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STOP PRESS: KOOKABURRA NOMINATED FOR FOUR HELPMANN AWARDS
 It’s official – Kookaburra is up there with the best of the best with four Helpmann Award nominations.
Special congratulations to Peter Casey, Gale Edwards and everyone involved with Company.
Kookaburra has been nominated in the following categories:
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Gale Edwards
Company
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION
Peter Casey
Company
BEST SPECIAL EVENT
An Audience With Stephen Sondheim
AND… drumroll please!
BEST MUSICAL
Company
The countdown to the awards night on Monday July 28 is on!
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TELL ME ON A SUNDAY IN CINEMAS NOW
When Peter Cousens swanned into the office at 11am on Friday morning and announced he’d just been to the cinema, we were A) extremely jealous B) slightly confused and C) wondering where our popcorn was!...such are the perks of a CEO I suppose. Humph.
But after consoling many a hungry worker he proceeded to tell us that our beautiful 3 minute theatrical trailer for Tell Me On A Sunday will be shown over 450 times in both Sydney and Melbourne cinemas over the coming weeks. We quickly forgave him for the popcorn – it was sensational news!
The trailer was shot in high definition in Sydney’s Hyde Park and features Jolene Anderson in full voice and fabulous fashion.
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the trailer as part of the previews the next time you head to the movies.
(Man, I really do feel like popcorn now!)
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 KOOKABURRA GOES ON TOUR
1 Tarago – check!
1 three-tonne truck – check!
4 performers – check!
3 shows – check!
5 regional cities – check!
…ROADTRIP!!!
For everyone in NSW who can’t see stellar musical theatre in Sydney, Kookaburra is coming to you!
Kookaburra Touring is taking 3 musicals – The Emperor’s New Clothes, Songs For A New World and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change – to schools and theatres in Tamworth, Taree, Wollongong, Queanbeyan and Wagga Wagga throughout August and September this year.
The Emperor’s New Clothes will be performed in Primary Schools and Songs for a New World in High Schools. I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change will go on stage in theatres for everyone at week’s end.
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is Directed by Darren Yap. The Emperor’s New Clothes and Songs For A New World are both Directed by Peter Cousens.
Starring Katrina Retallick, Hayden Tee, Marika Aubrey and Anthony Harkin
TO BOOK each school production
TO SEE I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
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 KOOKABURRA KIDS MEET BILLY ELLIOT!
What started as a simple idea – to give kids from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to see a musical for the very first time – Discover The Theatre has grown to become a core part of the Kookaburra Kids initiative.
Last Saturday Peter Cousens took students from Chifley High School to see Billy Elliot and what happened in the theatre was, of course, magical!
As well as seeing this sensational show, students were given an impromptu tour of the theatre and met Ramian Newton who plays Billy, Shannon Jollif (Debbie) and Landen Hale-Brown (Michael) before the show.
Kookaburra is excited to say that we also have Discover the Theatre tickets for two productions of Phantom of the Opera and Guys and Dolls in Melbourne.
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 THANK YOU!
Kookaburra has only recently celebrated its second birthday and is rapidly expanding its staff and programs such as Kookaburra Touring and Kookaburra Kids.
These events (not to mention our three upcoming main-stage musicals!) would never happen without your support.
To all our Kookaburra Friends who recently made a financial contribution to Kookaburra – THANK YOU. We wouldn’t be here without you.
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ARCHIVES, DESIGNS & WARDROBE - OH MY!
It’s starting to look like Peter and Peter will have to go on ANOTHER quest for hidden office space as, after the discovery of 2 shiny new offices in Australian Hall a couple of month ago, we’re now starting to run out of room!
Emma has a new office roomy with our full-time Graphic Designer Miled Achi, our new Archivist Graham Foreman has kindly offered his time to collate our short and yet space-consuming history and Clare Rassmussen, our new Wardrobe Mistress for both Tell Me On A Sunday and Little Women, is making everyone prodigiously jealous as she gets to go shopping in the name of ‘research’!
Melanie Lobendahn will be keeping us all in check, coming on board as our Company Stage Manager and the lovely Tanya Hennessy is already running a tight ship as Assistant Stage Manager for Tell Me On A Sunday.
A big Kookaburra welcome to everyone!
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 LOVEBITES
If you happened to be in the audience for Wednesday night’s performance of LoveBites at the Seymour centre, the Kookaburra Team apologises profusely for its whooping, sobbing, hysterical cackling and, yes, singing! Actually, I take that back, we’re not sorry – we want to go and do it all again!
LoveBites is the most refreshing and vibrant piece of new Australian musical theatre around – its writers James Millar and Peter Rutherford should be immensely proud of themselves, especially considering they wrote it in a staggering 6 1/2 weeks.
Since Wednesday, everyone in the Kookaburra office has been tripping around singing “If you see someone’s s*** and still love ‘em…” For the rest, well, get yourself down the Seymour Centre and find out! It’s a wonderful, hilarious and moving night out.
LoveBites – A Song Cycle by Peter Rutherford and James Millar
Directed by Kim Hardwick
Designed by Martin Kinnane
With Octavia Barron-Martin, Tyler Burness, Sarah Croser and James Millar
Downstairs Theatre, Seymour Centre
On stage until July 12
Tuesday – Saturday 8pm and Saturday 5pm
$32 - $39
Bookings 02 9351 7940 or www.seymourcentre.com.au
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 TELL ME ON A SUNDAY SUBSCRIBER BRIEFING
For all you lovely subscribers out there don’t forget your exclusive and free Subscriber Briefing for Tell Me On A Sunday.
Pull up a chair with the star of the show Jolene Anderson, Director Peter Ross and some of the creative team to talk about what it takes to have a production move from page to stage.
Date: Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Time: 6.15pm
Place: Australian Hall (home of Kookaburra and rehearsal space for Tell Me On A Sunday)
RSVP: Please email media@kookaburra.org.au with ‘Subscriber Briefing RSVP’ in the subject line by 11 July 2008
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