Katherine Innes will lead the production of The Wedding Singer. Photo: Supplied.
Griffith Regional Theatre is on a mission to find the town’s Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore equivalent, as it begins auditions for a stage musical version of the hit 1998 movie The Wedding Singer, which is set to be performed in September 2023.
The cult romantic comedy film, which starred Sandler and Barrymore, follows the story of wedding singer Robbie Hart, who is dumped at his own wedding altar and then tries to find love and redemption.
“It’s going to be a fun show with a big cast and we are delighted to have a strong production team ready to get the show going, and we are excited to now offer the opportunity to perform to
community members,” theatre manager Marg Andreazza said.
Auditions will be held on 11 and 12 February, with cast announcements being made shortly after and rehearsals to start later that month. Budding performers of all skill and experience levels are encouraged to try out for either one of the eight lead roles or one of the smaller parts.
The production team will be led by local drama teacher Katherine Innes, who will be the play’s director. In 2019, Ms Innes was co-director of the town’s community production Legally Blonde, another musical adaptation of a popular film. She also played a key role in the Murrumbidgee Regional High School (MRHS) productions of Cinderella (2021) and the upcoming Seussical (2023).
Legally Blonde performed at Griffith Regional Theatre in 2019. Photo: Facebook.
Ms Innes said she was excited to bring this fun, dynamic show to the Griffith community.
“I’m thrilled to help get the community musical back on its feet after the challenges of the last few years, especially after the fantastic experience I had co-directing Legally Blonde,” she said.
Others chosen in the production team are:
The assistant director is Romina Tappi, who recently starred in the critically acclaimed play Hopes and Dreams, which was performed at the world’s largest arts festival, the Edinburgh Fringe. She has most recently been living in Italy, where she was the artistic director of one of that country’s largest theatre-in-education companies, which included managing several productions, multiple tours, scriptwriting and songwriting. She is returning to her home town to take part in this production and pursue other artistic ventures in Australia.
The musical director is teacher Matt Segrave, who is the Leader of Learning – Creative Arts at Marian Catholic College. During his time in Griffith, he has been involved with several productions, including the theatre’s presentations of Beauty and the Beast and Wicked, as well as several Marian College projects and Carols by Candlelight. He said he was thrilled about putting together a team of musicians to provide a live score for The Wedding Singer, and asked that any interested musicians contact the theatre for information on how they can be involved.
Piccolo Family Farm’s Bonnie Owen will take the role of stage manager. Bonnie has been an integral part of the volunteer-based Griffith Regional Association of the Performing Arts (GRAPA) and has until recently led the Youth Theatre Drama Troupe at the Regional Theatre. She was also the associate director of the production of Shakespeare’s Henry V at Leeton’s Roxy Theatre in 2021.
The assistant stage manager is Mahendi Raval, who has also been involved with GRAPA and worked on the Henry V production alongside Ms Owen.
The choreographer is Teagan Cirillo, who has experience in dancing, choreography and teaching dance in Sydney and Griffith, and is leading the choreography for the MRHS play Seussical this year as well.
“John Matkovic will be designing the lighting for the show, and Mark Macedone from Pristine Productions, who works closely with the theatre, will be sound designer. Our marketing and box office crew will also be playing important roles in bringing this show all together,” Ms Andreazza said.
The Wedding Singer has been performed as a musical all over the world. Photo: weddingsingermusical.com.au.
“We are now also looking for performers who want to take part in the show. We know from our initial expressions of interest we received late last year that more than 50 people are already keen to take part. These people will be receiving the audition pack directly, but if there are other members of the community who would like to find out more and register for an audition, please contact the theatre as soon as possible.”
For more information, or to access the audition pack and application form, visit the Theatre website or call the box office on 6962 8444.
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