About this Session
In the lead up to Valentines Day we will be exploring the different types of love songs in theatre – songs of romantic love, one-night-stand love, unrequited love, lost love, stalker love – you get the idea! Here’s your opportunity to share your favourite theatre love song, maybe to the one you love? The Broadway Sessions band will be back and there may be a special performance (or 3)! January’s Session will also feature a performance by cast members of the The Light In The Piazza (on Broadway this show won SIX Tony awards, including best score and orchestrations).
Session Host
Katie Packer (she/her)
Katie has played such roles in Adelaide as Little Buttercup in HMS Pinafore, Lady Thiang in The King & I, Antonia in Man of La Mancha as well as Footnote in Pratchett Pieces for the Adelaide Fringe Festival. After moving to Melbourne in 2005 she played The Narrator in Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Lt. Janice Fury in M*A*S*H, Pamela Lukowski in The Full Monty and received Lyrebird Award nominations for playing Sister Amnesia in Nunsense & Nunsense 2. She also played one of her dream roles, The Witch in Into The Woods as well as the wonderful Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn in The Music Man. Since moving back to Adelaide in 2015, Katie has portrayed Margaret Johnson in The Light In The Piazza for the 2016 Adelaide Fringe Festival and Jen in John & Jen. She had the opportunity to work with composer John Bucchino on his show It’s Only Life for the 2018 Adelaide Fringe Festival, to be a part of the small ensemble cast of Godspell, and portrayed Judge Jackie Justice in Judge Jackie: Disorder in the Court for the 2019 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Most recently she portrayed Alice Tinker in The Vicar of Dibley.
Katie has Musically Directed The Outsiders, All The New Stuff, Kids On Broadway, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Godspell, Little Shop Of Horrors, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, The Wedding Singer, Seussical The Musical, The Wizard Of Oz, Annie, Once Upon A Mattress and most recently Betty Blue Eyes. She also had the opportunity to co-direct for the first time with Avenue Q in 2014.
Session Performers
Aled Proeve
Aled has been performing in community theatre productions since 2013, predominantly musical productions but with ever increasing dips into less musical waters. He has been worked himself overtime this performance season, currently in A Man For All Seasons with IpSkip Productions which will be on stage mid January 2020, and he was just recently in the cast of Vintage Hitchcock with Tea Tree Players and was the Minstrel in Once Upon a Mattress with Marie Clark. Some of his production highlights include playing Inspector Kemp in Marie Clark's 2014 production of Young Frankenstein, Joe Vegas in Marie Clark's 2015 production of Fame, Sir Bors/Dancing Nun/Ensemble in Marie Clark's 2018 production of Spamalot, and William Featherstone in Galleon Theatre's 2018 production of How the Other Half Loves.
Outside of theatrical endeavours, Aled has completed Certificates II, III and IV in Music at TAFE SA and a BA in Music at Tabor College, is the current president of The Little Para Singers community choir which he has been in since 2011, and has just reached his 16 month moustache anniversary.
Amelie Peters
Amelie Peters is an award winning, classically trained vocalist, international performer, songwriter and BAST accredited vocal coach.
Amelie holds a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice (Performance and Pedagogy) from the Elder Conservatorium of Adelaide. Her professional performance work includes Carmen (2019) and Carmina Burana (2020) with the State Opera of South Australia as well as successful tours in Australia and the US, where Amelie was invited to sing at the Soho Playhouse in New York City. Her credits as a vocal director for youth theatre include High School Musical 2 (2016), Hairspray the Musical (2018) and Mary Poppins the Musical (2019.) Amelie has also produced and performed original music in Cabernet the Cabaret (2019) and Cabernet Refined (2020) at the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
While she specialises in classical voice, Amelie also has a strong background in musical theatre, jazz and contemporary music. She has worked with renowned opera singers, musical theatre composers and Broadway stars from around the world.
Amelie’s ability to inspire, guide and nurture talent has led to consistently outstanding results for her private students and vocal ensembles, making Amelie one of the most sought after young vocal coaches in Adelaide.
Andrew James Crispe
Andrew is an established freelance performer and vocal coach who has performed professionally in and around Adelaide. He has been a member of the State Opera of SA’s Chorus since 2009. Andrew‘s first foray into the world of Music Theatre was in 2000, when he was encouraged to audition for the Gilbert & Sullivan Society’s back-to-back production of HMS Pinafore and Trial By Jury, and since then he has not looked back!
