STAGES with Peter Eyers

Guy Simpson has been working as a Conductor, Orchestrator, Musical Director and Musical Supervisor for over 40 years. He is currently Musical Supervisor of The Phantom of the Opera and Cinderella for Opera Australia. He is also the conductor of The Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour, taking to the Harbour stage in March/April. Guy's work on The Phantom of the Opera began in Australia in 1990 and has continued on and off for the past 30 years, conducting or supervising productions in Auckland, Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Brazil (in Portuguese), Manila, Bangkok, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing and Seoul. He has had a similar long association with Miss Saigon since 1994 - conducting or supervising productions in Australia, Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, Seoul, The Netherlands and Japan. For Opera Australia he was Musical Director of Evita (starring Tina Arena), the 60th anniversary production of My Fair Lady (directed by Julie Andrews) and West Side Story (on Sydney Harbour). Other international productions include Cats (Australia, New Zealand), Chicago (Australia, Hong Kong) and We Will Rock You - the QUEEN musical (Australia, Japan). Productions throughout Australia include Muriel's Wedding, The Wizard of Oz, Dream Lover, Prima Donna (the opera by Rufus Wainwright), Passion, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Love Never Dies (the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera), Les Miserables, Cabaret, Company, Into the Woods, Little Shop of Horrors, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Pirates of Penzance, Snoopy, Seesaw, Zorba, Oklahoma!, Funny Girl, Call Me Madam, Mack and Mabel, The Music Man, They're Playing our Song, Carousel, Camelot, Little Me, Follies, Promises Promises, Gypsy and Guys and Dolls. As an orchestrator recent projects include the musicals Ladies in Black and Dream Lover. As a producer of cast recordings he has produced the albums of Muriel's Wedding and Dream Lover for Sony, and two cast recordings of The Phantom of the Opera in Korea. Guy joined STAGES prior to the rehearsal period for 'Phantom' on Sydney Harbour to reflect on his affinity with the iconic show, and his extensive career guiding and delivering musical scores to audiences around the world. Opera Australia's HOSH The Phantom of the Opera plays March 25th to April 24th at the Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries' Point, Sydney. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au

Constantine Costi is a director, writer and the co-artistic director of Red Line Productions at the Old Fitz working across opera, film, and theatre. He was named one of the 21 hottest creatives of 2021 by The Australian. Most recently Constantine directed Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour La Traviata for Opera Australia, as well as Verdi's Requiem for Ensemble Apex and Phoenix Central Park, and is currently preparing a Kurt Weill Double Bill for The Old Fitz Theatre of Mahagonny Songspiel and The Seven Deadly Sins. In 2020 he directed the feature film A Delicate Fire for Pinchgut Opera based on the madrigals of Barbara Strozzi, wrote the libretto of a new Australian opera Cassandra for Victorian Opera by composer Simon Bruckard, directed Monochromatic; a video series of piano portraits for Phoenix Central Park, and directed an online Don Giovanni production for the Shanghai Opera with Maestro Xu Zhong. Constantine has also directed Karakorum starring David Wenham (Australian Brandenburg Orchestra); the award-winning production of Bittersweet Obsessions, and Messiah which played to standing ovations and sell-out seasons in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane; Puccini's Suor Angelica (Opera Projects Sydney); and Il Tabarro at Alfie's Sydney. Constantine has directed revivals of Harry Kupfer's Otello (OA), Il Viaggio a Reims (Dutch National Opera, OA and Royal Danish Opera), Sir David Mc Vicar's Vienna State Opera production of Falstaff(National Centre of Performing Arts, Beijing); and La Traviata (OA). He also assistant directed productions of Ring Cycle (Chen Shi-Zheng) and Wozzeck (Salzburg Festival, OA, Canadian Opera Company, Metropolitan Opera); Hunde Gottes (Schauspielhaus Vienna); and The Marriage of Figaro (OA). Constantine has also worked with director Chen Shi-Zheng as assistant director of Puccini's Turandot (OA, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour), as well as co-directing Werther with director Elijah Moshinsky (OA). Other work includes directing and co-creating the world premiere of jazz musical The Overcoat (Belvoir's 25A); co-writing the immersive theatre experience Visiting Hours (Vivid Festival); and directing The Space Between the Fuel and the Fire (NIDA). Constantine is the recipient of The Berlin New Music Opera Award with The Opera Foundation for Young Australians where he worked with Komische Oper Berlin's directing team on the premiere of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin directed by Barrie Kosky. Other directing credits include: The Hypochondriac, The Shewing-up of Blanco Posnet (NIDA); Young Artist's Program Showcase (Opera Australia); Thomas Arne's The Sailor's Return (Nagambie Lakes Opera Festival); The Master and Margarita after Bulgakov (Aboriginal Centre of the Performing Arts); Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo (Zenith Theatre); and The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer (George Georgiou Inc). Constantine has previously been a member of the Belvoir Artists' Workshop and was affiliate director with Griffin Theatre. Constantine's screen credits include: music videos, I Know What You're Hiding (Hedge Fund) and Into My Arms (Bloods) for Triple J Unearthed; and the short films Ferguson & Daisy & Ursula, andDonny. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

