Behind The Curtain

Elise is most well known for originating the role of Miss Honey in the Australian production of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda for which she won the 2016 Helpmann Award and the 2015 Sydney Theatre Award, and was nominated for the 2016 Green Room Award for her portrayal of Miss Honey. After over 650 shows and two years in the role, Elise left Matilda in Perth with her final performance on Sunday March 19th 2017.

She is also featured in the Channel Seven miniseries Peter Allen – Not The Boy Next Door, playing Peter’s sister Lynne Woolnough. Not The Boy Next Door won 7 AACTA’s at the 2015 AACTA Awards including Best Miniseries, was nominated for Best Drama at the 2016 Logie Awards and was nominated for Best Television Drama at the 2016 Monte Carlo Television and Film Festival.

A graduate of NIDA, Elise’s theatrical credits include: Cathy in The Last Five Years (Ensemble Theatre), Ado Annie in Oklahoma and Meg Brockie in Brigadoon (The Production Company), Lucille Ball in the critically acclaimed one woman show Everybody Loves Lucy (Luckiest Productions) for which she was nominated in the 2015 Sydney Theatre Awards. Ali in the 10th Anniversary Australian Tour of MAMMA MIA! (Littlestar); Janet McGregor in the Australian tour of South Pacific (Opera Australia/Gordon Frost Organisation); The World Premier/Australian Tour of Doctor Zhivago (Gordon Frost Organisation); Fruma Sarah in the Australian Tour of Fiddler on the Roof (TML Enterprises); Cordelia in Falsettos (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); Florinda in Into The Woods (Victorian Arts Opera); Little Women (Kookaburra Australian National Theatre Company); My Fair Lady (Opera Australia); Camelot (The Production Company); Side By Side By Sondheim (Enda Markey Presents). Elise is about to appear as Mary Flynn in a strictly limited season of the Stephen Sondheim classic Merrily We Roll Along at the Hayes Theatre.

Euan Doidge took centre stage in 2019 playing Tony Manero in GFO’s Saturday Night Fever. This role followed his reprisal as Felicia in the 2018 Australian tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Musical Theatre has been an intrinsic part of Euan’s background starting as a graduate of Patrick Studios Australia under the direction of Andrew Hallsworth. During this year of study, he was cast in his first musical Anything Goes (The Production Company). In 2012 Euan appeared in The Producers (The Production Company), then went on to play Paul San Marco in the Australian cast of A Chorus Line (TML Enterprises) for which he was the youngest ever nominee for the Helpmann Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

From 2012 – 2014 Euan appeared as Nikos/Padamadan in the Australian tour of Legally Blonde (ATG/GFO/Farrelly Prods) and Grease (GFO) in which he understudied the roles of Kenickie and Vince Fontaine, as well as understudying and performing the role of Teen Angel. He was then cast in the dream role of Marius in the Australian tour of Les Miserables (Cameron Mackintosh/Michael Cassel) 2014 – 2016.

During that time he also released his debut Album ‘Let It Sing’ and in 2016 Euan had the great pleasure of playing the role of Felicia/Adam in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and was Lead Singer in Burn The Floor (Norwegian Cruise Lines). On returning to Australia he starred in the Australian tour of Kinky Boots (Michael Cassel) as one of the Angels and covered the role of Lola which he performed many times to great acclaim.

In early 2021 Euan wrapped up his role as Lewis in the production of ‘Pippen’ The Musical, the first musical theatre production to bring back our industry after the global pandemic.

Introducing our next lovely guest……Gretel Scarlett! A familiar face on Australian stages, Gretel Scarlett is best known as starring as Kathy Selden in Australia's Singin' In The Rain (Equity: DAINTY GROUP, MICHAEL CASSEL, DAVID ATKINS, LUNCHBOX PRODUCTIONS) and also as the lead role of Sandy, opposite Rob Mills, in the Australian production of Grease (Equity: David Ian Productions, GFO).

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Gretel's past credits include the role of Sal in the 2009 Australian production of Breast Wishes (Equity: Bien-Etre), understudying and performing the main juvenile lead roles of Sophie Sheridan, Ali and Lisa in the 2009-2010 10th Anniversary tour of Mamma Mia! (Equity: Littlestar, LWAA). She also appeared as the Witch's Mother as well as understudying and performing the roles of Elphaba and Nessarose in the 2010-2012 Australian and Asian productions of Wicked (Equity: Universal, GFO) in Australia, Singapore and Korea. In 2014, she also starred in the role of Sally in Matthew Lee Robinson's production of Happy People.

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Having graduated in 2008 from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) with a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre). Throughout her career, Gretel has also continued her studies at various institutions such as Screen Acting at Tom McSweeney’s Warehouse, Ben Ratner’s Haven Studios in Vancouver, Canada, Brave Studios Melbourne and was selected as a participant in the 2014 Masterclass with Howard Fine and David Coury at the Howard Fine Acting Studio. ​She has recently returned from the USA, after studying Method Acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles under the guidance of Sharon Angela & MJ Karmi, and attending workshops and classes in New York, Utah, Boston and at the renowned Broadway Dance Centre in New York City.

Gretel has just finished a season of Pippin at the Sydney Lyric Theatre where she understudied and played the roles of Catherine and Fastrada. She has recently joined the Australian cast of Frozen at Sydney's Capitol Theatre to understudy Jemma Rix as the lead role of Elsa.