Andrew won his first leading role in 2006, and has gone on to play a large number of leading and supporting roles throughout Adelaide’s community theatre. Andrew has been nominated for Best Male Performance by the Critics Circle Awards for his role as Don Lockwood in Singin’ In The Rain, and by the Adelaide Theatre Guide for the same role, as well as his portrayal of The Beast in Disney's Beauty And The Beast. For one of his most recent productions Andrew won the TASA Best Male Performance Award for his portrayal of Edward Bloom in BIG FISH – a show which also won the TASA MusiCal Award. Andrew co-wrote and performed in the sold-out season of Villain-Ville: A Musical Exploration of Villainy and Evil in the 2015 Fringe Festival. His most recent appearances this year include a return to the role of Curly McLain (for the third time) in an outdoor production of Oklahoma (On A Farm) with Emma Knights Productions, The Preacher in Davine Interventionz production of Violet, a return to the role of the Major General in Emma Knights Productions’ fourth season of Pirates On The Popeye, and lastly as Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Andrew played the role of Marius in both seasons of Les Misérables with the Gilbert & Sullivan’s Society in 2008 and 2009, and he is overjoyed to be coming back for yet another season with them only this time as the infamous Javert – a role he has coveted since he was little!
Anna Ruediger
Anna has enjoyed singing and performing from a young age and is no stranger to the stage. During 2015, Anna made her debut to the Adelaide musical theatre scene, performing in Therry's June production of the Goodbye Girl and later with Marie Clark as Lambchops, in their October production of FAME. Anna also sings regularly at C3 Church Adelaide Hills in Hahndorf. She is looking forward to performing again with Marie Clark in their 2016 production of Catch Me If You Can, and is delighted to join the Broadway Sessions lineup this year.
Arianne Fabris
Participating in the Australian Girls Choir for eight years, Arianne has gone on to take part in many different music and performing events inside and outside school and most recently Adelaide Cabaret Festival's 2015 Class of Cabaret program and dancing at the Twenty20 Big Bash League New Years Eve concert. Although she's always had a passion for singing, dancing, acting and music and has being seeing musicals since a young age, it was not until recently she discovered that she would like to hopefully one day pursue a career in musical theatre and looks forward to starting rehearsals for the Hairspray Arena Tour. One of her favourite events so far has been competing at Generations in Jazz (2013-15) at Mount Gambier with the school jazz choir and is looking forward to going back and competing for her final year at school.
Carly Meakin
Carly started choral singing at a young age in the Adelaide Girls Choir. She performed with "Voiceworks Adelaide" during her tertiary studies and more recently has sung in the Adelaide Symphony Chorale. Her love of singing initially stemmed from performing with choirs, whilst her passion for performing in musicals started in 2005, when she was part of the MS Society's production of Les Misérables.
Since then, Carly has performed in Gilbert and Sullivan's productions of Les Misérables, Jesus Christ Superstar and Oliver. She has also performed in Davine Productions' Violet, It's Only Life, Beautiful The Carole King Musical, Summer of 69 and A New Brain.
Carly is a High School Music Teacher by trade and is currently the arts coordinator of Gleeson College. Her favourite part of her job is allowing her students to have the experience of performing in musicals. Some of her students from Gleeson are still heavily involved in the Adelaide music theatre scene and some have sung in Broadway Sessions here. She loves the thought that her past students are continuing on with their love of music and musicals.
Caroline Barber
Caroline has always been a lover of music and theatre. Studying drama and music performance during her school years allowed her to gain confidence in performing and grew her passion for being on stage.
She is a country girl at heart but loves the opportunities that the city has given her, including performing with Adelaide gang show, at Broadway sessions, as a part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival and with Emma Kinghts' productions through Floating Melodies.
Ellis Dolan (he/him)
Ellis Dolan toured as Eddie/Dr. Scott in The Rocky Horror Show, and with the company of School of Rock as an Understudy for Dewey Finn and as a Swing – travelling all over Australia, China, and New Zealand.
He spent 2017 studying Musical Theatre at NIDA; appearing in the Sydney Theatre Company production of Chimerica as part of the NIDA Ensemble.
