June Session: Adults Only (MA15+)

26 Sunday June 2016
When: 6:30pm Where: Nexus Arts, Lion Arts Centre Tickets: $10

About this Session

Normally we censor performed material for language and themes in the interest of keeping Broadway Sessions family friendly. Not this month – in the words of Cole Porter, Anything Goes!

Join us on Sunday 26 June as David Gauci and special guest, Trekkie Monster, take us into the more risque side of of musical theatre – with songs from shows such as Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, The Wild Party, Spring Awakening, and Jerry Springer the Opera, you can bet it’s going to be a night not to be missed.

We’ve rated it MA15+ but please be aware that some material may offend the faint of heart.

For your chance to perform, you can register and express your interest NOW! Head on over to www.broadwaysessions.com.au/register to get involved. If you are registering, please remember to suggest two songs so we can choose a program of varied style, and that song submissions need to fit the theme of the night.

Doors open at 6pm and there are beverages available from the bar all night. As this is a licensed venue, please do not bring food and drinks (including water!) with you.

 

Session Hosts

David Gauci (he/him)

David Gauci, proudly from Adelaide’s western suburbs, wouldn’t stop singing from an early age – so much so that the Sisters of St Joseph at primary school wished he’d just shut up and do maths.

At Woodville High, teachers and parents suggested – after David showed interest in acting or journalism – a career in accounting. He did study accountancy but also theology and music (Elder Conservatorium). David was introduced to opera and classical singing but went down the dark path of corporate functions, cabaret and music theatre. He worked in piano bars for 20 years in Adelaide, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney and Townsville.

David wrote cabaret shows New York According to Bernstein, The Sinatra Show and The Broadway Show, performed with co-writer and accompanist Matthew Carey in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Townsville and Darwin.

He performed at the inaugural Adelaide Cabaret Festival and again in 2016 when he returned with the award-winning It was Worth the Weight. David also wrote and performed in The Big Book of Broadway, Cole’s Girls, Leading Men I’ll Never Play and Wireless.

He was equal winner in the 2015 Australian Cabaret Competition Adelaide final and most recently performed in the Australian Touring production of Hairspray as understudy to the role of Edna Turnblad – adding to professional stage roles in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney

David’s also appeared in TV commercials and films, e.g. The Brush Off, directed by Sam Neill.

This led to forming his own Davine Interventionz Productions in 2013 with a string of shows he’s produced, directed and/or designed to glowing reviews and a welter of awards. And David’s still singing!

Kimberly Clark

Sharing his name with a well-known brand of toilet paper taught Kimberly Clark how to laugh at himself at a tender age. Only fitting then that he ended up in the theatre later in life as well as, albeit more recently, dipping his toe into the murky waters of standup comedy.

A veteran of more shows than the years he has walked the Earth, some of Kim's favourite roles include Roger De Bris in The Producers (MBM, 2007), Captain Georg Von Trapp in The Sound of Music (G & S Society, 2014), Scullery, the drunken smelly host of Road (Red Chilli, 2007), John Proctor in The Crucible (Adelaide Theatre Guild, 2017), and perhaps his most favourite role of all, the iconic Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz (Marie Clark, 2008).

Kim's last foray onto the stage was MD for We Will Rock You for MBM in 2018. Welcome back, Kim.

Trekkie Monster

Trekkie was born. Trekkie grew up. Trekkie discovered porn. There's not much more to tell.

Session Performers

Andrew Kelly

Andrew has been around for a while having played in bands since the early 80's.  This is his first foray into the musical theatre world though .. unless you count the 1980 appearance as Louis Leonowens in a highschool production of The King and I or an even earlier Primary School outing as the Artful Dodger. He has never played Pokémon Go. Honest.

Buddy Dawson

Buddy is a high school drama teacher who loves to perform. He has worked with a number of amateur theatre companies in Adelaide and has played many over-the-top characters (whilst breaking many bones in the process).

