Randle P. McMurphy
Jason Donovan came into our lives in the late 80s as Scott Robinson in the hit Australian series, Neighbours.
Throughout the 80s and early 90s he had several chart hits and his album Ten Good Reasons was the best-selling UK album of 1989. His hits included “Too May Broken Hearts”, “Especially For You” (with Kylie Minogue), “Sealed With A Kiss”, “When You Come Back to Me”,
“Everyday”, “Nothing Can Divide Us” and of course, “Any Dream Will Do’.
Since then, he has rarely been away from stage or screen. Jason’s record-breaking run in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the early 90s preceded his performance as Frank N Furter in the 25th Anniversary Production of The Rocky Horror Show, then Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Sound of Music, Annie Get Your Gun, The King’s Speech, Million Dollar Quartet and Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds. In December 2019 he was called home to Australia to appear as the charismatic and cunning celebrity lawyer, Billy Flynn in Chicago.
In autumn 2021, Jason undertook his first solo music concert in five years with his Even More Good Reasons tour which he performed whilst also filming the BBC hit show Not Going Out. Jason’s recent TV credits also include ITV’s Dial M for Middlesbrough and Dave’s Meet the Richardsons. In 2019 and 2021, Jason spent the summer months at the London Palladium as Pharoah in Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat followed by a nationwide UK Tour.
Over the summers of 2022 and 2023 he completed two consecutive runs as the Teen Angel in Grease in the West End. In the spring of 2022, Jason performed “Any Dream Will Do” outside the gates of Buckingham Palace as part of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Earlier that year, along with Kylie Minogue, he rejoined the cast of Neighbours one final time as Scott Robinson. In 2023, Jason donned his fishnets and heels to reprise his role as Frank N Furter for the 50th Anniversary of the production in Australia performing for audiences in both Sydney and Melbourne to critical acclaim. Starting February 2025, Jason will embark on his next solo music tour, the DOIN’ FINE tour which will span locations across the UK and Ireland.
Nurse Ratched
One of Australia’s most respected actors, Nadine Garner’s career has spanned film, television and theatre for more than 30 years.
Nadine recently performed on stage in Nassim Soleimanpour’s ECHO (EVERY COLD-HEARTED OXYGEN), the Spiritworks production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE IN CONCERT, Melbourne Theatre Company’s THE ALMIGHTY SOMETIMES and Clovelly Fox Productions’ ELEGIES: A SONG CYCLE, the latter earning Nadine a nomination for Outstanding Artist in a Leading Role at the 2025 Green Room Awards. She will next be seen in Kieran Wheeler’s debut feature WHO NEEDS LOVE SONGS and the next chapter of the Binge mystery thriller series HIGH COUNTRY: WHAT LIES BENEATH with Leah Purcell.
Nadine’s television credits include the ABC crime drama series SAVAGE RIVER, the Network 10/Channel 5 (UK) series LIE WITH ME, the Stan original series BLOOM, MY LIFE IS MURDER and MR BLACK for Network 10, THE BLAKE MYSTERIES: GHOST STORIES Telemovie for the Seven Network, ABC’s THE DOCTOR BLAKE MYSTERIES, the Seven Network drama CITY HOMICIDE, ABC comedy IT’S A DATE, BLUE WATER HIGH, THE HENDERSON KIDS, G.P, CLASS ACT, BOYS FROM THE BUSH, and RAW FM for which she was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Actress in a Television Drama.
Nadine’s feature film credits include Scott Major’s debut feature film DARKLANDS, Ben Hackworth’s debut feature CELESTE which premiered at the 2018 Melbourne International Film Festival, Ana Kokkinos’ THE BOOK OF REVELATION, Darren Ashton’s RAZZLE DAZZLE and Amanda Jane’s THE WEDDING PARTY, which earned her a New York City International Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1988, Nadine received an AFI Award for Best Actress for her role in MULL and in 1995, she received a Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Supporting Actress and an AFI Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in METAL SKIN.
Nadine has worked for many of Australia’s theatre companies performing both contemporary and classical pieces including TELL ME I’M HERE for Belvoir; THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT which earnt her a Green Room Award Nomination for Outstanding Performance, EMERALD CITY (co-production with QT), PHOTOGRAPH 51, DI AND VIV AND ROSE, THE DISTANCE, THE WEIR, PRIVATE LIVES, THE THREE SISTERS and THE CHERRY ORCHARD for MTC; A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC for Watch This National Theatre; ZEBRA! and LIFE AFTER GEORGE for STC; MISS JULIE for Perth Theatre Company; ROMEO AND JULIET and TAMING OF THE SHREW for The Australian Shakespeare Company. She starred in Sam Mendes’ production of CABARET and received a Helpmann Award and Green Room Award for her performance as Fraulein Kost.
