Ben Stefanoff

WEBVTT
1
00:00:15.529 --> 00:00:19.210
Lee, why do we do this? It's simple. Two words.
2
00:00:19.989 --> 00:00:24.629
Steve's Pecors. It's simply, they're the best. I'm going to
3
00:00:24.649 --> 00:00:26.510
let you in on a little secret. What? I always
4
00:00:26.550 --> 00:00:30.460
duck out early. I always hang around the kitchen. And
5
00:00:30.500 --> 00:00:33.420
always hang around Steve. Is that why there's hardly any left?
6
00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:51.600
I'm not going to say anything. Welcome, welcome everybody back.
7
00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:55.979
It is episode 12 of season 2, Lee. Lucky 12,
8
00:00:55.979 --> 00:00:58.880
is it 12? Eggs a dozen or something? Yeah, what?
9
00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:00.600
I don't know, don't worry about it. What are you
10
00:01:00.619 --> 00:01:02.640
talking about? I've got eggs on the brain. Why are
11
00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:05.829
your eggs on the brain? I don't know. You're getting clucky. No.
12
00:01:06.049 --> 00:01:08.790
What's a dozen? No, a baker's dozen is 13. That's
13
00:01:08.930 --> 00:01:11.969
the next one. Because famously, a dozen is 12. Anyway,
14
00:01:13.209 --> 00:01:16.129
we are moving on. Ladies and gents, it is our
15
00:01:16.209 --> 00:01:19.950
12th episode, and we are back in the salubrious confines
16
00:01:20.230 --> 00:01:26.819
of Stepney Studios. For why do we do this? An exploration.
17
00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:31.920
Into theatre and particularly amateur theatre, where it's sometimes you
18
00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:34.079
get a little bit of money out of it, very little,
19
00:01:34.180 --> 00:01:37.200
doesn't even pay for the fuel. And why do people
20
00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:44.260
commit so enthusiastically? To something that wastes... wastes? Wrong word. Enhances.
21
00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:48.750
Enhances our lives. We are very lucky because we have
22
00:01:48.780 --> 00:01:52.349
someone in the studio today who has... I would say
23
00:01:52.370 --> 00:01:56.430
the word is angles. Lots of different angles and perspectives.
24
00:01:56.569 --> 00:01:59.230
He has... He's been in the pit. He's been a
25
00:01:59.250 --> 00:02:04.640
musical director. He has been a director. He has... performed.
26
00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:09.819
He is also a critic. We had critics before. We've
27
00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:12.120
had many critics before. We've had a couple, but now
28
00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:16.129
he's a guest. Welcome, Ben Stefanov. How are you? Good evening.
29
00:02:16.150 --> 00:02:16.689
Thank you very much.
30
00:02:16.710 --> 00:02:17.370
How are you feeling?
31
00:02:17.669 --> 00:02:18.229
Really good.
32
00:02:18.430 --> 00:02:18.990
Oh, that's great.
33
00:02:19.009 --> 00:02:19.710
For a Monday night.
34
00:02:19.830 --> 00:02:22.770
Yeah. I keep forgetting it's Monday. I had a show
35
00:02:22.789 --> 00:02:27.120
day today. Oh, day off. Yeah. Well, you've directed. You've
36
00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:30.120
been in the pit. You now are a critic. You've
37
00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:31.740
also musically directed as well.
38
00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:36.469
So, Ben, Why have you become so obsessed with this
39
00:02:36.490 --> 00:02:37.490
thing we call theatre?
40
00:02:37.530 --> 00:02:39.150
Yeah, where did this start?
41
00:02:39.650 --> 00:02:42.849
I think it's, well, the story started, I remember when
42
00:02:42.889 --> 00:02:44.930
I was a really young kid, my parents used to
43
00:02:44.969 --> 00:02:48.050
take me to the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra had family concert
44
00:02:48.090 --> 00:02:51.159
series where once every three or four months they would
45
00:02:51.180 --> 00:02:55.400
do a concert that was curated for young children and families.
46
00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:58.599
And they got in guest artists like the likes Peter
47
00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:01.629
Kuhn was a regular performer with them. the book place
48
00:03:01.689 --> 00:03:03.430
when that was on Channel 7 back in the day,
49
00:03:03.750 --> 00:03:06.330
they'd do story time with music and things like that.
50
00:03:06.870 --> 00:03:09.319
And I was just engulfed with the music. And then
51
00:03:09.340 --> 00:03:12.180
I went and saw musicals when I was a bit older.
52
00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:14.240
I think the first musical I saw was Phantom of
53
00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:16.860
the Opera, the Rob Gers tour way back.
54
00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:19.400
Which I have to say, that was, it got a
55
00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:21.500
lot of flack for not being a good musical, but
56
00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:23.479
it's actually a really great musical, I think.
57
00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:26.030
If you take out the Stockholm Syndrome and all that
58
00:03:26.069 --> 00:03:30.050
sort of stuff, it's got some good moments in it.
59
00:03:30.330 --> 00:03:32.169
Like the exit music, that's a really good moment.
60
00:03:32.229 --> 00:03:34.879
Yes, yeah. I like that song, Masquerade.
61
00:03:35.069 --> 00:03:37.000
Masquerade! Opening it back to, yeah.
62
00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:37.699
Yeah.
63
00:03:37.780 --> 00:03:40.900
And I remember being just mesmerised by this story being
64
00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:45.199
played out in front of me with music and acting
65
00:03:45.259 --> 00:03:47.840
and singing and dancing and then real musicians in the
66
00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:50.520
pit as well. And I just went, how do I
67
00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:52.539
get involved in this sort of thing? And just became
68
00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:54.560
obsessed with musical theatre from there.
69
00:03:54.939 --> 00:03:55.250
Yeah.
70
00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:59.490
And then recently getting really into plays, silent musicals as
71
00:03:59.569 --> 00:03:59.990
I call them.
72
00:04:00.219 --> 00:04:00.800
Yeah.
73
00:04:00.939 --> 00:04:04.500
And just getting into that acting side and watching that
74
00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:06.870
and then when you got the opportunity to get into
75
00:04:06.909 --> 00:04:09.050
community theatre as well, it just kind of opened up
76
00:04:09.389 --> 00:04:09.949
a whole new world.
77
00:04:10.210 --> 00:04:12.770
So how old were you when you saw Phantom of
78
00:04:12.789 --> 00:04:13.150
the Opera?
79
00:04:13.349 --> 00:04:16.730
That was, I think it was 97. So that would
80
00:04:16.769 --> 00:04:18.420
have been 11 or 12.
81
00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:23.199
That's very formative for someone like, because I was 11
82
00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:25.899
when I was like, hey. people are laughing at me. Like,
83
00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:28.300
you know, like it's a very formative view. Yeah, it is.
84
00:04:28.500 --> 00:04:30.040
It is. And my daughter's 11 as well.
85
00:04:30.060 --> 00:04:30.319
Yeah.
86
00:04:30.350 --> 00:04:34.209
And just seeing her eyes starting to open to the
87
00:04:34.250 --> 00:04:37.290
same world that my wife and I are obsessed with. Yeah.
88
00:04:37.589 --> 00:04:39.110
Has she been doing any acting?
89
00:04:39.769 --> 00:04:41.670
Well, she was on stage at three weeks old, but
90
00:04:41.689 --> 00:04:42.670
that wasn't by choice.
91
00:04:42.769 --> 00:04:43.050
Okay.
92
00:04:43.490 --> 00:04:46.500
I was music directing, what was it, the wedding singer
93
00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:47.759
at the time, Vimari Clark.
94
00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:48.079
Yes.
95
00:04:48.139 --> 00:04:50.279
And there's this aeroplane scene right at the end, and
96
00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:51.860
there was always an empty seat that we put a
97
00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:55.910
guest person on. And one night my wife was backstage
98
00:04:55.930 --> 00:04:58.240
with a little one when she was just out of
99
00:04:58.269 --> 00:05:01.879
hospital and we put them in the chair and she
100
00:05:01.899 --> 00:05:04.420
slept the whole time. So that was her first stage experience.
101
00:05:04.459 --> 00:05:06.480
So the first baby on a plane that's not crying.
102
00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:07.540
Right, yes.
103
00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:08.139
What's her name?
104
00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:08.579
Jade.
105
00:05:08.939 --> 00:05:10.300
Hello, Jade. Hi, Jade.
106
00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:14.199
Yes, she's very into the arts and.
107
00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:15.420
Keep going, Jed.
108
00:05:15.620 --> 00:05:17.639
Yeah, she loves being in the background side of things.
109
00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:19.889
She just did her first school musical as well, which
110
00:05:19.910 --> 00:05:23.029
was really cool. But she's just opening her eyes to
111
00:05:23.069 --> 00:05:23.829
the world of arts.
112
00:05:23.910 --> 00:05:24.689
Oh, beautiful.
113
00:05:25.029 --> 00:05:28.889
So aged 11, were you already kind of on that
114
00:05:28.949 --> 00:05:30.870
musical track at school?
115
00:05:31.050 --> 00:05:35.060
So my parents, when I was like three and a half, four,
116
00:05:36.259 --> 00:05:38.459
started piano lessons in their own home. Those were just
117
00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:41.000
piano lessons. And I kind of showed an interest and
118
00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:44.759
took over. Hmm. and interrupted their lessons and played along.
119
00:05:45.139 --> 00:05:47.519
And so I got piano lessons from four years old
120
00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:49.800
and then kind of stuck with that right through to
121
00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:52.680
year 12. Picked up guitar at a while because the
122
00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:54.339
school when you have to learn something else and I
123
00:05:54.379 --> 00:05:55.879
kind of, oh, do I have to?
124
00:05:55.899 --> 00:05:59.620
They'll be like, hey, Ben, you can play music, right?
125
00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:00.000
Yeah.
126
00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:00.759
Play this.
127
00:06:01.220 --> 00:06:04.000
And so I went through school right through to year
128
00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:05.560
12 with music and then went on and studied at
129
00:06:05.579 --> 00:06:10.160
the Con High School Piano. Oh, my gosh. Wow. It's
130
00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:11.759
always been there and it's always something that I've loved.
131
00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:14.959
But you've obviously got a natural talent for it. I
132
00:06:15.019 --> 00:06:17.560
think you interpret music quite naturally.
133
00:06:17.860 --> 00:06:20.620
Yeah, it comes naturally. It's one of those things that
134
00:06:20.899 --> 00:06:22.490
somebody said to me, well, how did you get good
135
00:06:22.500 --> 00:06:23.930
at it? And I'm like, well, practice.
136
00:06:23.949 --> 00:06:25.149
It just happens.
137
00:06:25.230 --> 00:06:28.430
And when you like something, you just stick with it
138
00:06:28.470 --> 00:06:29.470
and you pursue it.
139
00:06:29.949 --> 00:06:32.230
Well, how much of that, which is a very big
140
00:06:32.250 --> 00:06:34.509
question I'm about to ask you, but how much of
141
00:06:34.550 --> 00:06:38.449
that is hard work and practice and then natural talent?
142
00:06:38.949 --> 00:06:39.410
Intuition.
143
00:06:39.430 --> 00:06:42.189
Intuition. I feel anybody could learn an instrument. You just
144
00:06:42.230 --> 00:06:46.129
have to be persistent and put the time aside to learn.
145
00:06:46.149 --> 00:06:49.850
Do you think open-mindedness is key?
146
00:06:50.009 --> 00:06:51.709
I think so, yeah. I think you've got to be
147
00:06:51.829 --> 00:06:55.329
open and also being self-critical of going, okay, that didn't
148
00:06:55.350 --> 00:06:57.009
sound right. I've got to practice that and being able
149
00:06:57.029 --> 00:07:00.430
to break things down because my wife being a musician
150
00:07:00.529 --> 00:07:02.790
and a music teacher and then in the past like
151
00:07:03.110 --> 00:07:05.009
that with me as well, I used to teach piano
152
00:07:05.089 --> 00:07:09.160
and theory and things like that. You see students who
153
00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:11.420
just think playing through a piece once is practice, but
154
00:07:11.899 --> 00:07:14.740
having that discipline of going, right, these bits don't work.
155
00:07:14.779 --> 00:07:17.300
I've got to sit down and go over it until
156
00:07:17.339 --> 00:07:18.720
I get it right and then I can move on.
157
00:07:18.779 --> 00:07:20.879
And it's the same when you're running lines. These lines
158
00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:24.120
don't work for me. How do I interpret them and
159
00:07:24.139 --> 00:07:26.300
get them stronger in my muscle memories?
160
00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:29.399
What didn't work? What have I done wrong here?
161
00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:31.459
Yeah, so having that discipline to be able to.
162
00:07:32.009 --> 00:07:36.180
But isn't music quite mathematically kind of driven?
163
00:07:36.220 --> 00:07:37.540
Do you mean like it's very structured?
164
00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:39.500
It's very structured. I'm terrible at maths.
165
00:07:39.699 --> 00:07:40.160
Oh, me too.
166
00:07:40.540 --> 00:07:42.740
But I'm really good at music, so I think my
167
00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:45.740
music side's pushed out the maths. But yeah, when you
168
00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:49.459
analyse music, there's so much mathematical equations and bits and
169
00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:51.699
pieces going on with the structure and the form and
170
00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:55.060
how music is written, particularly when you look at classical music.
171
00:07:55.800 --> 00:07:57.759
They'll take a motive or a theme and then you
172
00:07:57.779 --> 00:08:00.250
see how that gets inverted on itself or put through
173
00:08:00.290 --> 00:08:03.949
a different instrument or counter melodies and things like that. So, yeah,
174
00:08:04.230 --> 00:08:05.829
I could go on about that.
175
00:08:06.470 --> 00:08:11.649
No, no, no. I'm finding it fascinating because I can't
176
00:08:11.709 --> 00:08:14.899
play a musical instrument to save my life. I really
177
00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:18.339
envy people that can do what you can do and
178
00:08:18.420 --> 00:08:21.480
admire what you guys can do. I try to sing occasionally,
179
00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:24.670
but then I'll always get off melody and do my
180
00:08:24.750 --> 00:08:26.949
own thing for a little bit. And musical directors like
181
00:08:26.970 --> 00:08:30.829
you will probably go, Josh, that's not right.
182
00:08:30.850 --> 00:08:31.029
Yeah.
183
00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:32.399
It takes a lot of practice and a lot of
184
00:08:32.649 --> 00:08:36.000
like that self-drive to stick with it and push through.
185
00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:38.379
So do you, did.
186
00:08:38.259 --> 00:08:43.340
You do any theatre during school, like plays and performing?
187
00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:46.590
I performed in year four in the school, the year
188
00:08:46.629 --> 00:08:49.330
level play of The Emperor's New Clothes. I was a
189
00:08:49.389 --> 00:08:51.730
village person. I hated it.
190
00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:55.200
So on stage is not for you?
191
00:08:55.450 --> 00:08:59.350
I don't really like being on stage. I've thought about
192
00:08:59.389 --> 00:09:01.129
it a few times and I've kind of gone, oh,
193
00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:04.019
should I maybe? And then like, no, I prefer the
194
00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:09.480
darkness and that creative side. Even in school, I was
195
00:09:09.559 --> 00:09:13.720
involved with school drama productions, but as lighting designer or
196
00:09:14.179 --> 00:09:16.899
crew or stage management and that side of things where
197
00:09:16.970 --> 00:09:20.230
I can have a bit more control over the bigger
198
00:09:20.269 --> 00:09:20.809
picture and.
199
00:09:21.269 --> 00:09:24.429
So how did you branch into doing theatre and getting
200
00:09:24.490 --> 00:09:27.629
involved in theatre and actively kind of, you know, working
201
00:09:27.690 --> 00:09:27.929
on it?
202
00:09:28.309 --> 00:09:31.330
I was working at the time at Woodville High School
203
00:09:31.429 --> 00:09:36.080
with Jo Hunt, star of all the theatre scenes.
204
00:09:36.580 --> 00:09:37.340
I've never heard of her.
205
00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:42.399
She's music directed for like going back quite a while. Right, okay.
206
00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:45.500
Lee and I are very, we're not in the musical world.
207
00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:50.000
So Jo's like, she was like a big music director
208
00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:52.850
way back in, She kind of retired quite a few
209
00:09:52.889 --> 00:09:55.490
years ago from doing it. But um and i was
210
00:09:55.549 --> 00:09:58.409
working alongside her as a teacher as a teacher and
211
00:09:58.490 --> 00:10:01.929
her um she was asked by the met to music
212
00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:04.379
direct calamity jane and she went oh i'm not really
213
00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:06.679
doing it anymore i know a young person that can
214
00:10:06.740 --> 00:10:09.980
come along young i was 30 or just before 30.
215
00:10:09.580 --> 00:10:13.179
So oh that's all so young um.
216
00:10:13.299 --> 00:10:15.320
I know this young guy that's you know really into
217
00:10:15.379 --> 00:10:17.639
musical theater he's really musical he give it a go
218
00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:20.769
so i rang They met, got me to ring them
219
00:10:20.809 --> 00:10:23.210
and I spoke to the wonderful Leonie Elsborn on the
220
00:10:23.250 --> 00:10:26.250
phone and she went, oh, come along to the information night.
221
00:10:26.330 --> 00:10:29.190
And I was introduced to the people coming in to
222
00:10:29.450 --> 00:10:31.990
potentially audition for the show and had no idea what
223
00:10:32.029 --> 00:10:32.570
I was doing.
