Please put your hands together for Mr David Gauci.

David is certainly no stranger to the stage. He trained operatically at Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music, shortly after which he abandoned Opera for the Piano Bar and Cabaret singing in pubs and clubs – which he has done throughout Australia for nearly thirty years. In the world of musical theatre his stage credits include; ensemble member & understudy for the role of Edna Turnblad; Australian touring production of Hairspray, Edna Turnblad for Matt Byrne Media’s Hairspray; Nicely Nicely Johnson in the South Australian Theatre Company production of Guys & Dolls; Richard ‘The Nice Nurse’ in the Australian premiere production of William Finn’s, A New Brain.

David has performed on multiple occasions with the Adelaide Cabaret Festival & also toured in Cabaret Festivals throughout Australia. His performance and writing credits include; Wireless – Chapel off Chapel and Black Box Theatre, Melbourne and Cole’s Girls – Adelaide, Sydney & Melbourne Cabaret, Comedy & Fringe Festivals. David now resides in Adelaide and has been working with Ding Productions in both a performance & wiriting capacity. He hosted the 2012 Adelaide Theatre Guide awards and is a private singing teacher.

David launched Davine Interventionz in 2013 with his directorial debut in the Adelaide Fringe 2013 with a production of Altar Boyz. Since then he has produced and directed productions of Flower Children: The Mamas and the Papas Story and Xanadu amongst others. Most recently David produced and directed the Australian Premiere of The Story Of My Life.

Make sure you head into the city on Sunday night to experience our biggest (to date) line up of artists, joined by the very talented David Gauci. Tickets are currently available online, but some may still be available at the door on the night.

It’s been a busy few weeks here at Broadway Sessions headquarters planning for the next six months. It’s very cool for us that after only two Sessions this event has gained so much momentum here in little old Adelaide. As we look to the future though, we’ve found the need to start expanding the team. So, we are very excited to introduce our new media partner who will be coming on this journey with us.

You have most likely seen The Barefoot Review’s name on social media and attached to musical theatre reviews; but don’t stress, they won’t be reviewing the performances each Session – in fact, we have declared Broadway Sessions a review free event! They will, however, be helping with increasing exposure for our Sessions through advertising and news stories on their website. This will help us ensure that every Session is as big, if not bigger, than the last.

The Barefoot Review has been around since 2007 and is all about quality over quantity. Everything they write is supported by a solid understanding of the craft, an industry qualification, and/or by years of experience in both the artistic genre and the written word. This makes it the publication of choice for many readers looking for a balanced and objective critique. Barefoot supports the arts in South Australia through previews, news and reviews, all while maintaining a truly local vibe with a focus on creating professional and balanced content. They also provide general coverage for some of Australia’s, largest festivals and events.

Broadway Sessions is thrilled to welcome Paul and the Barefoot team to the stage.

If you’re interested, you can learn more about them at www.thebarefootreview.com.au.

We are thrilled to announce our October Session host: Jeri Williams!

Jeri Williams is originally from the United States, and her love affair with singing began before she could speak. Jeri grew up singing in church and school choirs – most notably, her high school’s award-winning Jazz Show Choir, The Ambassadors. Jeri’s first experience with community theatre was in a local production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, as a secretary, just before Year 11. The following year, she joined a community pop/dance group, and shortly thereafter an aspiring pop/R&B girl group.

After graduating, Jeri performed in an acapella group at a Florida theme park for more than a year before joining Disney Cruise Lines, as part of the Character Cast. She met her Aussie husband on board that ship and spent the next six years performing in Dance Parties, Parades & Specialty Performances with two other cruise lines. Jeri finally left ship life and settled down in 2011, and shortly thereafter landed the role of the Baker’s Wife in NLTC’s production of Into The Woods (2012). That production has held a huge space in her heart for the last three years. During this time, she became a mum for the first time, to her beautiful baby boy, Wyatt.

Jeri most recently returned to the stage in the leading role of Miss Adelaide in the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of SA’s performance of Guys & Dolls (2015).

Get down to the Jade Monkey this month as Jeri takes us (carefully and excitedly) through the Gender Swap experience. It’s a first for Broadway Sessions, and a first for Jeri – you don’t want to miss this! Tickets are available now online, but some may still be available at the door on the night.

