HOME>
OZMADE MUSICALS> ABOUT
OzMade
Musicals Statement of Purpose
-
To celebrate and support Australian music theatre.
- To provide a developmental channel for new work, and promote existing work through performance.
- To host an annual event fostering awareness for Australian music theatre as a cultural asset.
About OzMade
Musicals
OzMade Musicals is the premiere national celebration of Australian-written musical theatre.
Held
annually since 2003, OzMade Musicals shines a spotlight on Australian
musical theatre writing and gives encouragement and exposure to new
work.
Following its Statement of Purpose, OzMade Musicals:
- celebrates
and supports Australian musical theatre,
- provides a developmental channel
for new work, while promoting existing work through
performance
- hosts an annual event fostering
awareness for Australian musical theatre as a cultural asset.
OzMade
Musicals consists of two phases: a week of work-shopping and development
for selected new Australian musicals (including for each to create a
performance vignette of scene and song), and a staged public concert
before a live audience.
The concert debuts the developed vignettes of new work (known as 'On The Drawing Board'), which are supported by highlight performances from existing Australian musicals (known as 'OzMade Flashbacks').
Why OzMade
Musicals is important
Because musical theatre is important, and so are the Australians that are
writing it.
In
Australia, musical theatre is largely dominated by the import of
international work, and Australian audiences are often denied hearing their
local voice. Through OzMade Musicals, the Australian voice, and the work of
Australian theatre makers, is celebrated and promoted.
As one of the most complex genres of the performing arts, musical theatre
fuses the languages of music, drama, dance and design into a popular and
accessible art form. The careful balance of these different mediums takes
time to perfect, and in places where local musical theatre is successful
(the US and the UK), many development opportunities exist for writers with
new work. OzMade Musicals is the premier annual development platform for
Australian-written musical theatre, and has invested a major focus on
providing work-shopping support to new material.
The musical, as an art form, inevitably intersects with the world of
commercial theatre. Musicals are dependent on the willingness of commercial
producers and investors to take a risk on new, developing work. A key
purpose of OzMade Musicals is to enable new work, or important work from the
past, to be seen and heard, to be developed, and to invite the interest of
those who may wish to support it. OzMade Musicals is performed to an
audience which comprises of commercial producers, critics, theatre makers
and investors.
OzMade Musicals is the leading advocate for Australian musical theatre.
It has been since the first showcase in 2003, and is gaining momentum every
year.
"As an Australian working in New York, you can sense that there is a real
changing of the guard here, that the musical theatre industry is looking
elsewhere for innovators and new talent. Currently, no-one is doing
this better than Magnormos, and their efforts are vital, innovative and
necessary."
-Kris Stewart (Executive Director: National Music Theatre Network
(USA), New York Music Theatre Festival)
The Background
2003
OzMade
Musicals was inaugurated on Australia Day, January 26th 2003,
as part
of the official Australia Day celebrations at Federation Square. The
gala showcase was presented later in the day at Theatreworks, St. Kilda.
Programmed via submissions
to Australian Musicals.com, OzMade Musicals 2003 featured selections
from 17 Australian-written musicals from writers nationwide.
"an eye-opening look at what Australian writers are
concerned with ... exemplary ... If Australian musical theatre doesn't have
a resurgence, it won't be through lack of trying by [Magnormos]"
- Fiona Scott Norman (The Age)
"After OzMade Musicals, I'm well on the way to becoming one of
Magnormos' most devoted fans. I'm looking forward to making this my
Australia Day tradition!"
-Kim Edwards (Vibewire)
"a landmark production"
-Frank Van Straten (ABC)
2004
In
2004, OzMade Musicals was again held on Australia Day (January 26th) and
this time presented in the BMW Edge, Federation Square - hosted by Eddie
Perfect. With a concentrated
focus on individual musicals and/or writer(s), 10 Australian-written
musicals were presented, including all three 2003 Green Room Award nominees
for Best Original Book and/or Music and Lyrics (All Het Up, After
the Beep
and Joe Starts Again) as well as Metro Street, which went on
to win the 2004 Pratt Prize for Music Theatre.
OzMade Musicals is not just an idea, it is the backbone for the future
development of the Australian musical.
- Kevin Purcell, Musical Director (West End/Broadway) Composer
(Rebecca, Atlantis)
2005
In
2005, OzMade Musicals went through a structural development, allowing it to
fully realise the mission of supporting both new and existing works.
Held on Friday October 21st and hosted by Queenie van de Zandt (as Jan van
de Stool), OzMade Musicals 2005 incorporated both On The Drawing Board
segments and OzMade Flashbacks to achieve this.