Chloe Bremner

One of Chloe's earliest memories is twirling and singing in an Adelaide Crows football guernsey. Following this passion, she landed her first professional role in the touring production of Turandot in 2008, as well as starring as Ariel in the 2013 Australian premiere of The Little Mermaid. Chloe loved being part of Big Dreams – a 2019 Book Week show.

Throughout her time at WAAPA, Chloe has had the opportunity to play Cora in Atlantis (Matthew Robinson. Workshop) and Diane Lorimer in 42nd Street (dir. Jason Langley) as well as being a featured soloist in both Rent (dir. Adam Mitchell) and Chicago (dir. Crispin Taylor). Chloe filmed Vivid ‘magination, a music video with WASA where she played female lead Drew which was released in 2018.

Most recently Chloe returned from performing in Disney’s PJ Masks live show in Singapore with Marilla productions.

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.

Iman Saleh

Iman has been a musician for 10 years playing bass in several local bands throughout that time and also having completed a diploma in music. Always having a natural knack for the arts he always wanted to explore the side of acting and dancing, and was given the opportunity in 2015 when he first entered the Adelaide musical theatre scene in JamaeRaws adaptation of the musical Grease, portraying the role of Danny Zuko. He has since been in Wicked (Matt Byrne Media) and Anything Goes (JamaeRaw) playing Moonface Martin and most recently MBM's Saturday Night Fever as Bobby C. Iman has been enjoying his experiences and developing his stage skills and is excited to see where it will take him.

Jess Knoblauch

Jess can’t seem to resist the lure of the stage no matter how hard she tries, having clocked up fifteen shows under her belt. She has particularly fond memories of SHOUT! The Legend of the Wild One (2008, The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2011, The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company), playing Frenchy in Grease (2013, The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company), playing a most convincing Cow-Horse in Young Frankenstein (2014, Marie Clark Musical Theatre Company) and playing the frilly-meringue-Dolly-Varden-bunny-bride in Wedding Singer (2015, Marie Clark Musical Theatre Company). Of course, none of these quite beat playing Amy opposite her on stage/off stage fiance in The Hills Musical Company's production of Company in November last year.

Jonathan Knoblauch

Jonathan performed in his first musical Company in November last year for The Hills Musical Company. He played Paul and was lucky enough to be cast alongside his girlfriend Jess Rossiter (Amy) as an engaged couple. Jonathan decided to make their stage engagement official by proposing during a Company rehearsal. Jonathan has also sung in choirs and vocal ensembles throughout his life and was a founding member of band the New White Sneakers who have been on Triple J and supported the likes of The Cat Empire.

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 Urinetown42nd StreetCrazy 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.

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.

Mim Sarre (she/her)

Millicent Sarre (Mim) is a cabaret artist, singer-songwriter, vocal coach, and musical theatre performer, brought up and working on Kaurna Land. She has toured her original cabaret works Australia-wide; her most recent show Millicent Sarre is Opinionated won ‘Best Cabaret’ of the Adelaide Fringe 2023, and the album of the original songs from the show was released in February 2023. Previous musical theatre roles include Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd (ECMT, dir. James Millar), Hildy in On the Town (ECMT, dir. Erin James), Rona Lisa Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (ECMT, dir. Joseph Simons), and Ivy in the Australian premiere of Ivy + Bean: The Musical (The Gemini Collective, dir. Sarah Williams). Mim will graduate with a Bachelor of Music Theatre from the Elder Conservatorium in 2023.

Nicole Seal

Starting as an actor, Nicole has a comprehensive history in the theatre, having worked as an arts and events industry professional for most of her life. She’s had experience in almost every area of the profession, both in front of and behind the scenes and holds an Advanced Diploma of Arts (Acting) along with Certificates in Entertainment & Screen. Despite being constantly impressed and intimidated by the amazing array of talented people that surround her, every once in a while she takes the risk of possibly humiliating herself on stage again – this is one of those occasions.

Ray Cullen

Ray is originally from Sydney and since moving to Adelaide a few years ago he has performed in CATS (The Met), Guys and Dolls (G&S) and most recently Big Fish (Therry). In Sydney he performed in a variety of musicals such as Oklahoma – Will Parker (Manly Musical Society), Dusty Springfield – Rodney (Chatswood Musical Society), Jekyll & Hyde – Archibald Proops (Berowra Musical Society) and many more.

