Australia’s future musical theatre stars yearning for something more in LIVESTREAM concert

Home Grown Australia and Songs for a Future Oz have partnered up to present a free live-stream concert on Facebook, on Saturday 15th of August, 7.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). The concert will feature graduating Music Theatre students from WAAPA, VCA, Griffith Conservatorium, FedUni, Patrick School of the Arts, Associated Studios and Showfit.

Performances will include 20 songs penned by Aussie writers, including Tim Minchin, Kate Miller-Heidke, Bryant & Frank, Matthew Lee Robinson, Carmel Dean, Katie Weston, and 2 original songs by students.

Performing arts institutions across Australia seldom stage local musical theatre productions despite a large community of Aussie writers. Wanting to see a positive change in Australian musical theatre representation, Home Grown Aus teamed up with Songs for a Future Oz to connect the country’s very own material to the future generation of Australian music theatre.

Songs for a Future Oz was created to unite musical theatre students across Australia and offer alternative means for these students to perform in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

After a successful run of the first live-stream concert in May 2020, the second instalment was created to provide more opportunities to graduating Australian Music Theatre students of 2020 to perform, while celebrating Aussie material.

COVID-19 has affected the Australian Arts extensively, including many arts students who were not able to carry out their final year performances at their respective institutions. Similarly, Home Grown Aus has had to dim the lights on an entire year’s worth of events due to the global pandemic.

Co-founder of Home Grown Ben Nicholson says, “as a not-for-profit business, Home Grown has dedicated itself to being the bridge between the writers’ world and the world at large, and our ticket sales make up a large part of funds that make Home Grown’s artistic endeavours possible.”

All donations received from this live-stream concert will go towards Home Grown Aus to support the company in continuing development and support of Australian musical theatre, during and beyond COVID-19.

While the company waits out the COVID storm, they are taking advantage of the silver linings of the situation and using modern technology to “link performers from locations [they] have never been able to before”, Nicholson says.

Co-founders Nick Hedger and Nicholson expressed their anticipation for upcoming online initiatives, and “are excited about the future and for the day not too far away, when it’s completely safe to do so, where we’ll be waiting for you at the theatre!”

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Show details

When: 15th August 2020, Saturday
Time: 7.30pm AEST (5.30pm AWST)
Where: facebook.com/homegrownaus
Donations: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hgxfutureoz