Stages With Peter Eyers

Paul White studied classical piano at The University of Adelaide with Dr Graham Williams, graduating B.Mus with Honours (Performance) followed by Dip. Jazz Performance. Conducting study began in New York with Broadway legend Gordon Harrell, then continued in Melbourne with the distinguished Romanian conductor, Robert Rosen. This juxtaposition of classical and commercially oriented study enabled Paul to build his career in a variety of musical and theatrical genres.He has been involved with many of the landmark music theatre productions of the last 35 years, notably playing and conducting 42ND STREET (Helen Montague), WEST SIDE STORY (Victoria State Opera), LES MISERABLES (original Australia/New Zealand tour and Asia/Africa tour – Cameron Mackintosh), MY FAIR LADY (Victoria State Opera), WE WILL ROCK YOU in Tokyo (Louise Withers), MATILDA Australasian tour (Louise Withers, RSC), and The Australian Ballet’s magnificent production of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (GWB/TAB).He was Musical Director of A CHORUS LINE directe

Vidya Makan grew up in Brisbane spending most of her time on the football (soccer) field with dreams of one day becoming a Matilda. However, at the age of 14 after playing flower girl number 3 in her high-school production of My Fair Lady, Vidya decided to take on a much more realistic and stable path and made the wise decision to lead a life in showbiz.Having learnt to read music at the age of three (before she was able to read English) she is also a cellist and highly skilled pianist. She is a proud graduate of The Bachelor of Musical Theatre program at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, class of 2015. Vidya is one of Australia's most exciting multi-hyphenates in the entertainment industry. As a leading lady, she has wowed audiences across the country through her powerful performances as Eliza in Hamilton, Catherine Parr in SIX, Ruby in Bloom and Dot/Marie in Sunday In The Park With George to name a few, all of which saw her nominated for major industry awards. In 2024 she featured on t

Penny McNamee is currently starring as Rachel in the smash hit - MJ the Musical at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne.Most recently Penny stared in Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple alongside Lucy Durack, Todd McKenney and Shane Jacobson for both the Sydney and Melbourne seasons to rave reviews. She is a Green Room Award Winner for her role as Nessarose in the original Australian production of WICKED and has played leading roles in mainstage productions across the country, including Donna in the Griffin Theatre’s production of Hurlybury, Ella in Bells are Ringing for the Hayes Theatre Company, Alaura Kingsley in City of Angels, also for the Hayes Theatre Company and Jennifer in Cameron Mackintosh’s Australian production of the Witches of Eastwick.Penny’s international musical theatre credits include leading roles in Daddy Long Legs the musical and Rocket Science both staged in New York City.Penny was a series regular for six years in the Seven Network’s hugely popular drama Home and Away in the role of Dr Tori Morg

Steven Kramer is a multi-faceted artist working as a music director, pianist, writer, composer, orchestrator, producer and cabaret performer.He has been the Associate Musical Director for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and previously served as the Assistant Musical Director for Chicago (GFO). A long-standing collaborator with the esteemed Hayes Theatre Co since its founding in 2014, his credits include Little Shop Of Horrors, Calamity Jane, Assassins, The Drowsy Chaperone, Rent, LOVEBiTES, She Loves Me, Side Show, Catch Me If You Can and Jekyll and Hyde for which he won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Musical Direction.As a pianist he has performed with leading orchestras and renowned artists, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Paloma Faith, The City Recital Hall, Trevor Ashley and Kate Ceberano, as well as in major commercial productions such as Mary Poppins, Frozen, Beautiful and The Sound Of Music.Dedicated to championing new Australian work, Steven has contributed as an arranger and orchestrator to

Tricia Paoluccio is a multifaceted actor, distinctive visual artist, and dynamic creator whose talents flourished in remarkable ways during the pandemic. Two of her lifelong passions—performance and visual art—took center stage, leading to transformative projects.She co-wrote and stars in Here You Come Again, a heartfelt two-person musical comedy in which she portrays her lifelong idol, Dolly Parton. With Dolly’s personal endorsement, the production was granted global grand rights to feature her iconic music.Following a successful U.S. tour in 2023, the show captivated audiences across 30 cities in the UK, selling out performances and earning critical acclaim. Currently, the production is delighting London audiences at Riverside Studios before embarking on a major tour of Australia and New Zealand.Tricia’s performance has earned her a nomination for Best Leading Performer in a Musical, while the show itself is up for Best New Musical at the 2024 Broadway World UK/West End Awards.As a visual artist, Tricia’s p

A graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Tara Morice has worked extensively in theatre, film and television for over 30 years.Her first film out of NIDA was Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, for which she was nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award, an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award and a Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. She has also appeared in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, Dance Academy: The Movie, Oranges and Sunshine, Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance, Candy, Hildegarde, Moulin Rouge!, Hotel Sorrento, Metal Skin, Carmen and the Oscar-nominated short Miracle Fish. Tara can most recently be seen in The Moogai and Nugget Is Dead, and will next appear in Rebel Wilson’s The Deb.Her television credits include the award-winning teen series Dance Academy, as well as Answered by Fire, McLeod’s Daughters, Salem’s Lot, After the Deluge, Dogwoman and Play School.On stage, Tara has performed in many productions for the Sydney Theatre Company, Bel

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Alexis Fishman is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). She was nominated for a Helpmann Award for her performance as 'Young Dusty' in Dusty, her first show after graduating. Alexis then went on to star in some of Australia’s biggest musicals including Shout! and the award winning Sydney premiere of Kiss of The Spiderwoman. Other Australian credits include Urinetown, Closer, Troupers, as well as plays at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Monkey Baa Theatre Company. Alexis is the creator of six solo cabaret shows including the award winning Club Gelbe Stern which made it’s US debut at NYMF where Alexis was awarded ‘Outstanding Individual Performance’. Other shows have been performed across Australia at the Adelaide and Melbourne Cabaret Festivals, Shir Madness Jewish Music Festival, The Reginald Theatre, The Sound Lounge, Chapel Off Chapel, Sydney Jewish Museum, Ginger’s at the Oxford Hotel and Claire

Noni Hazlehurst recently returned to the stage with MOTHER  at the Arts Centre in Melbourne. Her autobiography Dropping the Mask was released in October 2024.Noni played the role of Miss Cartwright in the feature film Ladies in Black for which she received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 2018 ACCTA Awards.Noni completed filming on A Place to Call Home, the final series screening in 2018.She has completed a second sell-out tour of the one woman play, MOTHER and the role of Mag in the Sydney Theatre Company production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane, both to excellent reviews.  She reprised MOTHER in Queensland in 2020.Most recent television and film work includes: Long Story Short, June Again, The End, A Place to Call Home, Truth, and Redfern Now.In 2016 Noni was inducted into the TV Week Logie ‘Hall of Fame’.In September she is back on the boards in the world premiere season of Daniel Keen’s LARK at the Melbourne Arts Centre.The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify a

Francis Greenslade began performing with the Adelaide University Footlights. He has been an actor and a teacher for over 30 years. He is best known for performing a host of characters on ‘Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell’ and Brian Gross on ‘Winners andLosers’. Other screen credits include The Leftovers, Irreverent, Blue Heelers, Dr Blake, SeaChange and Full Frontal.He has worked with most theatre companies across Australia. His stage credits include The Odd Couple, Shakespeare in Love, Man the Balloon, and Urinetown for the Melbourne Theatre Company, Babes in the Wood, The Odyssey, Optimism, and Tartuffe for Malthouse, and Navigating for the Sydney Theatre Company. In 2019 STC produced his adaptation of Accidental Death of an Anarchist.His book ‘How I Learnt to Act’ was published by Currency Press in 2019 and his play ‘The Platypus’ has had seasons at Theatreworks in St Kilda in 2024 and at Holden Street Theatres for the Adelaide Fringe in 2025.‘The Platypus’, plays the Brisbane Festival in September.The STAGES

From beloved TV dramas to blockbuster musicals, Ian Stenlake has carved out a dynamic career across stage and screen. Most recently, he conjured magic (and menace), mesmerising audiences as the enigmatic Saruman in The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale. Prior to that, Ian toured nationally in Elvis: A Musical Revolution, portraying the legendary Colonel Tom Parker, a performance that earned him the Glugs Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Musical. His musical resumé is stacked with acclaimed roles including Sam in Mamma Mia!, Sky in Guys & Dolls, Curly in Oklahoma!, Cliff in Cabaret, Robert in The Bridges of Madison County and John Ashby in Georgy Girl.Beyond musicals, Ian has also made his mark in a wide range of main stage productions. Highlights include Around the World in 80 Days for Ellis Productions, One Crowded Hour with the Tasmanian Theatre Company, Daylight Saving for Darlinghurst Theatre Company, School of the Arts for Queensland Theatre Company and Sleeping Beauty for Malthouse Theatre.On scree