In 2011, Nadine wrote and directed the short film AFTERGLOW which was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Screenplay.
Chief Bromden
Jeremy Proulx has been proud Indigenous storyteller, arts-educator and multi-disciplined artist (actor/ writer/dancer/filmmaker) for over 27 years. He is of both Anishnabek (Ojibwe) and Haudenosaunee (Oneida) descent, originally from the Indigenous community of Neyaashiinigmiing in southern Ontario, Canada, simply translated in the Anishnaabemowin language as “point of land surrounded on three sides by water.” He has called the city of Tkarón:to/Toronto his home for the past 20 years.
Jeremy’s long and extraordinary career as an actor and storyteller onstage has taken him all across Canada, USA and Europe, including Brazil, United Kingdom, Poland, Macedonia, Italy, and Greece. He holds university degrees in both filmmaking from York University’s world-renowned Fine Arts Program (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Video) as well as theatre arts from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre’s (CIT) full-time conservatory program. When not performing, Jeremy’s other passion is working with Indigenous youth to help guide and inspire them to tell their own unique stories through the fine arts.
Select Canadian theatre credits: In The Shadow Beyond The Pines (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre), Beautiful Scars: The Musical (Theatre Aquarius/National Arts Centre), Mischief (Neptune Theatre/Tarragon Theatre), Of Mice and Men (Maples Repertory Theatre), Where the Blood Mixes (Teesri Duniya Theatre), The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (Western Canada Theatre/National Arts Centre), Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth (Magnus Theatre), BONES: An Aboriginal Dance Opera, An Aboriginal Journey with Brecht, Miinigooweziwin…The Gift (Banff Centre), The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (Western Canada Theatre/National Arts Centre), Where the Blood Mixes (Teesri Duniya Theatre), Bent Boy and Sixty Below (Centre for Indigenous Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Magnus Theatre) and a historical all-Indigenous cast production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear (National Arts Centre).
Select international theatre credits: Red Forest (Young Vic in London, UK; Teatro Vascello in Rome, Italy and Teatro Ermanno Fabbi in Modena, Italy) for Belarus Free Theatre, the MOT International Theatre Festival in Skopje, Macedonia, the Brave Festival in Wroclaw, Poland. Jeremy also portrayed the character of Lennie Small in a 2016 USA stage production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (Maples Repertory Theatre) in Macon, Missouri (USA).
No stranger to the play, One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest, and the pivotal character of Chief Bromden, Jeremy has performed the role to award-winning, critical acclaim in various other stage productions throughout the world, including the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia (USA) in 2016 for which he won a BroadwayWorld.com award for Best Actor in a Play, in 2018 in the United Kingdom (UK) with Sheffield Theatre on their world-renowned Crucible Stage and in 2020 with Flint Repertory Theatre (USA) for which he won an Encore Michigan Wilde Award.
More information about Jeremy can be found at www.jeremy-proulx.com
Director
Roger Hodgman grew up in Tasmania and has had a distinguished career directing around the world, and, especially, throughout Australia.
He has directed over 150 plays, musicals and operas and many hours of TV Drama.
He has taught in three Drama Schools – East 15 (London, where he was Head of Acting , Playhouse Acting School Vancouver (Director) and the VCA, Melbourne (Dean).
He has been Artistic Director of the Vancouver Playhouse (1978-1982) and Melbourne Theatre Company (12 years from 1987)
A highlight in Vancouver was working closely with Tennessee Williams on two new plays including a free adaptation of The Seagull which he commissioned. Williams was quoted in the press as saying he was “the best man with a script I have ever worked with”
Some highlights at MTC include:
Since leaving MTC in 2000, he has directed numerous operas, musicals and plays, as well as about eighty hours of TV drama. Highlights include:
He has won several green Room and Helpmann awards and many nominations as best director – plays, operas, musicals.
He was recently awarded an AM for his contribution to Australian Theatre
Set Design
Richard is an award-winning designer and educator. His body of work spans theatre, ballet, opera, musical theatre, and film, across Australia and internationally.
Richard is currently Head of Design and Production at the Victorian College of the Arts. He has held positions as Head of Design at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Head of Production at The Victorian College of the Arts and Head of Design at The Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.
