April Session: Performer’s Choice

Alana is 19 years old and started singing with the school choir, then moved to Musical Theatre at age 10. Alana has enjoyed success with lead roles in productions by Adelaide Youth Theatre, Pelican Productions, March Productions and work with Promise Adelaide. Her highlights include Class of Cabaret and working with New York producers/directors. She is passionate about all genres of music and loves to sing, act and dance. She owes much of her success to working with many accomplished teachers and performers.

Amber Fibrosi is an Adelaide performer and musician who performs regularly in gigs. Over the years she has been involved in several performances, most recently performing as a pianist and back-up vocalist for Jennifer Trijo’s Adelaide Fringe Festival Cabaret show Someday. Amber has performed as a soloist for Trevor Jones Piano Bar in the Cabaret Festival. Amber also played Radio Voice, a Greasette and understudied Sandy in AYT's production of Grease. She played the role of ‘Wendy’ in Adelaide Theatre Academy’s Fringe show of Peter Pan , along with being a soloist in another fringe show Musical Moments. Amber has also been a featured ‘Defying Gravity’ soloist in the Catholic Schools Music Festival in 2019 and since graduating from school has been gaining further experience in the music industry. She enjoys writing her own music as an outlet of self expression. Amber is currently studying a Bachelor of Music Theatre at Adelaide University.

Anjali is a performing arts teacher and mother who loves to sing. She has performed on stage in musicals, The Voice, and recorded for various productions. Anjali was the first in Adelaide to sing with Idina Menzel and although she forgot her own name, she didn’t forget the lyrics! Anjali used to sing at Cabaret Live, and this is her third time singing at Broadway Sessions.

Anjali is working on her stage fright (hopefully you'd never know), but every time seems to be more nerve wracking than the last. First there was no audience and she had to emote to a green light, last time there was an audience but she needed lyrics cheat sheets. This time there are a few special people in the audience.

Cailene Kilcoyne came to Adelaide from San Diego, California. She has performed regionally around the United States as well as internationally. Cailene keeps busy singing these days with a wedding band as well as singing in the shower. She's super excited to be performing at Broadway Sessions :)

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.

Catherine established a passion for performing arts in Adelaide, appearing in multiple amateur productions including Jo March in Little Women (Therry Dramatic Society 2013), Eponine in Les Misérables (Shane Davidson Presents 2012), Tammy in Hairspray (Matt Byrne Media 2012) and Pegeen in The Playboy of the Western World (Independent Theatre Inc 2013). Catherine then moved to Melbourne in 2014 to pursue musical theatre full time at APO Arts Academy.

During her 2 year training, she landed her first professional gig in Spiegelicious and in 2015 was a semi-finalist in the Rob Guest Endowment. Since graduating Catherine appeared in numerous TVCs and local musical theatre productions in Melbourne. In 2017 she performed the role of Maureen in WMTC’s production of RENT and in October 2018 she performed the role of Emma Carew in CLOC’s production of Jekyll and Hyde.

Catherine joined the corporate trio The Cover Girls in 2017 and regularly performed with them on various cruise ships around Australia. Since moving back to Adelaide in 2020 Catherine has become a mother to her daughter Charlotte and returned to local theatre. She played the role of the Baker’s Wife in G&S’s Into the Woods (2022), Sarah in Therry Theatre’s Company (2023) and will be performing the role of Julia in NLTC’s upcoming 2024 production of The Wedding Singer.

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.

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!

Growing up performing in the Scouts’ Gang Show: Comedy Capers, David developed a love for musical theatre from a young age. Trained at the Centre for the Performing Arts; David has enjoyed performing Shakespeare with the State Theatre, Lightning Strike and Chopt Logic Theatre Companies and has toured in the past with Splash Theatre Company. Turning from professional acting to focus his energy on his family and work for the Anglican Church as a priest, David chooses to do shows that he loves.

It was in Marie Clark's production of Paris in the titular role that David hit the Adelaide scene in musical theatre. David has since performed with Marie Clark Musical Theatre in Miss Saigon (John) and as Carl Hanratty in the 2016 production of Catch Me if You Can. He has worked with Northern Light Theatre Company as Frederick in Pirates of Penzance and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors. David also performed at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2015 with Lazy Saturday Productions' Australian premiere of Darkle. 2017 was a big year of theatre for David starting with Pale Ale Tales, a new work by local writer, Jason Hendy in the 2017 Adelaide Fringe, Jekyll and Hyde with Marie Clark and finishing with Les Misérables as Enjolras with G&S Society. Most recently David performed with the Hills Musical Company in Assassins as John Wilkes Booth.

David is thankful to his wife for her love and support, and for letting him play.

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.

Jemma is originally from the UK where she trained professionally in Musical Theatre at The Brit School, The Betty Wivell Academy and Bird College in London. Jemma has Advanced Diploma’s in both Musical Theatre and Music and was also selected by the BBC (in London) for a young performer's bursary for outstanding achievement in Musical Theatre whilst she was studying. Jemma has been fortunate enough to have performed in various Musical Theatre concerts and workshops in London’s West End and even one in Broadway!