224
00:10:32.929 --> 00:10:36.509
So they didn't have a musical director at that stage?
225
00:10:36.529 --> 00:10:37.690
They didn't have a musical director.
226
00:10:37.750 --> 00:10:39.009
So this is your first show?
227
00:10:39.029 --> 00:10:41.149
This was my first show outside of school.
228
00:10:41.190 --> 00:10:42.850
You didn't realise you had the gig?
229
00:10:42.870 --> 00:10:44.990
Well, I kind of did because they kind of said, oh,
230
00:10:45.009 --> 00:10:46.340
just come in with a bit of an idea of
231
00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:49.399
what you think about the musical and how to talk
232
00:10:49.419 --> 00:10:51.419
to the cast about vocal ranges and things like that.
233
00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:52.039
Oh, my God.
234
00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:53.860
And then get there. Oh, this is Ben. He's our
235
00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:55.379
musical director. I'm like, yeah.
236
00:10:55.779 --> 00:11:00.190
Well, that's nice. That's also terrifying, right? Oh, it was.
237
00:11:00.309 --> 00:11:01.110
Who was the director?
238
00:11:01.610 --> 00:11:06.850
The director for that production was Robert Reed, who passed
239
00:11:06.870 --> 00:11:09.850
away a few years ago, quite sadly, but brilliant musical
240
00:11:09.870 --> 00:11:14.019
theatre director. I was working with Robert, the wonderful Carmel
241
00:11:14.059 --> 00:11:17.870
Vistoli as choreographer, and then myself as music director. And
242
00:11:17.909 --> 00:11:21.389
I learned a lot in one production of standing up
243
00:11:21.490 --> 00:11:24.070
for myself and making my voice heard.
244
00:11:24.090 --> 00:11:25.230
So what's an example of that?
245
00:11:25.269 --> 00:11:30.559
Because I'm always so intrigued about how that trio works
246
00:11:30.700 --> 00:11:35.000
and creates one show. That dynamic is always interesting to me.
247
00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:38.840
When does it work and when doesn't it work?
248
00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:42.779
It doesn't work when there's no communication between all three
249
00:11:43.179 --> 00:11:47.200
and each department has their own vision that doesn't match.
250
00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:51.059
the next like you can go and watch a musical
251
00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:54.299
and you'll hear really great accent work through the dialogue
252
00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:55.940
and then all of a sudden it changes in the
253
00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:59.399
music yes and the choreography doesn't match how the blockings
254
00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:01.460
and characterizations.
255
00:12:00.679 --> 00:12:04.500
Is there like i'm relatively new to musicals but is
256
00:12:04.539 --> 00:12:07.299
there normally a commander on deck that can well that's
257
00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:09.139
the director well yeah in.
258
00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:11.399
Sweat i like to work when i'm directing or yeah
259
00:12:11.419 --> 00:12:15.419
music directing is i like to pre like going months
260
00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:19.259
and months before the even information idol anything's released sitting
261
00:12:19.299 --> 00:12:21.580
down with the team and kind of going, right, this
262
00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:23.179
is my vision, this is what I think, what do
263
00:12:23.259 --> 00:12:26.620
you think, and kind of collaborate to build a bigger
264
00:12:26.659 --> 00:12:30.740
picture and then constantly be meeting and checking in before,
265
00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:32.059
during and after rehearsals.
266
00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:33.039
Talking, checking in.
267
00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:37.740
And, like, use Google Docs and spreadsheets to kind of.
268
00:12:37.700 --> 00:12:40.019
Map it all out. I think any production would benefit
269
00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:45.769
from communication like that. Like, even... What did you call them?
270
00:12:45.909 --> 00:12:46.889
A silent musical?
271
00:12:46.909 --> 00:12:48.450
Silent musical.
272
00:12:48.610 --> 00:12:52.710
Would be beneficial from having people communicate. Well, it's kind
273
00:12:52.730 --> 00:12:53.470
of like management, right?
274
00:12:53.490 --> 00:12:58.529
You can't have your management team looking like they are
275
00:12:59.129 --> 00:13:01.929
disagreeing and not on the same page because everybody else,
276
00:13:02.009 --> 00:13:04.909
and we all know actors are very insecure beings.
277
00:13:05.149 --> 00:13:07.710
Nonsense. We're extremely confident.
278
00:13:08.190 --> 00:13:11.309
Look, the last musical I saw, I felt it was
279
00:13:11.470 --> 00:13:15.679
very disjointed, like it wasn't. you could tell that it
280
00:13:15.700 --> 00:13:18.440
just wasn't a really strong direction over the top of it,
281
00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:22.049
kind of guiding the vision. I mean, look, I just
282
00:13:22.070 --> 00:13:25.629
got back from Melbourne and you touched on the accents and,
283
00:13:26.450 --> 00:13:28.570
you know, like I think if they're not cohesive as well.
284
00:13:28.750 --> 00:13:30.379
So it's one big vision, isn't it?
285
00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:33.000
It is. And so like Inside Scoop, the show's been
286
00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:36.480
announced but the team hasn't, I'm directing Sunset Boulevard for
287
00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:39.980
the Met end of next year. But I'm already starting
288
00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:40.590
the work. Oh, it's a big one.
289
00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:40.799
It's huge.
290
00:13:41.259 --> 00:13:44.639
Bigger every time I read the script. It grows. I'm
291
00:13:44.679 --> 00:13:48.240
already starting that kind of look at, okay, where do, what,
292
00:13:48.379 --> 00:13:50.240
where the beats land? What do I want? What do
293
00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:51.679
I want to talk about my team about?
294
00:13:51.740 --> 00:13:53.000
And that's as director or musical director?
295
00:13:53.019 --> 00:13:55.000
That's as director and my wife's music directing.
296
00:13:55.019 --> 00:13:55.720
Ooh.
297
00:13:55.820 --> 00:13:56.639
We work as a team.
298
00:13:56.700 --> 00:13:57.360
Okay, great.
299
00:13:57.379 --> 00:13:59.259
People find it strange, but we, no, we get along
300
00:13:59.299 --> 00:14:00.600
really well and we work as a team.
301
00:14:01.059 --> 00:14:03.799
How does her daughter deal with both of you out
302
00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:05.250
of that period of time?
303
00:14:05.259 --> 00:14:08.830
She rizzles a lot, but she also loves coming along
304
00:14:08.870 --> 00:14:11.840
to rehearsals every, like, It's a weekend rehearsal. She loves
305
00:14:11.860 --> 00:14:12.779
to come along and watch.
306
00:14:12.820 --> 00:14:13.360
Okay, cool.
307
00:14:13.539 --> 00:14:14.940
And I'll ask her, what do you think of that?
308
00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:16.600
She goes, oh, not too sure.
309
00:14:17.179 --> 00:14:18.980
She's probably going to be the most honest critic. Yes,
310
00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:19.320
she is.
311
00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:22.779
She loves it. It does get to a point sometimes
312
00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:25.789
where she's like, no, no more. Just no more. Particularly
313
00:14:26.090 --> 00:14:29.370
that musicals tend to have their musical season twice a year.
314
00:14:29.450 --> 00:14:29.690
Yes.
315
00:14:29.990 --> 00:14:32.330
And if it lands around early May, which is when
316
00:14:32.370 --> 00:14:35.490
her birthday is, that causes big problems.
317
00:14:35.690 --> 00:14:37.909
Yeah, yeah. Well, it kind of would, wouldn't it? It would.
318
00:14:38.309 --> 00:14:41.590
Because have you spent most of your time having to go, okay,
319
00:14:41.610 --> 00:14:43.509
it's your turn to do a show, it's my turn
320
00:14:43.529 --> 00:14:44.110
to do a show.
321
00:14:44.250 --> 00:14:44.570
As in.
322
00:14:45.909 --> 00:14:48.389
When I'm on a production team and if Kristen wants
323
00:14:48.429 --> 00:14:51.940
to audition and be in the show, because often we
324
00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:56.379
have very similar tastes in musicals, when I'm on the panel,
325
00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:58.840
it's like wedding ring off. I am here as the
326
00:14:59.139 --> 00:15:00.259
director or the director.
327
00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:01.240
Wedding ring off.
328
00:15:01.580 --> 00:15:05.629
So with that whole bias of that's your wife. sort
329
00:15:05.669 --> 00:15:07.070
of thing doesn't happen in the room.
330
00:15:07.090 --> 00:15:07.590
Oh, I see.
331
00:15:07.789 --> 00:15:09.570
And so a lot of the time we've worked together
332
00:15:09.590 --> 00:15:13.509
as cast member production team or we've done quite a
333
00:15:13.549 --> 00:15:15.970
few shows in tandem where she's the music director and
334
00:15:16.009 --> 00:15:18.950
I'm director. Gotcha. So that's how we catch up with
335
00:15:18.990 --> 00:15:19.409
each other.
336
00:15:20.070 --> 00:15:21.509
So she's actually good.
337
00:15:21.750 --> 00:15:22.409
She's very good.
338
00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:24.210
So that kind of makes it a bit easier.
339
00:15:24.250 --> 00:15:26.379
If she was, you know, bad at what she did,
340
00:15:26.389 --> 00:15:28.759
you'd make it a bit harder, pretending that it wasn't
341
00:15:28.779 --> 00:15:29.679
your decision all the time.
342
00:15:29.700 --> 00:15:33.799
Yeah, she was just Lady of the Lake in Spamalot.
343
00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:34.720
Oh, wow.
344
00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:35.320
Yeah, so yeah.
345
00:15:35.690 --> 00:15:38.330
Well, who's your, well, I guess that's an unfair question.
346
00:15:38.350 --> 00:15:41.590
I was about to say, who is your dream Norma Desmond?
347
00:15:41.610 --> 00:15:42.990
But I guess you're not up to that point yet.
348
00:15:43.190 --> 00:15:45.330
I've got names, but I can't say them because I
349
00:15:45.370 --> 00:15:47.840
don't like to jinx things. I've got ideas.
350
00:15:48.129 --> 00:15:49.149
So what's the biggest.
351
00:15:48.929 --> 00:15:52.799
Difference between directing and musically directing? Are there any key
352
00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:54.399
differences or are they pretty much similar?
353
00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:55.379
Musicians?
354
00:15:56.179 --> 00:15:57.279
Yeah. Yeah.
355
00:15:57.320 --> 00:16:00.220
So with directing, you're more working with just the cast
356
00:16:00.379 --> 00:16:05.080
and the bigger picture of the production team of lighting, costumes, set, props,
357
00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:09.139
kind of overseeing and bringing that all together. When you're
358
00:16:09.159 --> 00:16:11.289
music directing, you're looking at the music side of things,
359
00:16:11.350 --> 00:16:13.929
but then you also get to work with the musicians directly.
360
00:16:14.429 --> 00:16:16.970
You conduct the show. So when it gets to the
361
00:16:17.029 --> 00:16:19.490
theatre and the director's hand at the show over to
362
00:16:19.529 --> 00:16:22.730
the stage manager, it's the music director working with the
363
00:16:22.789 --> 00:16:25.049
stage manager to make the show happen.
364
00:16:25.250 --> 00:16:25.990
Yeah, wow.
365
00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:30.879
And having worked with two creative peoples, as in you've
366
00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:35.360
got the orchestra and you've got actors which one is worse.
367
00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:40.190
That's a good question adelaide has i think in adelaide
368
00:16:40.210 --> 00:16:45.269
we're spoiled with really good performers and really good musicians
369
00:16:45.950 --> 00:16:49.279
and the last several shows that i've done we've turned
370
00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:52.940
away in terms of auditions more people than we needed
371
00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:55.440
to cast and often the time it's not because the
372
00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:59.279
They were terrible. They didn't quite fit that show right
373
00:16:59.299 --> 00:17:00.259
for that show.
374
00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:03.100
Gel with the equation you're trying to build.
375
00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:05.619
But you could have put them in another cast and
376
00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:06.500
toured them.
377
00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:07.119
Yeah, yeah.
378
00:17:07.609 --> 00:17:12.569
So with musicians, we've also got phenomenal professional musicians who
379
00:17:12.630 --> 00:17:15.529
are willing to do community theatre for next to nothing.
380
00:17:16.289 --> 00:17:17.490
Do you audition them?
381
00:17:17.890 --> 00:17:18.069
No.
382
00:17:18.809 --> 00:17:20.930
And they get paid.
383
00:17:20.950 --> 00:17:27.119
You better cut that one. You're going to get rocks
384
00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:28.200
through your window, pal.
385
00:17:28.500 --> 00:17:32.660
Paid is an interesting word. It's more a token of appreciation.
386
00:17:32.700 --> 00:17:34.099
What are you talking about? Are they on like an
387
00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:35.119
award or something?
388
00:17:35.140 --> 00:17:36.480
No, not for community theatre.
389
00:17:36.900 --> 00:17:39.190
No, I thought they were on an award and you
390
00:17:39.210 --> 00:17:41.109
had to pay them. There is no scale.
391
00:17:41.130 --> 00:17:42.509
They're given an honorarium.
392
00:17:42.710 --> 00:17:43.589
I thought they were different.
393
00:17:43.910 --> 00:17:44.109
No.
394
00:17:44.369 --> 00:17:46.049
I honestly thought the musicians were different.
395
00:17:46.690 --> 00:17:48.789
I wish they were, and I wish they were given
396
00:17:49.450 --> 00:17:50.359
what they deserve.
397
00:17:50.430 --> 00:17:50.680
Yeah.
398
00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:53.019
A lot of the time with community theatre, you're running
399
00:17:53.059 --> 00:17:54.579
on a budget of not much.
400
00:17:55.170 --> 00:17:55.519
Wow.
401
00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:57.279
It has to fit into that budget structure.
402
00:17:57.660 --> 00:18:02.460
Here I'm thinking these spoiled musicians. How are they spoiled? Well,
403
00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:02.759
hang on.
404
00:18:03.019 --> 00:18:05.099
I always thought that they were on an award and
405
00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:07.559
they were getting paid because their guild was.
406
00:18:07.500 --> 00:18:11.869
Stronger or something. Professionally. Because our union is doing really
407
00:18:11.910 --> 00:18:14.329
well for amateur theatre. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what
408
00:18:14.349 --> 00:18:14.630
I mean?
409
00:18:14.710 --> 00:18:15.369
The ASO.
410
00:18:15.430 --> 00:18:17.049
No, I don't.
411
00:18:17.109 --> 00:18:20.710
I get the ASO or any of the big pro
412
00:18:20.730 --> 00:18:24.799
shows that come through town. They're on awards. They're represented by...
413
00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:30.500
that but in community theater it's just like yeah kickers
414
00:18:30.539 --> 00:18:33.640
like us yeah but when when i first started i
415
00:18:33.660 --> 00:18:38.049
didn't have any contacts in that world so i knew
416
00:18:38.109 --> 00:18:41.069
of one or two people through uni yes and they
417
00:18:41.130 --> 00:18:43.089
went oh try this person try this person so i
418
00:18:43.109 --> 00:18:46.769
built my first orchestra by word of mouth and then
419
00:18:46.869 --> 00:18:49.549
from there it's been like you color each music director
420
00:18:49.569 --> 00:18:52.210
has their people but kind of they go back to.
421
00:18:52.230 --> 00:18:54.750
Yeah, yeah. It was like directors, I guess, isn't it?
422
00:18:54.869 --> 00:18:55.069
Yeah.
423
00:18:55.130 --> 00:18:58.369
And you kind of build this collection and this telephone
424
00:18:58.410 --> 00:19:01.809
book of contacts and you kind of hold it close
425
00:19:01.849 --> 00:19:04.569
to your chest. So when you organize your pit, you
426
00:19:04.589 --> 00:19:06.619
book your people. And then if another MD comes along
427
00:19:06.690 --> 00:19:09.000
and goes, do you know why? And you go, yeah,
428
00:19:09.019 --> 00:19:10.200
you can have this one.
429
00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:13.319
It's like a bargaining. I just finished being involved with
430
00:19:13.380 --> 00:19:17.779
a school musical and our pit was just all volunteers.
431
00:19:17.859 --> 00:19:20.480
Like it was people that, genuinely just wanted to be
432
00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:23.440
there and play that was it yeah that was what
433
00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:25.660
they were getting paid with and they were there they
434
00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:27.460
had to be in the pit through the whole show
435
00:19:28.259 --> 00:19:31.670
every single night like people on stage got breaks but
436
00:19:31.710 --> 00:19:32.829
they just played on.
437
00:19:33.190 --> 00:19:36.630
Well how do you get the best performance out of
438
00:19:36.690 --> 00:19:38.430
a musician compared to an actor.
439
00:19:38.789 --> 00:19:42.619
Um that's a good question i think When you pick
440
00:19:42.660 --> 00:19:46.289
and choose really good musicians to work with, the scores
441
00:19:46.349 --> 00:19:49.289
are often, not all the time, but often quite well
442
00:19:49.650 --> 00:19:52.549
laid out. with dynamic and phrasing markings and that. And
443
00:19:52.630 --> 00:19:55.369
as the conductor, you kind of just drive and manipulate
444
00:19:55.410 --> 00:19:58.529
the ship to be how it needs to be for
445
00:19:58.549 --> 00:20:02.910
the actual production. But whilst a cast might have three
446
00:20:02.970 --> 00:20:06.339
months to rehearse a show for a musical, most of
447
00:20:06.380 --> 00:20:09.140
the time the orchestra comes in and has one or
448
00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:12.460
two rehearsals with the MD. They have the sits probe,
449
00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:15.220
which is the rehearsal with the cast and the orchestra together.
