iOTA - Frank N Furter

iOTA, one of Australia’s most enigmatic, talented and original singer/songwriters, always wanted to be a rock star. Then the moment he became one, he freaked out. In hindsight he admits that it was a pivotal moment in a career that embraces six ARIA Award nominations, four albums, seven singles. Then another opportunity loomed when musical theatre presented itself and iOTA was cast as the lead in Hedwig & the Angry Inch. He needn’t have worried as he took to the stage with gusto making a stunning theatrical debut which in the past 13 months has earned him a Helpmann Award for Best Male in a Musical as well a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Musical and a Green Room Award for Best Performance in a Musical.

And then the fun really began….

August 2007 and we proudly announce iOTA’s involvement in two very different musical pieces. First up in the later half of 2007 iOTA performs alongside Graeme Murphy in Sydney Dance Company’s Berlin. Then in 2008 iOTA embraces the role of Dr. Frank ‘n Furter in Richard O’Briens worlds favorite rock n roll musical The Rocky Horror Show.

His 1999 debut album, The Hip Bone Connection, earned iOTA the first of his six ARIA Award nominations. His current album Beauty Queen Of The Sea embraces the warmth and melody from his third album La Caravana, but really is the sum of all its predecessors. And that leaves iOTA in an interesting place.

“Anything is possible” he says. “This music theatre thing is really getting me yet at the same time if I can keep making music and releasing it I’ll be happy”

PAUL CAPSIS - Riff Raff

Paul Capsis is one of Australia’s most versatile performers. His extensive career has included theatre, film, live concerts and cabaret. Paul has worked with many leading Australian theatre companies (STC, MTC, Malthouse Theatre and Company B Belvoir) as well as in Vienna, Hong Kong and London. He is presently making his theatrical debut in Absinthe in New York.

Paul’s theatre credits include Barrie Kosky’s The Lost Echo (2006, STC) which earned him the 2007 Helpmann Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play. Boulevard Delirium in Vienna and Australia (2001, 2002 and 2005 Schauspielhaus, Vienna and 2005 Australia) with his Australian performance earning him the 2006 Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Concert Performer and the 2006 Green Room award for Best Cabaret Artiste. Other awards include the 2004 Green Room Award Best Cabaret Artiste and 2002 Helpmann Award for Best Live Musical Presentation for ‘Capsis vs Capsis’ at the Sydney Opera House.

His music background is varied having sung with Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Russell Crowe, the Soweto Gospel Choir of South Africa, Judi Connelli, Todd McKenney, Mark Trevorrow and Marcia Hines amongst others.

Paul’s film credits include Ana Kokkinos’ 1998 film Head On which won him the 1998 Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for an AFI Award in the same category.

His CD 'Paul Capsis Live' is available at all good music stores and the forthcoming ‘Everybody Wants To Touch Me’
soon will be!

TAMSIN CARROLL - Magenta

Tamsin’s theatre credits include Grease - The Arena Spectacular , Measure For Measure and The Listmaker for The Bell Shakespeare Company, Into The Woods for the Melbourne Theatre Company, A Little Night Music for IMG and MTC, as Tracy Lord in High Society for The Production Company, The Republic of Myopia and Harbour for the Sydney Theatre Company and Shout – The Musical for Kevin Jacobsen in the role of Marianne Ranate. For her role in Shout, Tamsin was nominated for a Greenroom Award (Female Artist in a leading role) and for two Mo Awards.

She starred in Sam Mendes’ production of Oliver as Nancy in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore which earned her a Green Room Award, Helpmann Award and a Mo Award – for Best Actress in a leading role in a Musical. Most recently Tamsin performed the title role in ‘Dusty, The Original Pop Diva’ which earned her a Helpmann Award nomination. She has just finished performing in Company for Kookaburra in the role of Marta.

Her television appearances include Heartbreak High, A Difficult Woman, The Three Stooges and All Saints. Tamsin also played the role of Jodie in the feature film Holy Smoke directed by Jane Campion and starring Kate Winslett.