For over three decades, the name of Jenifer Eddy was foremost in the Australian opera scene as the major Artist Manager. Her stable of artists became household names under her guidance and Jenifer Eddy Artist Management boasted the crème de la crème of operatic celebrities. Their careers were carefully governed and tailored to present them at their finest. Jenifer Eddy had the knowledge and manner to assist a young singer in career growth. How did this lady of diminutive physical stature but strong character gain such knowledge? How did she so clearly understand the emotional plight of a singer and tend to their needs? What was little known was that Jenifer Eddy had experienced the journey of a singer, on an international level, first hand. Her career as a brilliant coloratura and soubrette soprano had taken her to the major opera houses of the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. Her on-stage colleagues included some of the finest and admired performers of the second half of last century. She packed into her fifteen years on the operatic stage what reads like twice the amount of performances of any other soprano of this voice type. Jenifer's vocal technique was strong and secure. Her delivery of the most difficult, stratospheric vocal writing appeared easy and her pert stage presence was beloved by colleagues and audiences alike. What seemed to be the perfect career, flying high, came to a sudden halt in 1968 due to a physical condition which remained undiagnosed for almost seven years - by which time, Jenifer had closed the door to her singing career and opened another as an Artist Manager. "Everything in life has a purpose" is a mantra that Jenifer has held throughout her careers. It provided an inner strength to travel the bridge from singer to agent. Both roles demonstrate careers of excellence, and legacies that have left an indelible mark on classical singing and opera in Australia. (text: Brian Castles-Onion) The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au

A respected and adored veteran of the Australian theatre, Geraldene Morrow began her professional career at the age of 16 as a dancer in the Bobby Limb Revue. Shortly after arriving in Melbourne from her home town of Perth, she was chosen to understudy Eliza in J.C. Williamson's My Fair Lady. One month later she played the role for a week and stayed with the show for two years. Other JCW productions to follow included Bye Bye Birdie and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. For Garnet Carroll she played the juvenile lead in Once Upon A Mattress. Other musical theatre work includes East Lynne, Lady Orderly's Secret, Caroline, Little Mary Sunshine, The King & I, 1776 and Brigadoon. In the U.K. she performed in plays, pantomimes and musicals including No, No, Nanette, My Fair Lady, The Girlfriend and the lead female role in the West End production of Cindy. She appeared in the film of Oliver and for BBC television she was featured in The Mikado and Iolanthe. Returning to Australia in 1969, she is remembered for her roles in Charlie Girl, Side By Side By Sondheim, Cowardy Custard, La Cage Aux Folles, Nunsense, Baby, Into the Woods, Big River and the original Australian production of The Phantom of the Opera as Madam Giry. Television credits include Bellbird, Water Under the Bridge, Young Ramsay and Prisoner. Geraldene was also one of the Glitter Sisters who toured the national cabaret circuit. STAGES spent a delightful hour with Geraldene reflecting on a prolific career and the immense joy it has brought her and audiences alike. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au

