Tonight is opening night of the Australian premiere of CARRIE the musical that I am thrilled to be a part of. I play Frieda – one of the ensemble – in what is the last show in Squabbalogic’s 2013 season. Squabbalogic is the leading independent musical theatre company in Sydney that produces an eclectic range of musicals that rarely get a look-in by commercial producers. The incredible cast and creative team have put this show on in a tiny 6-week part-time rehearsal period and, after a successful week of previews, it’s time for the media and industry reps to get a taste of this bloody good show (pun intended).
CARRIE is my first professional musical and not only have I learnt a great deal in the rehearsal room, I have had the privilege to work with the cream of the Australian musical theatre crop including Margi de Ferranti and Garry Scale. Check out this video footage of the show:
The season runs for three weeks from 13-30 November at the Seymour Centre. Tickets are available at: http://www.seymourcentre.com/events/event/carrie-the-musical/
In other exciting news, I was thrilled to be a semi-finalist in the 2013 Rob Guest Endowment Award. The RGE Award is a prestigious competition that supports emerging musical theatre artists. I was one of 30 performers chosen from thousands around Australia, and am so grateful for the support and encouragement I received from judges Kellie Dickerson, Stuart Maunder and Jason Coleman. RGE is one of the most supportive organisations for young talent and the lessons I learned through that competition have come as break-throughs for my progress as an artist.
Here are some shots from the semi-finals at the Capitol Theatre taken by Kurt Sneddon:
I also now have a Facebook page where you can keep up-to-date with my progress in the musical theatre world. It’s a handy publicity and marketing tool that empowers performers to reach a wider audience and I’m excited to now have such an interactive platform. Check it out and “like” it here: http://www.facebook.com/maryann.b.wright