At just 12-years-old, Noah performed alongside Todd McKenney in Songs and Stories of Peter Allen at the State Theatre in the role of Young Peter. He has since appeared in more than 15 musical productions.

Theatre credits include the role of Munkustrap in CATS with Packemin Productions, Gavroche in Les Misérables with A.C.T San Diego and Evan Goldman in 13 the Musical with Birdie Productions.

He has had the opportunity to perform around the world and in Australia, and most recently a lead singer at Luna Park Sydney. Noah has danced at A-live Performing Arts Centre for the past five years where he was invited to perform in an all-male dance show Machismo as a NXTGEN member. West Side Story marked Noah’s professional theatrical debut.

Alex is one of Australia’s most versatile leading men. At 24 Alex landed the role of Raoul in London’s West End production of The Phantom of the Opera (Cameron Mackintosh), following which he returned to Australia to play Robert the blindfolded, roller-skating, tap-dancing groom in the acclaimed Melbourne Theatre Company production of The Drowsy Chaperone.

Alex received a Helpmann Award for his performance as Billy Crocker in Anything Goes (John Frost and Opera Australia) in 2015. Other nominations include the Sydney Theatre Awards for the role of Sid in An Officer and a Gentleman (GFO) and a Green Room Award nomination for Older Patrick in Mame (The Production Company).

Alex’s stage credits include Simon Stride in Jekyll & Hyde - 25th Anniversary Concert (Concertworks); Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz (GFO); Aaron in Curtains (TPC); Carl in Ghost the Musical (Ambassador/GWB/Red Live); Greg in The Boy From Oz (TPC); Brad in The Rocky Horror Show (TML); Joe Kennedy Jr and Jerry in Grey Gardens (TPC); Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden in Next To Normal (Doorstep Arts at Hayes Theatre); and Lancelot in Camelot (TPC).

On screen Alex has appeared in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (ABC), Rush (Network Ten) and Winners and Losers (Seven Network).

Alex’s debut album Easy To Love celebrates Broadway’s favourite composers, featuring duets with Caroline O’Connor, Lucy Maunder and Claire Lyon – available on iTunes and Spotify.

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Alex is a proud graduate of The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

Jarrod Draper! A proud Wiradjuri man, Jarrod is the first Indigenous graduate from the prestigious Music Theatre course at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

Born and raised in Orange, country NSW, Jarrod earned a full scholarship to the Regional Conservatorium to study Music Theatre and Classical Voice, which saw him perform both nationally and internationally for several years. During his time at WAAPA, Jarrod played roles such as ‘Sam’ in Lord of the Flies, ‘Black Fox’ in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, ‘Louise’s Soldier (pas de deux dancer)’ in Carousel and most notably, ‘George’ in Sunday In The Park With George, for which he was voted Male Performer of the Year by Perth Theatre Reviews. Jarrod could most recently be seen on stage in The Hayes Theatre Company’s sold out production of Catch Me If You Can. He also was a member of the ensemble in RENT at the Sydney Opera House and most recently has been announced as a member of the ensemble for the Australian Tour of Moulin Rouge!

Eleni Cassimatis is no stranger to the stage! Eleni spent the latter half of 2020 on tour with Bell Shakespeare performing as one of their Players, and has returned in 2021 to resume this nationwide tour. Prior to this, most recent credits include playing the role of Helena in Mark Bolotin’s production of Icarus, and Sir Toby Belch/Valentine in Virginia Plain’s Twelfth Night (Heads or Tails).

2019 saw Eleni on tour around Aus, NZ, Hong Kong and the UAE with four shows in rep for Poetry in Action.

Previous theatre credits include Irina Arkadina in ‘The Seagull’ (dir. Sarah Carradine), Snout the Tinker/Fairy/Wall in “A Midsummer Night's Dream” (dir. Adam Cook), Revolving Days’ production of ‘Everyone I’ve Ever Loved…’, a new work by Australian playwright M. Saint Clair and others.

Phillip Lowe studied at WAAPA. Theatre credits include: Crazy For You, Showboat, Cabaret, The Producers, Legends, The Sunshine Club, Eurobeat, Dusty, No Way To Treat A Lady, Mary Poppins, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Bloody Brothers and High Society. In 2017, Phillip was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award for this portrayal of Edward Bloom in Big Fish. Phillip played Keith Potger in Georgy Girl – The Seekers Musical, earned a Green Room Award nomination for playing Harry Bright in Mamma Mia and played Tyler Nelson in the world-first live streamed musical Who’s Your Baghdaddy? Television credits include McLeod’s Daughters, All Saints, Home & Away, Blonde, Crownies, Anzac Girls and Australia: The Story of Us. Film credits include Thank God He Met Lizzie, Black and White and The Honourable Wally Norman. Phillip is currently starring in Come From Away as Nick & Others!

Jack Dodds has a wealth of experience in comedy and music theatre. Performing in 4 shows with the ‘Orange theatre company’. 2 he was nominated for a ‘CAT’ award. Jack has produced and performed in over 10 productions with cycle productions. Jack has had training in improvisational comedy from the University of Kentucky, College of fine arts. He co founded the group the “Skitty Kitties” in 2017. Still running to this day. He co- wrote “Schapelle Schapelle” the musical. Which is going into its 4th season over 3 years in “Sydney comedy festival”. After touring to Bathurst, Sydney and Adelaide. He works with other emerging artists and comedians around Sydney. And is currently working on a new musical set to premiere at the end of the year. He is the co-founder and lead Producer for Piano room productions.