Simon Phillips began his career in New Zealand before emigrating to Australia in 1984 to take up a position as lecturer and director at the West Australian Academy for Performing Arts. In 1987 he joined the Melbourne Theatre Company as Associate Director and in 1990 he was appointed Artistic Director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia. After freelancing nationally and internationally between 1994 and 1999, he returned to MTC as Artistic Director from 2000 to 2011, overseeing the design and construction of the company's new headquarters and the Southbank Theatre. His directing credits range from new works to contemporary and Shakespearean classics, to musicals, to opera. He has directed works by most of the great contemporary writers: Albee (A Delicate Balance), Beckett (Happy Days), Brecht (Arturo Ui), Churchill (Cloud Nine/Serious Money), Hare (The Blue Room), McDonagh (The Pillowman), Orton (What the Butler Saw/Entertaining Mr Sloane), Shepherd (Buried Child, A Lie of the Mind), and Stoppard (Arcadia, Rock'n'Roll). He has also directed the premieres of many new works by leading Australian writers, including David Williamson, Matt Cameron, Hannie Rayson, Stephen Sewell and Joanna Murray-Smith. Simon's musical credits in Australia include Love Never Dies, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (which has had numerous international seasons including The West End and Broadway), The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Urinetown the Musical, Company, The Threepenny Opera, Cabaret, Muriel's Wedding - the musical, Ladies in Black, Dream Lover, An Officer and a Gentleman and High Society. In New Zealand he directed Oliver!, Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Pirates of Penzance. Among his many classical productions, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, A Comedy of Errors and The Importance of Being Earnest all toured nationally in Australia. Simon's opera credits include: La Bohème, Falstaff, L'Elisir d'Amore and Lulu for Opera Australia, The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni for Opera New Zealand and A Midsummer Night's Dream and Billy Budd for Hamburg State Opera. Simon is the recipient of many Australian Theatre awards and has an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Melbourne. He recently directed As You Like It for the Melbourne Theatre Company and has now turned his focus to Sydney with an adaptation of North By Northwest, and a thrilling new production of The Phantom of the Opera for Opera Australia; they take to the stages of the Lyric Theatre and Sydney Harbour. He discusses these exciting theatrical ventures, as well as his illustrious career, in this compelling episode of STAGES. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au

Nick Schlieper has designed lighting for all of the major performing companies in Australia and works regularly in Europe and the U.S. Recent engagements include Nick's debut at, and return to, the prestigious Salzburg Festival, designing the lighting for Aribert Reiman's Lear in the Felsen Reitschule, and for Cherubini's Medeé; as well as Mosquitos, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Real Thing, Still Point Turning, Harp in the South, A Cheery Soul, The Resistable Rise of Arturo UI, Chimerica, Three Sisters, All My Sons, Speed the Plow, A Flea in Her Ear and Switzerland for Sydney Theatre Company; Macbeth, Twelfth Night and Photograph 51 (also set design) for Melbourne Theatre Company; Packer and Sons, Ghosts and Twelfth Nightfor Company B Belvoir. Nick also returned to the National Theatre of Norway for Private Confessions, directed by Liv Ullman, and to New Zealand Opera for The Elixir of Love. He also lit Sydney Theatre Company's revival of The Present with Cate Blanchett on Broadway, and The Space Between the Notes (Emma Matthews' one woman show). Nick's work in Music Theatre includes First Wives Club The Musical at the Oriental Theatre, Chicago, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Musical in Australia, New York, Toronto, London, Sao Paolo and throughout Europe; Love Never Dies in Hamburg, Tokyo, Sydney and Melbourne for The Really Useful Company. His extensive work in opera in Australia includes Don Giovanni, Nabucco, Tannhäuser, Il Trovatore, L'elisir d'amore, Andrea Chenier, Freischütz, Falstaff and Seraglio for Opera Australia; Salome (and set design) and Parsifal for State Opera of South Australia; Flying Dutchman, Don Giovanni, and Ken Russell's Madam Butterfly for Victorian State Opera; Macbeth (and set design) for Opera New Zealand and Don Giovanni (and set design) for Opera Queensland. He was also lighting and associate set designer of the first Australian production of Wagner's Ring Cycle in Adelaide in 2004. Nick has also designed lighting for Scheherazade for the Australian Ballet, the acclaimed Cinderella for Royal New Zealand Ballet, and several pieces for Bangarra Dance Company, including Bush, Bennelong and Patyegarang. The year commences for Nick with lighting designs for productions of Wudjang: Not the Past (Bangarra Dance), North By Northwest (Kay & McLean Productions) and The Phantom of the Opera (Opera Australia) on Sydney Harbour. With such a full schedule it was a treat for STAGES to examine the art of Lighting Design with one of the country's most prolific and eloquent artists; Nick Schlieper. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au