Jemma is relatively new to Adelaide - only having moved here last year. She has just finished playing the role of Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical with Davine Productions for the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2020. This was the best experience she has ever had on stage - she loved every minute of it!! Jemma also performed in Kinky Boots with The G&S Society in which she played the role of Lauren. Jemma’s other roles in Theatre have included Ellen in Miss Saigon (The Met), Charity in Sweet Charity, Nancy in Oliver!, Mary in Mary Poppins and Ariel in Footloose.

Originally from Adelaide, Jessica graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium in 2016 with a Bachelor of Musical Theatre. She made her adult professional debut early 2017 with The 7 Sopranos in their tour of Songs from Stage and Screen, and has since toured with them internationally.

With State Opera of South Australia, Jessica understudied and performed the lead role of Angela, and covered all of the female roles in their tour of Love Burns. She has performed as a soloist in Bright Lights and Big Dreams, and Emerging Artists In Concert. Currently, she is looking forward to stepping into the role of Isabel in Pirates of Penzance. Jessica has also performed in the chorus of La Bohème, Voss, and La Traviata.

Other stage credits include: Nella – Gianni Schicchi (CoOpera), Messa da Requiem (Adelaide Festival), Study Cover La Strega Buona del Nord – Il Mago di Oz (Victorian Opera), Choreographer, TweedleDee – Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (Australian Contemporary Opera Co.), Mab/Day, Dance Captain – The Enchanted Pig (postponed, ACOCo.), actor/dancer - Don Giovanni (Opera Australia), actor - Il Viaggio a Reims (Opera Australia), U/S Mary Maguire, Ensemble - The Beautiful Game (Manilla Street Productions), Cinderella - Cinderella (Pantomime Productions), and Aurora - Sleeping Beauty (Tivoli).

Jethro has been in and around theatre for over 25 years. He is a passionate High School Drama teacher and training to become a certified Fight Director. Recently, he has Directed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare abridged with the Stirling Players.

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.

After a busy 2023, Maddy is excited to be back on stage performing at Broadway Sessions. She has performed with Pelican Productions in their annual musical theatre camps for the past five years where she has had some wonderful roles including Mal from Descendants. In 2021 she played the role of Summer in School of Rock (Pelican Productions) alongside her wonderful vocal coach and mentor, Mim Sarre. Maddy has more recently played the role of Matilda in her schools production of Matilda, the loveable seagull Scuttle in the The Little Mermaid Jr (Shane Davidson Presents) and was fortunate to be selected as a soloist in the Public Primary Schools Festival of Music in September, 2022.

Madison has performed around Australia and the world as a singer, dancer, actor and musician. After graduating from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music with a BMus (Musical Theatre) in 2014, Madison made her professional musical theatre debut in the original cast of Georgy Girl - The Seekers Musical understudying and performing the lead role of Judith Durham throughout the production’s 2015/2016 Australian tour. Her other credits include Alysha in the original Australian cast of Green Day’s American Idiot (shake&stir), Jennyanydots in the 2017/2018 Asia Tour of Cats (RUG/GWB) and Franca in The Light in the Piazza at The Arts Centre Melbourne (Life Like Company), the latter earning her a Green Room Award Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Most recently, Madison has been seen as Cherry in the 2019/2020 Australian Tour of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (GFO).

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.

Nava is a dedicated, versatile and passionate performer. With Persian and Dutch-Australian heritage, she is truly a multicultural artist. Nava’s most recent credits include performing as a headline artist at Adelaide Oval and on Channel 9 as part of the Adelaide Christmas Pageant, Ali/Sophie cover in Mamma Mia! with The Show Co., Teen Angel and Sandy/Rizzo cover in Grease at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC and touring Queensland as Marley/Team leader in Story Quest with Perform! Education. Nava hopes to work for greater unity in diversity through her career, transforming culture through the power of the arts.

At 23, Scarlett has been passionate about performing since she was young. She began dancing at Barbara Jayne Dance Centre when she was 3 years old where she developed her singing and dancing skills for 13 years and has now begun focusing on her passion for musical theatre. Scarlett graduated Concordia College in 2017 as the Dux of Solo Vocal Performance where she was and will continue to be taught by her singing teacher Rosie Hosking.

With 18 years of combined performing experience, Scarlett's love for the stage has never ceased, with her previous roles including Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray, and Campbell Davis in Pelican Production's production of Bring It On the Musical's first season and its 2018 return season - for which she received a TASA nomination for 'Best Youth Female Actor'. Her most recent musical accreditation included a performance season of Godspell with Lydian Productions and Irregular Productions. In addition to this, she was also selected to perform as a featured soloist at the nationally televised 2018 Elder Park Carols By Candlelight. Her professional accolades in Adelaide have also included working with Ding Productions and Shane International each year for varying statewide productions. She has also been contracted with Royal Caribbean International (Miami) as a featured lead vocalist since January 2019 and has recently returned from a 10 month LA season with them. She’s set to resume her overseas work with them for another year, beginning in October 2022.

Sophie is a recent graduate of a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre) at the Victorian College of the Arts. Before moving to Melbourne, Sophie was heavily involved in the Adelaide theatre scene. She began dancing at the age of 6 which naturally progressed to discovering the allure of music theatre. She has been involved in a variety of cabarets, competitions and musicals including Rent (MCMT), The Little Mermaid as Ariel (AYT), Beauty and the Beast as Belle/Babette (AYT) and The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy (AYT and Gleeson College).

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.