450
00:20:16.029 --> 00:20:18.690
Then it's production week. And so they might rehearse for
451
00:20:18.730 --> 00:20:21.490
another three times with everything, but half the time they've
452
00:20:21.509 --> 00:20:22.910
come in a week or two before.
453
00:20:23.049 --> 00:20:24.970
It must be terrifying for you as a musical director
454
00:20:24.990 --> 00:20:26.450
to go, okay, or have you given it to.
455
00:20:26.349 --> 00:20:27.509
Them for the land briar?
456
00:20:27.529 --> 00:20:29.150
As soon as the scripts and scores are right.
457
00:20:29.170 --> 00:20:29.809
It's a lot of trust.
458
00:20:29.970 --> 00:20:32.259
It's a lot of trust. And even though I know
459
00:20:32.339 --> 00:20:34.940
these musicians and I love working with the same people
460
00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:39.009
over and over again, there's always that moment before you
461
00:20:39.069 --> 00:20:42.109
get that final, that first downbeat where you're like, have
462
00:20:42.150 --> 00:20:44.430
I fucked this up? Have I got this right? Yes.
463
00:20:44.829 --> 00:20:46.750
And you do that and you get this wonderful sound
464
00:20:46.809 --> 00:20:47.690
and you're like, ah.
465
00:20:48.029 --> 00:20:51.470
Yes. Okay, everyone's fired. Yeah, I get that. I think
466
00:20:51.569 --> 00:20:55.210
everyone in the theatre, whether they're a musician, an actor,
467
00:20:55.230 --> 00:20:58.049
a dancer, is always going to have that thought, have
468
00:20:58.109 --> 00:21:01.150
I fucked this up? Have I got this right? How
469
00:21:01.170 --> 00:21:03.950
do you, and I'm speaking, I don't know anyone who
470
00:21:03.990 --> 00:21:07.250
would do this. Someone who's singing... a little ahead of time.
471
00:21:07.789 --> 00:21:10.869
And I, again, don't know who would do this. Not
472
00:21:10.910 --> 00:21:13.769
you at all. Maybe has missed a bar. How do
473
00:21:13.789 --> 00:21:17.559
you keep yourself calm in those situations where you're like, oh,
474
00:21:17.579 --> 00:21:19.940
this guy's gone wrong. And again, I don't know who
475
00:21:19.980 --> 00:21:20.500
would do this.
476
00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:25.220
It's happened. There's been times where I've conducted a show
477
00:21:25.720 --> 00:21:29.809
and the performer jumps to the second verse or jumps
478
00:21:29.890 --> 00:21:32.289
to the chorus early and things like that. And you
479
00:21:32.309 --> 00:21:35.180
just have to look at your musician's mouth or if
480
00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:38.400
you've got a talkback system say quietly so they can
481
00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:40.980
hear it by jumping to this section and you just
482
00:21:41.009 --> 00:21:43.250
kind of and and off you go and.
483
00:21:43.170 --> 00:21:45.390
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for
484
00:21:45.410 --> 00:21:49.309
the last three musical directors that i have been working
485
00:21:49.349 --> 00:21:52.509
with you geniuses can't believe you saved me and my.
486
00:21:52.529 --> 00:21:56.289
Ass on so many songs so jumping back to that
487
00:21:56.349 --> 00:21:58.960
first musical then you know you've been kind of thrown
488
00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:01.880
into your first one, you're walking into Info Night. What
489
00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:05.960
was the most terrifying part about jumping headfirst into a
490
00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:08.460
show that you're totally responsible for the music for?
491
00:22:08.869 --> 00:22:11.650
Not knowing the people coming through the door, where now
492
00:22:11.690 --> 00:22:14.309
I'll look at an audition list and you kind of go, oh,
493
00:22:14.390 --> 00:22:15.250
that person could be.
494
00:22:15.250 --> 00:22:15.970
You've got your book.
495
00:22:16.210 --> 00:22:18.569
You kind of got your ideas, but not knowing what
496
00:22:18.609 --> 00:22:21.730
I was getting into and not knowing how the audition
497
00:22:21.779 --> 00:22:24.200
side of things worked or the rehearsal side of things worked.
498
00:22:24.259 --> 00:22:27.660
I was just like, hi, here I am. It was scary,
499
00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:29.559
but I learned on the job and had a lot
500
00:22:29.579 --> 00:22:32.509
of fun and still doing it. However many, what's that?
501
00:22:32.619 --> 00:22:35.069
It was 2009. Yeah, yeah.
502
00:22:35.109 --> 00:22:35.690
Long time.
503
00:22:35.750 --> 00:22:36.650
Yeah, long time ago.
504
00:22:37.190 --> 00:22:40.509
So do you have, do you kind of precast a
505
00:22:40.529 --> 00:22:43.970
lot in your head about, especially because you're relying on,
506
00:22:43.990 --> 00:22:45.029
I have so many.
507
00:22:44.930 --> 00:22:50.339
Questions for you. I try not to because I've gone
508
00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:53.220
into auditions before where I've gone, this is the person
509
00:22:53.259 --> 00:22:56.130
that I think would be perfect for the role. They've
510
00:22:56.210 --> 00:22:59.319
come in and I've gone, shit, no, they're not. And
511
00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:03.059
because I've only had blinkers in that one direction, I
512
00:23:03.099 --> 00:23:06.880
haven't been able to look at anything else. And it's
513
00:23:06.940 --> 00:23:10.519
really hard to then readjust your thought process. So I
514
00:23:10.579 --> 00:23:14.039
kind of think about. these days about each character and go,
515
00:23:14.160 --> 00:23:16.259
these are the traits that I'm looking for. These are
516
00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:17.559
the beats that need to be met.
517
00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:19.799
So you're moving away from pre-casting?
518
00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:23.400
I've only ever pre-cast once, and that's because the company
519
00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:24.690
had said this person.
520
00:23:24.420 --> 00:23:27.549
Is playing this role. So you actually, like I'm saying,
521
00:23:27.809 --> 00:23:30.190
you're trying to keep yourself fresh when you go into
522
00:23:30.230 --> 00:23:30.670
an audition.
523
00:23:30.829 --> 00:23:31.230
Yeah.
524
00:23:31.269 --> 00:23:32.089
Well, I think that's great.
525
00:23:32.230 --> 00:23:34.390
Yeah, because you just never know what somebody's going to bring.
526
00:23:34.650 --> 00:23:38.309
And I just love being surprised in the audition room
527
00:23:38.390 --> 00:23:41.049
and finding something new to work with.
528
00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:44.740
So when you're dealing, because do you believe or think
529
00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:49.640
that the acting straight theatre is very different from musical theatre?
530
00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:50.960
Like they're different skill sets?
531
00:23:51.900 --> 00:23:53.920
I feel the acting should be.
532
00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:56.740
You knew I was going to ask this question, didn't you?
533
00:23:56.759 --> 00:23:58.519
And I thought about it because it's one thing that
534
00:23:58.539 --> 00:24:01.019
I thought about a lot of like, what's the difference
535
00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:04.319
between how a director works with a play and acting
536
00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:06.650
and a musical director works with.
537
00:24:06.549 --> 00:24:06.890
A cast and.
538
00:24:09.309 --> 00:24:11.170
There really shouldn't be, because if you've got a script
539
00:24:11.230 --> 00:24:13.930
and you've got source material, you're working with actors, in
540
00:24:13.970 --> 00:24:14.349
a sense.
541
00:24:14.430 --> 00:24:14.930
Yes, yeah, yeah.
542
00:24:14.950 --> 00:24:16.769
So there shouldn't be a difference between the two, other
543
00:24:16.789 --> 00:24:19.859
than they have to then sing and dance, and sometimes
544
00:24:19.890 --> 00:24:20.579
dance forever.
545
00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:22.059
But surely there's prerequisites, right?
546
00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:23.599
Like, you could look at someone and go, they're going
547
00:24:23.619 --> 00:24:24.920
to act the shit out of this.
548
00:24:25.299 --> 00:24:25.539
Oh, yeah.
549
00:24:25.869 --> 00:24:28.450
This thing but they might not be the strongest sets
550
00:24:28.549 --> 00:24:30.410
though aren't you like exactly.
551
00:24:30.130 --> 00:24:32.329
But they might not they might be the best actor
552
00:24:32.349 --> 00:24:33.710
for the role and they're gonna sell the part but
553
00:24:33.730 --> 00:24:35.380
they might not be the strongest singer but.
554
00:24:35.230 --> 00:24:37.640
It's like it's not up to the director to maintain
555
00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:40.259
like they should come to that role with the skill
556
00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:41.400
sets for that.
557
00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:44.829
Role there's been times where on the panel because i
558
00:24:44.869 --> 00:24:47.569
try and when we're casting i split it like i
559
00:24:47.589 --> 00:24:49.569
try not to like when i'm directing i try not
560
00:24:49.630 --> 00:24:53.779
to put musical advice into the musical director's ears. Definitely
561
00:24:53.819 --> 00:24:55.799
not the choreographers because you do not want me to
562
00:24:55.839 --> 00:25:00.420
choreograph a show. I allow their expertise to come through,
563
00:25:00.529 --> 00:25:03.829
but there are times where I've gone, my goodness, that
564
00:25:03.950 --> 00:25:06.869
was the best acting that I've seen for that role.
565
00:25:07.369 --> 00:25:09.349
But then you turn to the music director and they've gone,
566
00:25:09.369 --> 00:25:11.930
they couldn't sing it. They couldn't reach these notes. They
567
00:25:12.190 --> 00:25:15.619
didn't have the timing. They're underprepared. And then the choreographer,
568
00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:19.180
they've got two left feet. They need to dance. So
569
00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:22.650
you kind of then have to, think beyond what I
570
00:25:22.690 --> 00:25:25.170
thought and try and find somebody that is closest to.
571
00:25:25.329 --> 00:25:28.339
It's almost two extra dimensions. But who has final say
572
00:25:28.359 --> 00:25:29.240
in that situation?
573
00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:32.329
Some companies say it's the directors. It's the final say.
574
00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:33.759
Oh, so it depends on the company. Yeah.
575
00:25:33.819 --> 00:25:36.579
And some companies will push that where I, when I'm
576
00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:38.819
on a team, I try and make it at least
577
00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:39.740
two of the three.
578
00:25:39.960 --> 00:25:40.200
Mm-hmm.
579
00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:43.680
So it's like majority rules when it comes to that.
580
00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:45.079
Well, I guess you've got three, right? So you could
581
00:25:45.099 --> 00:25:46.220
just outvote, I guess.
582
00:25:46.259 --> 00:25:47.880
But then you don't want it to be, because I
583
00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:51.730
guess if you've got a very different direction and thought
584
00:25:51.769 --> 00:25:52.430
about a show.
585
00:25:52.450 --> 00:25:54.849
Whether it be musical or whatever, I guess the music
586
00:25:54.930 --> 00:25:58.390
is important. Like, I guess what I'm asking. In a musical? Well,
587
00:25:58.410 --> 00:26:00.609
I'm just thinking if you've got an idea of how.
588
00:26:00.450 --> 00:26:03.119
To do a show and you've got a score and
589
00:26:03.130 --> 00:26:07.480
you've got the book and how much can you change that? None.
590
00:26:07.809 --> 00:26:09.730
The rights are pretty restrictive.
591
00:26:09.750 --> 00:26:13.009
The rights are hugely restrictive. They say you can't rearrange,
592
00:26:13.029 --> 00:26:18.299
you can't cut, you can't add. Say, for example, like... Show.
593
00:26:19.740 --> 00:26:20.519
Give us a song.
594
00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:22.839
No, I can't even think. There's a couple of shows
595
00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:27.119
where songs were written for a movie version of it,
596
00:26:27.130 --> 00:26:29.230
but they're not in the musical. Oh, I didn't.
597
00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:31.319
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
598
00:26:31.339 --> 00:26:33.420
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Yes, pure imagination is an
599
00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:35.259
add-on that you can bring in.
600
00:26:35.599 --> 00:26:37.859
And there were songs in that that were not in
601
00:26:37.900 --> 00:26:38.279
the movie.
602
00:26:38.349 --> 00:26:39.119
Yeah.
603
00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:41.910
And then, like, we did the latest version, and there
604
00:26:41.930 --> 00:26:44.369
were songs that were even not in the version, like,
605
00:26:44.410 --> 00:26:45.250
from four years ago.
606
00:26:45.529 --> 00:26:46.720
And you have to take what you've got.
607
00:26:46.730 --> 00:26:49.130
And we weren't allowed to include any. There was a
608
00:26:49.170 --> 00:26:50.589
few people like, oh, that was a better song. We
609
00:26:50.609 --> 00:26:53.009
should include it. We couldn't. There was legally you couldn't.
610
00:26:53.029 --> 00:26:55.809
Yeah, like, Jekyll and Hyde musical has been through so
611
00:26:55.829 --> 00:26:58.890
many different adaptations. There was originally a song called Girls
612
00:26:58.930 --> 00:27:03.410
in the Night. Which sets up the female lead of
613
00:27:03.630 --> 00:27:05.069
Lucy brilliantly.
614
00:27:05.250 --> 00:27:05.549
Yes.
615
00:27:06.029 --> 00:27:08.890
But it wasn't of the same calibre as the song
616
00:27:08.950 --> 00:27:11.450
Bring on the Men, which is an absolute showstopper. And
617
00:27:11.470 --> 00:27:12.990
when Bring on the Men got taken out and this
618
00:27:13.210 --> 00:27:14.789
other song got put in, there was uproar.
619
00:27:14.970 --> 00:27:15.150
Yeah.
620
00:27:15.349 --> 00:27:17.490
And people tried to bring in that song, but it
621
00:27:17.509 --> 00:27:19.369
was like, no. But then the rights holders kind of
622
00:27:19.410 --> 00:27:20.799
gave way and went, no, we're going to bring it.
623
00:27:20.990 --> 00:27:24.819
I had to sing Pure Imagination after Strike That reversed that.
624
00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:26.740
That was one of the hardest things I think I've
625
00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:29.440
ever done in my life. Yeah. So could you put
626
00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:33.299
in a space like, rather than a four bar pause,
627
00:27:33.779 --> 00:27:35.759
and then can you change it to a 16 bar pause?
628
00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:38.059
It's a pause. It's a pause. Right.
629
00:27:38.099 --> 00:27:40.539
Okay. Right. So there's ways of getting around it.
630
00:27:40.539 --> 00:27:43.200
Yeah. But you can't add or change music or.
631
00:27:43.529 --> 00:27:44.769
You can't add a song. Yeah.
632
00:27:44.789 --> 00:27:46.589
You can't add a song. You can't add lyrics.
633
00:27:46.829 --> 00:27:48.349
But you can change interpretation.
634
00:27:48.730 --> 00:27:51.529
Well, when it comes to music, it's written. You can't
635
00:27:51.569 --> 00:27:54.650
go and then rearrange and change how the music's presented.
636
00:27:54.789 --> 00:27:55.130
So, because.
637
00:27:55.940 --> 00:27:58.079
One of my favourite musicals is Jesus Cross Superstar, right?
638
00:27:58.099 --> 00:27:59.940
So the Australian version I think is the best.
639
00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:01.980
As in the 92 John Farnham.
640
00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:02.309
Correct, yes.
641
00:28:02.380 --> 00:28:03.079
That is the best.
642
00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:03.859
That is the best.
643
00:28:04.180 --> 00:28:07.089
But compared to the original, right, they're very different sounding.
644
00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:09.450
So is that interpretation or is that being changed?
645
00:28:09.809 --> 00:28:15.809
Because that's professional. They were given the permission to reorchestrate
646
00:28:15.829 --> 00:28:18.630
and rewrite it for how they wanted.
647
00:28:18.329 --> 00:28:18.930
It to sound.
648
00:28:18.950 --> 00:28:19.369
Wow, okay.
649
00:28:19.390 --> 00:28:24.529
But that's in negotiation with the original holders of the rights.
650
00:28:24.630 --> 00:28:24.789
Yes.
651
00:28:25.309 --> 00:28:27.650
And Lloyd Webber, depending on the day of the week,
652
00:28:27.690 --> 00:28:31.170
will allow that with professional as long as he gets
653
00:28:31.230 --> 00:28:33.450
a nice healthy cut of the piece.
654
00:28:33.970 --> 00:28:36.349
So which one would you prefer to do, directing or
655
00:28:36.470 --> 00:28:37.069
musical directing?
656
00:28:37.089 --> 00:28:39.950
I think it depends on the show. Oh, okay. Because
657
00:28:39.970 --> 00:28:41.410
there's some shows where I go, the music in this
658
00:28:41.470 --> 00:28:44.730
is so beautiful and lush. I just want to get
659
00:28:44.789 --> 00:28:45.569
involved in that side.
660
00:28:45.750 --> 00:28:49.769
Big question then. What's the favourite show for music? What's
661
00:28:49.789 --> 00:28:52.369
your favourite show for directing? Well, actually, I've got his
662
00:28:52.390 --> 00:28:56.170
top five here. Sorry, we've already done the research. I
663
00:28:56.210 --> 00:28:57.509
just wanted to hear it from him.
