
We are required to complete at least 20 hours of volunteer work within the community. Volunteering can be done within the school community or in an external organisation, such as directly working for a charity, helping out at a community event, or setting up for an RGS event. Some roles at RGS have included assisting in the building of props for RGS Musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I strongly believe volunteering is an essential life skill that everyone should partake in at least once in their life. There are so many things you can learn from volunteering around the community, and it can be very enjoyable as well. It is an opportunity to meet people with similar interests as you, and a great way to make new friends. Completing a volunteer role has personally made me feel like I have accomplished something, and helped the people around me.”
Ready to roar! Show stopping creations
When a RGS IT Department staff member, and past student, Matt Davis combines with seasoned RGS Primary Musical director Michael Robertson the results are set to look amazing. Tickets are now on sale for The Lion King Jnr which hits the Pilbeam Theatre stage on 2 – 3 September. It’s a show with a difference this year. Joining the amazing young cast will be a creative set of masks and puppets.
There is more to Matt Davis than fixing everyone’s computer issues. In his downtime he also has an artistic streak which has involved creating puppets and masks for this year’s musical. “Creativity is creativity, it doesn’t matter if your art is with a computer or with a backhoe,’’ Matt said.
“The ability to take an idea and make it real is a skill that transcends any medium. So, while I tinker away with the computers in my day job, I spend my downtime (hobby) playing with paintbrushes and canvasses. I believe anyone can be ‘artistic’ or ‘creative’ – I certainly wasn’t any good before I started, and I’m only getting better for every hour I spend doing it.” Matt volunteered with RGS musicals when his daughter performed in Mary Poppins Jnr. “I volunteered to help out in whatever way I could. It’s sometimes a hard job, but it needs to be done to make the magic happen. I have skills that will help The Lion King come together on stage, and it makes sense for me to offer them to the team.”
Matt never thought he would make a puppet but he enjoys bringing the magic to life. “The Lion King masks and puppets are creatively very interesting, because they draw from many mediums – Zazu is part 3D printed, part woodwork, sewed, painted, and also articulated with moving parts. Each of those skills I had to learn, or refine, to build him.” Matt makes sure he finds the time to work on the creative projects. “To do these kinds of creative projects I have to carve time out of the ‘TV relaxation’ time I have. A couple of hours here and there all add up over the course of a few weeks. “The hardest part is getting to the end of the day, knowing you’re just on the edge of a breakthrough and having to put down tools to cook dinner. You learn to really maximise the time you have – so much of the complex work is planning. For instance, when I’m painting Simba’s and Scar’s masks, I need to consider the colours and order of application. Simba needs to be young, bright, and ‘good’ coloured, whereas Scar needs to be more mature, darker, and angular, how they are painted needs to reflect that.” Matt is “super excited” to see these creations on stage and even more keen to hear how the audience reacts.
“This won’t be a show to miss,’’ Matt said. The Lion King Jnr Director, and Primary teacher, Michael Robertson is also testing new waters in his 12th RGS Primary Musical production with every character an African animal. “The show has required a complete build from scratch and for the first time has involved masks and puppets as part of the costuming,’’ Mr Robertson said.
RGS IT staff member Matt Davis is putting his creative skills to work in a different setting.
ROBERT BRINGS ZAZU TO LIFE!
RGS Year 5 student Robert Muller is “super excited” to be making his RGS Primary Musical debut in September.
Not only does Robert have to learn his lines and work on his singing and acting skills, he also has to become a master puppeteer as he brings Zazu to life. “Zazu is a hornbill bird, a type of bird with a big beak. Zazu is Mufasa’s assistant and in the front of the musical rehearsal book it says “loyal yet fretful”,’’ Robert said. “I really like this character because I always just found him funny. He also gets to say some cheeky lines. “I also get this incredible puppet, built amazingly by Mr Davis, and I still sort of technically have a costume, or more of an outfit. All the focus is on the puppet which makes it different. “I have to coordinate the puppet’s mouth and wing movements. It’s not too hard. You just have to remember to pull the front trigger when you’re talking and just remember to flap his wings when he’s walking. It’s pretty tricking especially when you’re walking and talking because you can’t do it at the same time otherwise it looks fake. “I’m going pretty well. I’ve gotten better from the first day. On the first day with the puppet I was pretty bad and twirling it around too much. “I’m very excited. I’m just looking forward to the two days when we perform. I love all the rehearsals and love how everyone, all your friends, come together to form one musical.”
“We have based our ideas and inspiration around the Broadway show which sees students not just dressing up in animal costumes but the students becoming the African animal as well as retaining some of their human features. The show is famous for its costumes and use of puppetry and masks which we are excited to say, we are doing this as well for these young performers.”
Mr Robertson said the students had training in how to use the masks and puppetry in the show, but it has been very challenging for the students to think in every rehearsal how to incorporate extra limbs and faces (masks) into their acting. “Some characters have extended limbs, longer necks and heads that tower over the rest of the cast and some have the use of masks either on their face, on the crown of their head or on their chest. And then we have characters like Zazu, who are a separate hand puppet entirely!’’ Mr Robertson said. “It has been funny at times watching the students walk around the stage with sticks that will eventually become part of their animal’s body. The students have had to workshop how their character moves but also at the same time, keep their human characteristics and personality to add to the animal’s character.”
Mr Robertson said The Lion King Jnr has wonderful characters, amazing music and it is incredibly different and creative. “Our primary students have always risen to the challenge of our musicals and the standard they create is simply mind-boggling!,’’ Mr Robertson said. “I am very proud of every student in every musical that we have done at the School. What we achieve together is simply magical!”
Mr Robertson praised the “amazing talent” in his production team. “As usual, I have the wonderful support and talents of Elisa Williams (Vocal Director) and Jason Rooks (Assistant Director) and this year past-student Peyton Cordell has come on board as choreographer. We have the wonderfully creative Helen and Ross James who are heading up our costume and set design team, which consists also of Matt Davis who is creating many of the amazing puppets and masks that you will see on stage. We also have other talented staff and students like Catherine Hancock, Marika Rumford and Lani Dunn also coming on board to help the magic come to life.” Mr Robertson said this was complimented by parent and staff volunteers. “The audience can expect a visual musical spectacular with memorable characters, songs and colourful scenes. I can’t give too much away at present but it is going to be huge!”