During February, the Siren Theatre Company presented Kate Gaul's bewitching production of The End of Winter - a performance essay by Noelle Janaczewska, at the Stables Theatre. The production featured actor Jane Phegan. This episode of STAGES will chronicle the evolution of the production. STAGES followed the personnel - performer, director, designers, playwright - over a 4 week period, checking in occasionally to ascertain the contribution of each to the production process and how they navigate the construction of theatre. To the uninitiated, it is a fascinating process as disparate parts collaborate under the guidance of director to create the magic of live performance. The deft conjuring of illusion and the seductive pull of storytelling, transport us to other worlds, and enlighten us through evocative text and passionate craft. STAGES approached Kate Gaul from the Siren Theatre Company as rehearsals were about commence, giving the podcast access to a show's evolution. The company she had assembled combined the team who had previously presented Janaczewska's Good with Maps (a production that toured extensively), and keen creatives, early in their careers as theatre makers. Through the episode you'll be privy to my conversations with Director Kate Gaul, Actor Jane Phegan, Composers/Sound Designers Nate Edmondson & Kaitlyn Crocker, Lighting Designer Becky Russell and playwright Noelle Janaczewska. The End of Winter is a new work for the stage that speaks to our current climate crisis. Written in the wake of the devastation of the 2019 bushfires, it asks: What is happening to Winter? The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au

The rains have caused havoc with many folk around the country and we extend our thoughts and concern to those who are doing it tough at present. The advertised conversation with Tobin Saunders (aka Vanessa Wagner) will not be podcast today as planned. We will catch up with Tobin in a future episode. In lieu however, we are going to feature a conversation with the great Stan Munro, recorded in June, 2021. Stan was due in Sydney this week to celebrate his long career as another of our stellar drag artistes - nationally and on the global stage. Stan was to be featured in the Mardi Gras parade, but unlike Fanny Brice, the skies have rained on Stan's parade - for this year only. He'll be back where he belongs no doubt as soon as possible. We send Stan our best wishes and a happy Mardi Gras from afar! Born in Wales in 1941, Stan Munro has accumulated a life-time of wonderful adventure, challenge and triumph. His, is an eventful and colourful existence, navigated with resilience and a cheeky sense of humour. Stan's journey as a gender illusionist across several decades and continents has reaped countless anecdotes. Stan's first forays into frocks came when he would perform at family Christmas parties. Furniture would be parted and his family would be mesmerised by the boy miming to Rosemary Clooney. He played his first Pantomime Dame at the age of 12. He joined the entertainment industry working with a partner performing sight acts in variety around the UK. Along the way he worked with artists such as The Andrews Sisters, Petula Clarke, Tommy Cooper, Danny La Rue and Tessie O'Shea. He moved to Australia in 1963 and soon found himself employed as a male dancer in the famous Les Girls show in King's Cross, Sydney. Working with the Drag Artistes of the day ignited Stan's boyhood infatuation and he quickly joined the girls with his own blend of glamour and comedy. So much so that he was eventually appointed MC of the iconic revue. An extended season with the show followed at The Ritz, in St Kilda, Melbourne. It has been a career in heels since, as Stan has delighted, confused and amused audiences around the country. He has a fascinating story and an engaging take on life. He is wicked, charming and an absolute delight, as you will realise in this riotous episode of the STAGES podcast. The STAGES podcast is available from Apple podcasts, Spotify and Whooshkaa. Also where you find your favourite podcasts. www.stagespodcast.com.au