He has appeared in several productions around Adelaide, including Evita (The Met) in which he portrayed Che; The Producers (HMC) as the Stormtrooper; Oliver! (Shane Davidson Presents) as Bill Sykes; as well as ensemble roles in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (HMC) and Jesus Christ Superstar (G&S Society). Off-stage, he acted as Assistant Director for You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Smokey Joe's Cafe (HMC).
He also toured across Australia, portraying the role of Peter Dutton, as part of Abbott: The Musical (George Glass Productions), performing as part of the Canberra Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well as a sell-out run in the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
Outside of performing, Ellis is a writer – having completed his Honours in Creative Arts: Creative Writing at Flinders University. He’s currently struggling through the third draft of a novel and is constantly side-tracked by wanting to write reviews and film analysis; because of this, nothing seems to get done, but he has a lot of fun doing it.
He made his directorial debut with Edges as part of the 2018 Adelaide Fringe Festival and loved every second of working with such fine people.
Emma Bargery
From pantomime Prince to neurotic pianist, Emma treasures every moment she has spent on stage. Some of her favourite roles include: Morticia in MBM's Addams Family the Musical, Portia the wind up doll in Grey (2010 Adelaide Fringe) and Nancy in G&S SA's production of Oliver!
Professionally, Emma has performed around Adelaide as a singer in various bands and vocal groups, acted in several Adelaide Fringe Festivals, toured interstate as a dancer in Elvis If I can Dream starring Mark Anthony, and in 2012 she had the great pleasure of working with Six Foot Something Productions and The Factory, performing as Natalie Goodman in the award winning SA Premiere of Next To Normal.
Emma has recently had the honour to work with renowned composers Matthew Robinson (Metro Street, Happy People) and Scott Evan Davis (Cautiously Optimistic, Picture Perfect) and also had the pleasure to sing some new material written by young and upcoming Australian composers as a soloist at Adelaide's first Home Grown performance. In early 2015 Emma performed as Holly in the Australian premiere of Darkle (Lazy Saturday Productions) written by Bill Gallager as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Emma is thrilled to be understudying the role of Kate in the Australian Tour of Amity Dry's Mother Wife and The Complicated Life, as well as sinking her teeth into a classic tale re-told in Foul Play's production of Eurydice. She is also set to appear as a victim of a violent crime in Director Gareth Wilkes' short film Aftershock.
Georgia Bolton
Hailing from rural South Australia, Georgia is a 2017 graduate of the Bachelor of Musical Theatre program at the Queensland Conservatorium. Before discovering her passion for Musical Theatre, Georgia trained in classical violin, piano and contemporary voice. After performing in her first show in Adelaide she won the Adelaide Youth Theatre scholarship for 2013. During her time at the Conservatorium, Georgia has been fortunate enough to play the Narrator in Sweet Charity, Sonja in The Life, been Featured Performer in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and Girl in West Side Story.
Georgia has also enjoyed being a featured soloist at multiple extracurricular performances, including Thank You For The Music: An ABBA Celebration at QPAC, Queensland Pops Orchestra with Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Rhonda Burchmore on Broadway, the Queensland Tourism Awards and the City Hall Concert Series as part of the Brisbane Festival. Georgia is proudly represented by Mollison Keightley Management.
Harry Nguyen
Harry Nguyen is usually known as the ‘Krispy Kreme’ guy, mainly because he brings donuts to any shows that he is apart of. Falling in love with theatre from his first show in 2013 (High School Musical, AYT), Harry has immersed himself in shows including Hairspray (AYT), Fame (Marie Clark), Into the Woods (AYT), Rent (Marie Clark), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (G&S). Harry is currently working towards getting into theatre schools, but in the meantime you can catch him working at Krispy Kreme and giving free glazed donuts to anyone he knows.
Heather Crawford
Heather has been involved in Adelaide theatre for a number of years (as the years pass she's not so eager to share exactly how many). Over this undisclosed amount of time she has been involved in a number of plays and musicals, working with G&S, Independent Theatre, Burnside Players, The Adelaide Rep and Marie Clarke Musical Theatre (to name a few).
