Dynamic and with a bold vision, StageArt produces musical theatre that is rarely seen in Australia. It offers culturally diverse theatre with big casts and huge talents in a uniquely up close and intimate setting. 2016 will be their biggest and most exciting year, announcing three new productions including Saturday Night Fever, Titanic The Musical and The Color Purple, and the return season of In The Heights.
“From the start we have always wanted to put the spotlight on great productions with a strong emphasis on providing a platform for artists of all cultures to shine,” says executive producers Katherine Armstrong & Robbie Carmellotti. “We are thrilled that our 2016 season will offer some of the best and most exciting musical theatre and give artists an opportunity to play diverse character driven roles.”
Saturday Night Fever
Chapel off Chapel: 11 – 28 February 2016
The date is 1976 and Brooklyn heartthrob Tony Manero is a young man with an extraordinary ability to dance. Stuck in a dead-end job he has only one ambition in life – to become the disco king. When he meets Stephanie who also dreams of a world beyond Brooklyn, they decide to train together for a dance competition and their lives begin to change forever.
This brand new production of Saturday Night Fever, one of the most loved dance stories of all time, is packed with legendary hits from The Bee Gees including classics: Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever, Jive Talking, You Should Be Dancing, Immortality and How Deep Is Your Love.
A cast of twenty hugely talented singer/actor/musicians will play instruments, dance and sing in this spectacular new production that has taken The West End by storm. Director/Choreographer Luke Alleva, who starred in the West End production of Saturday Night Fever in 2005, will bring this Australian premiere revival to life.
Titanic The Musical
Chapel off Chapel: 7 – 24 July 2016
In the final hour of 14 April, 1912 the RMS Titanic, on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York, collided with an iceberg and ‘the unsinkable ship’ slowly sank. It was one of the most tragic disasters of the 20th Century. 1517 men, women and children lost their lives. This Tony Award winning musical is based on the actual characters from this ill-fated voyage and reflects on their hopes and aspirations.
Unaware of the fate that awaits them, the third class immigrants fantasise of a better life in America, the newly liberated second class aspire to attain a more grand lifestyle of the rich and famous, while the millionaire aristocrats of the first class dream of their supremacy lasting forever.
Director James Cutler (In The Heights, Parade) has created a majestic depiction of this West End revival production. The scene will be set with a six piece string orchestra with a cast of twenty accomplished musical theatre and operatic singers. Each actor in this revival will portray three different roles that cover a character from first class, second class and third class.
The Color Purple
Chapel off Chapel: 13 October – 6 November 2016
From Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller and Stephen Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated film comes this breathtaking stage musical. Spanning four decades and three continents, The Color Purple chronicles the feminist evolution of Celie a battered and downtrodden African-American woman. This awe inspiring saga tells her unforgettable story of overcoming adversity in a heartening tale that is a testament to the healing power of love and faith.
The Color Purple celebrates life with a joyous score of jazz, ragtime, gospel, African music and blues and was nominated for eleven Tony Awards, including: Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score. Director Robbie Carmellotti’s (Hair, Rent, Bare: A Pop Opera) minimalist yet powerful direction focuses on the core message of the story – love, believe and letting your heart be your home.
In The Heights
National Theatre: 11 & 12 March 2016
Back by popular demand – a return season of In The Heights, the stand-out musical that features a groundbreaking score that mixes Latin and Hip Hop cultures with powerful Break Dancing, Latin American and Hip Hop dance styles and rapping.
From humble beginnings, with the sole intention to put the spotlight on Australian talent, StageArt has grown from one small self-devised season in 2011 to now being one of Melbourne’s premiere independent theatre producers. Their critically acclaimed sell-out seasons have included: Hair, In The Heights and Dreamgirls.
For more information, visit: www.stageart.com.au for details.
Image: Saturday Night Fever, Titanic The Musical and The Color Purple (artwork supplied)