Robert W. Schneider is one of the foremost educators and lecturers in the world of theatre having given countless presentations at Yale, Fordham, The Institute of the American Musicals, and at various engagements throughout the United States and the UK. He is currently on the faculty of both Penn State University and the Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre at New York Film Academy. Robert is a graduate of Penn State University (MFA) and a member of The Society of Directors and Choreographers.Rob is one of the iconic New York Cabaret venue Feinstein’s/54 Below, original programming producers. He is the Artistic Director of the J2 Spotlight Musical Theatre Company, and a freelance director. He has worked with such artists as Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, as well as such institutions as Lincoln Center, Second Stage, The York Theatre, PBS, Walnut Street Theatre, and Center Theatre Group. As a director, Rob has focused mainly on revivals and regional premieres: which h

Australian/American soprano Rachelle Durkin began her career in Australia, winning three of that country’s major vocal competitions: The Herald Sun Aria, The Marianne Mathy Scholarship and The Metropolitan Opera Award. Immediately following her successes, she flew to New York City where she was a recipient of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was accepted into the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.Rachelle subsequently became an established solo artist at The Met, singing leading roles for many years – most notably Norina in Don Pasquale (recorded live for Sirius Radio), Lisa in La sonnambula (recorded live Sirius Radio), Clorinda in La Cenerentola (recorded live Sirius Radio and DVD release), Mrs Schlesen in Phillip Glass’ Satyagraha (recorded live Sirius Radio and DVD release), Frasquita in Carmen, Masha in Pique Dame, First Flower Maiden in Parsifal (also at Salzburg Festival under the baton of Maestro Levine), and Young Girl in Moses und Aron.2021/2022 engagements

Marg Horwell is a multi-award-winning Theatre, Opera and Film Designer, Installation Artist and Photographer.Marg’s recent select credits include; The Confessions (Alexander Zeldin Company/The National Theatre), The Picture of Dorian Gray (Sydney Theatre Company/ Michael Cassell Group), The Strange Case of Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde (Sydney Theatre Company), The Dead City (Deutche Oper Am Rhein), The Happy End (Victorian Opera), The Marriage of Figaro, The Human Voice and The Call (Opera Queensland), Lorelei (Opera Queensland/Victorian Opera), Because the Night (Malthouse Theatre), Our Town (Theater Basel).Marg designed costumes for Kip Williams’ The Resistible Rise of Arthur Ui and Lord of the Flies and designed set and costumes on How to Rule the World and The Lifespan of a Fact, at Sydney Theatre Company, Salome (English National Opera), Avalanche (Barbican Theatre), Leviathan (Circa), Common Ground (Chunky Move), Anthem (Performing Lines), Animal (InFlux), Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography (Griffin/Pert

Charles Busch has forged a unique place in the world of entertainment as playwright, actor, director, novelist, cabaret performer and drag icon. He is the author and star of over twenty-five plays including The Divine Sister, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, The Tribute Artist, The Confession of Lily Dare and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom; one of the longest running plays in the history of Off-Broadway. His play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife ran for 777 performances on Broadway, won the Outer Circle Critics’ John L. Gassner Award for playwriting, received a Tony nomination for Best Play and is the longest running Broadway comedy of the past twenty-five years. He wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays, Psycho Beach Party and Die Mommie Die, the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. For two seasons, he appeared as Nat Ginzburg on the HBO series OZ and is the author of the auto-biographical novel Whores of Lost Atlantis. He has directed two films;

Charles Busch has forged a unique place in the world of entertainment as playwright, actor, director, novelist, cabaret performer and drag icon. He is the author and star of over twenty-five plays including The Divine Sister, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, The Tribute Artist, The Confession of Lily Dare and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom; one of the longest running plays in the history of Off-Broadway. His play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife ran for 777 performances on Broadway, won the Outer Circle Critics’ John L. Gassner Award for playwriting, received a Tony nomination for Best Play and is the longest running Broadway comedy of the past twenty-five years. He wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays, Psycho Beach Party and Die Mommie Die, the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. For two seasons, he appeared as Nat Ginzburg on the HBO series OZ and is the author of the auto-biographical novel Whores of Lost Atlantis. He has directed two films;

