March Session: Cos-TUNE Party

AJ Patel is ecstatic to be performing at Broadway Sessions once again! AJ was born and raised in Maryland, USA, where he performed in several musicals since the age of 8. When he's not in class studying musical theatre at The University of Adelaide, he likes to spend his time eating. AJ would like to thank his friends and family back home who helped have him throughout his journey in the theatre.

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.

Brianna is a 19-year-old musical theatre student. She has been studying music for eight years and has a passion for the Disneyland theatre. Her mentor is her singing teacher, Cindy Macdonald and her inspirations are Elaine Paige and Michael Crawford. Her list of favourite musicals consist of The Phantom of The Opera, Wicked, CATS and Frozen. Brianna would love to pursue her passion by being a performing Disney princess on Disney cruise ships.

Casmira is an experienced performer and teacher with a great passion for storytelling. Highlights have included performing the role of ‘Violet’ in Davine Productions’ Violet (for which she won the TASA award for Best Female Performance 2017) and 'Fantine' in the G&S Society's production of Les Misérables (for which she was nominated for a Curtain Call: Best Female Performance 2018).

In 2018 she performed in Edges with Irregular Productions for the Adelaide Fringe, ‘Shelby’ in Steel Magnolias with IpSkip,'The Lady of the Lake' in Spamalot with Marie Clark (winner of Best Ensemble Curtain Call 2018), and the ‘Sour Kangaroo’ in Seussical with Northern Light. In 2019 Casmira played nine characters in Judge Jackie: Disorder in the Court with Davine Productions (which won Best Ensemble and Best Musical at the 2019 Curtain Call Awards, as well as the TASA for Best Musical) and Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme in Assassins for Hills Musical Company.

Professionally, Casmira has acted and provided voices for several short films and children’s productions. She also spent many years directing and music directing musicals for Adelaide Theatre Academy, including Snow White and Alice in Wonderland for the Festival Centre’s ‘Something on Saturday’ program. Her fondest memories are working with Peter Combe in directing and choreographing his Adelaide Fringe shows from 2013-2015.

Performing and choreographing for the upcoming Adelaide Fringe show ‘An Evening on Broadway,’ Claudia is currently Head of Performing Arts and Director of Choreography at VIVA Perfoming Arts.

When David is not performing in local musical theatre and cabaret, you can catch him busking at Adelaide's beaches and surrounding suburbs with his ukulele, performing puppets for children, and enjoying singalongs at old folks homes. His recent credits include playing Peter Allen in the Met's Boy from Oz, Princeton in Matt Byrne Media's Avenue Q. as well as leads in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels for Opus, Little Shop of Horrors for Northern Light Theatre Company, and the local cabaret showcases Sing on Through Tomorrow and Homemade Fusion.

David recently played the role of Denny Doherty in the Davine Interventionz sell out season production of Flowerchildren – The Mamas and Papas Story after performing in Davine's 2013 production of Altar Boyz.

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.

12 year old Emma Good has had a busy 2021 doing shows with Peter Combe at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Marion Cultural Centre and Capri Theatre as well as various performances with the South Australian Public Primary Schools (SAPPS) Choir. She is excited to be playing Maddison in School of Rock with Pelican Productions in August and Gertie Blossom in Dr Dolittle Jr with Adelaide Theatre Academy in October.

A Tasmanian ex-pat, Grace has been treading the boards of the theatre since the tender age of two. Originally trained in classical ballet at the Tasmanian Academy of Dance, Grace naturally fell into musical theatre through the vocal tutelage of Patrice Sargison. A triple threat, Grace has performed as a member of the ensemble for CATS and Fiddler on the Roof, also taking on the roles of “Kate” in Annie (which she revisited as an adult as a Boylan Sister/Featured Vocalist & Dancer) for Encore Theatre, “Ronette” in Little Shop of Horrors, “Natalie Haller” in All Shook Up, “Tiffany” in Back to the 80s and Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest for Scotch Oakburn College. Whilst studying, she performed annually in the Little Theatre for the Uni of Adelaide’s infamous Law Revue. Now a graduate lawyer, Grace is looking forward to utilising her love of theatre (read: ability to curb crippling nerves in front of an audience) in the courtroom!

