There’s a musical theatre revolution going on in Brisbane and not just on the stage. Musicals pack them in at QPAC all year round but sometimes one wonders where the next generation of musical theatre stars will come from.
Actually, you don’t have to go far. The future is looking rosy because the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre has received its highest ever number of applications for the prestigious bachelor of musical theatre program.
This year, more than 400 aspiring performers are competing for just 20 coveted places in the 2025 intake, marking an exciting moment for both Queensland’s cultural scene and Griffith University.
Auditions were held last week for Griffith’s musical theatre program, which has built an exceptional reputation in little more than a decade. Graduates have been securing professional roles in major productions and achieving success as performers, directors, choreographers and producers.
The proof of success can be seen on stage at QPAC right now in the hit musical Wicked, which stars alumni Courtney and Emily Monsma and Jordan Malone playing Glinda; Liam Head as Fiyero; and Dominic Woodhead as associate music director.
Meanwhile, graduate Vidya Makan has been playing Eliza in Hamilton at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre and Shubshri Kandiah and Jackson Head have been lighting up the stage as Belle and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. It was Kandiah who drew attention to the course when she took on the starring role in Aladdin at QPAC in 2018 when she was in the final stages of her degree.
QAEMT director Professor Paul Sabey says the success of these graduates and many more is likely a driving force behind the increased interest in Griffith’s musical theatre program.
“The fact that so many of our graduates are now working on some of the world’s biggest productions is a testament to the quality of education we offer here at Griffith,” Prof Sabey says. “We go well beyond technical training to focus on the whole performer – their mental health, their individuality and their sense of community. We want to build artists who are ready for the challenges of the industry.”
The audition process, which has just taken place at QPAC, offered applicants a unique opportunity to showcase their talent. Hopefuls were taken through a warm-up in which their improvisation skills were explored, followed by demonstrations of their acting, singing, dancing and spoken-voice skills.
According to Prof Sabey, these experiences prepare students for the intensity and diversity of professional musical theatre.
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“We offer an education unlike any other because our students are embedded in QPAC,” he says. “It’s the only musical theatre program of this kind worldwide where students train within a major performing arts venue.
“This real-world experience really sets the program apart with students not only gaining unparalleled access to industry professionals through QPAC, but also participating in fully staged productions. They swipe in at stage door every day, giving them unrivalled access to a magical world of professional performance.”
The QAEMT’s reputation for fostering talent through rigorous “quadruple threat” training in acting, singing, dancing and being a good company member, combined with strong industry ties, is a major draw for aspiring performers from around the world.
Prof Sabey says the judging panel looks forward to welcoming a new cohort of students who will be not only technically proficient, adaptable and resilient, but also prepared to make an impact and transform the future of musical theatre.
Mind you, there will be some disappointment among the many who won’t make the cut. But that is, as they say, show business.
griffith.edu.au/arts-education-law/queensland-academy-of-excellence-in-musical-theatre
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