Seann Miley Moore graduated from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2013. They quickly established themself in the world of musical theatre in productions of Rent, Sweet Charity and the King & I."Seann Miley Moore stole the show," Cameron Mackintosh said of their pioneering performance as The EnginQueer in Opera Australia’s Miss Saigon. Awarded Best Actor at both the Sydney Theatre Awards and Naarm’s Green Room Awards - “They are a complete revelation."A true embodiment of queer Asian excellence, Seann now brings unmatched charisma and fearless queer spirit to the role of Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, playing stages across Australia.Loved worldwide, Seann first captured our hearts on X Factor UK in 2015 and The Voice AU in 2021, where their powerful performances of Freddie Mercury’s "The Show Must Go On" and Andrea Bocelli's "The Prayer" led Simon Cowell to declare, "This kid's a star!" Since then, Seann has headlined major Pride events globally—from the UK to Amsterdam, New York, an

Wendy Harmer is one of Australia’s most versatile entertainers – broadcaster, author, journalist and stage performer.As a stand-up comedian she performed her one-woman shows at the Melbourne, Edinburgh, Montreal and Glasgow Mayfest Comedy Festivals, in London’s West End and the Sydney Theatre Company.  Wendy enjoyed huge popularity leading Sydney radio station 2Day FM’s top-rating Breakfast Show for 11 years. She was the co-host of ABC’s 702 Sydney morning show from 2016 -2021.  She has hosted, written and appeared in a variety of TV shows including ABC’s The Big Gig.A former political journalist, Wendy is the author of eight books for adults including her bestselling novel Farewell My Ovaries, Love and Punishment and Nagging For Beginners, a how-to guide for women.  She has also written two teen novels, I Lost My Mobile at the Mall and I Made lattes For a Love God. Wendy’s children’s book series about Pearlie the park fairy have sold more than 700,000 copies in Australia and internationally since the first t

James Smillie has captivated audiences over several decades. Commencing his career at the age of 10, as an in-demand boy soprano singing with symphony orchestras and on radio, he continues to charm with his velvet voice on countless commercials, documentary narrations, and audiobooks.Smillie was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His parents emigrated to Australia in the early 1950s when Smillie was still a child. He has worked in both Britain and Australia in film, extensively on stage, on television, and with voice work.Growing up in Perth, he quickly established himself as an actor of note performing with the university graduate company in productions of Hamlet and Mourning Becomes Electra before journeying to the East coast and diversifying work at Channel O as newsreader, booth announcer and host.While his family remained in Perth, Smillie returned to the United Kingdom to appear in stage roles in London's West End and would divide his time between the UK and Australia for several decades.In Australia his te

It’s TONY time once again and an opportunity to look at the ceremony and shows up for awards in our annual Tony episode.STAGES is joined by publicist Ian Phipps and reviewer Simon Parris, to dissect the nominations and offer some predictions for the awards which will be presented on June 8th in New York City at radio City Musica Hall, hosted by Cynthia Erivo.The three of us have all recently been in New York and enjoyed the delights of the Broadway stage, taking in quite a few of the nominated shows and performances, giving us a familiar insight to where the awards might land.Australians are an ever growing presence on the Broadway stage and this year were are cheering for the Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel’s production of The Picture of Dorian Gray; a play that has taken the world by storm and garnered a host of nominations for the Australian creatives and performer Sarah Snook.Ainsley Melham is co-leading the company in the musical Boop! which has also earned nominations and Sarah Bowden is in th

Ainsley Melham began his Music Theatre Career in 2016, skating into the Hayes Theatre as Sonny Malone in Mathew Managements' Xanadu. Soon after he traded skates for a magic carpet and opened Disney's Hit Broadway Musical ALADDIN, in the title role. He toured Australia with the production playing Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.In February 2019 he made his Broadway Debut at the New Amsterdam Theatre reprising his role as Aladdin in the broadway company, before travelling to London to film the production at The Prince Edward Theatre.Upon his return to Australia he played Molina in the Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Kiss of the Spider Woman, as well as the title role of Pippin in the Tony Award winning production at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, Charley Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along at the Hayes Theatre, and Prince Topher in Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Ainsley has also guest starred as Fiyero in the Australian National Tour of Wicked The Musical. Preceding his MainStage theatre