While I had hoped to have my interview with Phoebe Panaretos fully transcribed this afternoon, a last minute change to my schedule has meant that the article will not be posted up until tomorrow. To make up for this however, I thought it would be interesting to share a few fun facts about Strictly Ballroom the Musical.
When creating some of the secondary characters that appear on stage but don’t have as significant a role in the storyline, it seems like the production team had fun naming the characters. Some of the names include Emily Waters and Jonathon Drench (Keeping with a water theme), Muriel Shunt and Tommy Arbunt (Bit of rhyming there) and the deliciously named couple of Liam Lamb and Stephanie Shanks (Lamb Shanks).
There are 84 wigs used by characters in the show, with each wig being redressed each day and washed weekly. In addition, a handmade wig takes five days of continuous knotting to make. Each wig comes to around $4,000 in value.
While I don’t recall having ever seen a major theatrical performance during my time at school, Strictly Ballroom the Musical has an entire 67-page education resource kit available for download via the QPAC website. It is actually quite an fascinating read, even if you aren’t a student or teacher.
There are around 208,800 diamantes on stage.
745 metres of coloured ostrich feather are used in the show.
Approximately five litres of spray tan are used by the cast each week.
To indicate how complex a show like this can be, Strictly Ballroom the Musical uses 2 sound consoles, 184 speakers, 77 microphones, 9 smoke machines and over 142 channels of audio. This is in addition to 6 cameras, 15 television monitors, 72 radio frequencies and 40 sound effects.
For another look into the show and some history of ballroom dancing, I encourage you to check out the new display in the QPAC Pedestrian Tunnel. It is a good five minute activity that can be done prior to or after your show. Alternatively, some good information can be found in the show’s official program.
Australian Tour of Strictly Ballroom the Musical
- Sydney 2014 [Now Concluded]
- Melbourne 2015 [Now Concluded]
- Brisbane 2015 [Now on at Queensland Performing Arts Centre]
No other Australian legs of Strictly Ballroom the Musical have been announced for Australia at this time. There are also no announced plans to bring this show outside of Australia either.
Other Articles on Strictly Ballroom the Musical
- Strictly Ballroom the Musical Dances Its Way Into QPAC This Evening
- Interview with Sharon Millerchip – Resident Director of Strictly Ballroom the Musical
- Strictly Ballroom the Musical at QPAC – Stage Musical Review
- Check back soon for my interview with Phoebe Panaretos
