LIGHTING up the OPERA HOUSE Page 3 Melissa Erpen Sings with Ellie Goulding Page 2
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Official newsletter of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University (Issue 46) December 2016 LIGHTING UP THE OPERA HOUSE page 3 Melissa Erpen sings with Ellie Goulding page 2 Dancers grace international ballet competition page 5 Plus Award winners and visiting artists Inside WAAPA Issue 46 Page 1 SINGING WITH ELLIE “I didn’t really think anything of it at the time because I guess it kind of felt so out of reach, it just felt so far away, I was excited but I didn’t get my hopes up,” Melissa says. A few days later she got the call saying she had the gig. Melissa was sent all the songs for her first show with the band. “So I learnt everything to the best of my ability, then I had four days of rehearsals with the other backup singer and we just worked through all our harmonies,” she says. “It was very intense, a lot of pressure but I just jumped into it.” That first show with Ellie Goulding was Photo by A R Thomas Photo in London’s Hyde Park in front of over MELISSA ERPEN SCORES THE GIG OF A LIFETIME 100,000 people. “If someone had told me that I’d be t the end of October, vocalist Melissa has performed on many of the singing with Ellie Goulding, I would’ve just Melissa Erpen and her partner, world’s greatest stages, including Madison laughed because I would’ve thought that English keyboard player Christian Square Gardens in New York, which she A was a bit far fetched!” says Melissa. Gulino, gave a masterclass at WAAPA for describes as “a major bucket list moment”. After her Perth sojourn, Melissa the Contemporary Music students. Other highlights of her year on the returned to London to perform with the Melissa, a 2006 graduate, spoke to the road include performing in Verona, Ellie Goulding band at the Royal Albert current students about how she has gone Italy at the 2015 Intimissimi on Ice – a Hall, followed by trips to America and India from WAAPA student to singing backup spectacular live show that combines ice for Christmas and New Year gigs. and touring the world with English singer/ skating and pop music in the Arena di songwriter Ellie Goulding’s band. Christian, Verona, a Roman amphitheatre – and Melissa credits her time at WAAPA as also a sessional musician, is currently performing in Melbourne at last year’s giving her the opportunity to hone her working with Kylie Minogue. AFL Grand Final. live band experience. “I would definitely say WAAPA helped me in a huge way – As part of the 2015/2016 Ellie Perth-born Melissa moved to London it’s a hub for talent and creativeness. Goulding World Tour, Melissa has travelled in 2012 to further her music career. throughout Europe, the UK, North However after a year she felt increasingly “When I first started at WAAPA I didn’t America, New Zealand and Australia. With unhappy with the direction her music was have much live band experience because I the tour finishing in Melbourne in early taking and experienced ‘a dip in morale’ so came straight out of school,” she explains. October, Melissa took to opportunity to she took a few months off performing, “WAAPA really gives you so many opportunities to perform and working fly to Perth to catch up with family and “But obviously with music, it always with the lecturers, who were so amazingly friends before heading back to London. comes back to you, so I got in contact talented and experienced in their field, “Working with Ellie has been an with a few different agents,” she says. gave me the tools to work with live bands amazing experience, playing in all these Out of this came an invitation to submit and feel confident in that setting.” huge arenas in front of incredible crowds her demo tape to Ellie Goulding’s around the world,” says Melissa. management for a gig as the star’s new Above: Melissa Erpen (centre) with fellow backing vocalists on tour backup singer. with Ellie Goulding. ANTHEM HONOUR For the first time ever, international Rugby League came to Perth in October. The Australian Kangaroos took on the number one world-ranked New Zealand Kiwis in an end-of-season Test Match on October 15 at NIB Stadium. Sophie Foster, who graduated from WAAPA’s Contemporary Music program this year, was chosen to sing the national anthem at the event. Sophie describes the experience as the highlight in her singing career. “I didn’t realise how monumental it was until I knew it was not only broadcast nationally but internationally as well,” she says. “With 20,000 people in the stands it felt surreal and the adrenalin was pumping. The roar of the crowd afterwards was exhilarating and I had an overwhelming feeling as I stepped off the podium. I am so thankful for the experience