Not only is Moulin Rouge! The Musical, in my opinion, a top-tier Australian-developed musical, but producer Global Creatures has effectively leveraged their role in creating the musical to deliver educational opportunities for schools and aspiring performing arts industry workers of the future. In addition to offering an in-depth education guide for teachers which aligns to the current Australian Curriculum, during their Sydney and Perth seasons they have hosted dedicated Get Technical! – Behind the Curtain of Moulin Rouge! The Musical open day events. It has today been confirmed that this event, booked in previous states, will be offered in Brisbane at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) Lyric Theatre on Thursday 22 June 2023.
This event will be hosted by Simon Burke AO, who while those my age would have experienced learning from him during his multi-year role on Play School, will guide a new generation of students on a journey through what it takes to bring a major musical to stage – and all the working elements behind it. Furthermore, Catherine Martin, partner of Baz Luhrmann and who also was heavily involved in the creation the original 2001 feature film Moulin Rouge! will appear as a special guest.
This event will be hosted for free – and is aimed at upper high school students, university, TAFE and college students, as well as people with transferable skills interested in working in technical theatre production. Here, attendees will have the opportunity to meet the creative and technical team behind the curtain on Australia’s leading musical spectacular, including a unique opportunity to participate in a Q&A with Australian Costume, Set and Production Designer Catherine Martin, production staff and technical crew on stage.
The Get Technical! events have been created by Global Creatures in “response to the critical job shortages in backstage positions currently affecting productions around the country” and providing “a very rare opportunity (an Australian first) to learn about the myriad of backstage roles in the theatre industry”.
Carmen Pavlovic, Director, CEO and Producer of Global Creatures had this to say on the event coming to Brisbane:
Backstage is where all the magic happens. We, and all producers, are constantly on the lookout for great crew and backstage company members. We’re after stage managers; lighting technicians; hair, wig and makeup artists; wardrobe assistants; set automation and mechanists to name a few. We hope to encourage high schoolers on the precipice of adulthood, and current tertiary students to consider the many potential career pathways in live theatre, as well as inspiring those already in the workforce with transferable skills looking for a change of pace. We are thrilled that Catherine Martin is co-hosting our Brisbane event with Simon Burke. She is the perfect example of an extraordinary costume and production designer who started her career in theatre and followed an inspiring path to become one of the world’s visionary stage and film designers and a four-time Academy award-winner.
The event will be run for approximately 2 hours, followed by a 30 minute Q&A. For more specifics on what the event will entail, it will open with a performance of the opening number of the show through to the end of the first Can Can (Because yes, there is more than one Can Can). This will be followed by a behind-the-scenes tour through video footage, covering technical departments such as Wigs/Hair and Make-Up, Lighting, Props, Wardrobe, and Set Mechanisms. Additionally, Burke and Martin will interview crew members on stage to discuss their roles, responsibilities, and experiences in the performing arts industry. The event will also include a special segment where Catherine Martin will share insights into her distinguished career in design. A Q&A session of approximately 30 minutes will finish off the event, opening up the floor to audience questions.
Get Technical! – Behind the Curtain of Moulin Rouge! The Musical will commence at 1.00pm (Doors opening 12.30pm) on Thursday 22 June 2023 at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC. While free to attend, registration must be undertaken by this link HERE. While spots are open for anyone to register, I would recommend keeping the goals and target audience in mind before making a booking, to not only help Global Creatures fulfil the goals of hosting the event, and encouraging more events such as this to be ranged for the next generation of performing arts industry masters.
