MICHAEL RALPH: DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER

Michael Ralph is one of Australia’s rising young choreographers who is sought after for his dynamic, unique style and fresh take on Musical Theatre story telling. Michael’s choreographic credits include, Musical Theatre: DUSTY Melbourne/Adelaide seasons, Georgy Girl Australian Tour (Australian Dance Award and Green Room Nominations), Spring Awakening (VCA), Bring it On (WAAPA), CrossXRoads, Company, West Side Story (Jerome Robbins restaging), NED – A New Australian Musical, Avenue Q, Loving Repeating (Green Room Award), Our House (Workshop), Georgy Girl (Workshop), Pacific Overtures (Green Room Nomination), My Fair Lady, and concert versions of Pippin, Milk and Honey, Flinders Street, and Happy People. Television: So You Think You Can Dance? (Channel Ten). Cabaret: The Petticoat Soiree, Yummy and Triage (The Butterfly Club). Dance: Mood Swing (People’s Choice award 2011) and Project Elvis (Best Choreographer 2012) for Short & Sweet Dance. His two self-devised dance shows Now & Then (2013) and Hollywood Honky Tonk (2014) both played sell out seasons at Melbourne’s Gasworks Theatre and received positive reviews. His performing stage credits include roles in Cats (RUG), Fame The Musical (GFO), and the world premiere production of Moonshadow (Yusuf Islam / Cat Stevens). Also Singin in the Rain and Pirates of Penzance (The Production Company). As a teacher he is in high demand working and choreographing for many institutions all over Melbourne. 

NATHAN FIRMIN: MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Originally from New Zealand, Nathan moved to Australia in 1997 to study Music Theatre Performance at the Ballarat Academy of Performing Arts. He has worked both in New Zealand and Australia with performance credits including Roger Tramplemaine in Noises Off, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes, Berger in Hair, Eric in Bouncers – the 90’s remix, the Ringmaster in Barnum, the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, a Wickersham Brother in Seussical the Musical and Jidder/Jitter/Mr Jitters/ Phantom Jitter/Jütter in The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!). Production Team credits include: Direction for Assassins, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables, The Witches of Eastwick, Nunsense, Bugsy Malone, The Full Monty, Avenue Q and Godspell.  In 2010 Nathan was awarded the Victorian Drama League Award for Best Direction of a Comedy for Noises Off.  Musical Direction for Chess, The Wind in the Willows, Side by Side by Sondheim, The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Pageant, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and most recently The Full Monty for StageArt.  Choreography credits include Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Sweet Charity, The Goodbye Girl, South Pacific, A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Women and Hairspray. Nathan is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of SHooSH! Productions. He has co-directed, co-choreographed and co-produced Pageant, The World Goes ‘Round, Closer Than Ever, Putting It Together, the Australasian premiere of bare, I Love You Because, Forbidden Broadway – The Greatest Hits Volume One, The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), Falsettos and Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Nathan also runs Patched Keyboards, providing keyboard programming for musical theatre. Nathan Musically Directed Memphis The Musical & The Full Monty with StageArt. 

EVAN LEVER: ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Evan graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in 2011 with a Bachelor of Music Theatre. Most recently he produced and performed in new Australian work Songs From the Pavement, written by Hugo Chiarella and Directed by Gary Young. Previously Evan toured Australia and New Zealand in California Dreaming: The Story of the Mamas and the Papas with JTM Productions and played Henry T Dobson in the national tour of Anything Goes by Opera Australia, Francis in La Cage Aux Folles with the The Production Company, Neville Anderson in David Williamson's Third World Blues with Company Eleven and Neville Gruber in the premier of new Australian Musical Dreamsong. Evan also appeared in the world premiere of Cat Steven's Moonshadow - The Musical by Yusuf and Australasian tour of Thomas and the Hidden Treasure. In 2017 Evan made his directorial debut with Sweet Charity at OCPAC.

In 2013 with the support of the Ron and Margret Dobell Foundation Music Theatre Award, Evan had the opportunity to study Theatre Making in New York with Anne Bogart  director of the the SITI Theatre Company and travel to Oxford, England to participate in the BADA Midsummer program. 2014 Evan toured to New York City with his one-man show Aznavourian a tribute to Charles Aznavour, as part of the New York Musical Festival.

SHERIDAN ANDERSON: ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHER

Melbourne born, Sheridan studied at Isolation Performing Arts Studio where she completed full time professional training in Performing Arts. After working as a dancer and aerialist for Royal Caribbean International she continued her training in New York at Broadway Dance Center, studying with some of Broadway’s finest directors and choreographers. Sheridan has appeared in The Wizard of Oz (Gordon Frost Organisation), We Will Rock You (Gordon Frost Organisation), Dusty (The Production Company), as Graziella in West Side Story (The Production Company), as Stephanie in Saturday Night Fever (StageArt), also in Michael Ralph’s premiere show Now and Then and his most recent show SELF. Sheridan is thrilled to be a part of such an amazing cast and creative team and would like to thank her family, teachers, her partner Adrian and her agent Emma Raciti for their continuous love, guidance and support.

PETER PHAM NGUYEN: ASSISTANT MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Peter is a well established pianist, accompanist and musical director. He is usually recognised as a répétiteur and is frequently found playing in the pit for various school productions and theatre companies. Peter debuted as a Musical Director for the production of The Next Big Thing (Windmill) and has recently toured China as Musical Director for Australian International Productions.

Some productions he has played for include The Full Monty (StageArt), Beautiful Things: A Really Good Looking Musical (StageArt Xposed), Gilligan’s Island The Musical (Left Bauer & Humdrum Comedy), Phantom Of The Opera, The Little Mermaid (PLOS), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Babirra), We Will Rock You (Windmill), The Toxic Avenger, Dogfight The Musical, and 9 to 5 (Fab Nobs Theatre). 

Peter completed his studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and is currently studying a postgraduate degree at Monash University undergoing the degree Master of Teaching (Secondary). 

Peter is thrilled to be working with StageArt once again.