STAGES with Peter Eyers

Simon Maiden was born in Ballarat. He is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and has appeared in the feature films The Dressmaker, The Great Raid, Romulus My Father and The Killer Elite. Extensive television appearances have included Deadline Gallipoli (Winston Churchill), the telemovie Hawke (Sen. Graham Richardson) and featured roles in Jack Irish, Wentworth,...

Simon Gallaher is not only one of Australia's leading musical theatre performers, he is loved by Australian audiences as a television star, concert performer, singer, musician, pianist, songwriter and successful theatrical producer. In 1984 Simon took to the musical theatre stage in the Australian production of the Broadway smash hit The Pirates of Penzance, playing over 1,000 performances. He has...

Simon Gallaher is not only one of Australia's leading musical theatre performers, he is loved by Australian audiences as a television star, concert performer, singer, musician, pianist, songwriter and successful theatrical producer. At the age of 15 Simon hosted a children's television show, Simon's Scene, for the Seven Network. He studied for a Bachelor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium o...

On June 6th, 1981, audiences were given access to the Australian premiere of Kander & Ebb's masterpiece CHICAGO - A Musical Vaudeville. The production debuted at The Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House and made history. The production was conceived entirely by a local team who were not obliged to follow any blueprint from productions gone before. J.C. Willamson and Paul Dainty produced the show on t...

Martin Croft started his professional career at the age of 17 with appearances on Melbourne TV. Initially trained as a classical singer, his first major show was Jesus Christ Superstar for Harry M. Miller touring Australia and New Zealand. This led to a full career in music theatre and opera, first as performer and then adding director/musical director, writer, teacher, event manager and producer...

Mark Gogoll has been involved in the entertainment industry for over thirty years. After majoring in Drama and Psychology at Melbourne University, Mark taught at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. He then went on to directing productions for The Adelaide Theatre Trust and The State Theatre Company in Perth. As a performer, he toured in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, The Gondoliers, Joseph a...

Vicky Jacobs has developed a reputation for her ability to get anyone singing at their best - from Australia's top music theatre stars to the nervous novice. Vicky has worked in a broad range of roles contributing to the Australian entertainment and musical theatre industries. She recently served as Associate Musical Director on Come From Away, having also filled this role on Beautiful: the Carole...

Keith Robinson is one of our finest actors. His repertoire of characters include the great clowns of Shakespeare. He has been admired for his tremendous physicality in realising these endearing fools and jesters, and for his dependability to tell a good story. As a member of the ensemble at Belvoir Theatre, he has contributed to the success of milestone productions that include Hamlet, The Tempest...

The Australian tenor, Gregory Dempsey, was born in Melbourne in1931. He originally trained as a baritone but made his debut as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni in 1954 with National Opera of Victoria, also appearing as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and Pedro in d'Albert's Tiefland. In 1955 he won the £1,000 Lever Award (a commercial radio award) and in 1956 was a grand finalist in the Mobil Quest. Wh...

Nick Atkinson is an Australian actor, singer, songwriter, writer & producer based in LA. He is a graduate of The West Australian Academy Of Performing Arts. Nick played the role of debonaire host Maximilian Martel at The McKittrick Hotel from its inception in 2011until August 2018. Nick emcee'd many of the fantastic events & performed in the legendary 'immersive defining off- Broadway show, Sleep...

Lindy Davies has worked as a Director, Actress, Actor Trainer and Performance Consultant, winning awards and nominations for performance, direction and inspirational leadership. Her contributions to our cultural heritage and stages are remarkable and many. Lindy Davies was a founding member of La Mama in Melbourne; a company that forged a new wave of theatre writing and performance in Australian t...

Jeremy Waters is the Artistic Director of Outhouse Theatre. As a theatre-maker he has nearly twenty years of performing, producing and teaching experience. He has appeared in national and international stage and screen productions and recent credits include Janet King (Season 3), Jade of Death, The Combination 2, Harvest (Richard Bean), Jerusalem (Jez Butterworth), 4 Minutes 12 Seconds (James Frit...

