Les Miserables, Hobart
ExitLeft Productions
October 19 - 21 2000
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CAST & CREW : PRINCIPAL CAST
David
Lee
Jean Valjean
A leading performer for many years,
David has worked in all the major theatres in Tasmania. His theatre
credits include Sweet Charity, Oliver!, The Pajama Game, Man
of La Mancha, Grease, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Cabaret
and A Bright and Crimson Flower.
David's most notable work has been playing the roles of Gaynor Ravenal in Show
Boat, Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Pooh Bah in The Mikado,
the Pirate King and Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance, Harold Hill in The
Music Man, Wild Bill Hickock in Calamity Jane, Anatoly Sergeievsky in
Chess, Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Marco in The Gondoliers,
the Defendant in Trial By Jury and Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore.
David has also sung with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus in Madame
Butterfly. He is delighted to encore the role of Jean Valjean in Les
Miserables after playing it in the 1995 G&S production.
Colin
Dean
Javert
After working backstage for a number of
years, Colin's love of theatre started in 1988 with the Royal Hobart Hospital
revue, when he stepped on stage because they were short of men.
Awarded Best Newcomer and the first of many Best Actor in a Leading Role awards
for The Seven Year Itch, Colin has played many roles in comedies,
musicals and dramatic productions including Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls,
Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Pseudolis in A Funny Thing Happened on
the Way to the Forum, Frederick Trumper in Chess and the Duke of Rock
and Roll in Beach Blanket Tempest.
Colin's most recent work has been to critical acclaim, playing lead roles in the
highly successful productions of 42nd Street, Me and My Girl, Jesus
Christ Superstar, The Secret Garden, My Fair Lady and
recreating Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. Colin also played Ozzie
Moore in the new show Aussie Rules The Musical.
Colin's wide range of skills has seen him perform as The Astronaut in IHOS Opera
Company's production of Rapture, where he rose to the challenge of
singing rich baritone opera whilst swimming laps in a pool. He has also
performed in uni revues, Old Time Music Hall and Monday Morning Music Hall.
His comic ability has seen him appear on television in Over the Fence is Out
and Something Hot Before Bed, perform at the Melbourne Comedy Festival
and tour the State as part of the comedy duo Red Hot Cols.
After playing Javert in Les Miserables, Colin will star in Pierrot
Productions' Little Shop of Horrors as the voice of Audrey Two.
Sharon
Prero
Fantine
Sharon is Tasmania's finest opera
singer. Since leaving the State at 20, she has appeared with the State
Opera of South Australia, the Victorian State Opera, Opera ACT, the Lyric Opera
of Queensland and Opera Australia. Sharon received acclaim for playing
Carlotta in the Australian production of Phantom of the Opera.
Sharon taught voice at Avila College in Melbourne and has been a lecturer in
voice at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. She currently teaches
voice and flute at St Michael's Collegiate and Hutchins schools.
Sharon's most recent work includes starring as soprano soloist in Carmina
Burana for the Conservatorium of Music and Journey Through Musical
Theatre for the Wrest Point Hotel Casino. After Les Miserables,
Sharon will perform in Melbourne for an Olympic Gala Concert with the Malvern
City Band and as Dame Nellie Melba in a tribute concert for the University of
the Third Age.
Arabella
Wain
Young Cosette
Seven year old Arabella comes from a musical family.
She began piano and singing lessons with Suzanne Ortuso in 1997 and has won many
prizes in local eisteddfods. Last year, she sang 'Castle on a Cloud' at
the Theatre Royal, being the youngest every participant in 'Our Young Performers
in Concert'.
Arabella's acting experience includes the role of Sonia in Richard Flanagan's
film The Sound of One Hand Clapping, and the occasional venture into the
world of advertising.
Arabella enjoys a wonderful school life at St Michael's Collegiate School,
participating in violin group, ballet and choir, and at home plays concerts and
teaches music to her younger brothers. Her hobbies include origami and
composing piano pieces.
Betty
Davidson
Madame Thenardier
Betty has featured in theatre restaurant shows,
oratorio, musical comedy and opera. Performances include Marcellina in The
Marriage of Figaro, being a member of the Australian Opera Chorus in Don
Giovanni and all the dragon lady roles in G&S: Katisha in The Mikado,
Lady Jane in Patience, the Duchess in The Gondoliers, Dame
Curruthers in Yeoman of the Guard and Mad Margaret in Ruddigore.
Although used to playing old ladies of an eccentric nature, Betty most enjoyed
playing the role of Meg in The Meg and Mog Show for Mainstage in 1995.
Occasionally, Betty appears in roles where she doesn't sing: as Muriel in
'Soldiering on' from Talking Heads, as Alice More in A Man for All
Seasons and most recently as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit.
Betty is delighted to encore the role of Madame Thenardier in the company of
such a superb cast, production and artistic team.