Kristin Stefanoff (she/her)
Kristin is a music teacher, musician, and performer based in the Adelaide Hills. Favourite musical theatre roles include: Ms Gardner/Female Authority Voice (Carrie The Musical - Hills Musical Company 2023); Muriel (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Hills Musical Company 2022); Laura (High Fidelity - Hills Musical Company 2021); Vivienne (Legally Blonde - The MET 2021); Simone (Shane Warne The Musical - Segue Productions 2020); Elizabeth (If/Then - Segue Productions 2018); Cathy (The Last Five Years - Segue Productions 2017); Clara (The Light In The Piazza - Davine Productions 2016); Inga (Young Frankenstein - Marie Clark Musical Theatre 2014); Smitty (How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying - Marie Clark Musical Theatre 2013); and Ensemble/Lady of The Lake Understudy (Spamalot - Marie Clark Musical Theatre 2018).
Kristin holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the Elder Conservatorium, majoring in Classical Piano, and has extensive accompanying and pit experience. Music Direction credits include: Heathers: The Musical (Segue Productions 2019); Calamity Jane (Marie Clark Musical Theatre 2014); Poor Expectations (Investigator College 2014); Mulan Jr (Investigator College 2013); and Honk! (Investigator College 2011).
Kristin teaches piano, voice, violin and music theory, and loves seeing students grow in confidence as they develop their skills in music.
Leah Harford
At 18, Leah is trained in Musical Theatre, dance and has private singing tuition with Kirsty Roberts. The Met’s The King & I was Leah’s first musical at eight years old whereby she played the role of Princess Ying Yaowalack and some ten years on Leah was very excited to accept the beautiful role of Tuptim with The Met – shows start 13th October at the Arts Theatre.
In the ten year gap Leah has performed for both professional and amateur companies in varying lead and support roles: Adelaide Youth Theatre – Into The Woods (Cinderella), Seussical (Gertrude), Hairspray (Nicest Kid), High School Musical (Taylor McKessie), You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Sally u/s), G&S Society – Les Misérables (Young Cosette), Swell Productions – Thoroughly Modern Millie (Bun Foo), Into the Woods (Rapunzel), Beauty & The Beast (Le Fou), Seussical (Jo-Jo), … just to name a some of the shows. Leah extended her CV to include directing with AYT giving her the opportunity to direct her first musical Aladdin Jr. earlier this year – a fantastic experience which she loved.
Leah has performed overseas in Disneyland Hong Kong & Paris and on the West End in London with the Australian Youth Performing Arts Team and has sung at many previous Broadway Sessions. Leah hopes to go on and study and teach in the Arts Industry.
Lindsay Prodea (he/him)
Lindsay has performed over the past decade in both musical theatre and cabaret, having enjoyed success in various genres: classical roles such as John Brooke in Little Women (The Musical) (Therry Dramatic Society 2013) and Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods (Northern Light Theatre Company 2012); to contemporary roles such as Abraham in the Adelaide premiere of Altar Boyz (Davine Interventionz 2013), Sonny Malone in Xanadu (The Musical) (Davine Interventionz 2014), George in The Drowsy Chaperone (Hills Musical Company 2013), Kyle the UPS Delivery guy in Legally Blonde (HMC 2014) and most recently Elliott Garfield in The Goodbye Girl (Therry 2015). Lindsay has also appeared in countless other shows, favourites including Urinetown, 42nd Street, Crazy for You & Les Misérables. Most recently he premiered in Adelaide the role of Fabrizio for Davine Interventionz's 2016 Adelaide Fringe Show, The Light In The Piazza.
Aside from musical theatre, Lindsay has a keen passion for cabaret, having written, co-produced and performed at numerous cabaret events over the years. Stepping out side his usual genre, Lindsay played the role of Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby (old sport), produced by Independent Theatre.
Lisa Simonetti
Lisa has been singing since a very young age and has been receiving singing tuition since the age of 14 – most recently with David Gauci. Lisa has also been a vocal coach & singing teacher for almost 9 years and became involved in Adelaide community theatre around this time. Since then Lisa has gone on to be involved in many shows – some of her favourite roles include Ellie Greenwich in Leader of the Pack (NLTC, 2011), Mrs Potts in Disney's Beauty & the Beast (2011), Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray (MBM 2012) and most recently Mama Cass Elliott in the South Australian premiere of Flower Children (Davine Interventionz, 2015).
Lisa has also had the opportunity to be involved with performing in the Adelaide Fringe Festival (Michelle & the Gentleman's Club, 2013 & Flower Children, 2015) & several workshops & masterclasses during the Adelaide Cabaret Festival (with Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Matthew Robinson & Scott Evan Davis). She was also recently in New York this year in July and was lucky enough to have a one on one class with Adam Guettel (lyrical writter for Light in the Piazza). By night she is a performer but by day works as a midwife at the Women's & Children's Hospital, where the song of choice is 'Happy Birthday' for all the new babies she gets to welcome into the world!
