Class of 2022 Acting and Musical Theatre Showcase

After signing up to their courses of study just before the pandemic hit, 16 Bachelor of Acting students and 22 Bachelor of Musical Theatre students from Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium presented their graduating showcase on the weekend. This Class of 2022 have certainly earned their degrees, having forged ahead through online classes, Zoom rehearsals and – finally – face-to-face but COVID-restricted practice. The showcase was a little bit like a 90-minute journey through our strange times – with binge-worthy boxed-set TV excerpts alongside lesser known Broadway musicals, and a definite overdose of American accents (not surprising given the bulk of the material that these graduates will be expected to know for their future careers). I find it impossible to single out any one performer – I’ll leave that to the casting directors and agents (who I see have already snapped up some of the talent). For me the enjoyment was in witnessing such a range of talent, and confident performances.

The programme started with some snappy musical numbers, with Gabriel Tiller opening the show with a tune from Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd and later strolling down 42nd Street with a lovely rendition of Harry Warren’s ‘I Only Have Eyes for You’. Oliver Pinkett & Rohan Treanor showed some fine footwork, donning their tap shoes for Irving Berlin’s ‘Top Hat, White Tie and Tails’, and Isabel Lanigan introduced a more contemporary number from Cyndi Lauper’s Kinky Boots bag.

It was a nice idea to break up the Broadway overload with some rock and pop music – Jacqui Dwyer performed Carole King’s ‘So Far Away’, Jonathon Gardner showed versatility by bringing out his guitar for a mash-up of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ and Alicia Keys’s ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ and Brooke Szych performed Fame’s ‘Out Here on My Own’ with perfect pathos.

Nicolas Van Litsenborgh had the audience gasping at his aerial backflips and effortless dancing with Bianca Love in a piece from The Addams Family Musical. Another strong duet was Tiffany Payne & Hudson Glynn with ‘Green, green dress’ from Jonathon Larson’s Tick. Tick...Boom! And Jai Jackson proved that some of the old show tunes are the best with his rendition of ‘Oh, What a beautiful morning’ from Oklahoma!

The acting showcase got off to a great start with Dugald Lowis’s ‘I’m an assassin’ from Dirk Gently and some quirky comic and dramatic choices from TV and film, like ‘Clubber Lang’ from the Ted 2 screenplay, brought to life by Emmy Moore, Ethan Waters & Alexander Porteous, ‘My dog’ an excerpt from Every Brilliant Thing performed by Jordan Stott, ‘Charlie’s Last Letter’ from The Perks of Being a Wallflower performed by Tyrone Crowe, and ‘Sex Toys’ from season one of Minx with a memorable dialogue performed by Georgia Faa & Emmy Moore, and a piece from Greta Gerwig’s Francis Ha performed by Ruby Gudenswager. The US slant was balanced with an Oz-ified version of a monologue from David Mamet’s Glengarry Glenn Ross, handled with finesse by Alexander Porteous.

The musical ensemble pieces were a lot of fun, with Katie Loxston, Genevieve Dawkins, Brooke Szych & Chelsea Burton tackling ‘Can’t Hang’ from Muriel’s Wedding, and one of my faves, ‘Nicest Kids in Town’ from Hairspray, with Rohan Treanor taking the lead as Corny Collins – pieces that deserved a little chink in the breakneck speed presentation to allow the appreciative audience a chance to applaud. And ‘Bless the Lord’ from Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell was an inspired choice of grand finale.

Credit must be due to mentors and pathfinders, Professor Paul Sabey, Head of Performing Arts and Jacqui Somerville, Program Director, Bachelor of Acting, as well as Creative Directors Megan Shorey and Sue Rider for putting this showcase together. It encapsulates three years of hard work and artistic efforts that seem truly focused on the global landscape that today’s graduates will need to be prepared to navigate. Casting directors in the audience must have been delighted with the scope of talent on show, primed to fit right in to a TV sitcom, online or on-stage drama, song and dance cabaret or main-stage musical production. It’s incredible that the Musical Theatre course has only been going for 10 years, and the acting classes have only been producing alumni for three years. A fuller diversity of performers will come with more time, I’m sure. Meantime, this Class of 2022 have a real maturity that local and interstate – and international – productions will benefit from. Let’s hope it is our local productions that get first-round dibs.

The Showcase will also be streamed online in mid-October. Check the alumni website for details: www.griffith.edu.au/performing-arts-current-graduates

Beth Keehn

Images: Kenn Santos - PIF Productions