Jaxon is an avid 19 year old musical theatre performer and fan in Adelaide. Since he began performing regularly in 2017, Jaxon has explored various outlets of Adelaide theatre, performing in major shows, original musicals, and even his own cabaret. Jaxon’s love of Music Theatre has only grown since finding his niche, a challenge for him as a performer on the spectrum. Some notable roles include Captain Hook in Adelaide Theatre Academy’s Peter Pan (2020), Grantaire and Courfreyac in two productions of Les Misérables; the first with Adelaide Youth Theatre (2021), the latter with Northern Light Theatre Company (2022), and Joe Pesci in Northern Light Theatre Company’s Jersey Boys (2022). Jaxon is also keen within the background of theatre as the youngest MD in the history of Scouts SA's Performing Arts Branch for Adelaide Gang Show, where he initiated the return of a full youth band. Jaxon is also a keen Theatre Technician, working casually in a northern adelaide theatre. Jaxon is currently studying the Bachelor of Music Theatre at the Elder Conservatorium, with an aim to finish at the end of 2025.

Most recently, Jaxon performed in the Fringe-award winning Show Fountain Lakes: A Very Foxy Parody Musical, where he played the role of Kel Knight.

Jemma is chuffed that Broadway Sessions is finally back!! She is here for a good time and can't wait to jam with the band and see all of her lovely theatre friends again!! Yay!!!

Since the tender age of 7, Justine has known the stage has been for her. Justine has had several years of singing tuition from Katrina Caton of Action Voice and from Jennifer McDonald from the Jennifer McDonald School of Singing. She has also had the pleasure of performing with groups such as the Mighty Good Talent School and Theatrebugs, Pelican Productions, The Southern Youth Theatre Ensemble and most currently SA Light Opera. Her favorite (and only roles to date) have been Azuri in The Desert Song, Lady Saphir in Patience as well as an emergency understudy in SA Light Opera's 2019 season of Princess Ida as Sacharissa. However most recently Justine has had fun stretching herself by making her directing debut with a show she also wrote called The Menagerie Of Madness with new company Phoenix Variety and Music Group as well as playing the mysterious cave-woman Chorn in aforementioned PVMG's 80% sold out season of StarKid's Firebringer.  And last year in 2023 Justine completed one of her lifelong musical dreams by directing Little Shop of Horrors for Marie Clark Musical Theatre.
Justine has always welcomed new experiences and performing in Broadway Sessions is something that she has always enjoys doing; she would also like to thank all the people that have helped her make her dream a reality and she looks forward to performing for many more years yet to come.

Justine would finally like to add she is thrilled that she will be directing again for Phoenix Variety and Music Group 1st show of 2024 in August this being Agatha Christie's famed murder mystery And Then There Were None. She hopes you'll come and check it out!

Karen has been involved with a number of theatre companies in Adelaide over the last 15 years. Some of her stage highlights include Oliver, Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, Avenue Q and Spamalot. Although she had a seven year run off stage in the role of "Mother of two", she recently made the return to the theatre by playing Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid, and in the ensemble of Les Misérables with Northern Light Theatre Company and Granny/Cinderella's Mother/Giant in Into the Woods with the G&S Society of South Australia.  You will also be able to see Karen in the upcoming production of Urinetown at the Hills Musical Company in the role of Old Ma Strong.

Louisa is a singer and actor from Singapore. Having performed as a concubine, peasant, and various unnamed chorus girls in musicals and operas, she is now continuing her musical theatre training in the University of Adelaide in hopes that she could play lovable Asian sidekick roles on the big stage one day.

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.

Mark has trained throughout Australia and New York studying Musical Theatre at Schools including The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA Bachelor of Musical Theatre), APO Arts Academy (Advanced Diploma Musical Theatre), and Broadway Dance Centre (Scholarship Program). Mark is most well known from his appearances on The Voice, most recently in this years series making his way on to Team Ricky!

This ignited that theatre bug which led Mark to tour Australia, Asia, America and Europe with multiple musicals/productions including Kinky Boots (Australian Tour), Godspell (Australian Revival), Hello, Dolly! (Australian Revival), Hairspray Arena Spectacular (Tour), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (NCL European Tour), and Magic to do – Stephen Schwartz (USA/Euro Princess tour 3.0). Mark is proudly represented by Emma Raciti Management, and is excited by the opportunities that are popping up within South Australia in the Arts!

Most recently Mark has been working with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra as the vocal captain for Disco Wonderland for the Brisbane Festival. Mark is about to head out on tour for the Japanese and Australian tour of Burn The Floor as their lead vocalist.

Megan is a graduate of the Music Theatre program at the University of Ballarat and has been performing in theatre and cabaret in Adelaide and beyond for over fifteen years, including a two-year stint in the U.K., where she performed her show The Girl Who Won't Grow Up and premiered a new, as yet untitled piece, at the Pheasantry in London.

