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Sideshow Alley Postponed |
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The world premiere performance of 'Sideshow Alley', the inaugural winner of the Pratt Prize for Music Theatre, has been postponed from its intended October 2004 season at the CUB Malthouse.
"Sideshow Alley", written by Paul Keelan and Garry Young, was workshopped under the direction of Gale Edwards (The Boy From Oz, Eureka) in 2003, but was only performed for an exclusive industry audience at Chapel Off Chapel.
It was then accepted to be part of Playbox's 2004 season for its first viewing by a public audience, in collaboration with Picture This! Productions. Playbox, celebrated for their support of Australian theatre, was the first investor to the production and offered their support to stage a full production in preparation for a national tour.
Other investors were required to fully realise the production, and despite the acclaim, credentials and support for 'Sideshow Alley' these investors were not found. The result: postponement of the Melbourne season and world-premiere of a highly anticipated work of Australian music theatre.
"I am a great believer in the Australian Musical" said out-going Playbox Artistic Director, Aubrey Mellor, "the Australian public love musicals and our own The Boy From Oz is still playing strongly on Broadway. Gale Edwards shares my disappointment, for the creators, Paul Keelan and Garry Young but also for musical theatre performers, for the public and for Australian musicals. We are fortunate to have the Pratt Foundation equally passionate about the necessity to develop our own musicals; but sadly, there s a lack of vision in many of our theatre managements and an unwillingness to make the long-term investment in new work to ensure the future of the Australian musical. Without co-operation between companies there can be no future for new work - and this applies to plays as well as musicals."
Playbox hopes the production will be seen on stage in 2005. |