and I was proud to call myself an Australian.” Photo courtesy of NRL Page 2 Inside WAAPA Issue 46 IN THE SPOTLIGHT IT’S BEEN A BUSY YEAR FOR WAAPA LIGHTING DESIGNER TRENT SUIDGEEST Photo by Jenni Large Photo In the six years since he graduated from lit Opera Australia’s new production of white sails had wireless Audio Technica WAAPA, Trent Suidgeest has established Carmen, directed by John Bell. This was headphones on, marrying the music and himself as one of Australia’s most sought- followed by The Beast for Ambassador voices in a brilliant technical feat. after young lighting designers. Theatre Group, directed by Simon Phillips, Clive Paget in Limelight Magazine This year alone he has worked on six which opened in August. wrote: “Here, the design and direction theatre productions, moving up and down In October he was back with Opera fully match the aspiration of the the east coast from his base in Sydney as Australia, lighting a new production of venture … Trent Suidgeest’s colossally he travels from show to show. Alan John and Dennis Watkins’ The conceived lighting design picks it all out Trent started the year working on the Eighth Wonder, rechristened Sydney to perfection, the intensity of each scene Sydney Festival and Brisbane seasons of Opera House - The Opera. The show’s reverberating against the sandy stone and the critically acclaimed opera The Rabbits, lighting console was programmed by night sky. Visually, it’s hugely appealing produced by Opera Australia and Perth’s 2007 WAAPA lighting graduates Peter and immensely watchable.” Barking Gecko Theatre Company. First Rubie and Blake Garner. Most recently, Trent was in Melbourne performed as part of the 2015 Perth Set on the steps of the Sydney Opera to design the lighting for Dusty: The International Arts Festival, The Rabbits House, the show was billed as ‘the world’s Musical for the Production Company, won four Helpmann Awards, including first large-scale, live silent opera’. The which opened on November 12. The Best New Australian Work, Best Original orchestra was inside the Opera House show, directed by Jason Langley, stars Score, Best Costume Design, and Best while the cast, performing outside on Amy Lehpamer in the lead role and Production for Children. the Monumental Steps, was miked up, features WAAPA graduates Virginia Gay In April, Trent was lighting designer watching the conductor and stage director (2006 Acting) and Baylie Carson (2015 on the Sydney Theatre Company’s on large screens behind the audience. Music Theatre). production of Hay Fever, directed by Each of the 3,000 strong audience sitting Imara Savage, and two months later, he on the forecourt gazing up the famous Photo by Guy Davies Photo Inside WAAPA Issue 46 Page 3 SPINNING OUT ince graduating from WAAPA in 2012, Travis Jeffery has landed a Sstring of plum acting roles, including in Angelina Jolie’s critically acclaimed film Unbroken and the latest instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise alongside Johnny Depp. “I’ve just been incredibly lucky,” says Travis. “I kind of have to stop every now and then Photo by Kathy Wheatley by Kathy Photo and go ‘wow’. I’ve had such a lucky run.” Most recently, Travis starred in the Australian romantic comedy film Spin Out, FACADE FACELIFT co-written and co-directed by comedian WAAPA COMMISSIONS GRADUATE TO REIMAGINE Tim Ferguson. Released in September this year, Spin THE FAÇADE OF ITS NEW SPIEGELTENT Out centres on a group of close-knit In August, ECU became the first He has also received numerous friends from a small country town who university in the world to acquire private commissions, including a 3m gather for a night of partying at the annual a Spiegeltent, providing a unique tall and 2.5m wide portrait of US Bachelors and Spinsters party. performance space for WAAPA rapper, ASAP Rocky, painted inside The film also starsTwilight heart-throb students to hone their craft. Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui’s home. Xavier Samuel, Morgan Griffin, Winners & Spiegeltents – made of hand- Last year, Jerome entered a portrait Losers’ Melissa Bergland, Christie Whelan carved wood and canvas, lavishly of Naitanui’s face in Australia’s most and Lincoln Lewis. prestigious portraiture award, the decorated with mirrors and stained Growing up on a farm in Healesville in Archibald Prize. glass, and detailed in velvet and the Yarra Valley, Jeffery could relate to his brocade – have been used as In addition to holding exhibitions of character Sparrow’s country upbringing. travelling dance halls, bars and his own work, Jerome runs Up on Hay In the film Travis had to strip down to his entertainment salons since the early STudio, a multi-use exhibition space/ underwear, wear a cow onesie and engage 20th century.