Richard’s designs for opera include: for Opera Australia, IDOMENEO (with Victorian Opera, toured to San Francisco Opera), RIGOLETTO, DON PASQUALE, THE MAGIC FLUTE and DIE FLEDERMAUS (with West Australian Opera); For West Australian Opera, PIRATES OF PENZANCE; for Victorian Opera, LA RONDINE, THE VISITORS, PARSIFAL, CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN; NIXON IN CHINA, THE MAGIC FLUTE, BAROQUE TRIPLE BILL, THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO; THE CORRONATION OF POPPEA and DON GIOVANNI; for Opera Queensland, RUDDIGORE; and for New Zealand Opera, Seattle Opera, and Philadelphia Opera RIGOLETTO. His work on Opera Australia and Victorian Opera’s acclaimed production of IDOMENEO toured to San Francisco Opera in 2025.
For dance, Richard’s designs include: for Australian Ballet, DON QUIXOTE, REQUIEM, MOLTO VIVACE and RAYMONDA; LA SYLPHIDE and LA FILLE MAL GARDEE for West Australian Ballet and Queensland Ballet. LA FILLE MAL GARDEE toured to the Estonian National Ballet in 2026.
For theatre, Richard’s designs include: for Queensland Theatre, THE SAPPHIRES, OTHELLO, THE SUNSHINE CLUB, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, NOISES OFF (with MTC), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, TARTUFFE and MANAGING CARMEN (with Black Swan); for Ensemble Theatre, BLACK COCKATOO; for TML, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF; for Melbourne and Sydney Festivals, THE SEASON national tour; for Melbourne Theatre Company, LAST MAN STANDING, SOLOMON AND MARION, NEXT TO NORMAL, THE GIFT and FROST/NIXON, Macbeth, Dreams in an Empty City, As You Like It, Hedda Gabler, The Sapphires, All My Sons; for Sydney Theatre Company, AUSTRALIA DAY (with MTC), TRUE WEST, RIFLEMIND; for Black Swan, THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE and GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS; for Belvoir, THE SAPPHIRES (with Black Swan); for Bangarra Dance Theatre, THE BOGONG’S SONG.
For screen, Richard’s work includes production design for George Ogilvie’s THE BATTLERS for the Seven Network, the 12-part series FIVE TIMES DIZZY for SBS and I OWN THE RACECOURSE for Barron Films.
Lighting Design
Niklas Pajanti is an award-winning lighting designer whose practice ranges across contemporary art forms and performance styles including theatre, dance, opera, circus, musical theatre, comedy, events, exhibitions and public spaces.
He designed lighting for the Helpmann Award winning production of ANGELS IN AMERICA as well as THE WILD DUCK for Belvoir which toured to the Vienna Festival, Holland Festival and The Barbican London; and lighting RUPERT for Melbourne Theatre Centre which went on to commercial seasons at Sydney’s Theatre Royal and The Kennedy Center, Washington DC.
Selected lighting for theatre includes: for GWB Entertainment, DEATH OF A SALESMAN; for Melbourne Theatre Company, WEST GATE, MOTHER PLAY, THE REMOVALISTS, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, BERLIN, COSI, A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, ASTROMAN, A DOLL’S HOUSE PART 2, RUPERT, THE CHERRY ORCHARD, THE BEAST, QUEEN LEAR; for Sydney Theatre Company, COSI, WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING (with Brink Productions), AUSTRALIA DAY (with MTC), SPRING AWAKENING, I WANT TO DANCE BETTER AT PARTIES (with Chunky Move); for Belvoir, MY URRWAI, ANGELS IN AMERICA, WILD DUCK, BABY TEETH, WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, THE PROMISE, BAGHDAD WEDDING,THE PILLOWMAN, YIBIYUNG; for Malthouse THE BIRDS, ONE NIGHT THE MOON, KITTEN (with Jenny Kemp), NOT LIKE BECKETT; for Bell Shakespeare, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING; THE SCHOOL OF WIVES; for Dark Mofo, BASS BATH; for Ilbijerri, HEART IS A WASTELAND, WHICH WAY HOME; and for Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide festivals, THE EXPERIMENT.
Selected lighting for Opera includes: for Victorian Opera, KATYA KABANOVA, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, REMBRANDT’S WIFE; for Melbourne Opera, LA BOHEME, LUCREZIA BORGIA; for Lyric Opera, BIOGRAPHICA.
Selected lighting for dance includes: for Dance North, WAY FINDER, RED, COMMUNAL TABLE, DUST, SPECTRA (Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival, Japan and France tour); Martin Hansen’s IT’S ALL IN MY VEINS (Dance Massive/ Dancehouse); and Nicola Gunn’s PIECE FOR PERSON AND GHETTO BLASTER (national & international tour).