Well hello there Broadway Sessions fan! We have some exciting news to share with you, and we think it’s going to pretty much be the best thing you’ll hear all week – unless of course you came to our first Broadway Sessions, in which case it will be old news. The next two months (October and November) are both themed nights at Broadway Sessions, and we want you to be involved. Here’s a little run down of what we’re looking for!

October: Gender Swap

That’s right! Gender swap! No, you don’t need to go and get a sex change (although, that’s commitment!) – but you will need to sing a song that is normally performed by someone of the opposite gender. This is going to be a fun one, and will be a great opportunity to get to sing a song that is normally taboo (at least in a proper performance sense). You likely already have at least a song in your repertoire that belongs to the opposite gender, and this is your chance to share it with the world!

November: It Takes Two (or more)

Duets and trios, this is your calling! All of our songs this month will be performed by more than one person – the number is up to you, but we’d recommend two or three as a safe bet. This could be a fun occasion to get some friends involved, or just to sing something that simply can’t be achieved with only one voice. Pick a great song, choose your friends wisely, and jump in to Broadway Sessions (supersized)!

It’s going to be great fun, and we’d love to have you involved! If you’re interested, start picking your performances pieces and get ready to register as soon as it becomes available (after the current Session). Not a fan of being the centre of attention? That’s no problem – grab a ticket, a glass of your favourite beverage, and come along to enjoy a great night of live entertainment.

Stay tuned for further updates, and we hope to see you there at one of our Broadway Sessions!

Here at Broadway Sessions we love The Jade Monkey and feel rather special that we can call it our home. Unfortunately though, they have another function on the same night as our September Session. Do not fear though! After a long, extensive (and exhausting), search we have found a home away from home.

For one night only, on Friday 25 September, Broadway Sessions will be rocking out at the Adelaide Inn (Hotel Old Adelaide) located up the northern end of O’Connell Street, North Adelaide.

At the top of the grand staircase is the Wakefield room, with our very own private bar (drink specials are available all night). The kitchen will be putting on a range of hot snacks, just for us, available for a small fee at the bar. And if that’s not enough, how about a pre-show dinner in their restaurant, The Snooty Fox? All sounds pretty amazing – and that’s because it is! It’s only a few minutes north of the city, and has plenty of car parking available both on premises, and also in the surrounding areas.

The usual $10 entry fee applies (unless you are performing and then you don’t need to pay!) but we strongly recommend pre-booking (here) as we have a strict capacity limit at this venue.

Speaking of performers – there’s still time to register to sing this month! Click on ‘Register’ in the menu at the top of this page (or just click here if you’re lazy) for all the details.

September Session – All About YOU!
Friday 25 September, 7:30 til approx 9:30. Doors open at 7:00.
Adelaide Inn, 160 O’Connell Street, North Adelaide.
Some on site parking is available. Plenty of street parking in the surrounding streets.
$10 entry – pre-booked or at the door (cash only).
Read More…

We are very excited to introduce the host for our September Session… Millicent Sarre.

Millicent is studying Law and French at the University of Adelaide. She graduated from Pembroke School in 2012 with Colours in Drama and Music and the award for Outstanding Service to the Arts. For the 2013-2014 academic year she was awarded music and dance scholarships to attend Graceland University, Iowa, USA. There she was heavily involved in the arts program, most notably performing as Audrey in the homecoming musical Little Shop of Horrors (2013, Graceland University).

Since 2008 Millicent has been a vocal student of Kim Spargo, who has taught her just about everything she knows about singing. Some of her favourite past roles include Sally Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (2015, Hills Musical Company), Margot in Legally Blonde: The Musical (2014, Hills Musical Company), Beth in Little Women (2013, Therry Dramatic Society), Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2011, Swell Productions) and Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie (2010, Pembroke School).

Her dream role is Glinda in Wicked and has noticed with a great deal of interest that the amateur rights to the show are now available… When she is not onstage, Millicent is a teacher at Theatre Bugs and enjoys cooking, running, riding her bike and her puppy, Mr Douglas.