664
00:28:57.529 --> 00:29:01.670
Well, if you could choose to either musical direct, be
665
00:29:01.710 --> 00:29:05.690
the director, or be in the orchestra for Come From Away,
666
00:29:05.890 --> 00:29:06.509
what would you choose?
667
00:29:06.789 --> 00:29:11.970
I would probably say musical direct. Or play. The music
668
00:29:11.990 --> 00:29:14.839
director plays piano for that. There's only one seat. So
669
00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:16.960
I would have to do that.
670
00:29:16.980 --> 00:29:17.180
Okay.
671
00:29:17.670 --> 00:29:19.730
It's quite a stripped down... It is.
672
00:29:19.809 --> 00:29:21.930
It's beautiful. When Peter Johns was announced as the MD.
673
00:29:21.950 --> 00:29:24.829
I love you, Peter. But I also hated you when
674
00:29:24.849 --> 00:29:26.539
you got that because I was like, ah, I want to...
675
00:29:26.750 --> 00:29:28.819
Because it's that sort of show that, yeah, I think
676
00:29:28.880 --> 00:29:30.319
any music director would love to.
677
00:29:30.579 --> 00:29:32.119
Get involved with. Sunset Boulevard?
678
00:29:32.470 --> 00:29:33.059
Or directing.
679
00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:33.680
Wicked?
680
00:29:34.339 --> 00:29:36.420
Now, Wicked's the interesting one because that's the one that
681
00:29:36.440 --> 00:29:37.400
I want to do twice.
682
00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:37.940
Yes.
683
00:29:37.960 --> 00:29:40.460
Because I've got really great ideas for it. in terms
684
00:29:40.519 --> 00:29:43.359
of staging and directing. And I also love the score.
685
00:29:43.460 --> 00:29:45.099
So I'm like, I think I could do that twice.
686
00:29:45.539 --> 00:29:46.359
Could you not do both?
687
00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:47.539
It's huge.
688
00:29:47.640 --> 00:29:50.480
No, Gibson did it, right? Well, he did musical directing.
689
00:29:50.500 --> 00:29:51.359
He did music directing.
690
00:29:52.180 --> 00:29:56.039
No, he directed. And acted. And then was problematic. What
691
00:29:56.160 --> 00:30:01.690
movie are we talking about? Well, he's directed Braveheart.
692
00:30:01.710 --> 00:30:02.970
That's amazing. Yeah.
693
00:30:03.279 --> 00:30:06.220
But then, you know, Mel Gibson kind of went off
694
00:30:06.259 --> 00:30:07.140
the rails a little bit.
695
00:30:07.359 --> 00:30:07.680
Oh, wow.
696
00:30:07.819 --> 00:30:10.720
Still good film. Matilda. Oh, no, just jump back to Wicked.
697
00:30:10.940 --> 00:30:13.740
So, yeah, with Wicked, I could sit in both seats
698
00:30:13.819 --> 00:30:16.869
with directing or music directing. And I think I would
699
00:30:16.900 --> 00:30:19.990
do it twice if the opportunity came because I just
700
00:30:20.069 --> 00:30:22.950
love the darkness in that show. And if you look
701
00:30:22.990 --> 00:30:26.549
at my bio, I'm quite drawn to the darker shows
702
00:30:26.569 --> 00:30:28.130
that have a bit of meat and guts to them.
703
00:30:28.440 --> 00:30:29.849
You do, because you've done like.
704
00:30:30.509 --> 00:30:32.609
Heathers, Carrie, Be More Chill.
705
00:30:32.950 --> 00:30:37.630
Very kind of quirky, very like... Is there something that
706
00:30:37.650 --> 00:30:39.769
draws you to them or you just were lucky enough to.
707
00:30:40.589 --> 00:30:43.029
I find they've got more meat to them. They're just
708
00:30:43.089 --> 00:30:45.589
not like the boy meets girl, boy falls in love,
709
00:30:45.670 --> 00:30:48.569
girl finds someone else, doesn't love boy.
710
00:30:48.589 --> 00:30:49.609
Yeah, yeah.
711
00:30:49.849 --> 00:30:51.529
They cry about it and then they fall in love
712
00:30:52.009 --> 00:30:54.049
at the end of the show, sort of structure of
713
00:30:54.210 --> 00:30:55.450
the more classic older shows.
714
00:30:55.470 --> 00:30:56.769
So you're a good man, Charlie Brown.
715
00:30:57.829 --> 00:30:59.490
I love Good Man Shopping, but I think it's just
716
00:30:59.569 --> 00:31:02.950
so quirky. But yeah, I love those darker shows that
717
00:31:02.970 --> 00:31:04.690
have a bit of meat and not afraid to put
718
00:31:04.710 --> 00:31:05.609
a bit of blood on stage.
719
00:31:05.650 --> 00:31:06.609
Do you enjoy opera?
720
00:31:07.269 --> 00:31:07.599
I do.
721
00:31:08.119 --> 00:31:08.500
I do.
722
00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:11.359
I just saw Hansel and Gretel with state opera and
723
00:31:11.420 --> 00:31:12.940
was just blown away. Really?
724
00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:14.339
Because I gave away my tickets for that.
725
00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:16.279
Oh, it was one of the best operas that I've
726
00:31:16.299 --> 00:31:18.529
seen from many beautifully staged.
727
00:31:18.769 --> 00:31:21.230
Because when I think about you, you talk about dark.
728
00:31:21.690 --> 00:31:23.970
And music. I think about all the operas that I've
729
00:31:24.009 --> 00:31:25.309
watched that have been quite.
730
00:31:25.509 --> 00:31:26.710
There's some really dark operas.
731
00:31:26.789 --> 00:31:28.490
Really, really messed up.
732
00:31:28.650 --> 00:31:30.150
Yeah, like Tosca.
733
00:31:30.250 --> 00:31:33.109
Tosca! Jumps off a building. I went to school with a...
734
00:31:33.369 --> 00:31:35.190
When I was in primary school, a friend of mine
735
00:31:35.210 --> 00:31:37.730
was one of the children in Tosca.
736
00:31:38.490 --> 00:31:41.890
Yeah, opera. That's another world to get into.
737
00:31:42.259 --> 00:31:43.019
Have you thought about that?
738
00:31:43.410 --> 00:31:43.720
One day?
739
00:31:44.099 --> 00:31:44.339
One day?
740
00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:46.480
One day, when I've got through all the musicals.
741
00:31:46.660 --> 00:31:50.500
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fair enough. Was Shane Warne a musical
742
00:31:50.519 --> 00:31:52.420
you wanted to direct? That is so obscure.
743
00:31:52.440 --> 00:31:55.869
I love... Eddie Ifs. That's Eddie Perfect.
744
00:31:55.960 --> 00:31:56.910
Eddie Perfect, sorry.
745
00:31:57.089 --> 00:31:59.210
Eddie Ifs is a different person. I don't know. I
746
00:31:59.670 --> 00:32:02.309
think I saw them do a segment from it at
747
00:32:02.329 --> 00:32:05.349
the Melbourne Comedy Festival many years ago, and it's one
748
00:32:05.369 --> 00:32:08.559
of those albums that just kept popping up in my playlist.
749
00:32:09.039 --> 00:32:12.240
And my wife and I have a production company that's
750
00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:15.019
on pause at the moment because it just costs too
751
00:32:15.079 --> 00:32:17.789
much of your own money to do theatre. Mm-hmm. And
752
00:32:17.829 --> 00:32:21.779
we'd just done Heathers. We're in the middle of doing Heathers.
753
00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:23.410
And we went, you know what, we should do a
754
00:32:23.470 --> 00:32:26.720
fringe show, just something a bit different and fun. And
755
00:32:26.779 --> 00:32:29.460
we went Shane Warne, the musical by Eddie Perfect would
756
00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:34.059
be the perfect fringe musical. And we both just went,
757
00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:36.660
this is just great. And we did precast that because,
758
00:32:36.680 --> 00:32:39.259
you know, we can't. But we wanted to, because it
759
00:32:39.319 --> 00:32:43.640
has such specific characters. We wanted to find the right people.
760
00:32:43.720 --> 00:32:44.440
Does it have any.
761
00:32:44.299 --> 00:32:45.059
Bangers in it?
762
00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:48.160
There's some really great songs in it. Nothing that would
763
00:32:48.240 --> 00:32:50.180
be standalone that you could say, what about, do you
764
00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:50.759
know this song?
765
00:32:51.019 --> 00:32:52.119
A bit like Come From Away, right?
766
00:32:52.140 --> 00:32:54.069
A bit like Come From Away, but there's some really
767
00:32:54.130 --> 00:32:57.849
great pieces that fit beautifully with that show.
768
00:32:58.130 --> 00:32:59.390
Who played Shane Warne?
769
00:32:59.410 --> 00:33:00.670
The wonderful Buddy Dawson.
770
00:33:00.910 --> 00:33:01.589
Never heard of him.
771
00:33:01.630 --> 00:33:04.299
He's done theatre for a while. He's got a lovely
772
00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:09.450
little family. They ruin everything, don't they? But no, Buddy
773
00:33:09.549 --> 00:33:10.130
did quite a bit.
774
00:33:10.450 --> 00:33:13.410
Of all days. Of all days.
775
00:33:15.230 --> 00:33:18.349
Yeah, no, Buddy won best man in a musical for
776
00:33:18.630 --> 00:33:20.930
his role as Shane Warne through the Taza Awards.
777
00:33:21.359 --> 00:33:26.259
Wow. Okay. Well, that's a good segue into you work
778
00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:27.900
for Glam Adelaide.
779
00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:28.519
Glam Adelaide, yes.
780
00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:31.180
So how did you, because you are the arts editor
781
00:33:31.240 --> 00:33:31.579
of that.
782
00:33:31.599 --> 00:33:35.559
Yes. And that is, because I have to have a
783
00:33:35.579 --> 00:33:37.319
shout out to Colleen Over.
784
00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:40.569
We do a lot of work. through work with Glam.
785
00:33:41.109 --> 00:33:45.410
And the fact that there is still a platform that
786
00:33:45.950 --> 00:33:50.710
still celebrates and reviews community amateur theatre, whatever you call it,
787
00:33:51.069 --> 00:33:53.759
that is still actively doing that, like it has done
788
00:33:53.779 --> 00:33:54.579
that for a very long.
789
00:33:54.490 --> 00:33:57.460
Time, since what, 2007 or something? In a way that
790
00:33:57.539 --> 00:34:00.920
doesn't suck too, I would add. I think they do
791
00:34:00.940 --> 00:34:04.339
it really well. Yeah, I'm so tired of reading reviews.
792
00:34:04.910 --> 00:34:07.349
That have told me the entire show. I'm like, well,
793
00:34:07.369 --> 00:34:08.630
I don't have to see that anymore.
794
00:34:08.889 --> 00:34:10.030
That's what Wikipedia is for.
795
00:34:10.070 --> 00:34:10.429
Yeah, yeah.
796
00:34:10.590 --> 00:34:14.960
Yeah. So Brian Godfrey was the previous editor. And Brian
797
00:34:14.980 --> 00:34:17.420
and I have been friends for years. He, you know,
798
00:34:17.440 --> 00:34:21.940
I've done countless shows together. We work really well as director, MD.
799
00:34:22.019 --> 00:34:24.940
What a generous, kind man. Very, very cool guy.
800
00:34:24.960 --> 00:34:27.539
And he, in 2019, contacted me. 19? Was it 18?
801
00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:34.269
Around then. He contacted me going, this is when the
802
00:34:34.309 --> 00:34:38.289
Cabaret Fringe and the Cabaret Festival pretty much overlapped.
803
00:34:38.469 --> 00:34:38.710
Yeah.
804
00:34:38.909 --> 00:34:42.010
Not as separate as they are now. And he goes,
805
00:34:42.030 --> 00:34:45.309
I don't have anybody reviewing Cabaret Fringe. Are there any
806
00:34:45.349 --> 00:34:48.110
shows you want to review for me? And I hadn't
807
00:34:48.130 --> 00:34:50.949
reviewed before, but I've always been good doing four-year reviews.
808
00:34:51.530 --> 00:34:54.909
We're all good at those. And so I went through
809
00:34:54.949 --> 00:34:56.769
and I think I picked half a dozen or so.
810
00:34:56.789 --> 00:34:59.030
And then he went, oh, well, do you want to join?
811
00:34:59.690 --> 00:35:02.170
the team and be part of the review team. I went, yeah, sure,
812
00:35:02.289 --> 00:35:06.639
I'll do that. And then he goes, oh, Katie Noonan, singer,
813
00:35:06.760 --> 00:35:09.440
is bringing out a new album. Would you like to
814
00:35:09.519 --> 00:35:15.150
interview her? And I went, sure. Okay, fine, yep. And
815
00:35:15.190 --> 00:35:17.690
then so that was the first interview I ever did.
816
00:35:18.190 --> 00:35:20.110
What do I ask? I like your hair.
817
00:35:20.670 --> 00:35:21.789
Well, her music, it was stunning.
818
00:35:21.829 --> 00:35:24.889
I like what you're doing with your music.
819
00:35:24.909 --> 00:35:27.090
She was doing an album with the Australian String Quartet
820
00:35:27.170 --> 00:35:29.309
with a lot of First Nation poetry set to music.
821
00:35:29.329 --> 00:35:29.670
Oh, wow.
822
00:35:29.869 --> 00:35:31.869
And it was just absolutely stunning. And I was in
823
00:35:31.889 --> 00:35:36.429
my element reviewing the album and interviewing her. And so
824
00:35:36.449 --> 00:35:39.949
then I just kind of kept doing interviews for Brian
825
00:35:40.010 --> 00:35:43.809
with Glam. Did he not want to do them? Well,
826
00:35:43.909 --> 00:35:45.909
he was happy to pass them on to somebody else
827
00:35:45.989 --> 00:35:52.000
to do. Wow. And then he got really sick in 23,
828
00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:57.079
24 around then. Really, really sick and just couldn't, within minutes,
829
00:35:57.159 --> 00:36:01.199
could not do the role of arts editor. And I
830
00:36:01.239 --> 00:36:03.070
saw on Facebook that his son was trying to get
831
00:36:03.090 --> 00:36:05.250
in contact with Kelly at GLAM. And I rang her
832
00:36:05.269 --> 00:36:07.269
and said, this is the situation. Do you want me
833
00:36:07.309 --> 00:36:10.429
to step in as acting arts editor? She's like, sure.
834
00:36:10.789 --> 00:36:13.619
So then Brian, when study got well, he said, I
835
00:36:13.619 --> 00:36:16.820
don't think I can continue in that capacity. Would you
836
00:36:16.860 --> 00:36:20.260
like to properly take it over? And I was like, sure, sure, sure.
837
00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:21.139
I can do that. Yeah.
838
00:36:21.699 --> 00:36:24.639
Wow. So you're, you're busy.
839
00:36:25.090 --> 00:36:27.199
I am. Cause I do that. And then I'm also
840
00:36:27.530 --> 00:36:30.110
do a lot of finance and event management work with
841
00:36:30.150 --> 00:36:31.949
nonprofits on the side.
842
00:36:32.210 --> 00:36:34.289
Do you work full time? How do you pay your bills?
843
00:36:34.610 --> 00:36:37.610
So I do a lot of this non-for-profit work.
844
00:36:37.769 --> 00:36:41.530
Wow. Okay. Cause I like, I lived in NAM for
845
00:36:41.809 --> 00:36:44.679
about 30 years and trying to, I mean, the freeway
846
00:36:44.760 --> 00:36:48.090
is a little bit easier now, but like you're spending
847
00:36:48.110 --> 00:36:49.429
a lot of time driving around.
848
00:36:49.510 --> 00:36:50.210
I work from home.
849
00:36:50.429 --> 00:36:52.170
Oh, okay. It's great.
850
00:36:52.269 --> 00:36:54.130
It's because I can do a bit of this, do
851
00:36:54.170 --> 00:36:55.969
a bit of this, book in some interviews and do that.
852
00:36:55.989 --> 00:36:59.599
Yeah, yeah. So arts editor, what does that entail?
853
00:36:59.639 --> 00:37:04.099
Like is that just theatre or is that shows, concerts?
854
00:37:04.900 --> 00:37:08.039
So GLAM's wonderful because we've got a film editor, a
855
00:37:08.460 --> 00:37:11.570
film and TV editor and a books editor. So that
856
00:37:11.610 --> 00:37:14.250
way I can just focus on anything to do with
857
00:37:14.289 --> 00:37:19.119
the stage or live music events and occasionally like visual
858
00:37:19.179 --> 00:37:21.000
arts or painting galleries.
859
00:37:21.079 --> 00:37:21.719
Yes, yeah.
860
00:37:22.059 --> 00:37:26.599
So my inbox is flooded daily with media releases and
861
00:37:26.679 --> 00:37:30.170
requests for things. So I kind of once every couple
862
00:37:30.190 --> 00:37:31.869
of weeks send an email out to my review team
863
00:37:32.510 --> 00:37:34.110
and say, here's a list of shows that we really
864
00:37:34.130 --> 00:37:34.750
would love a review.
865
00:37:34.809 --> 00:37:36.349
Do you pinch all the best ones first though?