Mark Oates (he/him)
Mark is an award winning South Australian performer whose credits include the Adelaide and Brisbane Festivals, State Opera South Australia, SINGular Productions, Co Opera, Various People, Aerial Artists Australia, and MOatesArt Productions.
In 2022 Mark was nominated for an Adelaide Critic's Circle Award for his body of work. He premiered the dual roles of Ian Duncan and Don Dunstan in Neil Armfield's Ruby Award-winning Watershed: The Death Of Dr Duncan for the Adelaide Festival – while for State Opera South Australia he performed Lt Tom in Voss and Gastone in La Traviata, as well as embarking on a national tour of Love Burns, completing the first orchestration workshop of When The Rain Stops Falling and appearing in Bright Lights, Big Dreams.
Previous Adelaide Festival appearances are Mozart Requiem (2020), Bernstein Mass – featured Street Singer (2012) and Le Grande Macabre - Ruffiak (2010).
In State Opera of South Australia's 2023 season Mark will be appearing as the Defendant in Trial by Jury and in Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore, as well as hosting the Tra La La Bar for the Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, with further exciting projects to be announced. In 2021, Mark appeared as Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd and Jack in Love Burns, and opened the year in Carousel. Further highlights with the company include Njegus in The Merry Widow, Arjuna in Satyagraha, John Styx in Orpheus in the Underworld, The Cantor in Maria de Buenos Aires (co production with Leigh Warren Dancers – Adelaide Festival Centre Playhouse and Brisbane Festival). Mark is a proud and long-standing State Opera South Australia artist, both as a chorister and a principal performer.
Well known and regarded on the concert stage, Mark also mentors Class of Cabaret for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, works extensively with Primary Schools Music Festival and regularly tours with Aerial Artists Australia in Le Aerial, including Perth Fringeworld, Adelaide Fringe, Auckland Fringe, Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Arts Centre and Port Douglas. Mark is Associate Producer and regular host of Broadway Sessions, Adelaide's long running monthly music theatre focussed, curated open mic night.
Paul Talbot
Paul is a co-founder of Six Foot Something Productions, producing and performing in Picture Perfect (Adelaide Cabaret Festival), playing Dan in Next to Normal (nominated for an Adelaide Theatre Guide award as best professional performance, Male) as one of the five performers in Elegies: Song Cycle and as Jamie in The Last Five Years. He is a regular performer with the State Opera Chorus (most recently appearing as God in Faust) and has appeared as a soloist at a number of corporate events.
With Swamp Fairy Paul appeared in a touring production of Loving Lloyd Weber and sang for the Cancer Council (opening for Rhonda Burchmore at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre). He performed as part of Fright Night for CanDo4Kids and sung the national anthem from a diving board for the National Junior Diving Championships. He has also sung with the Adelaide Chamber Singers and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, including the first performance of Peter Sculthorpe’s Requiem (Adelaide Fringe Festival). Paul was nominated for an Adelaide Critic’s Circle award for his performance as Grosvenor in Patience (opposite Denis Olsen). He has performed many lead roles in amateur theatre, including both plays and musicals. Favourite roles include Bill Sikes (Oliver), Jack (Into the Woods) and Enjolras (Les Misérables).
Rachel Bruerville
Rachel Bruerville is a composer, arranger, cellist, singer, and writer, who is very proud to call Adelaide her home, and will not be moving away anytime soon! She has a cat named Larry, and when she’s not in a rehearsal, you might find her hanging out in the Hufflepuff common room. Rachel’s main performing activity is in her role as a core alto member of the Adelaide Chamber Singers, as well as playing the cello in various situations, including in Adelaide theatre pits.
Career highlights include being commissioned by The Hush Foundation for the 2018 album 'Collective Wisdom', writing music to reduce stress in children's hospital environments; a nomination for 'Vocal/Choral Work of the Year' in the APRA AMCOS / Australian Music Centre 2019 Art Music Awards for her piece In Due Season, commissioned by the Adelaide Chamber Singers; and singing solo with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Paul Rissmann, Festival of Learning 2017-18, as well as being contracted for the same in 2020!
