NEW MUSICALS AUSTRALIA SHORTLIST FOR 2010/ 2011 DEVLEOPMENT ANNOUNCED

New Musicals Australia, a new initiative dedicated to the production of original Australian musical theatre, today announced the works shortlisted for development in 2010/11.
All works submitted were read by members of the New Musicals Australia advisory panel and all shortlisted works will now receive further consideration by NMA artistic staff, representatives of the Australia Council Music Board and other industry professionals. From this shortlist, works are selected to receive workshopping opportunities within the New Musicals Australia initiative. Advisory panel members who read submitted works included Peter Casey, Will Conyers, Kellie Dickerson, Rodney Dobson, Neil Gooding, Roger Hodgman, Karen Johnson Mortimer, Guy Noble, Jennifer Murphy, Peter Ross and Darren Yap.
The shortlisted works are:
Carnival Joe
by Mark Jones & Anthony Crowley
A broad, exuberant Australian musical comedy, set during the spring racing carnival of 1933.
Handle With Care
by Megan Shorey
A collection of four short musicals celebrating both the beauty and bitch of being a woman.
Houdini- The Man From Beyond
by Russell Bauer & Dr Bruce Dawe
In the style of a vaudeville performance and recreating of some of his signature illusions, we’re shown the final 15 years in the life of Harry Houdini.
Kells
by Stefan Cassomenos & Nick Musgrove
A symphonic musical inspired by the true story of the killer whales of Eden.
La Creole
by Julia Plummer, Nicholas Gentile & Cheryl Sawyer
A revenge tale set in 1755, where a slave from Martinique runs away to Paris and Versailles, determined to destroy her cruel Master.
A Little Touch of Chaos
by Peter Rutherford & James Millar
Through different characters and intersecting timelines, the experience of growing-up for a parent echoes the experience of growing-up for their child.
Mother, Wife and the Complicated Life
by Amity Dry
A tale of modern marriage and motherhood, seen through the experiences of four close friends.
Prix D’Amour
by Paul Dion
A sweeping historical drama, spanning from Manila during the Vietnam War to Perth in the 1980s.
Refrakting
by David Peake
It’s Saturday night in Melbourne, and the city’s youth are converging to get trashed. To forget. But there’s something that Jaydn can’t forget.
Showtrain
by Andrew Worboys & Zvonko Jovicic
A tall yarn spun by a mysterious vagabond minstrel, as a travelling sideshow try desperately to save their way of life on the showtrain.
Three Weeks in Spring
by Russell Tredinnick & Ian Gerrard
Private John Simpson and his donkey sit at the centre of a contemporary imagining of the origins of Anzac Day.
A Woman’s Eyes
by Paul Keelan & Gary Young
The story of an ordinary Australian woman’s life set against extraordinary events of the twentieth century.
New Musicals Australia has three key workshop initiatives. They are The Musical Snapshot, which presents a twenty to forty minute extract of the musical in concert, alongside other new works. The Developmental Reading sees a new work rehearsed and performed in concert, and the Workshop Presentation allows a musical to be rehearsed and performed book-down with staging and some production elements. New Musicals Australia also supports a variety of other initiatives targeted at developing new works, establishing networks and providing support for independent writers.
For more information on New Musicals Australia
www.newmusicals.com.au