866
00:37:36.610 --> 00:37:37.269
Not all the time.
867
00:37:37.550 --> 00:37:38.150
Not all the time?
868
00:37:38.170 --> 00:37:38.429
I would.
869
00:37:38.809 --> 00:37:39.429
Not all the time.
870
00:37:39.489 --> 00:37:40.110
I try not to.
871
00:37:40.179 --> 00:37:43.070
Ha ha! You've got to share the love, though, don't you?
872
00:37:43.090 --> 00:37:44.929
You do. So I send it out to the team going,
873
00:37:44.969 --> 00:37:46.809
here's a list of shows that we're looking for a review.
874
00:37:47.349 --> 00:37:48.929
They send me their wish lists and then I kind
875
00:37:48.949 --> 00:37:51.530
of allocate the best according to that.
876
00:37:51.610 --> 00:37:55.679
How do you find your reviewers? Just asking for somebody.
877
00:37:56.400 --> 00:37:58.739
We can chat. I inherited a lot.
878
00:37:58.760 --> 00:38:01.179
Oh, you want a review? Why not? All right, sorry.
879
00:38:01.219 --> 00:38:02.340
We're in a job interview, guys.
880
00:38:03.320 --> 00:38:06.289
I inherited a lot from the team from when I.
881
00:38:06.280 --> 00:38:09.460
Do you, like when you're saying you're divvying up reviews
882
00:38:09.500 --> 00:38:13.940
for certain shows... Will you get people that would be
883
00:38:14.139 --> 00:38:18.300
a bit more open-minded to each show? Yeah. That would
884
00:38:18.400 --> 00:38:19.739
gel a little bit more?
885
00:38:19.780 --> 00:38:21.659
I'd try and put somebody who might be into comedy.
886
00:38:21.800 --> 00:38:25.909
Yeah. Because sometimes if you get someone who doesn't really
887
00:38:26.809 --> 00:38:30.489
like a certain genre, like I find dark comedy gets
888
00:38:30.590 --> 00:38:33.429
reviewed quite weirdly sometimes.
889
00:38:33.869 --> 00:38:33.969
Yeah.
890
00:38:33.989 --> 00:38:37.099
Because to me, I'll watch a show and be laughing hysterically.
891
00:38:37.530 --> 00:38:39.329
And the person next to me will go, that was
892
00:38:39.349 --> 00:38:41.099
the most horrific thing I've ever seen in my life.
893
00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:43.500
So I was like, no, no, that was brilliant.
894
00:38:44.059 --> 00:38:45.940
I've learned you can't send the same person to everything.
895
00:38:45.980 --> 00:38:47.670
You've got to kind of best pick because then you
896
00:38:47.690 --> 00:38:50.630
get the best quality review for that show.
897
00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:52.599
Well, I guess a good reviewer would know.
898
00:38:52.619 --> 00:38:54.860
I mean, I've been reviewed in a show where the
899
00:38:54.940 --> 00:38:56.619
opening line was, this is not my type of show.
900
00:38:56.639 --> 00:38:58.920
It was like, well, then why are you doing this? Correct.
901
00:38:59.059 --> 00:39:01.880
And sometimes it's due to there's no one else available,
902
00:39:01.900 --> 00:39:04.139
but you can support that. And that happens occasionally.
903
00:39:04.179 --> 00:39:04.480
Yes.
904
00:39:04.920 --> 00:39:10.119
And what happens if you see a show and it's,
905
00:39:10.760 --> 00:39:14.099
I mean, clearly it's all about opinions and good nights,
906
00:39:14.139 --> 00:39:17.820
bad nights, whatever. But if you see a show and
907
00:39:17.880 --> 00:39:20.559
it is goddamn awful and you want to give it
908
00:39:20.929 --> 00:39:21.610
One star.
909
00:39:21.869 --> 00:39:22.269
Can you?
910
00:39:22.650 --> 00:39:27.130
Well, this happens a lot during the fringe. um so
911
00:39:27.150 --> 00:39:30.000
what i can feel that and this is coming something
912
00:39:30.039 --> 00:39:33.019
that brian introduced and i really like so i continued
913
00:39:33.039 --> 00:39:35.559
it on when the review comes to me because the
914
00:39:35.599 --> 00:39:38.179
reviewers don't put up the reviews on the website it
915
00:39:38.219 --> 00:39:38.900
all comes through.
916
00:39:38.739 --> 00:39:40.760
Me you're an editor okay great.
917
00:39:40.619 --> 00:39:43.739
I probably make sure it's formatted correctly and edited if
918
00:39:43.840 --> 00:39:45.940
i read it and i kind of go hang on
919
00:39:45.960 --> 00:39:50.469
there's these opinions need to be carefully worded I then
920
00:39:50.510 --> 00:39:53.679
will contact the producer or the artist and go, this
921
00:39:53.780 --> 00:39:56.719
is the review we've been sent and this is the
922
00:39:56.780 --> 00:39:59.880
star rating it's been given. Would you like this as
923
00:39:59.980 --> 00:40:02.380
feedback or would you like us to publish it? And
924
00:40:02.440 --> 00:40:04.820
so when it's something like that, we try to.
925
00:40:04.900 --> 00:40:06.159
That's a pretty noble thing.
926
00:40:06.219 --> 00:40:07.139
We try and give it.
927
00:40:07.280 --> 00:40:08.989
Her last name is Noble. Kelly Noble.
928
00:40:09.110 --> 00:40:09.829
Hello, not Kelly.
929
00:40:11.349 --> 00:40:13.929
Kelly Noble starred in Glam Adelaide. Oh, yeah, yeah. It
930
00:40:13.949 --> 00:40:15.480
was a joke. I did not get the joke.
931
00:40:16.639 --> 00:40:17.420
Yeah, we try and.
932
00:40:17.800 --> 00:40:18.800
Sorry, Kelly Noble.
933
00:40:19.619 --> 00:40:23.179
We try and offer it as feedback and some criticism
934
00:40:23.219 --> 00:40:25.739
then to the artist rather than putting it up. Because
935
00:40:25.880 --> 00:40:29.139
in this day and age, Adelaide audiences are terrible at booking.
936
00:40:29.380 --> 00:40:29.659
Yes.
937
00:40:29.860 --> 00:40:32.320
Until they've heard somebody else's opinion on the show or
938
00:40:32.340 --> 00:40:33.079
they've read somebody's opinion.
939
00:40:33.099 --> 00:40:35.300
Is that one star or two star? What's the threshold?
940
00:40:35.469 --> 00:40:38.360
I kind of... Below three, so one or two.
941
00:40:38.599 --> 00:40:41.380
Have you given people right of reply or you just go, look,
942
00:40:41.420 --> 00:40:43.000
this is what we're doing, we're moving on?
943
00:40:43.420 --> 00:40:46.179
Sometimes, particularly when it comes, there's been a few times
944
00:40:46.199 --> 00:40:50.070
where I've written an article, done an interview, put it up. Oh,
945
00:40:50.170 --> 00:40:51.730
I didn't mean it like this. Can you change it
946
00:40:51.750 --> 00:40:53.110
to this? Or can you do this? Or can you
947
00:40:53.190 --> 00:40:56.449
use this photo instead? And I'm like, no, it's published.
948
00:40:56.690 --> 00:41:00.750
Yeah, wow. Yeah, I mean, you've got that many shows
949
00:41:00.789 --> 00:41:01.289
to get through.
950
00:41:01.530 --> 00:41:04.170
We do. And, you know, once you add in professional.
951
00:41:04.269 --> 00:41:04.789
Yeah, yeah.
952
00:41:04.889 --> 00:41:06.110
It's every professional. Yep.
953
00:41:06.840 --> 00:41:09.380
How many reviewers do you have? I mean, you must
954
00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:10.340
have to have a lot.
955
00:41:10.380 --> 00:41:15.320
There's 15 names on my email list. Some prefer just
956
00:41:15.360 --> 00:41:19.570
doing the bigger events like Fringe, Adelaide Festival, Fabfest, because
957
00:41:19.590 --> 00:41:23.570
they've got rather busy lives. Being volunteers, they just fit
958
00:41:23.630 --> 00:41:25.949
it in amongst. And I've got some that will always
959
00:41:25.989 --> 00:41:28.829
send in going, yep, happy to do this or put
960
00:41:28.869 --> 00:41:29.650
me down for whatever.
961
00:41:30.070 --> 00:41:31.969
So what makes a good reviewer, in your opinion?
962
00:41:32.429 --> 00:41:34.889
I think not giving away much plot. Yes.
963
00:41:34.909 --> 00:41:36.280
Sorry. Sorry.
964
00:41:36.929 --> 00:41:41.079
I'm happy for a paragraph that doesn't give away too much,
965
00:41:41.139 --> 00:41:42.739
maybe just the general vibe of it.
966
00:41:43.019 --> 00:41:45.559
The death of the main character in the third act
967
00:41:45.599 --> 00:41:49.059
was particularly moving. Thanks.
968
00:41:49.300 --> 00:41:52.199
Try and be constructive. If there's feedback to be given,
969
00:41:52.260 --> 00:41:58.230
be constructive. Just be careful with the wording. Informative, good
970
00:41:58.289 --> 00:41:59.989
sting lines that can be reproduced.
971
00:42:00.210 --> 00:42:03.090
And being aware that people are doing this out of
972
00:42:03.409 --> 00:42:04.309
sheer love.
973
00:42:04.550 --> 00:42:04.690
Yeah.
974
00:42:05.059 --> 00:42:07.059
And out of time, which is, you know. But that
975
00:42:07.099 --> 00:42:10.300
doesn't matter if you're. Okay, sorry, Lee doesn't give a shit. Well,
976
00:42:10.429 --> 00:42:12.050
I don't know, because.
977
00:42:11.889 --> 00:42:15.110
If you're doing like, if you're the actor or the
978
00:42:15.150 --> 00:42:17.110
producer who's putting on this show, you don't care if
979
00:42:17.150 --> 00:42:19.110
these people are doing it in their free time. You just,
980
00:42:19.250 --> 00:42:23.650
you want a really, you want five stars, don't you?
981
00:42:23.710 --> 00:42:26.659
Keep on this. Yeah, well, it's true, isn't it? Like,
982
00:42:26.780 --> 00:42:28.519
they don't care if they're doing it in their free time.
983
00:42:28.800 --> 00:42:31.340
Can I ask? So you're a critic, you see a
984
00:42:31.380 --> 00:42:34.199
lot of things. Do you start making a list of like,
985
00:42:34.579 --> 00:42:37.119
Because you're a director as well and a musical director.
986
00:42:37.139 --> 00:42:39.460
Do you start going, who's that guy?
987
00:42:39.480 --> 00:42:39.599
I do.
988
00:42:40.079 --> 00:42:40.599
Who's that guy?
989
00:42:40.699 --> 00:42:43.039
I do. Can I get hold of that person?
990
00:42:43.440 --> 00:42:46.570
I do. And that's why I love events like Broadway
991
00:42:46.610 --> 00:42:48.280
Sessions that's held once a month.
992
00:42:48.300 --> 00:42:48.679
Yeah.
993
00:42:48.780 --> 00:42:52.369
The open mic that Peter Johns and Scott Lorien created
994
00:42:52.409 --> 00:42:53.889
many years ago, 11 years ago.
995
00:42:54.769 --> 00:42:57.230
Sort of become an audition space almost.
996
00:42:57.489 --> 00:42:59.610
I love going to that because people are so comfortable.
997
00:42:59.690 --> 00:42:59.989
Yeah.
998
00:43:00.170 --> 00:43:02.670
They're not stuck to audition material. They can sing what
999
00:43:02.690 --> 00:43:05.510
they like. And I kind of go. Oh, you would
1000
00:43:05.550 --> 00:43:06.780
be really good to talk to about.
1001
00:43:06.800 --> 00:43:09.340
Is it not a room just of other people competing,
1002
00:43:09.420 --> 00:43:11.260
just judging the hell out of each other, those things?
1003
00:43:11.659 --> 00:43:12.480
Have you? What?
1004
00:43:12.659 --> 00:43:17.079
Broadway sessions is just the most fun night once a month.
1005
00:43:17.119 --> 00:43:19.059
How do you get onto it? Isn't that what you
1006
00:43:19.079 --> 00:43:21.179
do when you go to a theatre? Well, it's just like,
1007
00:43:21.429 --> 00:43:25.989
it's just lots of, it's just lots of musical people
1008
00:43:26.150 --> 00:43:31.090
in a room singing. LAUGHTER I'm trying to work out
1009
00:43:31.110 --> 00:43:31.789
your point here.
1010
00:43:31.829 --> 00:43:34.900
No, no, I'm just saying, like, okay, one, how do
1011
00:43:34.909 --> 00:43:36.119
you get into the Broadway sessions?
1012
00:43:36.139 --> 00:43:37.699
Because I think it is great. I've gone to a
1013
00:43:37.739 --> 00:43:39.079
few of them. They're beautiful. They're great.
1014
00:43:39.539 --> 00:43:42.099
Once the application's open, you just fill out an application
1015
00:43:42.139 --> 00:43:45.420
and then it's a curated night. So Peter and Scott
1016
00:43:45.500 --> 00:43:47.780
kind of go through and they curate the best.
1017
00:43:47.860 --> 00:43:49.219
And sometimes they're themed too, aren't they?
1018
00:43:49.300 --> 00:43:50.989
They're themed and then they come up with their set
1019
00:43:51.030 --> 00:43:53.969
list for the night. And if somebody's putting in a
1020
00:43:53.989 --> 00:43:55.530
song that might have been done three or four months
1021
00:43:55.570 --> 00:43:58.190
in a row, I don't get picked, but then they.
1022
00:43:58.780 --> 00:43:59.539
It's a pretty safe space.
1023
00:43:59.599 --> 00:44:01.699
It's a safe space. It's very encouraging. If you forget
1024
00:44:01.739 --> 00:44:02.780
the words, that's fine.
1025
00:44:04.079 --> 00:44:06.570
I've had a few of my students who have done
1026
00:44:06.610 --> 00:44:08.989
it and they've sort of broadened it a little bit
1027
00:44:09.030 --> 00:44:11.550
more and opened it to younger people as well.
1028
00:44:12.409 --> 00:44:15.369
I think, as we're talking about it, I think that
1029
00:44:15.389 --> 00:44:18.760
would be a great way to get people like yourself going, oh,
1030
00:44:19.010 --> 00:44:20.059
I've not seen them before.
1031
00:44:20.099 --> 00:44:21.239
Wow, okay, great.
1032
00:44:21.280 --> 00:44:23.219
And then you start a conversation with them and find
1033
00:44:23.260 --> 00:44:24.880
out more about who they are.
1034
00:44:25.099 --> 00:44:26.280
So reviewing.
1035
00:44:26.300 --> 00:44:26.719
Mm-hmm.
1036
00:44:27.159 --> 00:44:30.590
And also being a creative, you know, you've been sitting
1037
00:44:30.630 --> 00:44:34.230
there gagging, waiting to hear what the reviews come in
1038
00:44:34.349 --> 00:44:36.989
as because you've created working with the team or directing
1039
00:44:37.010 --> 00:44:39.010
or whatever. And now you're on the other side of
1040
00:44:39.070 --> 00:44:41.989
that reviewing shows. Has that changed the way that you
1041
00:44:42.210 --> 00:44:45.969
do and direct and musically direct? Like has it, or
1042
00:44:46.070 --> 00:44:48.539
even on the flip side of that review, like is
1043
00:44:48.559 --> 00:44:49.769
there more appreciation for it?
1044
00:44:50.820 --> 00:44:53.500
Yes and no. I always have and I continue to
1045
00:44:53.559 --> 00:44:56.880
do so. Say to my cast at the final dress rehearsal,
1046
00:44:57.300 --> 00:44:58.539
There's critics coming in.
1047
00:44:58.719 --> 00:44:59.000
Yeah.
1048
00:44:59.019 --> 00:45:02.340
Just remember that's their opinion. Don't take it for anything
1049
00:45:02.380 --> 00:45:04.539
more than words on a page. Because it is. It
1050
00:45:04.599 --> 00:45:07.289
is that person's opinion of what they see.
1051
00:45:07.510 --> 00:45:07.710
Yes.
1052
00:45:08.090 --> 00:45:09.849
And this is the great thing with live theatre. You
1053
00:45:09.889 --> 00:45:13.210
can go see a show and talk to four or
1054
00:45:13.230 --> 00:45:15.489
five people around you and they will all give you
1055
00:45:15.510 --> 00:45:18.010
a different opinion of what they see because it's such
1056
00:45:18.030 --> 00:45:19.960
a personal connection with the story.
1057
00:45:20.019 --> 00:45:22.900
I just recently watched the last Theatre Guild show. Moan?
1058
00:45:23.739 --> 00:45:23.920
Yes.
1059
00:45:24.380 --> 00:45:26.860
And I was blown away. I loved it. It was
1060
00:45:26.940 --> 00:45:29.099
one of the best things I've seen in a very
1061
00:45:29.139 --> 00:45:31.340
long time. And I got every moment of it. And
1062
00:45:31.360 --> 00:45:33.429
I was like, I'm in. And the person next to
1063
00:45:33.449 --> 00:45:35.860
me was like, I don't understand it. fucking thing that's
1064
00:45:35.900 --> 00:45:36.250
going on.
