Sing and dance your way through the announcement sharing the headlining artists for the 2022 Australian Musical Theatre Festival.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Appearing in Launceston in May for the festival will be the famous names of Paulini, Philip Quast and Chloe Dallimore.
Paulini rose to fame during the first season of Australian Idol and went on to become an ARIA Chart topper as a solo artist and with the Young Divas.
Her roles in musicals have included The Bodyguard Musical, Saturday Night Fever, Hair, and Chess.
READ MORE: Repeat drug driver's completely ransacked
More recently, Paulini has been back in the recording studio, and on television in The Masked Singer and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Quast brings more than 40 years of industry experience from film and recording appearances, to the stages of Australia, to the West End, and even as a Play School presenter.
Dallimore is well-known for her work in The Producers-The New Mel Brooks Musical, which won her five awards including the 2005 Helpmann Award.
The actress has also performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and is working on Broadway musicals, as well as productions for Netflix, Warner Bros, Fremantle, Channel 9 and Channel 10.
Australian Musical Theatre Festival artistic director Tyran Parke said the 2022 line-up of artists would bring "an incredible depth of industry experience".
"The artists will be sharing their extensive knowledge across all facets of the musical theatre industry and beyond. All powerhouse performers in their own right, to have them all together will be magic," he said.
"Whether you want your name up in lights on the West End, or to help out with the choreography at your local theatre, anyone who wants to get involved in any aspect of musical theatre, at any level and with any amount of experience will gain an enormous amount of value from participating in the festival."
The three headliners will be joined by a host of other highly experienced industry professionals from around Australia including Robin McLeavy, Anne-Maree McDonald, Lisa Gormley, Freya List, Sian Kelly, Jennifer Peers, John O'Hara, Nicole Farrow, Amanda Hodder, Travis Hennessy, Jack Lark, and John X.
AMTF board acting chairwoman Liz Bennett said Tasmania was full of people who loved musical theatre and the energy it brought.
"It's been a huge thing to find a balance of people [to headline]. Philip Quast has the tradition ... with Paulini we are very excited to inspire our young people ... and Chloe Dallimore is just brilliant. She brings the singing/dance side of musical theatre," she said.
The festival's program will feature workshops, performances, and other events including a school focused program to help foster networks and build confidence in young people.
The festival's Tasmanian ambassador, John X, said it was great that the national festival was held in Launceston.
"A national musical theatre festival in Launceston, you wouldn't bet your dog kennel on it let alone your house back when we started. The first [festival] just completely exceeded all our expectations," he said.
"The support for musical theatre in Launceston is better than anywhere else in the country. It's pretty much the oldest form of entertainment in the history of the world. You can't go wrong."
Events Minister Sarah Courtney said the festival offered unparalleled opportunities to come together and celebrate musical theatre.
"The Tasmanian [government] is committed to supporting our dynamic performing arts sector and we are proud to support the event from 2019 to 2023 with an investment of $671,000 through Events Tasmania," she said.
The festival will be held from May 18-22, with a full program to be released in January. Tickets are on sale now for the performance program. Visit amtf.org.au for more.
What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor: