5.4K
Downloads
47
Episodes
Beyond the Curtain breaks down barriers and explores the human stories of successful performing arts individuals. It delves deep into their life journeys, shares tips for success and fosters human connection.
Episodes
Wednesday Sep 15, 2021
Wednesday Sep 15, 2021
Welcome to Season 3 of Beyond the Curtain!
We are kicking off with a BANG as I chat with the divine, Alinta Chidzey.
Alinta is a multi-award winning, seasoned Musical Theatre performer and one of Australia’s most captivating leading ladies. She has starred in many musicals including Chicago, West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Curtains, Jesus Christ Superstar, Singin' In the Rain and Show Boat, just to name a few!
Alinta is also an acclaimed jazz vocalist, songwriter and recording artist, and sings with not one but TWO bands - Hook Turn Orchestra and Alinta and the Jazz Emperors.
Currently Alinta is starring as Satine, the sparkling diamond of Moulin Rouge! The Musical Australia. We are all eagerly awaiting theatres to open to witness the magic of this show on stage. In this episode Alinta shares how she successfully auditioned for the leading role whilst 37 weeks pregnant and commenced rehearsals just weeks after giving birth to her daughter, Harley Rose. You will also hear all about her childhood, career pathway and what to look out for in the spectacle of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Alinta is an incredibly talented and humble human being. You will hear her constantly compliment everyone else she is working with! She was an absolute joy to chat with and we are so grateful to have her share with you on the podcast.
Get comfy, settle in, here’s Alinta.
+ Follow Alinta
+ Follow BTC on insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders and we extend our love and friendship.
Wednesday Sep 01, 2021
Wednesday Sep 01, 2021
Well it's been a hot minute but WE ARE BACK BABY!!
Welcome to Season 3 of Beyond the Curtain!
We have a brilliant lineup in 2021. Here is a sneak peek!
Kicking off on September 15th
+ Insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Website www.beyondthecurtain.com.au
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond the Curtain is the podcast connecting the performing arts through human stories. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and extend our love and friendship.
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
What a season?!! It is so crazy to be at the end of 2020 and reflecting back on all of the incredible guests featured on Beyond The Curtain this year and the amazing stories they have shared.
It has been such a privilege to connect with such inspirational guests and share these moments with the most beautiful listeners! Thank you!
I hope you have all enjoyed the ride. I look forward to sharing more stories with you in 2021. Love, Sam x
+ BTC Website
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Oh my goodness, here we are at the last interview for Season 2!!
Today I sit down with the winner of the inaugural AOC Initiative, Martha Berhane. Martha is a proud Canadian-born Eritrean singer, dancer and actor who is passionate about the performing arts and immersing herself in various styles of art. She is an extremely talented and a very mature, humble young woman who was an absolute joy to sit down and chat with.
Martha’s love for theatre came from playing many roles across different musicals in school, and her dancing from growing up watching many dance movies. She was trained in a diverse range of dance styles under the Elite Performing Arts Program at the Melbourne Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) in 2019, and is currently attending the Victorian College of the Arts where she is studying acting.
Martha made her TV debut on the ABC ME Series ‘Mustangs FC’ in 2017 and has been featured as a dancer in music videos for a range of great artists in 2020. In this chat we go beyond the curtain and get to know a bit about the beautiful human being that she is. Enjoy!
+ Follow Martha
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
Today’s episode with Creator and Activist, Samuel Gaskin really is a special one. This interview epitomises everything that BTC is about, truly highlighting the human being behind the creative and exploring all elements of life with a positive outlook. Sam is such a beautiful soul and a ray of light and it fills me with so much JOY to showcase him in all his glory through this episode today.
Hailing from African, New Zealand and European roots, Sam has always been one to stand out in a crowd. Embarking on a career as a commercial dancer at the age of 19 saw him feature in numerous video clips and awards shows such as the ARIAS, Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards and TV Week Logies.
