WILLIAMSTOWN & WATERFRONT FESTIVALS

September 19, 2011 Comments off

WATERFRONTAustralia has a vibrant outdoor culture; the greatest meeting place of Australia’s love for the arts and our love for enjoying some of the greatest weather in the world can be seen in our outdoor festivals.

Kris has conceived and produced a number of major outdoor events, including the Waterfront Festival in Geelong (which takes place on its extraordinary Waterfront precinct) and the Williamstown Festival.

Williamstown is an extraordinary oasis only a few minutes outside Melbourne, on the water and investing a great deal in the quality of life of its constituents.  The Geelong Waterfront Festival is a key cultural celebration for regional Victoria, taking place on the $30 million restoration of the Geelong Waterfront.  Kris directed both festivals and managed their production staff, programming with the whole waterfront as a stage, including outdoor concerts and stages, parades, gallery events and a number of other exciting cultural activities.

INTO THE WOODS

September 19, 2011 Comments off

ITWKris has twice directed Into The Woods; firstly in 1999 at the Conservatorium of Music in Queensland, and then in 2010 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney with the cast of Wicked.

For CQU, it was a great opportunity to try some ideas out on one of the classics in the canon – any great musical should be as open to reinterpretation as any great play.

Here, Into the Woods was treated as if we were looking at a production of As You Like It, a similar text in which the forest in a magical, fearful place. For this production, the staging concept was based around a suburbs and city setting, so that the “forest” was this fearful, urban environment.

In 2010 it was staged as a fundraiser for the Rob Guest Endowment, and it was a tremendous challenge. Working around his and the cast’s daily demands on Wicked, Kris crafted a fully-staged production that utilised the enormous resources available to the Wicked Creative Team.

” … it speaks inestimably of all involved that this production of Into The Woods is truly a first-class job … Director Kris Stewart elicited remarkable performances from his principals.” NEIL MOLLOY The Brisbane Courier Mail

“Wicked cast presents magical night in the Woods … an extraordinary night in the theatre … from the moment MC  Bert Newton arrived on stage to host the evening (with his usual glorious professional aplomb) it was clear the night was going to be exciting and magical. (…) allowed this most magnificent work to shine and glow in a superbly textured, utterly beguiling night of theatre. It was simply an incredible night that will long be remembered by those lucky to be in attendance.” LES SOLOMON Aussie Theatre.

New Musicals Australia – season two

September 13, 2011 Comments off

Announcements have been made about the shows selected for New Musicals Australia second season of workshops.

Festival of Voices 2011

September 13, 2011 Comments off

The Festival of Voices increased sales by 28% across the festival, raising the bar for 2012.

Trocadero Returns to the Sydney Festival!

September 13, 2011 Comments off

After a sellout season in 2011, the Trocadero Dance Palace returns to the Sydney Festival in 2012, for a two week season at Sydney Town Hall.

THE C-SIDE

July 11, 2011 Comments off

If they made an album, Kylie would be the A-side and Dannii, the B-side. The C-Side is the hilariously and brilliantly unremarkable story of Dannii and Kylie’s C-lister sister, Erin Minogue.

A one-hour, one-woman comic cabaret about the ‘nearly-ran’ who never ran, featuring a swag of classic Kylie and Dannii hits, sung by Erin (Lizzie Moore) from her own unique perspective. The C-Side is an eye-opening staged-biopic of an extraordinary life unled, revealing untold insight into a celebrity sibling who never existed, based on an entirely untrue story.

 

 

THE DRAGON BALL

February 25, 2011 Comments off

Sydney Town Hall, 23 February 2013

The Dragon Ball was the third part of the Trocadero Trilogy, a series of swingband based theatre environments created from 2011 to 2013.  For more info, check out the Trocadero page.

From the City of Sydney website:

“For the first time in 40 years, Sydneysiders can enjoy an unforgettable evening of glamour, music and spectacular dancing with the return of the city’s Dragon Ball – for one night only on 23 February at Sydney Town Hall.

A 20-piece big-band will belt out hits by everyone from Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé and Adele to Michael Bublé and Frank Sinatra, while hundreds of Sydneysiders take to the floor to do the cha-cha, New Vogue and swing, and learn new routines taught by professional dancers.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the Dragon Ball was once a huge part of Sydney’s social scene and its revival for this year’s Chinese New Year Festival would bring back the glitz, glamour and fancy frocks of a bygone era.

“A big band, big sounds, big frocks, floor shows, dancers and performers will make the Dragon Ball an unforgettable way to welcome the Year of the Snake,” the Lord Mayor said.

“It’s 40 years since the last Dragon Ball, so we’ve asked internationally renowned director Kris Stewart to reimagine this grand old event for 2013.”

A Sydney institution much-loved by Chinese-Australians, the annual Dragon Ball took place from 1938-73 and was a night local Asian communities wouldn’t miss for the world.

Held at the Trocadero before moving to the Chevron Hotel in Kings Cross and Sydney Town Hall in its final years, the event saw young debutantes rehearse for months before they were presented to the Chinese Consul General with their families looking on.”

ROB GUEST ENDOWMENT CONCERT

November 27, 2010 Comments off

In 2008 ANZ Trustees established a memorial fund in Rob Guest’s honour to encourage emerging young performers in musical theatre.

Recipients receive the opportunity to study in New York under the guidance of the best that Broadway has to offer to the value of $10,000.

Each year, there is a Gala Concert celebrating Rob, where the award finalists compete for the prize, and celebrity guests appear and perform.

Twice Kris has directed the annual Rob Guest Endowment Gala Concert, with the most recent being Monday November 19 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne.  Hosted by Bert Newton, Lucy Durack and Rob Mills the night featured performances by some of Australia’s finest musical theatre stars, including the casts of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and South Pacific, Chloe Dallimore, David Harris, Michael Snell, Daniel Koek, Christie Whelan, Christopher Horsey, the Wicked company, Silvie Paladino, Lucy and Rob.

More information can be found at The Rob Guest Endowment’s Website.

ORDINARY DAYS

February 23, 2010 Comments off

Theatre Royal Backspace, Hobart. 18–28 April 2013

Tasmanian Theatre Company and Bijou Creative present the Tasmanian Premiere of Ordinary Days, a refreshingly honest and funny musical about making real connections in the city that never sleeps (but probably should at some point!)

With equal doses of humour and poignancy, Ordinary Days tells the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfilment, happiness, love – and cabs. Through a score of vibrant and memorable songs, their experiences ring startlingly true to life. This is a musical for anyone who’s ever struggled to appreciate the simple things in a complex place.

Music & Lyrics by ADAM GWON

Featuring JACOB COOK, NICOLE FARROW, SCOTT FARROW, LIZZIE MOORE

Director KRIS STEWART. Musical Director BEN VAN TIENEN

LIVE! AT THE RIVIERA

January 28, 2010 Comments off

COPY TO COME

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