Roger Hodgman has directed over a hundred plays, musicals and operas, as well as many hours of television drama. He was Artistic Director of the MTC for twelve years, leaving in 2000. Before that he was Dean of Drama at the VCA, Artistic Director of the Vancouver Playhouse, an acting teacher in the UK and Canada and a television producer/director for ABC TV.
A highlight of his time in Vancouver was collaborating with and directing two new plays by Tennessee Williams. At MTC he directed a series of highly acclaimed productions of Sondheim musicals – Sweeney Todd (Sydney Critics Award for Best Production), A Little Night Music (Green Room Award for best director), Assassins and Into the Woods.
[ READ MORE ]
Since leaving MTC he has been conducting a busy freelance career, directing television drama, plays, operas and many musicals for the theatre. Highlights have included a number of shows for The Production Company, including Guys and Dolls, She Loves Me, Annie Get Your Gun, Kiss Me Kate, Little Me (Helpmann nomination for best director), Follies and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He also directs musicals for the prestigious Shaw Festival in Canada including She Loves Me which won critical acclaim and broke box office records during its eight months run and, recently, a large scale production of Bernstein's Wonderful Town. He has worked with John Foreman, Kellie Dickerson and Dana Jolly on a number of productions.
His television career includes directing many episodes of The Secret Life of Us (AFI nomination for best director), Blue Heelers, Lockie Leonard (BAFTA nomination for best children's series), Stingers, White Collar Blue, CrashBurn, City Homicide and the ABC telemovie Stepfather of the Bride (Silver Bear award for best telemovie at the Chicago Film festival).
Kellie studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in performance. She was a recipient of the Donald Peart Memorial Award for Music, the Brian Stacey Memorial Trust Scholarship to Young Conductors and participated in the Symphony Australia Young Conductor's Programme. Professional engagements include; keyboard player on the Sydney productions of The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon (both Cameron Mackintosh), celeste Turandot (Opera Australia), keyboard/assistant conductor on Beauty and the Beast (Disney/Jacobsen Entertainment), keyboard/associate musical director for Showboat (LiveEnt/Marriner Productions); pianist for The Three Divas (Christine Dunstan), associate musical director/conductor for The Sound of Music (Gordon Frost Organisation).
[ READ MORE ]
Assistant conductor for The Mikado Australian/New Zealand tour (Carl Rosa Opera Company); associate musical director/conductor for The Wizard of Oz (Gordon Frost Organisation); associate musical director/conductor for The Witches of Eastwick (Cameron Macintosh/Jacobsen Entertainment) and musical director for Annie Get Your Gun (The Production Company), conductor for Amici Forever at the Sydney Opera House, associate musical director/conductor for Mel Brook's The Producers (Gordon Frost Organisation), musical director/conductor for Die Fledermaus (Opera Queensland), Thoroughly Modern Millie (The Production Company), and Respect (Jim McPherson) for which she was also vocal arranger.She joined Wicked as musical director/conductor for the Australian premiere season, for which she won a Green Room Award, and in 2009 she conducted the Adelaide Symphony with a performance from Wicked as a part of Australia Plays Broadway at Carnegie Hall in New York. As the late Rob Guest's musical director and partner Kellie toured Australia and New Zealand extensively with Rob in concert. In 2010 she continued her role with Wicked in Sydney, and conducted a season of The Merry Widow for Opera Queensland. In 2011 Kellie will conduct the world premiere season of Dr Zhivago starring Anthony Warlow. /p>
Dana trained at the Victorian College of Arts, where she was the recipient of a number of scholarships that led to her dancing with the Victorian State Opera and the Australian Contemporary Dance Company. Dana then moved to London, where she spent 10 years dancing and choreographing in the UK, Europe, Scandinavia and Japan.
Her credits include Wayne Sleeps Hollywood and Broadway UK Tour, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance UK & Europe tour, The Royal Variety Performance, British Music Awards, National Music Express Awards London, Shall We Dance tour at the Winter Olympics Norway, and various TV, Film, Video clips and World Pop Tours. She has worked with such international artists as Ray Charles, Madonna, Gloria Estefan, East 17, Cliff Richards, Prince, Ewan McGreggor, Gloria Estefan, Alexei Sayle, Ronnie Corbett, Hale and Pace, Michael Ball and Michael Crawford to name a few.
[ READ MORE ]
Dana returned to Australia as Resident Choreographer on Susan Stroman's Showboat for which she received a Green Room Award Nomination.
Dana's credits include resident Choreographer for the Australian productions of We Will Rock You and The Producers as well as choreography for the Australian production of Respect with Rhonda Burchmore, and 6 Musicals for The Production Company - Anything Goes, Kiss Me Kate, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Me, Follies, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Dana was also invited to choreograph for the hit TV series So You Think You Can Dance?
John Foreman is a musical director, pianist and composer, plus is a well-recognised face on Australian television. John wrote The Flame, which was performed by Tina Arena and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Opening Ceremony. His compositions have also been performed by artists such as Vanessa Amorosi and Jose Carreras.
After many years tickling Bert Newton's ivories on Good Morning Australia, John joined Australian Idol as musical director in 2003. He's musical director and producer for Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight and the TV Week Logie Awards, and an occasional contributor to the Nine Network's 20 to 1. He hosted The Big Night In with John Foreman, and a Ten Network special, John Foreman Presents Burt Bacharach, which featured Bacharach performing live and being interviewed by John.
[ READ MORE ]
John has worked with Chris Isaak, Reba McEntire, Joe Williams, James Galway, Shirley Bassey, Nicole Kidman, Kieth Urban, Russell Crowe, Olivia Newton-John and Hugh Jackman. He's also a jazz pianist. He has performed at jazz festivals in Montreal, Canada, Santa Barbara, USA and jazz venues in London.
John is the ambassador for Music. Count Us In, an initiative of the Australian Music Council, to encourage music education in schools, and he hosts the annual School Spectacular on ABC television.
Dean is a writer, producer and director. Dean wrote, produced and directed his first feature Just Cruising at the age of 16 and followed this with a sitcom pilot for Australia's Nine Network. In 1992 Dean wrote, produced and directed his second feature, Lex and Rory before moving to the US to write and develop projects with producer George Folsey Jr (Trading Places, Coming to America).
Dean returned to Australia in 1997 to direct his third feature, Muggers and became a founding member of Instinct Entertainment, producing various feature films including Till Human Voices Wake Us' starring Guy Pearce and Helena Bonham Carter, Torn starring Costas Mandylor, the feature documentary Salute and the animated feature Little Johnny the Movie.
[ READ MORE ]
In 2004, Dean co-wrote and directed the highly successful Strange Bedfellows, starring Paul Hogan and Michael Caton and more recently co-wrote and directed the hit Charlie & Boots. Dean has also produced short films and prime time TV specials.