1065
00:45:36.360 --> 00:45:38.940
You're not meant to with that shirt. To me, I.
1066
00:45:38.880 --> 00:45:43.000
Can interpret it. No, no. I loved it. Yeah, I
1067
00:45:43.039 --> 00:45:45.469
was like, I want more of this.
1068
00:45:45.929 --> 00:45:48.289
I think I went on the Wednesday of the second week, midweek,
1069
00:45:48.329 --> 00:45:48.789
and I was just.
1070
00:45:48.690 --> 00:45:53.659
Like, whatever happened to a narrative, people? No, no, no. No,
1071
00:45:54.219 --> 00:45:57.349
I was like, Finally, someone's messing with the time stream.
1072
00:45:57.369 --> 00:46:00.829
Let's go. Okay, what was it about? It was about
1073
00:46:01.070 --> 00:46:02.510
role play. It was about.
1074
00:46:03.289 --> 00:46:03.769
D & D.
1075
00:46:03.849 --> 00:46:05.659
D & D. Yeah, that's how I.
1076
00:46:05.960 --> 00:46:06.619
Yeah.
1077
00:46:06.679 --> 00:46:08.619
I've seen it already. I'm like, okay, now I'm solid.
1078
00:46:08.639 --> 00:46:09.679
But not linear.
1079
00:46:10.119 --> 00:46:10.340
Yeah.
1080
00:46:10.599 --> 00:46:13.670
But it was like, I knew exactly what was going on.
1081
00:46:14.070 --> 00:46:16.210
And just trying to, yeah, I was like, and everyone,
1082
00:46:16.349 --> 00:46:18.190
like a few people were like, I don't understand that
1083
00:46:18.230 --> 00:46:19.889
at all. But it was really well acted. I'm like,
1084
00:46:19.909 --> 00:46:22.650
I understood it perfectly. This was the DM.
1085
00:46:22.760 --> 00:46:25.500
They were NPCs. They do do brave stuff, don't they? Yeah,
1086
00:46:25.639 --> 00:46:26.260
the guild.
1087
00:46:26.420 --> 00:46:28.760
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to the next one. The
1088
00:46:28.920 --> 00:46:31.000
show title is so long, I keep forgetting what it is.
1089
00:46:31.019 --> 00:46:32.480
The one with the different names.
1090
00:46:33.219 --> 00:46:37.929
Marsha, Masha, Gary's in it. Hayley Horne's directing.
1091
00:46:37.949 --> 00:46:38.550
The Hayley's directing.
1092
00:46:38.570 --> 00:46:40.969
I've got the poster somewhere. Yeah. I mean, you've worked
1093
00:46:40.989 --> 00:46:42.530
with her a couple of times. What a great director
1094
00:46:42.550 --> 00:46:42.920
she is.
1095
00:46:42.940 --> 00:46:44.159
She is so much fun to work with.
1096
00:46:44.199 --> 00:46:45.840
Yeah. Organised, precise.
1097
00:46:46.320 --> 00:46:50.119
We think very similar in terms of how we put
1098
00:46:50.179 --> 00:46:53.519
on a show. I remember Hill's Musical Company contacted me
1099
00:46:53.559 --> 00:46:55.519
and said, we want you to music direct a show
1100
00:46:55.579 --> 00:46:57.639
and we want Hayley to direct it. Can you catch
1101
00:46:57.699 --> 00:46:59.639
up with her and send us a short list of
1102
00:46:59.679 --> 00:47:02.320
shows that you might want to do together? Discovered she
1103
00:47:02.360 --> 00:47:04.239
lived around the corner, so we met at a cafe
1104
00:47:04.800 --> 00:47:07.199
and our lists were Pretty much identical.
1105
00:47:07.219 --> 00:47:07.699
Wow.
1106
00:47:07.860 --> 00:47:09.699
And we settled on High Fidelity.
1107
00:47:09.860 --> 00:47:10.079
Yes.
1108
00:47:10.139 --> 00:47:12.000
Based on the movie and the book.
1109
00:47:12.619 --> 00:47:13.960
Bill Bryson? Yeah.
1110
00:47:14.320 --> 00:47:16.500
And just went, this is the show.
1111
00:47:16.519 --> 00:47:17.599
Bill Bryson wrote that?
1112
00:47:17.760 --> 00:47:20.420
Mm-hmm. I'm pretty, insert.
1113
00:47:20.440 --> 00:47:22.119
The travel writer. Yeah, pretty sure.
1114
00:47:22.199 --> 00:47:23.440
Insert correct author name here.
1115
00:47:23.679 --> 00:47:24.139
Yeah, yeah.
1116
00:47:24.420 --> 00:47:27.780
I'm sure it was Bill Bryson. The incredible Tom Kipp
1117
00:47:27.820 --> 00:47:29.730
wrote the music, who wrote Next to Normal.
1118
00:47:29.949 --> 00:47:33.250
There's no way of knowing. Hayley is going to message
1119
00:47:33.289 --> 00:47:35.139
me and go, it was this person. Ha, ha, ha.
1120
00:47:36.389 --> 00:47:39.929
Hello, Haiti. And, yeah, and we just click. We always,
1121
00:47:40.369 --> 00:47:42.670
we'd be like messaging each other the number of times
1122
00:47:42.710 --> 00:47:46.360
that we'd send the same message to each other at
1123
00:47:46.449 --> 00:47:48.510
the same time without anything to do with the show.
1124
00:47:48.530 --> 00:47:50.280
It was just very freaky.
1125
00:47:50.599 --> 00:47:52.099
So what do you look for in a show?
1126
00:47:52.219 --> 00:47:54.300
If you're going to create a show and you're going
1127
00:47:54.320 --> 00:47:56.340
to spend all this time, all this energy, you're saying
1128
00:47:56.760 --> 00:47:59.539
up to six months to a year, like prepping for
1129
00:47:59.579 --> 00:47:59.940
the show.
1130
00:48:00.800 --> 00:48:01.519
Nick Hornby.
1131
00:48:01.579 --> 00:48:02.639
Nick Hornby, that's it.
1132
00:48:02.719 --> 00:48:03.360
Yeah, okay.
1133
00:48:03.500 --> 00:48:03.780
Close.
1134
00:48:04.159 --> 00:48:06.199
What do you.
1135
00:48:07.139 --> 00:48:11.090
That was really close. What are we... What are you
1136
00:48:11.110 --> 00:48:12.889
looking for? What do you want?
1137
00:48:13.150 --> 00:48:19.280
I want a story that's engaging, something that I personally
1138
00:48:19.320 --> 00:48:25.119
connect to, whether it's the themes or the characters, something
1139
00:48:25.219 --> 00:48:28.840
that has enough material that you can put your own
1140
00:48:28.940 --> 00:48:34.099
spin thought process too without being like you're having to
1141
00:48:34.139 --> 00:48:36.219
reinvent the wheel but there's enough there for you to
1142
00:48:36.260 --> 00:48:39.090
actually work with and something that you can i think
1143
00:48:39.119 --> 00:48:41.469
that's just going to create just a piece of theater
1144
00:48:41.489 --> 00:48:44.510
that will allow the audience to think i like people
1145
00:48:44.530 --> 00:48:46.349
to walk out of a show thinking whether it's a
1146
00:48:46.409 --> 00:48:50.510
reflection on their own lives or a situation or an
1147
00:48:50.570 --> 00:48:53.059
emotion and things like that so yeah that's what i
1148
00:48:53.079 --> 00:48:54.599
tend to look for what.
1149
00:48:54.320 --> 00:48:56.780
Was the first piece of music that kind of made
1150
00:48:56.820 --> 00:49:02.030
you cry oh oh wow wow I don't know. Chopstick?
1151
00:49:02.449 --> 00:49:03.800
Peter Coop's Chopstick.
1152
00:49:03.820 --> 00:49:04.469
Really emotional.
1153
00:49:04.789 --> 00:49:07.409
That's a really good one. I don't know what to answer.
1154
00:49:07.429 --> 00:49:10.150
Yeah, I just think about that because I don't.
1155
00:49:10.050 --> 00:49:12.300
Know the answer to that question myself. Yeah, there's some
1156
00:49:12.300 --> 00:49:14.570
shows where I walk out of and I just feel
1157
00:49:14.570 --> 00:49:16.000
so emotionally drained.
1158
00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:18.119
Because i like the last time i cried in the
1159
00:49:18.139 --> 00:49:21.159
theater was come from away yes yeah and i don't
1160
00:49:21.219 --> 00:49:23.199
normally cry in theater.
1161
00:49:23.199 --> 00:49:26.000
And i i remember being the same watching watching that
1162
00:49:26.059 --> 00:49:28.219
but then you know like moments like the opening of
1163
00:49:28.280 --> 00:49:30.820
the lion king yeah where the animals are coming through
1164
00:49:30.840 --> 00:49:33.570
the theater in puppetry and that i just remember being
1165
00:49:33.619 --> 00:49:39.280
so emotionally overwhelmed by that or watching a storyline get
1166
00:49:39.300 --> 00:49:41.059
to that emotional peak in a musical.
1167
00:49:41.079 --> 00:49:44.000
I love the peak of the 1812 Overture.
1168
00:49:44.099 --> 00:49:45.389
With the cannons exploding.
1169
00:49:46.050 --> 00:49:47.989
Well, you see so much theatre.
1170
00:49:48.030 --> 00:49:49.829
I mean, what was the last thing that made you go,
1171
00:49:49.849 --> 00:49:52.269
apart from the non-linear play?
1172
00:49:54.190 --> 00:49:54.750
Did you watch it?
1173
00:49:55.110 --> 00:49:57.989
No, it was really good. Shout out to Theatre Guild.
1174
00:49:58.789 --> 00:50:00.079
Some really great actors in it.
1175
00:50:00.949 --> 00:50:03.010
That's a really good question. What was the last thing
1176
00:50:03.030 --> 00:50:05.690
that really... my breath away watching, there were moments in
1177
00:50:05.730 --> 00:50:08.030
State Theatre's Hansel and Gretel, which you gave us tickets
1178
00:50:08.050 --> 00:50:10.789
away for, that I just kind of went, oh, that's genius.
1179
00:50:10.829 --> 00:50:14.690
And like that moment of like, how did that creative
1180
00:50:14.710 --> 00:50:17.670
team come to that decision and that sort of moment?
1181
00:50:18.530 --> 00:50:20.760
And there was that. But there was even moments in
1182
00:50:20.800 --> 00:50:23.719
like Anastasia, which just closed here in Adelaide.
1183
00:50:23.780 --> 00:50:26.170
I heard that was shit, but it's not. Yeah, no.
1184
00:50:26.199 --> 00:50:27.820
I thought it was one of the better musicals that
1185
00:50:27.860 --> 00:50:28.780
has been through Adelaide.
1186
00:50:29.570 --> 00:50:30.949
Why have they cancelled it?
1187
00:50:31.030 --> 00:50:33.070
No, Anastasia hasn't been cancelled.
1188
00:50:33.150 --> 00:50:34.909
I thought they limited the season.
1189
00:50:35.010 --> 00:50:36.369
No, they extended that.
1190
00:50:36.530 --> 00:50:36.949
Oh, right.
1191
00:50:36.989 --> 00:50:37.250
Okay.
1192
00:50:37.269 --> 00:50:39.130
It was the Waitress that got cancelled.
1193
00:50:39.150 --> 00:50:41.889
Waitress got cancelled in Melbourne and then Beetlejuice got cancelled.
1194
00:50:42.630 --> 00:50:42.699
Ah.
1195
00:50:42.769 --> 00:50:45.250
Even though Beetlejuice was selling above average in Adelaide, it
1196
00:50:45.269 --> 00:50:46.949
was not doing too well elsewhere.
1197
00:50:47.510 --> 00:50:51.110
There are other issues associated with that. And costs. The
1198
00:50:51.210 --> 00:50:55.030
transport costs. Yeah. We could talk about that all day.
1199
00:50:55.110 --> 00:50:55.489
I could, yeah.
1200
00:50:56.260 --> 00:50:59.820
But no, Anastasia had these most beautiful moments that just
1201
00:51:00.429 --> 00:51:02.630
made me get goosebumps and watching how it was all
1202
00:51:02.690 --> 00:51:03.949
staged and come together.
1203
00:51:04.449 --> 00:51:04.929
Oh, wow.
1204
00:51:05.269 --> 00:51:08.050
And I always, I mean, I'm so proud of this
1205
00:51:08.150 --> 00:51:09.809
is why we do the podcast, right? Like I'm so
1206
00:51:09.889 --> 00:51:14.380
proud of what Adelaide produces and the community theatre and
1207
00:51:14.389 --> 00:51:16.239
the talent that we have and the passion that we
1208
00:51:16.280 --> 00:51:18.519
have and.
1209
00:51:17.579 --> 00:51:18.980
What drives this community.
1210
00:51:19.469 --> 00:51:23.090
And you're seeing lots of amateur theatre and professional theatre.
1211
00:51:23.110 --> 00:51:25.070
Do you think there's a difference? Do you think they're
1212
00:51:25.110 --> 00:51:25.460
kind of.
1213
00:51:25.829 --> 00:51:27.449
The only real difference is the budget.
1214
00:51:27.789 --> 00:51:28.329
Yeah. Really.
1215
00:51:28.389 --> 00:51:31.489
And the fact that with community theatre, it is exactly that.
1216
00:51:31.570 --> 00:51:35.130
It's a community of people who come together to create
1217
00:51:35.809 --> 00:51:38.630
a wonderful production to the best of their budget and
1218
00:51:38.670 --> 00:51:41.989
their skill set and their ability. Where professional theatre has
1219
00:51:42.030 --> 00:51:44.300
your mega million dollar budget. You've got people who have
1220
00:51:44.320 --> 00:51:46.059
been training forever doing jobs.
1221
00:51:46.139 --> 00:51:50.900
Yeah. But it's a bit myopic in this state, professional theatre.
1222
00:51:50.940 --> 00:51:52.360
Do you find that?
1223
00:51:52.980 --> 00:51:55.670
Well, there's now a full circle theatre company which is
1224
00:51:55.710 --> 00:51:57.469
just starting up and they're doing Catch Me If You
1225
00:51:57.489 --> 00:51:58.690
Can later this year.
1226
00:51:59.050 --> 00:52:00.630
Yes, one of my friends. Great music.
1227
00:52:00.710 --> 00:52:03.260
One of my friends, Rose, she is heading it up
1228
00:52:03.320 --> 00:52:05.260
and I think Rod Schultz is in there.
1229
00:52:05.280 --> 00:52:07.280
Rod Schultz, I've seen that. Michael Griffiths.
1230
00:52:07.760 --> 00:52:11.519
Does that use the John Williams score for that one?
1231
00:52:11.619 --> 00:52:16.230
No, there's a musical that was written for it, which,
1232
00:52:16.849 --> 00:52:19.750
ragging moment, I was the premier musical director for that
1233
00:52:19.789 --> 00:52:21.150
in Adelaide many years ago.
1234
00:52:21.170 --> 00:52:22.030
Oh, lovely.
1235
00:52:22.710 --> 00:52:24.809
I've never seen the film. Is it good?
1236
00:52:24.969 --> 00:52:27.210
I've heard it on DVD. I'll give it to you.
1237
00:52:27.239 --> 00:52:27.960
The film is great.
1238
00:52:27.980 --> 00:52:28.760
DVD, old school.
1239
00:52:29.360 --> 00:52:31.380
The film is great. It is almost linear.
1240
00:52:32.059 --> 00:52:32.559
Oh, wow.
1241
00:52:32.599 --> 00:52:32.780
Yeah.
1242
00:52:32.840 --> 00:52:35.860
Okay, great. There are a few times where it cuts
1243
00:52:36.000 --> 00:52:38.920
back into the past, but you'll be okay. I was
1244
00:52:38.960 --> 00:52:40.619
watching The Lioness last night. I'll draw a diagram. And
1245
00:52:40.639 --> 00:52:43.239
they jumped back once, and I was like, what's going on? Jeez,
1246
00:52:43.500 --> 00:52:46.840
you're going to hate The Odyssey. I've seen it already.
1247
00:52:46.860 --> 00:52:48.280
It was fine. I could follow it.
1248
00:52:48.679 --> 00:52:49.679
But there isn't that.
1249
00:52:50.019 --> 00:52:52.099
How do you deal with Christopher Nolan films? It's like,
1250
00:52:52.260 --> 00:52:53.010
what the fuck?
1251
00:52:53.360 --> 00:52:55.650
Well, there's been a couple I'm like, man.
1252
00:52:55.929 --> 00:52:58.690
But, yeah, full circles kind of entering that.
1253
00:52:58.929 --> 00:52:59.090
Hmm.
1254
00:52:59.349 --> 00:53:04.510
Place of local professional level theater um which we haven't
1255
00:53:04.530 --> 00:53:06.739
really had because people come to adelaide they do their
1256
00:53:06.760 --> 00:53:07.980
training here and then they're.
1257
00:53:07.860 --> 00:53:10.960
Gone do you think that's sustainable though in adelaide i
1258
00:53:11.000 --> 00:53:13.420
mean we can barely keep bars alive i.
