Something a bit different from the norm, and an educational opportunity for those in the upper years of high school, university, TAFE and college – Australian theatrical producer Global Creatures will be holding a special open day for Moulin Rouge! The Musical at the Crown Theatre in Perth.
This one-day-only open house event is not just about getting a behind-the-scenes look at the production. Being aimed at this specific demographic in particular, it is being arranged by Global Creatures in response to critical job shortages across the industry, and seeking to introduce students to “the myriad of backstage roles in the theatre industry”.
n Australia, significant numbers of backstage staff and crew left the theatre industry during the global pandemic along with the usual practice of recruitment and up-skilling on the job came to a complete halt. With productions coming back with a vengeance in 2023 there is a serious lack of trained and experienced staff and crew. There is an urgent need to not only find the next generation of production creatives, crew and technicians, but to also train and engage them into the theatre backstage workforce.
Global Creatures
West Australian students are being invited to meet the creative and technical teams behind the curtain of this musical, which is an Australian-made production by Global Creatures themselves, and provides an opportunity to participate in a live Q&A with key figures in the teams.
Hosted by legendary Australian actor Simon Burke AO, who plays Harold Zidler, the event will run for 90 minutes followed by a Q&A (maximum 30 minutes) and will start with a performance of the opening of the show through to the end of the first Can Can.
Through video footage, the audience will then be taken on a behind-the-scenes tour of each technical department including Wigs/Hair and Make-Up, Lighting, Props, Wardrobe and Set Mechanists followed by Mr Burke interviewing crew from each department live on stage. Simon and the crew will highlight their function, responsibilities and daily tasks on the production and the numerous pathways crew have entered the performing arts industry from, before answering questions from the audience.
Tickets to this event, starting 1.00pm AWST tomorrow at Crown Theatre Perth, are still available completely free by clicking HERE. However, do however keep in mind the target demographic for this opportunity, so you arent potentially taking up a spot from someone who could be the next big lighting designer or stage mechanist.
Here’s hoping they provide a similar opportunity once they head over to Queensland for their Brisbane/QPAC season from May-July 2023.