Niklas has designed exhibition and event lighting for a range of leading Australian and International companies and spaces including: Melbourne Museum, Commonwealth Games Arts Festival, Museum of Modern Art (New York), Walt Disney Animation Research Library, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne’s Science Gallery, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Victoria and Albert Museum (London), and federation square.
Niklas has won 3 Green Room Awards and received 11 nominations across all categories. He has also been nominated for Helpmann Awards, Sydney Theatre Awards and APDG Awards for his lighting design.
Costume Design
Ella is a Production and Costume Designer for theatre, film and live performance. Informed by her beginnings in theatre, Ella’s work has evolved through contrived spaces, searching for the extraordinary found in the everyday.
Ella’s work as Costume Designer include Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead, August: Osage County, Tell Me I’m Here, The Weekend and Orlando (Belvoir St Theatre), Coriolanus (Bell Shakespeare) and Rent The Musical (National Tour with LP Productions). Her costumes often examine character with an urban melancholy. Productions where Ella has worked as both Set and Costume Designer include Never Closer (fortyfive downstairs), The Comeuppance (Red Stitch), Dubbo Championship Wrestling (The Hayes), LOVE (Darlinghurst Theatre Company), First Love Is The Revolution and Wherever She Wanders (Griffin Theatre Company).
In film, Ella worked in a partnership Production Design on ‘Alphabet Lane’ which had its cinema release earlier this year. Ella worked as the Costume and Production Designer for CATSinAM, The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives, for In Our Own Right; recounting Black Australian Nurses’ and Midwives Stories. In the commercial sector, as Production Designer, her clients include Visit Victoria, Google, Woolworths, Officeworks and James Squire. Ella is a graduate from the National Institute of Dramatic Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Design for Performance).
Original Music
Kohan van Sambeeck is a Melbourne-based musician, writer and theatre maker. He graduated with First Class Honours in Music from WAAPA, majoring in classical piano before moving to Melbourne to pursue creative opportunities. Kohan wrote the music and lyrics for One Day In September (Perryman Theatre Company), a new Australian work that centres around the world of AFL. Kohan’s commercial theatre credits include Pride & Prejudice *Sort Of (Woodward Productions), Reg Livermore’s Ned Kelly (Vic Opera), The Book of Mormon (Jones Theatrical), Grease (Crossroads Live), Annie (Crossroads Live), Groundhog Day (GWB Entertainment), Chicago (Crossroads Live), Sunset Boulevard, (Opera Australia), Beauty and the Beast (Disney Theatrical), Miss Saigon (Opera Australia), …Tick Tick Boom! (Storeyboard Entertainment), Hairspray (Crossroads Live), Do You Hear The People Sing? (Enda Markey Presents), Cinderella (Opera Australia), Ragtime (The Production Company), Aladdin (Disney Theatrical), The Wizard of Oz(Gordon Frost Organisation), The Wedding Singer (David Venn Enterprises), Chess(Storeyboard Entertainment), Shrek the Musical (Gordon Frost Organisation), Les Misérables (Cameron Mackintosh & Michael Cassel Group), Wicked (Gordon Frost Organisation), The Lion King (Disney Theatrical), The Sound of Music (Gordon Frost Organisation), and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (TML Enterprises). Some career highlights for Kohan include accompanying Hugh Jackman in a one-man show at the launch of the Jackman-Furness Foundation and working as the pianist for Claude-Michel Schöenberg and Alain Boublil for their concerts at Sydney Opera House and Hamer Hall.
Playwright
Dale Wasserman (1914-2008) wrote for theater, television and film for more than 50 years and is best known for the musical Man of La Mancha, a multiple Tony Award winner.
He also wrote the stage play One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, based on Ken Kesey’s novel, which has won several Tony Awards. Both shows continue to be produced nationally and internationally with an estimated 300 productions a year.
In January 1979, Dale met Martha Nelly Garza, who became his wife, loyal partner and loving companion. More than once, Dale commented that Martha Nelly was the best thing that ever happened to him (aside from MOLM) and that it was their 30-year partnership that had been the greatest contribution to extending his life and his talents to age 94. Together, they worked on numerous musicals and several new plays which can be found on his website, dalewasserman.com.
On December 21, 2008, Dale Wasserman, with his loving wife at his side, passed away peacefully of natural causes at his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Martha N. Wasserman is now the sole Owner/Licensor of Dale’s intellectual properties and spends her life promoting his works all over the world.