MICHAEL CORMICK - Eddie / Dr. Scott

Michael Cormick has an international reputation as an accomplished singer and actor. Since winning New Faces in 1978 he has had a diverse career throughout Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe.

In his home country of Australia, he has played lead roles in musicals including Cats, Into The Woods, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Grease, Eureka, Sunset Boulevard and End Of The Rainbow. Michael is perhaps best remembered for the role of the Beast in Disney's Beauty And The Beast (for which he received a MO Award).

On the West End Michael has played Sir Percival Glyde in The Woman In White, Raoul in The Phantom Of The Opera and Wild Bill Hickok in Calamity Jane. He has also performed the roles of the Arbiter in Chess and Che Guevarra in Evita in Beirut and featured as a guest performer in the Royal Command performances in London of The Phantom Of The Opera and Les Miserables, and at the opening of the Christmas Festival at Royal Albert Hall, London.

More recently Michael has appeared in concert throughout Italy.

SHARON MILLERCHIP - Columbia

Sharon Millerchip is a multi award winning triple-threat performer, whose reputation for versatility is certainly well earned.

Sharon began her musical theatre career in Cats before playing Meg Giry in the original Australian production of The Phantom of the Opera earning her first Mo Award nomination. For Into the Woods (Sydney Theatre Company) she won a Mo Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical and was nominated for a Sydney Critics Award and a Mo Award for Performer of the Year.

Other performances include Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Mo Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical), Falsettos (STC - Green Room Award Nomination), Anita in Westside Story (IMG), Sonia Walsk in They’re Playing Our Song (The Production Company - Green Room Award Nomination), Satango (Griffin Theatre Company - Australian Dance Award nomination) and Velma Kelly in Chicago (Helpmann Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical) touring Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Recently Sharon headlined The Production Company’s 2007 production of Sweet Charity and played Catherine in Kookaburra’s inaugural production, Pippin, at the Sydney Theatre and she has been nominated for the Best Female Actor in a Musical Helpmann Award for this role.

KELLIE RODE - Janet

Kellie is one of Australia’s musical theatre’s rising stars. Since graduating from WAAPA’s BA Musical Theatre in 2000 her career has taken off allowing her to perform across the globe.

Straight after graduation Kellie scored the role of Swing and Understudy in the Australian premiere production of Mamma Mia! in Melbourne. She went on to perform the lead role of Sophie in Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Auckland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brisbane (return season), and Melbourne (return season).

Her recent Musical Theatre work includes Sideshow Alley (World premiere 2006), OzMade Musicals 2006, Virgins (New York and Melbourne) for which she received a 2006 Green Room Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress and OzMade Musicals 2005. Her other credits include: Mandy Patinkin Masterclass (Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2006), Tsunami Appeal Brisbane 2005, Adelaide Christmas Carols 2004, S.O.S. Iran Charity Concert 2003.

ANDREW BEVIS - Brad

Andrew Bevis has starred in a diverse range of leading roles both in his native Australia and on London's world famous West End.

A prolific piano player, Andrew began his theatrical career aged 18 as Trainee Musical Director on the Original Australian production of The Phantom of the Opera. He then made his stage debut as Barnaby Tucker in the acclaimed revival of Hello, Dolly! (GFO) before touring Asia and South Africa with the international cast of Les Miserables. Andrew was then invited to join the original London production at The Palace Theatre in London’s West End performing the roles of Montparnasse and Marius.

Further West End Credits include Tremont - "Chick with a Dick" in Jerry Springer the Opera (Royal National Theatre/Cambridge Theatre), Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Piccadilly Theatre), Tobias in Sweeney Todd (Opera North), Terminus; These People; Diamond and Ray Cooney's Time's Up. Andrew starred as Lt. Joseph Cable in South Pacific for BBC Radio 2 and most recently as the title role in Cameron Mackintosh's Martin Guerre (Watermill Theatre).