1259
00:53:13.380 --> 00:53:16.360
Don't i don't think long term it's gonna it's something
1260
00:53:16.380 --> 00:53:20.019
that is sustainable we're losing venues we lose yeah we
1261
00:53:20.059 --> 00:53:23.539
lose venues we lose shows coming through people go find
1262
00:53:23.579 --> 00:53:26.519
work elsewhere like the number of people that you talk
1263
00:53:26.539 --> 00:53:30.929
to in professional theater who have jobs at Lululemon or
1264
00:53:32.610 --> 00:53:35.030
got into real estate. Everybody in musical theatre seems to
1265
00:53:35.070 --> 00:53:37.110
end up in professional, ends up in real estate for
1266
00:53:37.150 --> 00:53:41.650
some reason. So it's, I don't think that's something that's
1267
00:53:41.949 --> 00:53:45.650
sustainable in Adelaide unless the government gets behind it a
1268
00:53:45.710 --> 00:53:48.369
bit more and puts the money where it should be.
1269
00:53:48.849 --> 00:53:51.869
I'm not going to mention Premier's love of thought.
1270
00:53:51.889 --> 00:53:55.760
We don't want to politicise this podcast. Well, I think
1271
00:53:55.780 --> 00:53:59.949
that's also part of why I appreciate so much, and
1272
00:53:59.969 --> 00:54:02.039
I'm sure Josh does too, look, with what you do.
1273
00:54:02.079 --> 00:54:03.199
You work for Glam.
1274
00:54:03.420 --> 00:54:06.420
The fact that Glam Adelaide are pushing the theatre, it's
1275
00:54:06.460 --> 00:54:09.119
definitely one of their, you know, they're always advertising it.
1276
00:54:09.159 --> 00:54:12.599
They're reviewing them. You're an engine, Stephen. You're an engine.
1277
00:54:12.820 --> 00:54:13.980
You're keeping it going.
1278
00:54:14.679 --> 00:54:17.239
In the last two weeks, the number of interviews that
1279
00:54:17.280 --> 00:54:20.880
I've done for upcoming events, it's incredible.
1280
00:54:21.539 --> 00:54:22.880
Have you interviewed Delta Goodrum?
1281
00:54:23.300 --> 00:54:23.860
No, I haven't.
1282
00:54:24.139 --> 00:54:27.429
Oh, God. Can I be there when you do? How
1283
00:54:27.449 --> 00:54:30.550
do you not understand this obsession you have with this woman?
1284
00:54:30.699 --> 00:54:34.699
Have you not? Did you see Eurovision, her performance for that?
1285
00:54:34.719 --> 00:54:37.139
It's not online. It's amazing.
1286
00:54:37.199 --> 00:54:37.500
Oh, my God.
1287
00:54:37.519 --> 00:54:39.940
Do you want to interview him now? Oh, my God.
1288
00:54:40.079 --> 00:54:43.480
I'm obsessed with her. She's just amazing. That's amazing. Amazing.
1289
00:54:43.639 --> 00:54:45.760
Delta's one of the few people I probably wouldn't interview.
1290
00:54:46.119 --> 00:54:48.659
Oh, who's the most famous? Who's been your most favorite?
1291
00:54:48.820 --> 00:54:51.170
Oh, my goodness. I knew you'd ask this, and I
1292
00:54:51.210 --> 00:54:51.889
couldn't work it out.
1293
00:54:52.710 --> 00:54:53.110
Top three.
1294
00:54:53.530 --> 00:54:55.789
There's people that I've interviewed more than once and I've
1295
00:54:55.829 --> 00:54:58.050
come back to over and over again, like the wonderful
1296
00:54:58.090 --> 00:55:02.070
Rhonda Birchmore. We've almost become really good friends the way
1297
00:55:02.170 --> 00:55:04.250
whenever she's in town, we catch up just because of
1298
00:55:04.289 --> 00:55:06.750
the way her interviews become more like just catch ups
1299
00:55:06.809 --> 00:55:09.840
and chat. So she's always great and tells stories that
1300
00:55:09.909 --> 00:55:15.489
can't go on to print half the time. She was fascinating. Oh,
1301
00:55:15.550 --> 00:55:17.389
my goodness. I can't even think of who else.
1302
00:55:17.409 --> 00:55:17.969
That's okay.
1303
00:55:18.329 --> 00:55:22.760
I won't pressure you to have a favourite because how
1304
00:55:22.840 --> 00:55:26.539
lucky are you to, I mean, okay, who's the most
1305
00:55:26.639 --> 00:55:27.900
rudest person you've ever interviewed?
1306
00:55:28.340 --> 00:55:29.559
I probably can't say the name.
1307
00:55:29.579 --> 00:55:30.480
Miriam Margulies?
1308
00:55:31.239 --> 00:55:33.820
No, I probably can't say the name, but they're a
1309
00:55:33.860 --> 00:55:35.860
ventriloquist who thinks they're a comedian.
1310
00:55:36.300 --> 00:55:39.070
An American. Okay, got it.
1311
00:55:39.579 --> 00:55:42.199
And not funny, horribly rude.
1312
00:55:42.360 --> 00:55:44.050
Who is it? Say it. I'll beep it out. I'll
1313
00:55:44.070 --> 00:55:44.429
beep it out.
1314
00:55:44.530 --> 00:55:45.230
I'm not.
1315
00:55:45.309 --> 00:55:47.030
It was. I know who you're talking about.
1316
00:55:47.210 --> 00:55:48.750
I've gone blank on the name as well. That's how
1317
00:55:48.769 --> 00:55:50.230
much I hated it. I'll look it up and I'll
1318
00:55:50.250 --> 00:55:50.469
do it.
1319
00:55:50.670 --> 00:55:51.369
Yeah.
1320
00:55:51.690 --> 00:55:52.329
Ready to bleep out.
1321
00:55:52.909 --> 00:55:55.650
Really? Yeah. I always thought he was quite awesome when
1322
00:55:55.730 --> 00:55:56.469
I watched his shows.
1323
00:55:56.550 --> 00:55:58.260
On stage with the script, brilliant.
1324
00:55:58.280 --> 00:56:00.280
Because I used to watch him as a kid. Yeah.
1325
00:56:00.440 --> 00:56:00.960
I loved him.
1326
00:56:00.980 --> 00:56:01.139
Yeah.
1327
00:56:01.159 --> 00:56:02.280
And then I interviewed him and I went.
1328
00:56:02.980 --> 00:56:03.780
Oh, wow.
1329
00:56:03.860 --> 00:56:04.219
Within 30 seconds.
1330
00:56:04.239 --> 00:56:06.460
I mean, all that darkness had to come from somewhere. Yeah.
1331
00:56:06.480 --> 00:56:07.699
It was not funny. It was not fun.
1332
00:56:07.940 --> 00:56:10.099
Oh. All right. He still had to get an interview
1333
00:56:10.139 --> 00:56:10.429
out of it.
1334
00:56:10.619 --> 00:56:12.880
We might have to cut that.
1335
00:56:13.039 --> 00:56:17.510
That's shaking the child. All right. That went really quick.
1336
00:56:18.010 --> 00:56:22.369
I feel like we could talk a lot longer. Can't we? No.
1337
00:56:22.389 --> 00:56:24.969
We've got Pivo. We've got Pivo. He'll get upset. He'll
1338
00:56:24.989 --> 00:56:26.570
get upset. I'm not going to get upset. No, no,
1339
00:56:26.590 --> 00:56:31.230
Pivo will. Yeah, Pivo. The late Pivo. Yeah, we're going
1340
00:56:31.250 --> 00:56:33.909
to do the late Pivo's questionnaire. So we're going to
1341
00:56:33.949 --> 00:56:36.789
start with question one. What is your favorite word?
1342
00:56:37.469 --> 00:56:40.909
Thought long and hard about this. I love the word kerfuffle.
1343
00:56:41.360 --> 00:56:42.070
Kerfuffle.
1344
00:56:42.239 --> 00:56:44.880
I feel like it's not used enough, but it's a
1345
00:56:44.980 --> 00:56:47.860
perfect word to describe your state of mind. Like even
1346
00:56:47.880 --> 00:56:50.619
the word itself sounds jumbled and messy.
1347
00:56:50.780 --> 00:56:53.780
There's a problem and I can't actually see through it
1348
00:56:53.800 --> 00:56:54.219
just yet.
1349
00:56:54.260 --> 00:56:57.610
Yeah, it's a kerfuffle. It's just the most beautiful word.
1350
00:56:57.929 --> 00:56:58.550
Kerfuffle.
1351
00:56:59.909 --> 00:57:01.090
Sounds like it.
1352
00:57:01.070 --> 00:57:03.849
Should be in Alice in Wonderland or something.
1353
00:57:03.869 --> 00:57:04.230
It does.
1354
00:57:04.309 --> 00:57:04.670
Yeah.
1355
00:57:04.849 --> 00:57:04.989
Yeah.
1356
00:57:05.909 --> 00:57:07.550
What is your least favorite word?
1357
00:57:08.170 --> 00:57:11.130
Now, this one, I actually thought about this long and
1358
00:57:11.170 --> 00:57:14.460
hard and came to the conclusion there isn't necessarily a word,
1359
00:57:15.179 --> 00:57:17.960
but it is how words are used. For a lot
1360
00:57:17.980 --> 00:57:22.000
of people don't like the word moist. But when you're
1361
00:57:22.019 --> 00:57:24.909
describing a cake, you can't say it's juicy. You can't
1362
00:57:24.969 --> 00:57:28.090
say it's liquidy. The word moist is the perfect example.
1363
00:57:28.190 --> 00:57:29.869
I like a moist towelette.
1364
00:57:30.130 --> 00:57:33.460
Yeah. So, but. If you use it in another context
1365
00:57:33.519 --> 00:57:36.059
that I won't say or go into, it could be
1366
00:57:36.139 --> 00:57:38.699
creepy or seen as sinister. And the word like I.
1367
00:57:38.760 --> 00:57:41.199
Surely that's still positive though, right? You don't want it
1368
00:57:41.260 --> 00:57:42.039
not to be moist.
1369
00:57:42.079 --> 00:57:42.400
True.
1370
00:57:42.619 --> 00:57:42.900
Right?
1371
00:57:43.559 --> 00:57:45.900
But like the word I, I love this so much.
1372
00:57:45.920 --> 00:57:48.280
This is such a great experience. I'm so happy. But
1373
00:57:48.320 --> 00:57:50.780
if then you put the word I with a I want,
1374
00:57:51.019 --> 00:57:51.659
I need, I.
1375
00:57:52.059 --> 00:57:54.300
Yes, focus on personal pronouns. Yeah.
1376
00:57:54.360 --> 00:57:57.260
So I really, it's more about how words are used,
1377
00:57:57.559 --> 00:57:59.639
which in my profession is kind of important.
1378
00:57:59.800 --> 00:58:00.079
Tone.
1379
00:58:00.300 --> 00:58:00.699
Tone, yeah.
1380
00:58:01.059 --> 00:58:04.420
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
1381
00:58:05.219 --> 00:58:10.090
Collaboration. Like working with a team to produce something, whether
1382
00:58:10.130 --> 00:58:12.789
it's theatre or an event or a party or something.
1383
00:58:13.349 --> 00:58:16.809
Just that creative unity with a group of people. It
1384
00:58:17.309 --> 00:58:18.230
brings so much joy.
1385
00:58:18.369 --> 00:58:22.090
Yeah, wow. What turns you off? AI. Absolutely. Is that
1386
00:58:22.110 --> 00:58:24.849
because your reviewers send you in AI reviews?
1387
00:58:24.929 --> 00:58:28.969
None of my reviewers use AI to write their reviews
1388
00:58:29.030 --> 00:58:30.900
and that's something we quite stand proudly with.
1389
00:58:31.239 --> 00:58:33.659
Do you put it through a thing to check? No. No.
1390
00:58:33.699 --> 00:58:35.800
I just know they don't. But I get so annoyed
1391
00:58:35.920 --> 00:58:39.800
when AI has been used to write a review and
1392
00:58:39.840 --> 00:58:41.699
it's the first one out or it's to hit a
1393
00:58:41.739 --> 00:58:43.130
word count or something like that.
1394
00:58:43.190 --> 00:58:44.610
And they get the actor's name wrong.
1395
00:58:44.929 --> 00:58:45.090
Yep.
1396
00:58:45.269 --> 00:58:48.949
That's happened a couple of times. AI being used in
1397
00:58:48.969 --> 00:58:51.909
the arts is a big no. And if it's being used, A,
1398
00:58:51.929 --> 00:58:55.409
it shouldn't, but B... Whoever's used it should be putting
1399
00:58:55.449 --> 00:58:55.929
a disclaimer.
1400
00:58:55.969 --> 00:58:57.349
Is there someone who's using it now?
1401
00:58:57.530 --> 00:58:58.590
There are a couple of companies.
1402
00:58:58.630 --> 00:59:00.210
Who are they? I'll bleep it out. No, I'm not
1403
00:59:00.250 --> 00:59:03.750
saying it. Is it.
1404
00:59:04.429 --> 00:59:05.349
I'll tell you after.
1405
00:59:05.449 --> 00:59:05.989
Is it.
1406
00:59:06.170 --> 00:59:07.409
If you bleep it out? Yes.
1407
00:59:07.630 --> 00:59:11.159
Yes. Okay. But it's reached a point... just to... I'll
1408
00:59:11.179 --> 00:59:12.699
just give a point here just so we can cut
1409
00:59:12.739 --> 00:59:15.940
it out. But it's reached a point now where graphic
1410
00:59:15.960 --> 00:59:19.079
designers are having to put little captions saying, this is
1411
00:59:19.139 --> 00:59:19.400
not AI.
1412
00:59:19.579 --> 00:59:20.679
Yeah.
1413
00:59:20.739 --> 00:59:23.699
Like I think about Bonnie doing the posters for the
1414
00:59:23.739 --> 00:59:26.340
Theatre Guild and is almost having to write her own
1415
00:59:26.360 --> 00:59:27.099
captions saying.
1416
00:59:27.440 --> 00:59:27.579
Yeah.
1417
00:59:28.210 --> 00:59:30.130
This was not designed by a computer. Yeah, but like
1418
00:59:30.469 --> 00:59:33.829
designers are also using it. So where's the line? Well, no.
1419
00:59:33.849 --> 00:59:36.590
No, they're not. Well, they shouldn't be.
1420
00:59:36.889 --> 00:59:40.909
Well, I mean, I think, yeah. They shouldn't be.
1421
00:59:40.929 --> 00:59:44.800
I think it's a very fraught debate because I think it's,
1422
00:59:45.760 --> 00:59:48.099
you're not going to have someone like the local cafe
1423
00:59:48.159 --> 00:59:51.239
down the road be able to employ a photographer or
1424
00:59:51.280 --> 00:59:54.380
a designer to do a poster, right? So I think
1425
00:59:54.420 --> 00:59:56.440
it's kind of market driven in a little bit.
1426
00:59:56.460 --> 00:59:56.679
Yeah.
1427
00:59:57.380 --> 00:59:59.280
Yeah. It would be great to have. It doesn't make
1428
00:59:59.300 --> 01:00:02.480
it right. I mean, the energy industry is market driven,
1429
01:00:02.519 --> 01:00:03.340
but we're still.
1430
01:00:03.500 --> 01:00:05.360
But in the creative arts world, AI.
1431
01:00:05.440 --> 01:00:06.159
Yeah.
1432
01:00:06.420 --> 01:00:06.900
Don't go there.
1433
01:00:07.659 --> 01:00:12.889
Anyway, join us for our next podcast. Our robot overlords.
1434
01:00:13.650 --> 01:00:15.989
Where were we? What is your favorite curse word?
1435
01:00:16.349 --> 01:00:18.429
I love the word fuck. Yeah. I think it's just
1436
01:00:18.449 --> 01:00:19.590
the perfect one just to drop.
1437
01:00:19.730 --> 01:00:20.650
It's a classic, right?
1438
01:00:20.730 --> 01:00:22.630
It could be positive, negative, however.
1439
01:00:22.510 --> 01:00:23.010
You want it.
1440
01:00:23.429 --> 01:00:23.550
Yes.
1441
01:00:23.570 --> 01:00:25.889
What sound or noise do you love?
1442
01:00:26.320 --> 01:00:28.460
I love when you go see a show like an
1443
01:00:28.579 --> 01:00:32.280
opera or musical and the orchestra starts tuning. That sound
1444
01:00:32.320 --> 01:00:35.639
of the extra tuning and the harmonics, it builds this
1445
01:00:35.699 --> 01:00:39.300
sense of anticipation of what's to come before that first downbeat.
1446
01:00:40.070 --> 01:00:41.969
It just, yeah, I just love it.
1447
01:00:41.989 --> 01:00:45.050
I associate that with the crackle of a record. Like
1448
01:00:45.090 --> 01:00:47.349
when you put the needle down on that first.
1449
01:00:47.369 --> 01:00:48.489
Yes, that first little scratch.
1450
01:00:48.550 --> 01:00:51.599
And then it's about to... And then the opera kicks in.
1451
01:00:51.679 --> 01:00:54.260
Yeah, there's that moment of anticipation.
1452
01:00:53.579 --> 01:00:55.360
Of what's to come. Yeah, yeah. No, I get that.
1453
01:00:55.460 --> 01:00:58.440
Like when you hear the... Like Fantasia. I remember watching
1454
01:00:58.480 --> 01:01:00.960
Fantasia for the first time and they start.