A theatre foyer would not be complete without the presence of Michelle Guthrie. She has worked in the entertainment industry for over 30 years and has been present at a vast array of entertainments as a performer, publicist or producer. Since her youth she has been an avid participant in any experience involving the business called show. She was always destined to contribute to the making of theat...

Peter Ford is one of Australia's pre-eminent entertainment reporters. For over 30 years he has been breaking the news and sharing insight on the people and product that grace an array of stages. Whether they be real stars or reality stars, legitimate legends or legends in their lunchbox, Hollywood royalty or House of Windsor, red carpet or red face; Pete keeps us informed using his vast sources an...

Lesley and Bruce Scott are a dynamic duo. They have championed the careers of countless performers and guided them in the pursuit of career and craft; providing invaluable experiences on tours and on stages. They launched their own company, Dance Encore Productions in 1980, supplying professional entertainment to Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Japan and South Korea. Theatre productions o...

Nicholas Eadie's resume boasts an impressive list of high-profile television production that we affectionately embrace as key moments in Australian television consumption. He gained success and fame in Australian television series' such as Cop Shop, The Henderson Kids, A Country Practice and Medivac. He won The Australian Film Institute's Best Actor in a Mini-Series award in 1987 for Vietnam, in w...

Roger Kirk is a Tony Award-winning set and costume designer for theatre, film and television. He has designed costumes on world stages for productions that have included The Boy From Oz Arena Production with Hugh Jackman, The King and I, 42 Street, Jesus Christ Superstar and King Kong - the Musical. He began his career in television in Australia, working in the costume department of the Sydney ABC...

Anni Finsterer graduated with a Bachelor of Performing Arts from the University of Western Sydney. She was awarded an AFI Award in 2009 for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Movie for Three Acts of Murder. Other film credits include Johnny Ghost, To Have and To Hold, The Boys are Back, Prime Mover, The Clinic, Strange Fits of Passion and Sweet Country. She has appeared in numerous television s...

Originally from Queensland, Michaeljon Slinger moved to the United States in 2004 after winning the Australian Dancer of the Year Award and receiving full scholarship to attend American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. He went on to attend the B.F.A Dance program at the prestigious Julliard School in New York City, making him the first Australian to be accepted into either one o...

At 19, Laneikka Denne is an award-winning playwright, actor, and filmmaker based in Western Sydney. Her debut play Dead Skin was awarded the State Theatre Company & Flinders University Young Playwright's Award and is published by Australian Plays. She is currently developing a new work titled Shithole for Q Theatre. In 2020, Laneikka ventured into screen with her debut short Mitsuku. The script wa...

Lyndon Terracini is the Artistic Director of Opera Australia. He has also enjoyed a highly successful, international opera career; and received accolades as an actor, director and writer. He is a renaissance man! Lyndon was appointed Artistic Director and CEO of the Queensland Music Festival in 2000 and directed the 2001, 2003 and 2005 festivals. He was appointed Artistic Director/CEO of Brisbane...

A serial entertainment entrepreneur, a dynamic Master of Ceremonies and an accomplished musical theatre performer, Darryl Lovegrove was a member of the original Australian casts of Les Miserables and Chess. He is also known for his celebrated portrayal of Jesus in the Australian and New Zealand tours of Jesus Christ Superstar. He featured with Sarah Brightman in the Australasian tour of The Music...

The two tools crucial to a performer are the voice and the body. We tell stories with the spoken and sung word - and communicate through movement - shapes, attitudes and gesture! STAGES has featured episodes where we have discussed vocal care with singers and teachers - today we examine movement - which is so important to creative story-tellers. Indeed effective movement to all of us is important...

Welcome back to part 2 of the STAGES' conversation with Entertainment Legend Barry Crocker. Possessed of a magnificent voice it wasn't long before he started to make his way professionally on Australian TV and stages - and enjoyed success in the American and UK markets. Barry describes many of his successes in this companion episode. It's time for some further nostalgia and continued insight to an...

Regarded as one of the greats of the Australian entertainment industry, Barry Crocker has fostered a respected and impressive career spanning several decades. Born in the suburbs of Geelong, Victoria, as a teenager he was enticed into joining a community Musical theatre company. He was quickly hooked and soon after found himself touring the State in a travelling variety show, providing him a salie...