Australian stage credits include: Follies (Sydney Opera House), Henrik in A Little Night Music (MTC / IMG), Spring Awakening and Favourite Names for Boys (Railway Street Theatre Company).

Andrew recorded the voice of Prince Lune for The Cat Returns (Disney Animations) opposite Tim Curry, Anne Hathaway and Elliot Gould.

SIMON FARROW - Rocky

Simon graduated from The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPPA) with a Bachelor of Arts (Dance).

Simon has worked with companies including The Ninth Floor and Kompany Kido.

His stunt work has taken him around the world working on stage shows for both Disneyland and Universal Studios. Simon’s screen credits include The Bastard Boys, Valentine’s Day, the US miniseries - The Pacific and most recently The Long Weekend.

DERRYN HINCH - The Narrator

The first time Derryn Hinch appeared on stage was with the New Plymouth Repertory Company across the Tasman in 1962. It was a production of Peter Pan and he played one of The Lost Boys named Slightly Soile

d.

It was the last time he appeared on stage until now and some would say he’s been ‘slightly soiled’ ever since in a controversial and turbulent media career spanning almost fifty years.

A national magazine once referred to him as ‘the former Derryn Hinch’. And there have been a lot of ‘former’ situations in his life. He is a former police rounds reporter, former foreign correspondent, former newspaper editor, former host of national current affairs shows, former novelist, former radio host in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, former Midday host, former drinker, and former jailbird.

Hinch was sentenced to six weeks jail and fined $25,000 over a contempt of court charge when he deliberately revealed the name of a convicted child molesting priest. He spent 12 days in Pentridge and Morwell.

Hinch has reported from China, India, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, England, Europe, the United States including tragedies like the famine in Ethiopia where he saw 25,000 people die.

For eleven years he covered both North and South America for the Sydney Morning Herald and other Fairfax papers as well as Macquarie Radio.

He was there on the spot at Cape Kennedy when man first went to the moon. He was there for such turning points in history as the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy. He was there when President Nixon resigned at the peak of the Watergate scandal.

In entertainment Hinch has interviewed such big names as Meryl Streep, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, Harrison Ford, Catherine Deneuve, Mae West, Peter Finch and Rod Taylor. And he was the Dalai Lama’s choice for his only Australian interview in 2007 when Hinch talked to him for the third time in twenty years.

At home here in Australia he has interviewed every major male and female star over the decades — and was also married to a national icon, Jacki Weaver, for fourteen years. She ‘owned’ The Comedy Theatre with a record-breaking run in They’re Playing Our Song.

Hinch used to threaten that he would write an autobiography and call it Famous People Who Have Met Me. He was joking.

Eventually he wrote two –with a third to come in 2009. The first, about the private thoughts of a public person, had his sign-off line That’s Life as the title. The second, his fall from professional and financial success, was called The Fall and Rise of Derryn Hinch. And the third plays on his media nickname Human Headlines… Read all about it! His tenth book on life and love, You Are So Beautiful - The passion and the pain of relationships was published in 2006.

Hinch first joined 3AW in 1979. He went on to become the undisputed King of Melbourne radio – with the highest morning ratings ever achieved then or now --before leaving to start the top-rating HINCH on the Seven Network and then the Ten Network. He also hosted Midday on the Nine Network. He’s back at 3AW on Drive, still there doing what he does best: breaking news, sometimes making news, expressing his opinions on issues across the street and across the world and hoping to make people think. He also has his own website www.hinch.net on which he posts daily editorials, Hungry Hinch restaurant reviews, travel articles and book offers. In 2007 the website had more than 3.5 million hits.

In recent years he has appeared as himself in The Wog Boy movie, the TV series Underbelly and Dancing With The Stars.

Derryn Hinch’s latest book I Beat The Booze –And You Can Too will be out in February 2009. He now shares a more tranquil (and sober life) with his wife Chanel and their cavoodle Scrappy Muttley Hinch.