Hunter Drama has recently celebrated their tenth anniversary, and with the wide range of lively classes and exciting productions they offer, it is not hard to see why they remain so popular.

Based in Broadmeadow, NSW, Hunter Drama offers more than a dozen different workshops and classes for students who love to perform and want to learn more about their craft. The Broadway Junior series is an ideal choice for the company, and they have produced a number of these shows since 2014.

Elise Martin, Artistic Director of Hunter Drama took some time to discuss the aspects of the Broadway Junior series that her team find appealing, and the somewhat surprising success of their most recent production.

“We find the Broadway Junior series so appealing because there is such a wonderful and exciting variety of titles,” enthused Elise. “Our students are very passionate when it comes to performing, and choosing a Broadway Junior title means Hunter Drama can offer them a really professional experience which is still age appropriate and achievable.”

Broadway Junior shows are very carefully edited from each full-length musical, with input and approval sought from the original authors. This means that the shows do not come across as overly simplified or watered down, which is an attraction for the student performers. Elise concurred: “They still get to perform all the songs and scenes from their favourite shows! The titles offer so many fun roles for students, everyone always gets their time to shine, which is so wonderful and helps our students to grow.”

A special feature of the Broadway Junior series is that companies buy, rather than rent, the librettos. The editions are packed full of suggestions and tips about what it means to be in a musical, which fits in perfectly with Hunter Drama’s education program.

Additionally, the showkits come with a director’s guide and choreography DVD, so it is not just the cast members who are learning on the job, as Elise explains: “The director’s guides always offer helpful suggestions of staging, which is very appealing to a creative arts training institution like Hunter Drama. This feature that means we can offer new opportunities to our passionate young people in creative teams who may just be starting out and they don’t feel overwhelmed.  

“There is always so much support offered along the way in the showkits. All the information a creative team could need to stage the production is supplied, but still leaves room for an individual director’s vision. The showkit helps teams to get organised and ultimately stage very professional productions.”

All of the Broadway Junior shows that Hunter Drama has staged have been wonderfully successful, but one show stands out to Elise: “Our huge production of Dreamworks Shrek the Musical Jr. was a whole new level for Hunter Drama. We staged the show on the main stage at the Civic Theatre in Newcastle so every element of the production was huge. The show was so enjoyable for all of the cast and creatives because it was so big and challenging. Everyone had a big sense of accomplishment when the show went so well. The show was very new at this stage and had never been seen in Newcastle before. It was wonderful for the region to see such a big show performed by our students!”

This year, Hunter Drama took on the challenge of Singin’ In The Rain Jr., which is, of course, based on the classic MGM movie musical.

Elise and her team initially had some concerns about doing a non-Disney, non-Broadway show: “At first we thought it was a bit of a gamble, wondering if our students would be familiar with the show or if they would want to be a part of it. We thought wrong! Never underestimate theatre kids! They were so excited, and embraced the opportunity whole-heartedly.”

Another concern for Hunter Drama was the fact the original movie musical Singin’ in the Rain is so iconic and well loved. As Elise explained, “there was a particular style and atmosphere that the creative team felt we had to get just right, to really pay respect to the show.”

Elise went on to outline how the creative team rose to the challenge. “Our director Drew Holmes completely embraced [the show’s iconic status] and worked it into his vision, achieving a wonderful homage to old Hollywood.”

Likewise, the young cast successfully overcame challenges of their own. Elise shared her feelings on the performers’ journey: “The most rewarding element of the show was seeing the growth of our cast members. The show includes a big (and very famous) tap number, and a lot of our students had never tried this style of dance before. They all worked so hard and by the end everyone had an entirely new skill!”

“Singin In The Rain Jr. was particularly rewarding because it appealed to so many different people, we had older audience members see the show as well as a whole new generation of much younger people who walked away loving it.”

Singin In The Rain Jr. was, in fact, such a hit that Hunter Drama presented an excerpt from their production at the Junior Theatre Celebration Australia adjudications in  October 2017.

Such is Hunter Drama’s level of enjoyment of the Broadway Junior series, they have already selected the next title. Elise was happy to share this news: “We have our 2018 season organised, and we will be doing Disney’s Aladdin Jr.” Get set for a whole new world of musical theatre action in New South Wales next year.