She has written and produced several cabarets and concerts, and produced the South Australian and amateur premiere of Matthew Robinson's Sing on Through Tomorrow in 2014. Favourite roles in amateur theatre have included Laurey in Oklahoma!, Phoebe in The Yeomen of the Guard, and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

In 2018 Megan premiered a new cabaret at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, climbed Rocky Mountains once more as a part of The Pirates of Penzance (on the Popeye!), directed the Australian Premiere of Buffy Kills Edward, a Musical Parody, and is playing Petra in A Little Night Music for the G&S Society and Carrie in Rules for Living with the Adelaide Repertory. And that's only the stuff that's confirmed!

Merridi is a teacher of English Literature with a passion for singing; she is also a violinist. For ten years Merridi sang with the AIMMS School of Rock, under the mentorship of Tom Leech. Some of her performances included; live gigs at the Semaphore Palais, and The Gov. She has also performed at weddings, funerals, and work functions.

Merridi was also a member of The Young People's Orchestra, as their Principal violinist, for a period of ten years, performing in a variety of venues across the state. She was recently a member of the orchestra for the Elder Park Carols by Candlelight. As a youngster, Merridi performed in school plays and would love the opportunity to pursue some roles in the singing/acting capacity with some local theatre companies.

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.

Since diving into his passion for drama and musical theatre in high school, Nick hasn't stopped! He's performed in a number of plays and through he enjoys traditional theatre, his heart rests with singing. He will never forget his first musical Legally Blonde and has since performed twice at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. He never lets his studies get in the way of strengthening his skills and he enjoys pushing his limits. His 2019 highlights include a radio play of It's a Wonderful Life with Wings2Fly Theatre where he performed several roles, and Heathers The Musical with Segue Productions in the ensemble role of Preppy Stud.

Music has always been part of Ron’s life. As part of Novo Concertante Manila, an international award-winning chamber choir in the Philippines, Ron travelled to Europe and Asia performing a wide range of A Cappella music of various genres in competitions and concerts. Since moving to Adelaide in 2010, he found his passion for music theatre in both amateur and professional productions. Ron has done shows including Miss Saigon (MCMT 2011 & MMTC 2019), Bernstein Mass & Ennio Morriconne Live (ASO 2012), Forbidden Broadway (MCMT 2012), The Cross (ACTS 2013 & 2014), Chorus for Andrea Bocelli (ASO 2014), Rent (MCMT 2016), Godspell (IP & LP 2018).

Ron had a fabulous time with G&S' Kinky Boots in his first lead role as Lola in September 2019. Weeks after KB, Ron is covered up from head to toe as Sr Mary Amnesia in MBM’s production of Nunsense A-Men! Ron secretly wishes that like Hamilton, more shows and production outfits will now start to be inclusive and recognise talent over race and culture, to play roles not usually given to people of colour. In February 2016, Ron first took part in Broadway Sessions and is again thrilled to take part in this month's session.

Zachary Baseby is 23 years old and has had a burning passion for all things musical theatre related from a very young age, starting from his first performance in 2008 as Humpty Dumpty in Surprising Old King Cole (Stars on Stage). From there on, he has trained with various acting schools such as Actors Ink., Theatrebugs, Mighty Good Productions, and Heesom Casting before performing in his first musical theatre show in 2017 with The Parks Youth Theatre as an ensemble member in Grease.

Some of Zachary’s theatre highlights over the past few years have been: The Grinch in Seussical (NLTC, 2018), Horton the Elephant in Seussical Jr (Shane Davidson Presents, 2020), Javert in Les Misérables (NOW Productions, 2021), The Wolf in Into the Woods (Adelaide Youth Theatre, 2022), Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (Alternative Theatre Company, 2022), Wadsworth in Clue (Phoenix Variety & Music Group, 2023), Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid (Balaklava Community Arts, 2023) and most recently, the titular role in Peter Pan: A Christmas Pantomime (Blackwood Players, 2023).

Other than theatre, Zachary has also appeared in two short films to date created by students of Flinders University: Plastic Aeroplane (2018) and Rock, Paper, Scissors (2019). He has also appeared in two full length film projects with NOW Productions as the role of Bobby Packer in TEN FOUR, Agent Percash: REWIND, and Detective Jamieson in their spin-off adaptation: RED DAWN.

Recently, Zachary has landed his most recent roles as Cretin in Agatha Twisty: A Murder in Pantoland for the Adelaide Fringe 2024 and venturing into his first show with the G&S Society of South Australia in their May 2024 production of Oklahoma!

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.