Rocky Horror Show ready to roll after Covid time warp delays season
Big names in musical theatre have been announced for the state’s first ever commercial professional production, with audiences shivering in anticipation for more stars to join the line-up. HOW TO GET TICKETS >>
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BIG names in musical theatre have been announced for the state’s first ever commercial professional production, with audiences shivering in anticipation for more stars to join the line-up.
John X’s production of the Rocky Horror Show has formed a stellar cast of national stars and Tasmanian talent after the show was delayed from its November 2020 schedule to instead run this October.
WAAPA graduate Rob Mallett will portray leading man Brad, while Imogen Moore will play leading woman Janet – both are from Tasmania and have thriving musical theatre careers on the mainland.
Tassie musical theatre veteran Scott Farrow will play Riff Raff and John X will be the Narrator.
“Other cast are coming from around the country including people who perform on Broadway,” Mr X said.
He said some 80 to 90 staff, mostly local creatives and crew, would be employed through the production.
Premier Peter Gutwein hoped Australia and international tourists would visit to see the only production of the Rocky Horror Show in the southern hemisphere this year.
“(Performing arts is) one of the key underpinnings of our economy,” he said.
“Shows like this will support not only the theatre sector but hotels, accommodation.”
Mr X said many interstaters had already bought tickets.
The raunchy, fun production will mark the beloved musical’s first appearance in the state in more than 40 years.
The Rocky Horror Show will run October 6 – 31 at the Theatre Royal, Hobart.
Tickets available via 6146 3300 or theatreroyal.com.au
Tassie arts industry thriving thanks to funding in depths of pandemic
THE state’s vital arts industry has emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic not just surviving but thriving thanks to $12 million in government support.
Arts Minister Elise Archer on Wednesday said the state’s cultural and creative industries supported thousands of jobs across the State and add millions to our economy.
Many of the projects funded by government grants during the last 12 months were now emerging from the drawing board.
Julia Fredersdorff from Van Deimen’s Band was one of the beneficiaries.
Song of the Birds, a music film shot on the East Coast and produced by Van Deimen’s Band in partnership with Ignite Digi, Mac40Media, Spring Bay Mill and the TYO Chorale, was funded through the govenrment's Arts and Screen Digital Production Fund.
Ms Fredersdorff said the funding to create the work was something she described as a “beautiful memory of surviving an awful year”.
“Post March, we were wondering what we could actually be producing,” she said.
“For us as mostly live performance producers, literally, we were twiddling our thumbs.
“So to have this opportunity, it was just an amazing thing. To have something like that as an opportunity was a real silver lining, to what was a pretty horrible year for the arts.
Ms Archer said the government was a strong supporter of the state’s creative industries.
“What we’ve seen throughout COVID is a very challenging period for our arts sector,” she said.
“The government has responded by providing a broad range of programs for them to access.”
Among other successful projects was Hobart based production company Story Engine, which received funding through Screen Tasmania’s Project Development funding for Hells Gates — an eight part drama series to be co-produced with Latitude Films.
Another was award-winning woodwork designer and maker Duncan Meerding, who received funding through the New Work for New Markets program administered by Arts Tasmania.
“We will continue to provide sustainable support to the cultural and creative sector so it can further recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and continue to thrive into the future,” Ms Archer said.
Government pumps $21m into Tassie’s iconic events
A $21 million state government investment would help secure the future of six iconic Tasmanian events which generate $170 million in economic benefit for the state, Hospitality and Events Minister Sarah Courtney said.
The Australian Wooden Boat Festival, Dark Mofo, Festivale, Mona FOMA, Targa Tasmania and the Junction Arts Festival attracted nearly 40,000 visitors to Tasmania in 2019-20.
Negotiations were now underway with organisers to deliver multi-year funding agreements, Ms Courtney said.
“What we’re going to be doing through Events Tasmania is speaking to each of these organisers, understanding what their plans are for the future and looking how we can partner with them to deliver,” she said.
“Events like the Australian Wooden Boat festival are absolutely iconic.
“We know that it supports local food businesses, wine businesses, it also supports local artists, many of whom participate in the event.
“So the flow on effect to the broader community is very strong.
“One of the key strategies in our events portfolio is to drive visitation into regional areas and to ensure that we have people coming to our state at different times of the year.”
Australian Wooden Boat Festival general manager Paul Stephanus welcomed the funding and said it would help the festival to continue to attract visitors to the state.
“The state government has been foundational to the Australian Wooden Boat Festival’s success since the inception in 1994,” he said.
“Since then, it’s grown astronomically it now generates over $26 million every festival.
“We see tens of thousands of visitors from interstate and around the world come who come to every festival and it continues to grow.
“And I’m just so heartened that the state government sees the cultural and economic benefit of the festival and I’m really looking forward to working with Minister Courtney and the state government to ensure that the festival is a long term success for decades to come.”
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