Tegan Gully-Crispe (She/Her)

Tegan has appeared in amateur and professional shows since the age of nine, her favourite roles include Lois/Bianca in Kiss Me Kate (MCMT- 2006 and Co Opera SA - 2007), Ariel in Footloose (Matt Byrne Media – 2006), Lucy T Slut in Avenue Q (Matt Byrne Media – 2011), Rizzo in Grease (The Met – 2013), Calamity Jane in Calamity Jane (MCMT- 2014), Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (Hills Musical Company – 2014) and Julia in The Wedding Singer (MCMT- 2015).

For five years Tegan worked at the Night Train as a lead performer in their Adult, Kids and touring show, The Rockaholics, and has been the lead singer for Adelaide corporate and Party Band Jungle Jooce for the past 16 years. She also co-wrote, choreographed and performed in the sold out season of Villain-Ville: A Musical Exploration of Villainy and Evil in the 2015 Adelaide Fringe Festival.

More recently Tegan played Princess Fiona in AYT's Shrek, Tracy Samantha Lord in the METs High Society, Mayzie La Bird in NLTC’s Seussical in 2018 and Eva Peron in G&S' production of Evita in 2021. In April this year, Tegan will be playing Holly in Northern Light Theatre CO’s production of The Wedding Singer.

Vaishnavi Rajaramanan

Vaishnavi is a lawyer with a passion for music theatre. This is now her fifth time being a part of the Broadway Sessions line-up, and her first time since coming back from a long hiatus! She was in the Met's production of Bye Bye Birdie and hopes to be part of another show soon!

Vanessa Lee Shirley

Vanessa holds an Advanced Diploma of Design for makeup, specializing in film, TV, theatre and SFX. She has been Head Makeup Artist for various feature and short films and theatre productions. Currently she is performing in G&S Les Misérables as Madame Thenadier and following this Vanessa is producing and performing the role of Claire in Ordinary Days. Her other performance credits include understudy to the role of Bec in Amity Dry’s musical Mother Wife and The Complicated Life with Popjam Productions, Co-Opera’s The Magic Flute throughout Australia and Europe and performing Frasquita in Carmen. Vanessa’s extensive musical theatre background includes Mrs Sowerberry in Oliver!, Ayah in The Secret Garden, Tessa in The Gondoliers, the Fairy Queen in Iolanthe, Annas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Edith in Pirates of Penzance, and Rapunzel in Into The Woods. Vanessa has recently directed and designed The Addams Family Musical for Walford School for Girls.

Zak Vasiliou

Zak is currently in his third year at the Victorian College of the Arts studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre). He has been passionate about theatre for as long as he can remember, undertaking both on and offstage roles for a variety of productions. He has completed a Certificate IV in Commercial Dance at Gravity Dance, specialising in tap, hip hop, jazz, contemporary, ballroom and ballet.

Zak’s choreography credits include Singin’ in the Rain JR (2017, TB Arts, Fringe Festival), A Peter Combe Extravaganza! (2017, Something on Saturday) and A Night on Broadway (2014, Glenunga High School). Zak made his professional debut with State Opera of South Australia’s production of Hansel and Gretel. Since then, he has played many memorable roles such as Boq in Wicked the Musical (2016, Matt Byrne Media), Mary Sunshine in Chicago (2017, Emma Knights Productions), The Tinman in The Wiz (2013, GIHS), Danny in Grease (2014, GIHS), Bert in Mary Poppins (2014, GIHS) and also appeared as a featured dancer in Thoroughly Modern Millie (2016, G&S Society of SA).

An avid performer, he has entertained at many events around Adelaide, such as the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Royal Adelaide Show and Adelaide's Clipsal 500, as well as at private functions, weddings and parties. Zak also works as an entertainer for Nickelodeon and Showtime Attractions and has performed in many children’s shows with them.

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.