Glenn
Braithwaite
Thenardier
Glenn has been involved in the performing arts since
the late seventies. In May 1987, he left Australia to perform with Club
Med as a children's entertainer, touring to many overseas destinations.
He returned to Tasmania in 1989, performing in Richard Davey's Rainbow's Egg,
followed by directing Only Heaven Knows for the Old Nick Company in 1990.
The same year saw Glenn accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts for
directing. After graduation, he also worked as assistant director for
Melbourne Theatre Company's Much Ado About Nothing.
More recently, Glenn has worked in Hobart as a director, with credits including Cosi,
Summer of the Aliens, The Fantasticks, The Secret Garden
and Big River.
Ben
Paine
Gavroche
Ben's singing debut started at a young age in the
Lansdowne Crescent Primary School Choir. After showing a great deal of
promise, Ben was accepted into the ABC Giving Tree Choir in 1998 and went on to
become one of the junior leaders in the 1999 choir. In the same year, Ben
also appeared in the New Town High School's production of Jesus Christ
Superstar.
His first onstage appearance was in 1998 when he appeared with his mother in Golden
Nickers, a tribute to 50 years of the uni revue, and he graced the Theatre
Royal stage once more this year in Oliver!. Ben has also performed
in eisteddfods and was awarded a scholarship to study voice with Ian Williams.
Justin
Wigg
Enjolras
Justin's first theatrical performances were in Sydney,
and in 1984 and 1985 he became involved with Sydney based theatre company,
Shopfront Theatre for Young People. He acted in several plays, including
the award winning Piece by Piece, a self-written work by the company
which gained wide acclaim and toured North America for performances in
Vancouver, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. After moving
to Tasmania with his family in 1985, Justin formed and performed in some of
Hobart's best known bands, as well as contributing vocal tracks to numerous
television and radio jingles.
From 1988 until 2000, he was a singer, guitarist and keyboardist with groups
such as Network, Shake the Ghost, Handcuffs for Houdini, Twin Peaks, Styne's
Legends and the Blues Brothers Revival Band. He has played all over
Australia and has also been the support act for many national and international
artists, including Van Halen, Jimmy Barnes, Baby Animals, George Thorogood and
the Destroyers and the Hoodoo Gurus.
Andrew
Short
Marius
Andrew is a Hobart based artist. He helped
establish the Tasmania Opera Youth Company in 1999 to promote young opera
singers by allowing them a platform for exposure and experience. Andrew
will be the only Tasmanian singing at the Melbourne Festival in October this
year with a week long opera workshop. His theatrical career began at the
age of eight as Theo in Forum Music Theatre's production of Pippin.
He has toured extensively as a member of the Rosny Children's Choir, and has
performed in many concerts, musicals and operas over the last ten years.
Such theatrical performances include the role of Marius in Les Miserables,
The Pirates of Penzance, Trial By Jury, The Gondoliers, My
Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls, Rapture, Tesla (IHOS Opera),
Relatively Speaking, Dido and Aeneas, Jesus Christ Superstar
and Carmen.
Andrew has seen much success as a competitor at the Hobart eisteddfods.
This year he received the Enid Spencer Memorial Prize for singer with the most
potential. He also competed in the Australian National Eisteddfod in
Canberra, where he won a section and placed well in two others. Andrew
currently studies voice with Helen Todd and vocal coaching with Constantine
Koukias.
Michelle
Howell
Eponine
Michelle started her professional dance career at age
eight when she won a regular spot on Tas TV's Coming Up Next children's
program. At 15 she won a scholarship to study dance at The Dance Factory,
and after six months left to work in Tokyo in a touring theatre restaurant show,
and later at Tokyo Disneyland.
Her other dancing credits include dancing at the Aria Awards, Countdown
and touring Melbourne and Sydney in That's Dancing Live On Stage with
Rhonda Burchmore.
Since then, Michelle has returned from Warner Brothers Movie World to open her
own dance school, The House of Dance. Michelle remains the only dancer
ever to receive a perfect score in the Hobart dance eisteddfods.
Allison
Farrow
Cosette
Now living in Melbourne, Allison studied singing in
Hobart for many years under the guidance of Helen Todd. Allison has
performed locally in many musicals, including the roles of Lily in The Secret
Garden, the Plaintiff in Trial By Jury, Marty in Grease, and
Robyn in Godspell. Since arriving in Melbourne Allison has played
Claudia in the musical Nine. Allison has also worked with IHOS
Opera, performing in Rapture, The Divine Kiss and recording a solo
work for soprano entitled Incantation Echo.
An experienced chorister, Allison was a member of the Ogilvie Girls Concert
Choir for six years and toured with them to England, Germany, Austria and Japan,
where she sang as both guest soloist and choir member. Allison was also a
member of the National Youth Choir of Australia.
Other appearances have included the Hobart City Carols by Candlelight,
Government House and ABC Radio. Finally Allison forms
half of the harp and soprano duo Wingfold, with distinguished harpist Christina
Sonnemann.
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