Music Theatre Mentorship Fundamentals
What Is It?
The Music Theatre Mentorship Program is a 5 day intensive course specifically designed for graduates from Full Time studies in Acting/Singing/Dancing.
It is designed to replicate a rehearsal scenario where Text, Song and Dance will be explored and combined, as it would be in a professional scenario.
Under the expert guidance and tutorage of our highly skilled mentors, you will work in a small focus group on material that will culminate in a presentation of work at the end of the week.
Who Is It For?
This program is specifically designed for graduates from Full Time Training institutions, students currently studying, and talented aspiring performers looking to enter full time training, who want to expand their skills and become more hireable as a dancer/singer.
Candidates should:
be trained, or training in Music Theatre studies, with a view to becoming a professional performer
confident dancer with group singing experience
be 16 and over
Meet Our Mentors
The mentors for our program are highly skilled, professional creatives, and educators, who are in high demand in the Entertainment industry. Their wealth of knowledge and experience spanning decades in both Australia and overseas, makes this team, and program, unlike any other on offer in Australia.
Roger Hodgman
Director/Acting Mentor
Roger was Artistic Director of the Vancouver Playhouse, Dean of the School of Drama at the Victorian College of the Arts as well as Artistic Director of Melbourne Theatre Company for 12 years. He now has a busy freelance career directing plays, operas, musicals and numerous TV dramas throughout Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan.
THEATRE: Over 125 productions for Melbourne Theatre Company, Vancouver Playhouse, Shaw Festival (Canada), Sydney Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, The Production Company, IMG, TML Enterprises, Victorian Opera, Opera Australia, NZ Opera, Queensland, and other companies.
MUSICALS: Productions include Sweeney Todd, (Sydney Critics Award for Best Musical), Assassins, A Little Night Music (Green Room Award for Best Musical and Best Director) Into The Woods, Follies, Wonderful Town, She Loves Me (both for The Shaw Festival, Canada) Grey Gardens, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Fiddler on the Roof and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Sydney Critics Award for Best Musical) Assassins (Black Swan Theatre Company; Fourteen productions for The Production Company including Follies, Little Me (Helpmann nomination), Grey Gardens (Helpmann Award for Best Director and A Gentleman’s Guide to love and Murder,
OPERA: Opera Australia: Rigoletto, Lakme, Don Pasquale. Queensland Opera: Rigoletto, La Cenerentola. Victorian Opera: Xerxes, Baroque Triple Bill, Nixon in China (Green Room Award for Best Production); Flying Dutchman. New Zealand Opera: Xerxes.
TV: Numerous dramas including Wentworth, A Place to Call Home, Lockie Leonard, The Secret Life of Us ,Stepfather of the Bride, City Homicide.
AWARDS: Helpmann Award for Best Director for Grey Gardens. Green Room Awards for Best Director for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, A Little Night Music and Flying Dutchman. Silver Bear for Best Telemovie at Chicago Film festival for Stepfather of the Bride. Numerous nominations for Green Room, Helpmann, Sydney Theatre and AFI Awards
Dana Jolly
Choreographer
Dana’s choreography credits include 10 musicals for The Production Company including, ”Anything Goes”, “Kiss Me Kate”, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, “Follies”, “Little Me”, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, “Grey Gardens”, “Show Boat”, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”, “Curtains”, and “Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder”.
Other choreographic credits include “Fiddler On The Roof” with Anthony Warlow Melbourne/Sydney, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” Australian Tour, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” Sydney’s Theatre Royal, “Jumpy” (staring Marina Prior and Jane Turner) and “Last Man Standing”, both for Melbourne Theatre Company, “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” for The Alex Theatre, “Adelaide Cabaret Festival”, “Everybody Loves Rhonda” for Rhonda Burchmore, “So You Think You Can Dance”, The AFL “Grand Final Entertainment”, “The Royal Variety Performance” London, “Miss World Competition” London, International Festivals in Malaysia and the UK, numerous television shows and commercials.
Founder of Voltage International Productions & Music Theatre Mentorship Program.
Tim Smith
Musical Director
Tim has been the Musical Director or Associate on more than twenty musicals. He recently returned from South Korea where he was the International Associate Musical Supervisor of a Korean language production of Billy Elliot. Before that he toured Australia and China as Associate MD for The Lion King; MD/Associate during the Australian tour of Mamma Mia!; Assistant MD for Billy Elliot in Australia; musical director and vocal coach/consultant for the Walt Disney Company throughout Australia and Asia for the past thirteen years; and Founding Head of Music Theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts.
He has taken music theatre voice workshops worldwide, engaged as a lecturer/guest speaker/music director at a number of Australian universities and performing arts institutions, and co-authored the original syllabus for the Bachelor of Music Theatre degree at The Victorian College of the Arts.
As a classical pianist, orchestral conductor, singer, and educator, his work covers a wide variety of areas and styles. Please visit: www.vocalalchemy.com.au to learn about Tim’s online singing lessons and live vocal workshops initiative.