On The Drawing Board, a concept Magnormos initiated in its successful 'Out
of the Blue' festival, is for
un-performed works of Australian Music Theatre and available to writers
across Australia. The opportunity includes a week-long workshopping process, and
a 15 minute summarised presentation at the OzMade Musicals gala showcase. The
work is directly connected to an audience of industry peers and general
public, who are given the opportunity to provide written and verbal
feedback. The presentation is filmed and offered back to the
writers as a DVD product.
In 2005, four works were selected for the On The Drawing Board program:
THE BEAUTY SPOT
by David W. Young (VIC)
Frank Christie, Frank Clarke by Peter Flemming and Allan McFadden
(NSW)
Marlow/Shakespeare - Love and Other Afflictions by Stephen Hyde (TAS)
Premature Ejaculation - the musical by Robert Dalle Molle (VIC)
Supporting these works, five Australian musicals were presented as OzMade
Flashbacks, reminding us of some of the great shows that have been included
in previous OzMade Musicals
showcases. These included All Het Up,
Water Into Wine, Paris, Rebecca-the Musical and Metro
Street.
OzMade
Musicals 2005 was also proud to launch of the Premiere Cast
Recording of 'A Bunch of Ratbags', featuring
the cast from the Magnormos Music Theatre Readings Program presentation.
2006
In
2006, OzMade Musicals was presented on Sunday November 19th at Theatreworks
and hosted by Julia Zemiro. Three works were selected for the On
The Drawing Board component - including the first work from the Northern
Territory ever presented at OzMade Musicals:
Mr. Takahashi and Other Falling Secrets
by Sandra Thibodeaux and Shellie Morris (NT)
James and Maggie by Peter Yeldham
and David Reeves
(NSW)
Love Equals by Craig Christie and Kristin Keam (VIC)
The OzMade Flashbacks focused on the terrific activity of 2006, and featured highlights from Silly Season, After The Beep, The White Rose, Nostradamus, Eurobeat, Virgins and Up!. OzMade Musicals 2006 also proudly united the three music theatre training institutions in Victoria, with items contributed from Monash University, the Victorian College of the Arts, and the University of Ballarat Arts Academy - who all presented Australian musicals in 2006.
2007
Celebrating
five successful years in
2007, OzMade Musicals was presented on Monday December 10th at the Athenaeum
Theatre Melbourne, hosted by Tony Sheldon. Two works were selected for the On
The Drawing Board component:
Suddenly Single
by Peter Pinne and Paul Dellit (QLD)
The
Happy Medium by Peter J Casey
(ACT)
The OzMade Flashbacks followed the 2007 Prompt Musicals program theme of 'Strong Women in Song', and included a line-up of special guest 'leading ladies'. Musicals presented included highlights from Love Equals, Careful He Might Hear You, Mary Bryant, Summer Rain, Ned Kelly, and Sideshow Alley.
Submissions for OzMade Musicals 2008 open nationally on Australia Day,
January 26th 2008.
Image credits
(Top Right) Abelard and Heloise from OzMade Musicals 2003 at Federation
Square featuring Lisa Crosato
(Upper Left) Suddenly Single from OzMade Musicals 2007 featuring Paul
Watson, Chris Buchanan and Nicholas Kong
(Upper Right) Summer Rain from OzMade Musicals 2007 featuring Nancye Hayes
(Upper Middle Left) SCAM! from OzMade Musicals 2004 featuring Rosemarie Harris
(Upper Middle Left) Ned Kelly from OzMade Musicals 2003 at Federation Square featuring (from left to right) Scott Mackenzie, Bryce Baumgarten, Robert Harsley and Dan Humphris
(Middle Left) Metro Street from OzMade Musicals 2004 featuring (from left to right) Katrina Wellins, Matthew Heyward, Robyn Arthur, Rosemarie Harris and Matthew Robinson
(Lower Middle Left) THE BEAUTY SPOT from OzMade Musicals 2005 featuring Kellie Rode
(Lower Left) Euroebeat from OzMade Musicals 2006 featuring Helen Yotis
(Lower Right) James and Maggie from OzMade Musicals 2006 featuring Megan Hoult and Jeremiah Tickell.
(Bottom Left) The Happy Medium from OzMade Musicals 2007 featuring Matt Hetherington (foreground), Sam Ludeman, Jensen Overend and Reece Budin (background)
A Bunch of Ratbags image taken from the official artwork of the Premiere Cast Recording, featuring the logo created by Lauren Elise.