His television and film credits include Orange, Neighbours, Angry Boys, Fit for Fashion & most recently “All together now the 100” for Channel 7 as judge. He has also appeared in various commercials and worked with the likes of Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Ricki-Lee Coulter, Vanessa Amorosi and Marcia Hines.
Sam hosts Christine Anu’s kids’ project, Chrissy’s Island Family annually, and has performed in major musical theatre productions including “The Jungle Book” and “Hairspray.”
Sam is also a talented musician! His early work “GANK” spent 4 weeks at no.1 on the Triple J Unearthed Electro Charts and in 2016 Sam signed with Razor Recordings and released two debut singles “Good Enough” & “Love”.
He is passionate about uplifting and inspiring the next generation of performers and facilitates Master classes & workshops for Ausdance & Chunky Move. He also helped roll out the “Diversity in Theatre” program for the VCA & Melbourne University through Stage a Change. Sam is proud to sit on the National Performers committee for MEAA as the Victorian Vice President and also works as a speaker for beyondblue sharing his journey with mental health and well being.
In this chat we discuss the evolution of Sam’s career and how life led him to his most recent work on the masterpiece, “RECKONING”. There is a LOT to take from this interview and Sam is a joy to listen to. Enjoy!
+ Sam Gaskin's website
+ Follow Sam
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
I am SO excited to be back today after a quick mid-season break with an AMAZING episode, featuring the very talented and humble, Phill Haddad!
New Zealand born-Melbourne based choreographer, Phill Haddad is a highly sought after choreographer who has been choreographing, performing and teaching on and off stage and screen for approximately two decades! He has worked nationally and internationally and has a wide variety of credits to his name in the musical theatre, commercial and hip hop dance worlds. He has worked with many artists including Destiny’s Child, Boys II Men, Ja Rule, Ashanti and Ru Paul, and he has performed in multiple musical theatre productions including Grease The Arena Spectacular, Shout, Annie Get Your Gun, High Society and Oh What A Night. His talents are highly respected and he has been invited to judge all the major Australian Hip Hop Competitions such as UDO, Australian Hip Hop Championships and Australian Step Off Hip Hop Competitions. He has also been a senior judge for the world wide UDO International World Finals competition in Glasglow for the last 3 years!
Phill is currently working as the Dance Director for the Performing Arts Department at Saltwater P9 College. In this chat we talk all about his successful career, the importance and influence of performing arts teachers and Phill also shares about his experience with injury. He always has much wisdom and advice to share and this chat was no exception! Enjoy!
+ Follow Phill
+ Follow Reverlust Design (Sam's new design business for branding)
+ Reverlust Design website
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
I am SO excited to bring you this special episode with the one and only, Jason Gilkison.
Jason is a world-renowned ballroom dancer, director, choreographer and artistic director. Jason and his dance partner, Peta Roby, were the undefeated Australian Champions from 1981-1997. They went on to work on the ballroom and latin dance spectacular, Burn The Floor, where Jason accepted the role of choreographer and artistic director. Burn The Floor went on to successful seasons on Broadway and the West End and is still an absolute juggernaut today. Jason was a popular judge and choreographer on the hugely successful TV series So You Think You Can Dance, both in Australia and the USA, and has created over 100 routines for the franchise.
Currently, Jason holds the coveted position of creative director for BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in the UK where he has been for the last 8 years. Along with the team, Jason has helped to transform the show into the huge success it is today. This role has seen him choreograph for artists including Celine Dion, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Andrea Bocelli, Shania Twain, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. This year he was awarded with a BAFTA for his creative vision and artistic direction on the show!
In our chat we discuss his childhood, longstanding partnership with Peta, competing against Todd McKenney, and the stories behind his experiences on Burn The Floor, So You Think You Can Dance and Strictly Come Dancing. Jason also shares how he gets the most out of his dancers, how he says inspired and what his creative process entails.
Jason is such a joy to speak with and a wonderful story teller full of inspiring insight and advice! His humility and kind heart shines through the entire chat. I hope you enjoy listening.