Rachel Rai
Since moving (back and forth) to Melbourne, Rachel has completed a diploma at APO Arts Academy in Music Theatre. She worked with Magnormos in their Sondheim and Herman triptychs Anyone Can Whistle and Milk and Honey at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Other performances include the premiere of two original Australian musicals Housewarming (Apollo Productions) and Until Tomorrow (Kin Collaborative). Rachel has featured at corporate events including floor shows at the Crown Entertainment and back-up vocalist on network television shows Dancing With The Stars and Australia's Got Talent.
On the Adelaide theatre scene, she co-wrote and performed award-nominated cabaret comedy trilogy Tears On My Pillow and premiered the (award-nominated) musical song cycle Homemade Fusion with So What Media. In 2013 she played the role of Chelsea with The Follies Company and Auspicious Arts Projects in the workshop of upcoming Australian musical The New Black. Other roles include, Petra in A Little Night Music, Miss Dorothy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Carmen Diaz in Fame and Eponine in Les Misérables (for which she won an ATG Award for Best Female Performer 2008).
Rachel made her Melbourne 'Am Dram' Theatre debut last year with the role of Sukie in Williamstown's Witches of Eastwick and will be returning this year to play the role of Brenda in the Victorian Premiere of Catch Me If You Can. Rachel is currently developing her one-woman cabaret Manxious (which won Judges and People's choice at The Short+Sweet Festival on the Gold Coast in 2015).
She misses you.
Rebecca Raymond
Rebecca comes from a rich musical heritage and has been performing for most of her life. Versatile in her style she enjoys performing in all musical genres which has led to her performing as a soloist with many different groups and for varying audiences. She has been a leading soloist with Adelaide’s Soul Factor Gospel Choir for the past 16 years, performs regularly with her Sisters, The Raymond Sisters and for five years was the vocal soloist with the Melbourne Staff Band with whom she toured Australia, Korea and the UK where she had the privilege of singing in the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Rebecca performs corporately as a Singer and Actor. Appearing as a soloist at varying events in Adelaide and Nationally and in Theatre. Memorable roles include the role of Violet Hilton in SideShow (2018) and Aida in Aida (2017) with Hills Musical Company, Sandra Bloom in Big Fish with Therry Dramatic Society (2016), Laurey in Oklahoma! The immersive farm experience with Emma Knights Productions (2016 & 2017), and Cosette in Les Misérables with the G&S Society (2008 & 2009).
When not performing Rebecca teaches singing, has her own Mary Kay Cosmetic business and is a makeup artist. She also teaches Skincare & Self Esteem classes in schools and groups in the community.
Rod Schultz
Rod has proven his versatility in a broad variety of roles, from musicals to children’s theatre. Leading roles include Fagin in Oliver! (The G&S Society of SA), Paul in A Chorus Line and Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Hills Musical Company), The Man in the Saloon in Blues in the Night (Northern Light Theatre Company), and The Baker in Into the Woods (MS Society). Other credits include Dr Madden/Dr Fine in Next to Normal (Six Foot Something Productions), Carl-Magnus in A Little Night Music (Hills Musical Company), Collins in RENT (Catchy Title Productions), the Villan in The Musical of Musicals, the Musical! (Toot Toot Productions), Linus in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (MS Society) and Thenardier in several productions of Les Misérables.
As a vocalist, Rod has featured in cabaret, benefit concerts, corporate entertainment, and has originated roles in developing local works. He has sung live for ABC radio and has toured Australia extensively with children’s favourite The Fairies.
Since joining Co-Opera in 2012, Rod has toured Australia and Malaysia with Die Fledermaus (Frank), and recently made his opera debut covering the role of Goro for Co-Opera’s touring production of Madama Butterfly.
Scott Lorien (he/him)
Scott has always had a love of the theatre, but his real obsession began in high school, with performances as the Foreman, Pimp and a Student in Les Misérables, Priam in Paris and Action in West Side Story. Since completing high school he performed non-stop for a number of years, starting with Gerald Bolingbroke in Me and My Girl, an Apostle in Jesus Christ Superstar and Ugly in Honk! (Marie Clark Musical Theatre). After playing Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly! and Asher and the Butler in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company of SA), Scott joined Northern Light Theatre Company’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as Monsieur D’Arque to round out 2011. The following year started with an incredible experience: Scott won the role of Henry in Six Foot Something’s pro-am Production of Next to Normal. After a mild performance hiatus in more recent times, Scott starred as Hunter in Irregular Productions sell out 2015 Adelaide Fringe season of [title of show].
