Music theatre students now don’t have to travel to Sydney to study at AIM.
The two-year degree has produced high calibre alumni including Toby Francis who made his main stage debut this year in Kinky Boots as lead role Charlie, and Elisa Colla who has played Nessarose in Wicked, was in Les Miserables in 2014 and 2015 and is now working on My Fair Lady.
The Bachelor of Music – Music Theatre will be the only accelerated program of its kind in Victoria when it launches in Melbourne in 2017. AIM’s Head of Musical Theatre Jennifer Murphy says upcoming auditions will allow AIM to carefully curate students to form the first ‘company’ in Melbourne – a boutique group of between 20 and 30 students.
‘It’s a close connection we have – it’s a bit like a theatre company that is on the road together for two years,’ she told ArtsHub. ‘So part of the deal with auditions is that we are looking at whether we feel this combined group of people are going to bring out the best in each other, because they learn from each other as well.’
She says the decision to offer the course in Melbourne was the result of several factors – the course was tried and true after 11 years in Sydney, there was an increase in demand, and she and her team recognised Melbourne’s cultural influence.
‘There is a market for a Bachelor of Music in Melbourne and we know that there is incredible passion and following for the world of theatre and music in Melbourne – the aesthetic and cultural world there is rich and we wanted to be part of that and contribute to that,’ she said.
The first company of students will number between 20 and 30 in 2017.
Tyran Parke, who has taught at AIM in Sydney as well as for National Institute of Performing Arts, (NIDA) and the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) has been appointed the Melbourne Coordinator of Music Theatre and is joined by industry professionals Natalie Gamsu (voice) and Tanya Mitford (dance).
Murphy says the course teaches students to be versatile and become a ‘quadruple-threat’ – being able to sing, dance and act, but also create.
‘The reality is that having many strings to your bow is vital,’ she said. ‘I have been in this industry now for over 40 years and the thing about music theatre is, for instance, a singer who is armed with the facility to be able to negotiate a music score is at an incredible advantage.’
Murphy says AIM has alumni who have been successful in various fields – film, theatre, television and the stand-up comedy circuit.
“When you talk about musical theatre, it is certainly is that – music with theatre so it encompasses all sorts of venues,’ she said. ‘That’s an exciting part of what we do within the course – it’s enlightening in opening young people up to the possibilities of where they could have a life in music and theatre.”
AIM teaches its students to be a ‘quadruple-threat’.
This also means being exposed to a myriad of job opportunities. After graduating, Murphy says the skills students accrue through their degree mean they don’t need to become a part-time barista to make ends meet.
‘Actors and musicians are generally self-employed,’ she said. ‘So you need to be versatile, you need to be motivated and personally creative,’ she said.
‘By being involved in the subject areas, whether it be creating, acting, dance or the voice or lighting or dressing a stage, they can shift into roles that are still connected to their passion rather than waiting tables waiting for a job in a show – that’s the goal.
‘The units of study were designed reflect that. We fight the world of fame as much as we can – that’s an elusive thing and nothing to do with having a passion and a love for the art form and that’s what we are trying to create.’
AIM’s King St campus will be rejigged to create purpose-spaces for the course, with larger rooms for dance and performance rehearsals. Dates for auditions are soon to be announced. Apply online and you’ll be sent the most up to date details.
