Broadway Sessions On Tour: Balaklava

Alex has loved the theatre since a young age seeing her first show of Me and My Girl. After seeing multiple musicals including her favourites Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast, Alex enrolled with singing lessons with Joan Leslie in the Adelaide Hills. Mostly for a bit of fun she continued for a few years before a long 10 year break before auditioning for Balaklava Community Arts' production of Beauty and the Beast and being able to perform her dream role of Belle in 2014. This is inspired her to take up singing again and is always looking for new opportunities to gain experience and have some fun. Alex has recently performed in the ensemble with the G&S Society in their 2018 production of The Phantom of the Opera.

Angus is an engineer from Port Pirie with a passion for musical theatre. He is a keen member of local theatre groups Southern Flinders Players and The Magpie Warblers, with whom he has performed as The Baker in Into the Woods (2017) and Billy Crocker in Anything Goes (2018). He will be playing Warner in Southern Flinders production of Legally Blonde in early 2019. Outside of theatre, Angus enjoys tinkering in the shed and exploring the beautiful parks and ranges throughout the mid-North.

Ava is 16 years old and has been singing and acting since the age of seven. She has performed in over 25 musicals with various Adelaide theatre companies and in 2022 landed one of her favorite roles, Little Red, from Into The Woods with AYT. This year see's a big year for Ava being the 2023 recipient of the Clara Serena Memorial Scholarship. Ava currently takes vocal and acting lessons as well as dance classes. On top of this she also plays the piano and has tried her hand at the drums. She is literally an all rounder. Ava is currently studying for her Grade 7 AMEB Musical Theatre Exam which will take place early this year, and hopes to pursue a career in the musical theatre world as well teaching vocals to others.

Casey grew a passion and love for music at a young age, and as a vocalist she began competing in the local Balaklava Eisteddfod when she was just 10 years old. She took part in the vocal, musical theatre and contemporary vocal sections and thoroughly enjoyed each opportunity to perform and develop her skills. Casey also loved taking part in the Balaklava Community Art Productions, including playing Judah in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Lisa, a Pirate and an Indian in Peter Pan.

While attending Horizon Christian School Casey took part in many stage productions including Little Woman, The Letter, Pollyanna and The Wind in the Willows. Casey is currently in her second year of studying music at Tabor College, majoring in voice within a range of styles including Musical Theatre, Folk, and Contemporary.

Chelsey is 10 years old and loves drama, singing and dance. She particularly loves acro dance. Chelsey first competed in The Balaklava Eisteddfod at the age of 6 in the musical theatre section and has gone on to perform in various concerts, fundraising events and competitions around Adelaide. She has recently performed on a cruise ship with SAPerforming Arts where she takes vocal and dance classes.

Chelsey is a member of Adelaide Plains Drama Troupe, and will be competing with her group in the finals of Now Talent early next year. One day in the future Chelsey would like to run her own performing arts school and teach acro skills herself!

Claire Whittaker is a 20-year-old amateur performer from the small town of Hamley Bridge. For as long as she can remember, she has been annoying her family and friends (and now boyfriend... sorry babe) with her dream of being on Broadway. Singing, dancing and acting are her passions in life, and Claire can't see a future without at least one of them. Every time she is on stage, she thinks back to 7-year-old Claire who would ask her Dad to hold the camera while she performed for nobody in particular.

She's always been a little be of that "extra something", and hopes you enjoy how much fun she's having while performing.

Emily lives in rural South Australia and loves to perform. Roles she has played have been Glinda (The Wizard of Oz), Vi (Footloose), Witch (Into the Woods), Reno (Anything Goes), Crystal (Little Shop of Horrors). Emily has also served as co-director (Into the Woods), Music Director (Little Shop of Horrors, Mamma Mia) and Costume Designer (Footloose, Shrek). Emily has had a brief break from the stage while she studies to become a teacher.

While being a parent and university student in a rural town, Emily continues to persue her love of performing. She has performed in a number of shows and has also served as a production team member. Her favourite roles have been Vi in Footloose and Reno in Anything Goes.

Hailing from Balaklava, Kelly has a great passion for the Arts in her local community of Balaklava, where she has been President of the Balaklava Community Arts for 18 years. Kelly has performed, directed, choreographed, stage managed etc in over 30 of their productions, including Leader of the Pack (2017 Darlene Love), Seussical (2016 Director), The Addams Family (2015 Morticia),  and has just recently Directed Shrek the Musical, as well as playing the 'Dragon'.  When not banging sets together or rehearsing lines, she works as Executive Assistant at Horizon Christian School, and is a wife and mother.

Laura has always loved singing from a young age and this passion lead her to singing lessons in her teen years. While working in a busy dental clinic as a front office coordinator, she remains dedicated and committed to her vocal coaching sessions to maintain excellence in her singing development. Laura has performed in concerts held by the several singing studios she has previously and currently attends.

A few years back in 2011 she did compete in the Balaklava Eisteddfod and received first place in the Vocal Open Popular division and second place in the Contemporary Vocal Open Solo division.

Neville Langman recently performed as Alfred Doolittle in My Fair Lady for The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company (The Met), and also in CATS (also for The Met). He most recently appeared as Avram – the bookseller – in Fiddler on the Roof for the Therry Dramatic Society.

Sophie has been taking singing lessons since she was seven and performed in her first community theatre productions since the age of 8. She was bitten by the bug, and countless musicals and plays followed in quick succession. Some highlights include playing Nancy in Oliver!, Annie Golden in The Leader of the Pack, as well as Saskia in Stalled, a play devised by her and some school friends. Now she is embarking on a new chapter in musical theatre, having moved to Sydney to study music theatre at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. As well as an obvious obsession with performing in Musical Theatre, Sophie enjoys playing piano, classical singing, as well as composing.

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 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.