If there’s one thing he regrets, it’s not starting singing and performing (publicly of course) at an earlier age. Off-stage (but in the theatre) Scott enjoys both sound and lighting design, and the challenges each of these areas brings to his knowledge of design in the digital world. Broadway Sessions is certainly the start of a new chapter, bringing together many ongoing stories and plot lines, but allowing the love of theatre (musical theatre in particular) to continue in new and exciting ways.
When not strutting his stuff on stage, or manically helping out backstage or in the roof of a theatre, Scott is a web designer & developer, creating sites like this one! You can see more of his work at www.scottreynolds.com.au.
Session Band
Peter Johns (Piano/Musical Director)
Peter is a music director, accompanist, repertoire coach, and the founder of Irregular Productions - one half of the brains behind Broadway Sessions.
He has been a theatre music director since 2005, with a number of his shows winning local awards. Theatre Credits include: (as Music Director) Beautiful, Mamma Mia, Les Misérables, Next to Normal, Violet, The Story Of My Life, Songs For A New World, The Light In The Piazza, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, Into the Woods, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, [title of show], Edges, Avenue Q, Bring It On, Singing In The Rain, Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver!, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Chicago, Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music, Urinetown the Musical, Scrooge, The Witches of Eastwick, Little Shop of Horrors, Seussical the Musical, Grease, Once Upon a Mattress; (as Associate Music Director) Kinky Boots; (as Conductor) City of Angels, The Addams Family; (as Associate Conductor) Rent; (as Assistant Music Director) Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, South Pacific, Copacabana; as well as playing keyboard in over 25 other productions.
Besides co-producing Broadway Sessions, Irregular Productions has also staged the South Australian premieres of Songs for a New World, [title of show] and Edges, as well as a new production of Godspell (with Lydian Productions).
Peter is also the music director for Civic Park Carols, Australia's second-largest candlelight carols event, working with some of Adelaide’s finest musician’s and performers, as well as artists such as Justine Clarke, Guy Sebastian, Rachel Beck, and Jimmy Giggle.
Louis Cann (Bass)
Louis has been playing both double bass and bass guitar as long as he can remember. Beginning with lessons at the age of 7, he quickly developed his skills and decided that music was the career for him. Louis began playing for Musical Theatre shows in 2011, with the Northern Lights Theatre Company’s production of Beauty and the Beast, which coincidentally, was the beginning of a long-standing working relationship with Musical Director, Peter Johns! Since, Louis has played for many theatre companies around Adelaide, including Adelaide Youth Theatre, Lydian Productions, Pelican Productions, Davine Productions, Irregular Productions, Marie Clarke Musical Theatre, The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of South Australia, and Hills Musical Company. Some of his favourite shows to play for have been In the Heights, for Pelican Productions in 2019, and Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, for Davine Productions in 2020. In 2018, Louis had the privilege of playing in the pit for the Gordon Frost Organisation’s touring production of The Wizard of Oz. Louis graduated from the Elder Conservatorium of Music in 2016, with a Bachelor of Music (Classical Performance.) That same year, he began performing as a casual member of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra - some of his favourite performances include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Concert at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, and Last Night of the Proms at the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Max Ziliotto (Drums/Percussion)
Max Ziliotto has been performing since 2004, from concert bands, drumline and big band, to orchestral works and musical theatre. Prior to his acceptance as a Casual Percussionist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, he completed his Bachelor of Music in 2013 at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music under the tutelage of Amanda Grigg.
Born in Adelaide, Max began his musical journey under the guidance of Peter Matzick. Attending Marryatville High School, Max gained a wealth of performance opportunities including the Generations in Jazz festival in Mount Gambier. During his Undergraduate studies, Max won first place in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Snare Drum Award in 2011.
Max has been performing with the Elder Conservatorium's Music Theatre students' productions since 2021, most notably playing the drum score for Legally Blonde, directed by Broadway's Nikki Snelson in 2022.
Max was also an active member of the Raiders Drum Corps from 2006-2019, performing numerous times in the city's Christmas Pageant, and on stage with them at Australian Ultimate Drummers Weekend in Melbourne 2015. He has tutored at South Australian Music Camp multiple times, and has been in the house band of Broadway Sessions since its inception in 2015.