Come and join Millicent as she introduces you to a bunch Adelaide performers, and, no doubt, sings a song or two herself!

Our opening night went off with a bang – with an amazing turn out and some truly talented performers. We’ve rounded up the best of the photos, and found them a happy home on the Gallery page – jump in and check them out, pronto!

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to: all of our performers for putting themselves out there and being the first to take a risk on a brand new performance opportunity; everyone who came to support, cheer on, and enjoy a night of musical theatre performances; the band who accompanied each song with no rehearsal time; our support crew without who you wouldn’t have seen or heard anything; Mark Oates for hosting us so wonderfully.

Here at Broadway Sessions headquaters we are ever so grateful and humbled by the positive reaction, support, and encouragement of members of the Adelaide theatre community, and are incredibly excited to see where this project ends up in a year (or more) from now.

But for now, ticket sales and registrations for September’s Session are now open! We will let you know the venue very soon!

We are thrilled to announce our Session host for August… Mark Oates!

Mark is a respected opera, cabaret and concert singer, with a passion for music theatre. He has toured South Australia with State Opera, SINGular productions and the Adelaide Art Orchestra. Mark produced and performed in his own sell out swing show – Mark Oates and the Daniel Brunner Pretty Big Band – for the 2009 and 2011 Adelaide Fringe Festivals. For the Adelaide Festival, Mark sung the roles of Ruffiak in Ligeti’s Le Grande Macabre and Street Singer in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass.

For State Opera SA, Mark premiered the role of “the Cantor” in Astor Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires, a co-production with Leigh Warren and Dancers which was reprised for the 2011 Brisbane Festival. He also performed Joe in The Station (Howard Blake), and John Styx in Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach). Last year Mark performed in the world premiere of the full Philip Glass trilogy for State Opera SA, including the role of Arjuna in Satyagraha. In the two weeks prior to the opening night of Broadway Sessions, Mark will be part of the State Opera SA chorus in Faust and the Verdi Requiem before travelling to Canberra for two concerts with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.

Mark has also worked with many Adelaide based musical theatre companies. He was an Oscart and Curtain Call winner and Critic’s Circle nominee for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in The G&S Society’s Les Misérables. For The G&S Society Mark has also played the Baker in Into the Woods and the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance. He premiered Horton the Elephant in the award winning Seussical the Musical and portrayed Utterson in Jekyll and Hyde for The Hills Musical Company. Other roles include Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar for Northern Light Theatre Company, Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden for both The Therry Dramatic Society and The G&S Society, Enoch Snow in Carousel for Swell Productions/MS Society and was part of the original cast of It’s A Dad thing for SINGular productions. Mark has also played “man” in several productions, including Songs for a New World and I Love you, You’re Perfect, Now Change!

Come and join Mark as he guides us through (lovingly, of course) the new and old world of musical theatre. Oh, and he’ll probably attempt some humour too – please be gentle.

Welcome! And thanks for dropping by the official site for Broadway Sessions where you can find all the details of what’s coming up, register to strut your stuff, purchase tickets, or (once our first session is done), look through the nights that were. Broadway Sessions is still in its infancy, and so are some of the features of this shiny new website – check back regularly to see what’s happening, and take a look at new features which we’re planning to roll out as time goes on!

Broadway Sessions has been in the planning for well over twelve months. There have been many discussions, a bucket load of ideas thrown around over coffee (plus a few bottles of wine), and hundreds of balls thrown in the air, followed by very careful plotting of where they have landed. Now that all the stars have aligned we are ready to present it to the world! You are one of the very lucky people who have ventured into the world of Broadway Sessions, and we hope you’ll stick around for the ride.

So, please, grab a cup of tea, or coffee, or vodka, and have a look around – if you have any feedback, feel free to send it through. Like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/broadwaysessions), follow us on Twitter (@BroadwaySesh), look at our pretty pics on Instagram (BroadwaySessions), join our mailing list; these are all splendid (and easy) ways you can keep up to date with the latest goings-on as well as throw suggestions and comments our way.

Get excited – Broadway Sessions #1 is coming up soon! Enjoy for now, and talk to you all again soon.