1455
01:01:00.659 --> 01:01:01.079
With the tuning.
1456
01:01:01.099 --> 01:01:01.539
Yeah, the tuning.
1457
01:01:01.619 --> 01:01:03.550
It just builds that one.
1458
01:01:03.550 --> 01:01:05.429
Or Sesame Street where Oscar's like, no, go back to
1459
01:01:05.469 --> 01:01:05.989
the tuning.
1460
01:01:06.070 --> 01:01:06.289
Yes.
1461
01:01:06.389 --> 01:01:10.210
I like that sound. Well, when you're there with your baton, right...
1462
01:01:10.579 --> 01:01:13.690
And that's what it's called, right? Yes. Yeah, yeah. Are
1463
01:01:13.730 --> 01:01:17.710
you driving the beat? Because it doesn't always look like
1464
01:01:17.750 --> 01:01:20.010
it's always with the beat. What are you actually doing
1465
01:01:20.050 --> 01:01:20.389
with that.
1466
01:01:20.329 --> 01:01:23.070
White little stick? The baton is more used to show
1467
01:01:23.090 --> 01:01:26.519
the beat of the piece, whether it's four beats, two beats,
1468
01:01:26.559 --> 01:01:29.139
three beats in a bar. And your left hand should
1469
01:01:29.179 --> 01:01:31.820
be more used for expression or cutting people in and
1470
01:01:31.960 --> 01:01:32.860
out and things like that.
1471
01:01:33.099 --> 01:01:37.309
Right. Okay. So both hands serve different functions. Yep. Wow.
1472
01:01:37.329 --> 01:01:37.409
Wow.
1473
01:01:37.639 --> 01:01:39.480
And then you use your mouth to swear when things
1474
01:01:39.500 --> 01:01:40.619
go wrong. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
1475
01:01:40.679 --> 01:01:42.130
Or look at them, you know.
1476
01:01:42.230 --> 01:01:43.090
Okay, yes.
1477
01:01:43.510 --> 01:01:45.090
And would you say that your style is more like
1478
01:01:45.550 --> 01:01:47.739
Cate Blanchett in Tar, or is that....
1479
01:01:50.710 --> 01:01:51.489
Richard Dreyfuss.
1480
01:01:51.929 --> 01:01:53.889
Mickey Mouse.
1481
01:01:54.280 --> 01:01:55.960
Yeah, okay. In Fantasia.
1482
01:01:56.000 --> 01:01:56.719
In Fantasia.
1483
01:01:58.420 --> 01:02:01.019
I've got to watch Fantasia again. I love Fantasia. Again,
1484
01:02:01.039 --> 01:02:04.179
no narrative, horrible film. It's not a.
1485
01:02:04.320 --> 01:02:04.719
Moving on.
1486
01:02:04.980 --> 01:02:06.340
What sound or noise do you hate?
1487
01:02:07.389 --> 01:02:11.000
This irritates me a lot. The sound of food being
1488
01:02:11.179 --> 01:02:14.400
opened in the middle of a show. People having a
1489
01:02:14.480 --> 01:02:16.619
conversation about the show that you're watching.
1490
01:02:16.639 --> 01:02:18.920
I talked to me about this on the last podcast.
1491
01:02:18.980 --> 01:02:21.389
It's not. I watched The Odyssey and I was about
1492
01:02:21.409 --> 01:02:22.179
to kill someone.
1493
01:02:22.949 --> 01:02:26.510
I think since COVID, it's become terrible. You cannot go
1494
01:02:26.530 --> 01:02:29.860
see a show without food. bags of sweets or popcorn
1495
01:02:29.880 --> 01:02:32.360
being rustled. I'm like, it's an hour and ten minutes.
1496
01:02:32.760 --> 01:02:35.440
Okay, no, I'm with him. I have a theory about this.
1497
01:02:35.510 --> 01:02:36.090
I'm with him.
1498
01:02:36.199 --> 01:02:40.559
I do think that we need to retrain people. Yes.
1499
01:02:40.789 --> 01:02:42.030
But I do think we have to do it in
1500
01:02:42.070 --> 01:02:43.230
the right way. No.
1501
01:02:43.489 --> 01:02:46.050
I also think that if you're going to sell candy
1502
01:02:46.510 --> 01:02:48.309
and stuff, and I know that, like, I was in
1503
01:02:48.349 --> 01:02:50.849
Sydney not long ago and I saw a show, and
1504
01:02:50.869 --> 01:02:53.110
they serve everything in those cups and stuff, right? So
1505
01:02:53.190 --> 01:02:56.130
you're not getting the rustle. But if you don't, because
1506
01:02:56.170 --> 01:02:59.610
Dave Sims hates it. If you don't like it or
1507
01:02:59.630 --> 01:03:02.159
it's bad. I think it's a bullshit idea. Don't sell it.
1508
01:03:02.519 --> 01:03:03.239
Don't sell it.
1509
01:03:04.460 --> 01:03:06.599
Also, the bar is what keeps the theatre alive.
1510
01:03:06.719 --> 01:03:09.360
I don't think we have to re-educate people on basic decency.
1511
01:03:09.679 --> 01:03:10.880
That's why there's alcohol.
1512
01:03:11.519 --> 01:03:14.730
But also, I have to do say, like I saw
1513
01:03:14.789 --> 01:03:17.909
a show on the weekend and literally two people in
1514
01:03:17.949 --> 01:03:21.190
front of me both used their phones. It's a separate group.
1515
01:03:21.809 --> 01:03:24.789
And the ushers had to come over. Like in the
1516
01:03:24.849 --> 01:03:27.369
same show and tell them to turn their phones off.
1517
01:03:27.429 --> 01:03:29.010
It's an hour, hour and ten minutes.
1518
01:03:29.269 --> 01:03:30.030
It's crazy.
1519
01:03:30.090 --> 01:03:33.630
Switch off. And the conversations that happen around you during
1520
01:03:33.670 --> 01:03:35.050
the show as well just irritates me.
1521
01:03:35.230 --> 01:03:37.880
So how do you think we fix that? Because. Violence.
1522
01:03:37.960 --> 01:03:41.340
No, no. But you could argue that like theatre audiences
1523
01:03:41.360 --> 01:03:45.059
are dwindling, right? So how do we get those new
1524
01:03:45.159 --> 01:03:48.440
people to, or maybe we just have to change our expectations.
1525
01:03:48.480 --> 01:03:52.449
I think we can gas them with Ritalin.
1526
01:03:52.469 --> 01:03:56.739
Spike their drink. Okay. I think it's just the pre-show
1527
01:03:56.780 --> 01:03:59.679
announcement can even, like, I think it was Mamma Mia,
1528
01:03:59.920 --> 01:04:04.420
just being a jukebox musical. So the pre-show announcement has,
1529
01:04:05.739 --> 01:04:07.920
please refrain from singing along inert.
1530
01:04:08.179 --> 01:04:08.619
Oh, really?
1531
01:04:08.639 --> 01:04:09.019
Yeah.
1532
01:04:10.039 --> 01:04:12.460
Please don't ruin this for the rest of us.
1533
01:04:12.480 --> 01:04:14.800
Yeah, for the comfort of the patrons around you, please
1534
01:04:15.139 --> 01:04:18.179
refrain from, you know. There are polite ways. Yeah. Not
1535
01:04:18.400 --> 01:04:21.460
ushers with giant long retractable sticks to poke people.
1536
01:04:23.869 --> 01:04:26.119
Like cattle prods. That's what we need. Well, I didn't
1537
01:04:26.139 --> 01:04:28.599
even know what these people were doing on the... Anyway,
1538
01:04:28.780 --> 01:04:32.280
it was very rude. Checking the sports. Yeah, yeah. Sorry.
1539
01:04:32.320 --> 01:04:39.789
Grumpy old men and Lee. We'll just rename the podcast. Yeah, yeah.
1540
01:04:39.829 --> 01:04:42.610
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
1541
01:04:43.650 --> 01:04:46.050
That is really good. I think a chef or cook.
1542
01:04:46.429 --> 01:04:46.889
Really?
1543
01:04:47.030 --> 01:04:47.800
Yeah, because I.
1544
01:04:48.429 --> 01:04:50.599
I get it. I know you get it because you're
1545
01:04:50.619 --> 01:04:51.539
a really good chef.
1546
01:04:51.699 --> 01:04:54.059
I love cooking. Cooking is my escape from the world.
1547
01:04:54.280 --> 01:04:56.699
I will cook every night. Like before I left time
1548
01:04:56.719 --> 01:05:00.360
to come down here, I had prepared everything ready so
1549
01:05:00.400 --> 01:05:02.440
my wife could walk out of teaching and be like,
1550
01:05:02.539 --> 01:05:03.440
I've just got to quickly cook.
1551
01:05:03.460 --> 01:05:05.690
I'm exactly the same. I love it. It's my decompression.
1552
01:05:05.710 --> 01:05:08.090
Leah's one of the best cooks, like the best food.
1553
01:05:08.289 --> 01:05:09.719
I will cook off. We're going to cook off.
1554
01:05:09.730 --> 01:05:11.670
We should just hang out because that would be great.
1555
01:05:11.690 --> 01:05:13.250
I just find it's a great escape.
1556
01:05:13.590 --> 01:05:13.849
Yes.
1557
01:05:14.030 --> 01:05:17.780
I love food combinations. Mm-hmm. I love planning a meal going, okay,
1558
01:05:17.820 --> 01:05:21.000
I've brought this. How could I use this across multiple meals?
1559
01:05:21.400 --> 01:05:24.360
Do you think that that's because it's the same as,
1560
01:05:24.420 --> 01:05:27.400
I guess, conducting or directing? You're actually using lots of
1561
01:05:27.480 --> 01:05:29.239
elements to bring something.
1562
01:05:28.860 --> 01:05:31.460
Together that's fulfilling and.
1563
01:05:30.940 --> 01:05:31.639
Makes you happy?
1564
01:05:31.659 --> 01:05:32.420
Yeah, I love it.
1565
01:05:32.840 --> 01:05:35.159
Yeah, very deep. This is deep. Oh, here we go, Ben.
1566
01:05:36.280 --> 01:05:40.369
He's falling in love now. What profession would you not
1567
01:05:40.469 --> 01:05:40.989
like to do?
1568
01:05:41.489 --> 01:05:44.409
I would not like to get into politics on any level.
1569
01:05:44.849 --> 01:05:47.090
Because no matter what you do, you're going to offend somebody.
1570
01:05:47.389 --> 01:05:47.929
I just don't.
1571
01:05:48.409 --> 01:05:51.909
Yeah. Yeah. If heaven exists, what would you like to
1572
01:05:51.929 --> 01:05:54.090
hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
1573
01:05:54.769 --> 01:05:56.909
This is an interesting question because you could take it
1574
01:05:56.949 --> 01:06:01.159
so many different directions. But because I like knowing things,
1575
01:06:01.659 --> 01:06:04.739
I would love to know the answers to some of, like,
1576
01:06:05.239 --> 01:06:08.340
history's biggest mysteries. Like, I'd love to know who really
1577
01:06:08.400 --> 01:06:13.139
was Jack the Ripper and be told something that's been
1578
01:06:13.179 --> 01:06:15.460
bugging me. Like, who was Jack the Ripper? Did the
1579
01:06:15.500 --> 01:06:16.780
moon landing actually happen?
1580
01:06:17.519 --> 01:06:18.619
What happened to JFK?
1581
01:06:18.659 --> 01:06:20.820
What happened to JFK? I'd love the answers to those
1582
01:06:20.880 --> 01:06:21.659
questions to be told.
1583
01:06:21.679 --> 01:06:22.760
Yeah. Are they?
1584
01:06:22.780 --> 01:06:22.840
Oh.
1585
01:06:22.840 --> 01:06:26.360
Because there's conspiracy theories, particularly about the Ripper.
1586
01:06:26.380 --> 01:06:28.840
Yeah, like you wouldn't have access to all truth. That's
1587
01:06:28.900 --> 01:06:30.239
a really good point.
1588
01:06:30.389 --> 01:06:31.130
Yeah, I'd love to.
1589
01:06:31.119 --> 01:06:35.190
But we all agree that the moon landing happened, right? Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely.
1590
01:06:37.820 --> 01:06:38.159
Kill him.
1591
01:06:38.380 --> 01:06:41.719
Like, who was Jack the Ripper? Because there's all these
1592
01:06:41.840 --> 01:06:45.650
theories of who it was. Yes. There's never a definitive answer.
1593
01:06:45.909 --> 01:06:49.530
I want to know if Elizabeth I was really a virgin. No,
1594
01:06:50.449 --> 01:06:53.619
she wasn't. She totally was. No way. Elizabeth I?
1595
01:06:53.610 --> 01:06:55.849
Yeah. Well, there you go. God will tell you.
1596
01:06:56.170 --> 01:07:00.150
Yeah. She totally was. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1597
01:07:00.530 --> 01:07:01.150
In name alone.
1598
01:07:02.690 --> 01:07:06.489
Well, they named a colony after it. And the big one. Ben?
1599
01:07:07.300 --> 01:07:09.409
Why do you do this? Why do you do this?
1600
01:07:09.550 --> 01:07:10.429
Why do you do this?
1601
01:07:10.909 --> 01:07:14.070
I think across all things, I love telling stories. I
1602
01:07:14.110 --> 01:07:18.050
love hearing people's stories and I love collecting stories. So
1603
01:07:18.449 --> 01:07:22.360
I think being able to, through directing and music directing,
1604
01:07:22.380 --> 01:07:25.159
be able to tell a story to an audience, to
1605
01:07:25.260 --> 01:07:27.860
hear and see them get swept up in an emotion
1606
01:07:27.940 --> 01:07:31.679
and memories of something it might trigger. or just having
1607
01:07:31.719 --> 01:07:33.400
a good time in the theatre. But then also when
1608
01:07:33.420 --> 01:07:36.500
I'm doing interviews, I love collecting people's stories and finding
1609
01:07:36.519 --> 01:07:38.980
out who they are and that. So I think doing
1610
01:07:39.039 --> 01:07:44.920
this work in the creative arts sphere is just storytelling
1611
01:07:44.960 --> 01:07:46.039
and the collecting of stories.
1612
01:07:46.519 --> 01:07:49.699
Oh, wow. Look, I have... This is probably.
1613
01:07:49.719 --> 01:07:54.000
I've thoroughly enjoyed this. You are such a gentleman and
1614
01:07:54.219 --> 01:07:57.630
obviously very, very talented. And thank you for supporting the arts,
1615
01:07:57.670 --> 01:07:59.469
not only in all the free time and everything that
1616
01:07:59.489 --> 01:08:00.269
you give, but also.
1617
01:08:00.719 --> 01:08:02.550
the reviews and the music. Or even coming here on
1618
01:08:02.590 --> 01:08:04.869
a Monday night with your schedule.
1619
01:08:05.429 --> 01:08:07.070
It's been in the diary.
1620
01:08:07.130 --> 01:08:09.670
Thank you for saying yes, because you've actually, I've walked away.
1621
01:08:09.730 --> 01:08:13.159
I feel very inspired and that's, yeah, this conversation has
1622
01:08:13.179 --> 01:08:13.619
been amazing.
1623
01:08:13.659 --> 01:08:14.320
Thank you so much.
1624
01:08:14.360 --> 01:08:15.480
Thank you for having us.
1625
01:08:15.500 --> 01:08:18.579
Thank you for coming in, Ben. We really, really appreciated it.
1626
01:08:18.779 --> 01:08:22.470
And yeah, I, All the best with all the projects
1627
01:08:22.510 --> 01:08:24.210
that you've got in your head because I imagine they're
1628
01:08:24.229 --> 01:08:25.630
going to 2030 at this stage.
1629
01:08:25.710 --> 01:08:27.090
At this stage. Yeah.
1630
01:08:27.210 --> 01:08:33.079
We'll talk about those after. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lee wants in. Yes,
1631
01:08:33.180 --> 01:08:35.479
thank you. And thank you, Lee. Thank you, Josh. For
1632
01:08:35.680 --> 01:08:39.510
keeping me on board. And thanks to Stepney Studios once again.
1633
01:08:40.210 --> 01:08:43.390
We couldn't do this without them. And the wonderful technology
1634
01:08:43.550 --> 01:08:46.250
and the wonderful room that they supply us with. And
1635
01:08:46.270 --> 01:08:49.210
the wine. And the wine. As far as studios are concerned,
1636
01:08:49.250 --> 01:08:54.449
it's rather bougie. It's pretty bougie. So join us again
1637
01:08:54.449 --> 01:08:57.460
on the next one. I believe. Oh, no.
1638
01:08:57.460 --> 01:09:00.510
It's it's episode 13 i'm lucky for some.
1639
01:09:00.220 --> 01:09:01.979
I'm lucky for some but it's gonna be lucky for
1640
01:09:02.140 --> 01:09:04.560
all of us so i hope whatever project you're working
1641
01:09:04.640 --> 01:09:06.319
on goes well and if.
1642
01:09:06.340 --> 01:09:08.640
It doesn't have fun with it break a leg choke
1643
01:09:08.680 --> 01:09:11.159
us all bye bye i'll let you have this one
1644
01:09:11.399 --> 01:09:12.239
oh good night
1645
01:09:20.180 --> 01:09:20.800
Thank you.