NSW to get aggressive

The NSW State Government says it will drive an “aggressive approach” when it comes to securing musical premieres for Sydney.

The NSW State Government says it will drive an “aggressive approach” when it comes to securing musical premieres for Sydney.

It follows regular criticism of the Government over their handling of such events, with Victoria earning the first seasons of many blockbuster shows, including Wicked, Jersey Boys, Mary Poppins and Rock Of Ages.

NSW Events Minister, Kevin Greene, said the Sydney season of Wicked, which closed yesterday, was proof that Sydneysiders loved musical theatre.

“What we’ve seen here is the opening up of new audiences as non-traditional theatre-goers get a taste of how uplifting musicals can be,” Mr Greene said.

“Being a global city we need a range of exhibitions, theatre and sporting events all year round to give visitors even more reasons to visit.”

Mr Greene pointed at the opening of Doctor Zhivago in Sydney as proof that the Government was working hard to bring more musical premieres to Sydney.

“We’re driving an aggressive approach when it comes to securing musicals for Sydney and NSW,” he said.

NSW Tourism Minister, Jodi McKay, said the value of Wicked to Sydney’s tourism industry was huge, attracting hundreds of thousands of people over the past year who spent money on hotels, restaurants, shopping and attractions, supporting hundreds of jobs.

“One in three visitors to Wicked came from outside Sydney, with tens of thousands of international visitors making it part of their Sydney experience,” Ms McKay said.

“The NSW Government was instrumental in promotion of Wicked both in the lead up to opening night with a $100,000 three-week print and television campaign and during the show’s run, with print advertisements and promotion on www.sydney.com.

“Through Tourism NSW, we partnered with Wicked, Showbiz and TOGA Hospitality on the three-week cooperative marketing campaign, investing $40,000 to promote Wicked Stay and See packages in regional NSW and the ACT.”

News of the Government’s push for more musical premieres comes as super producer John Frost declares that audiences for musicals in Australia are growing.

“Over the past five to six years, our audiences have grown for musicals in Australia,” he told The Daily Telegraph.