+ Jason Gilkison's website
+ Follow Jason
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Today I welcome the very talented, Daniel Clarke to BTC!
Dan is Creative Producer at the Arts Centre Melbourne and has a wealth of experience to share in direction and production.
Some of his roles have included Executive Producer of Programming at Queensland Performing Arts Centre, CEO and Creative Producer at Theatre Works in Melbourne, Creative Producer of Leicester Haymarket Theatre in the UK and Artistic Director and CEO of Feast Festival: Adelaide’s Queer Arts and Cultural Festival. His work has received many Green Room nominations and this year he won the 2020 Green Room Award for Contribution to Cabaret.
In this chat we discuss the latest project he is working on for the Arts Centre Melbourne, Take Over! 2020. It is a wonderful program providing opportunity for artists in this tough economic climate, whilst continuing to entertain audiences and provide them insight into the creative process.
Dan shares all about his childhood, a formative gap year in Costa Rica and his savvy decision to move from drama student to direction and production. We discuss his career highlights and the business knowledge that he has learnt on the job over the years.
He also shares what he looks for in a performer, what it’s like being on the panel for the Helpmann Awards and his experience of winning his first Green Room Award in 2020. There is lots to learn from Dan! Hope you enjoy the chat :)
+ Follow Arts Centre Melbourne
+ Follow Dan
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
I am so happy to bring you this episode today with a truly beautiful soul, Fiona Luca. Fiona is a lifelong creative, business facilitator, qualified Dance educator, Yoga and Pilates instructor and mother of two gorgeous girls. She has an absolute zest for life and deep desire to make an impact wherever she goes.
In our chat we explore her really interesting and varied career pathways and delve into the topic of body image. Fiona generously shares her own experience with anorexia and how she has found herself today helping others going through similar struggles.
Fiona also shares her experiences choreographing for hotel resorts in Europe, becoming a Yogi and starting a dance school that grew to 300 students over 11 years before she sold it, as well as the identity exploration she faced at the end of this chapter in her life. Fiona shares all about her new business ‘Move With Fiona Luca’ and podcast ‘Talking Youth’ and provides some beautiful business advice as well.
Fiona is full of that good soul wisdom! She has a beautiful energy and lots to share. I hope you enjoy the chat.
+ Follow Fiona
+ Move with Fiona Luca Website
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Here it is. A very special one-off episode to celebrate The AOC Initiative and document a pivotal moment in Australian theatre.
In today’s episode, I share a round table discussion with AOC Founder, Tarik Frimpong and AOC Panellist and Equity Diversity Committee member, Dean Drieberg. Tarik is a very talented performer who has starred in West End productions such as ‘Aladdin, The Musical’ and Disney feature films such as ‘Mary Poppins Returns.’ He was also a guest on Season 1 of BTC where you can hear all about his life and career. Dean is an acclaimed theatre director and producer of many shows including ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ and works with many organisations to strive for racial justice within the Arts.
In our chat we deeply discuss the lack of representation on stage and behind the scenes in the Arts industry, BIPOC casting, the unfolding of the 2020 Rob Guest Endowment and how The AOC Initiative came to be. You will hear all about AOC and what the future of Australian theatre looks like.
It is a raw and vulnerable, honest discussion from all three of us. Enjoy, and thank you for listening. Much love, Sam.
+ AOC Initiative GoFundMe
+ Follow AOC Initiative
+ AOC Initiative Website
+ Keep up to date on our insta @beyondthecurtainaus
+ Find us on Youtube
Acronyms used in this episode:
AOC – Artists of Colour
BTC – Beyond The Curtain
BIPOC – Black Indigenous and People Of Colour
MEAA – Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance
EDC – Equity Diversity Committee
Links to support racial diversity within the Performing Arts industry:
Beyond The Curtain acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Australian land we live and create this podcast on. We pay our respect to our Indigenous sisters, brothers and their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the injustice and impacts of colonisation still present today.