In the bohemian world that is drag, few artists can lay claim to the exulted and ebullient eccentricity that is Cindy Pastel. The alter ego of performer Ritchie Finger, Cindy has been delighting, thrilling and astonishing audiences for close to 45 years. Guided through life by a signature catch cry 'Is Everybody Happy?', Pastel has ensured that we are always a satisfied audience. A unique talent, Finger has inspired generations of drag performers who have followed in his fabulous footsteps - whether they be in stilettos or on skates. Ritchie Finger arrived in Sydney from Melbourne in 1979 and became one of the many young drag addicts to work at 'Patch's' Nightclub on Sydney's celebrated Oxford street. An auspicious beginning, through entering a talent quest under the drag name Barbara Mattel (Barbie), allowed Finger to make an indelible impression, though he didn't earn a place. Finger discovered 'Barbie' had a younger sister and so, Cindy Pastel was born. The song that Finger performed was 'A Love Like Yours Don't Keep Knocking Every Day' featuring both Sonny AND Cher. "Once on stage I felt like I had been there before and my world became my stage for evermore". In the early part of the A.I.D.S. crisis Pastel was a tireless worker for HIV/AIDS organisations and charities. The decimation of community was enormous and Pastel states "I believe the microphone was my personal way of unleashing anger towards the hideous disease. I felt like an Andrews sister doing her bit through shows during war time". Cindy Pastel exploded onto a multitude of stages through the 80's and was in high demand performing shows at the Hordern Pavillion for Mardi Gras, Sleaze Ball, Bacchanalia, Rat, and Sweatbox parties. Cindy Pastel worked at The iconic Albury Hotel for many years forming a group called 'The Showbags' consisting of Miss 3D, Twisty (Pat Gently) and numerous other showbag fill-ins such as Kandy Conrad and Sara Pax. Cindy formed other drag ensembles at pubs and clubs like Stranded Nightclub, where she worked with Channelle Saint Laurent and Christina. They were called 'The 3C's'. At The Exchange Hotel Cindy performed with a group called 'Mixed Company' with Julie Ashton, Ginger Benson, and Polly Petrie as the male dancer. Finger's performance work has also extended beyond drag as an actor in Richard Wherrett's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, staged at The Sydney Opera House; and roles in the films The Everlasting Secret Family, Desire, Hand Job, Gone Tomorrow and the documentary Ladies Please! The celebrated film Priscilla - Queen of the Desert entered Ritchie Finger's world when his life story inspired the character of Tick, played by Hugo Weaving. Finger travelled to London and The Cannes film festival to promote the film and further his own adventure. A delicious icing on the remarkable cake of Ritchie Finger's career was sitting in the silver shoe atop the Priscilla bus, in the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. A recognition that celebrated the seminal film and the fabulous community of drag queens who have worked the stages of Sydney. Cindy Pastel has been recognised by the DIVAs - The Drag Industry Variety Awards - twice in her illustrious career. A career that has reached incredible peaks and challenged with occasional obstacles. But through it all Ritchie Finger and Cindy Pastel have danced, paraded, twirled and taken centre stage, to ensure that 'Everybody's happy!" We certainly are! The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

DJ Dan Murphy has followed a passion to create avenues for people to enjoy music. He writes and produces music and music videos. He is best known though as a charismatic and dynamic DJ, overseeing a variety of parties and events, globally and throughout Australia. In Sydney, he is the creative genius behind the popular party concept IRH (I Remember House). The event is known for its high quality music and production, and has become an iconic party in Sydney. In addition to playing his own parties, Dan has been a regular DJ at the iconic Sydney Mardi Gras party. He has been enlisted to select and mix the soundtrack for the New Year's Eve fireworks displays in Sydney Harbour. A far journey from the young man who studied pipe organ and piano at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. The enduring period of isolation and the climate of closure saw Dan turn his talents to a variety of online entertainments to connect with an audience and ensure they could access expression through music. Like us all, he pines for an outcome when we can gather freely again and celebrate community and dance with spellbinding music. DJ Dan joined Stages to provide an insight to the science of music and the career path that has allowed him to be part ring-master, part magician and all charm. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au

Monique Kelly is one of Australia's greatest drag artists. Equally adept at glamorous, torch-song and comic turns, she commands the stage with a comprehensive appreciation of stagecraft, savvy and seduction. Monique first stepped on to a stage at Gilligans, Bondi Beach in 1972, and has never stopped her desire to please an audience. In 1973 she took up residence in Kings Cross and was a featured performer at the Carousel Cabaret and an original cast member of the long-running revue Les Girls, touring Australia and New Zealand. It's at this time that Monique Kelly created the Golden Girls and staged crowd pleasing shows at the Unicorn Hotel, The Flinders Hotel and the Taxi Club. Her cheeky pantos at the Taxi Club set new levels of production and fabulously outrageous costuming for a cast of three. Monique Kelly has headlined at almost every gay hotel and club on Sydney's golden mile. Iconic venues from a time passed, all of which offered a joyous celebration of the art of Drag; the Unicorn, Patches, Capriccios, Tropicana, Flo's Place, Paddington Green Hotel, the Albury and Annie's Bar. In the early nineties Monique joined the original cast of the famous 'Carlotta and her Beautiful Boys' revue as its comedian. This production show travelled for several years to every major town and City across the entire country playing to packed audiences who would never forget the fantastic experience of seeing this artist at her best. In 2002 she made a triumphant return to our spotlights starring in her own show at The Venus Room, bringing the kind of original performance, not seen on other stages. Monique has been involved with, and worked tirelessly fund raising for all of the major charities related to HIV/AIDS for many years, especially the Luncheon Club. She has appeared in and compered the Luncheon Club's World AIDS Day picnic in the park, as well as the Carols in the Park at Christmas time. In 2002 Monique Kelly was inducted into the DIVA Hall of Fame - an acknowledgement of her generosity, skill and fabulousness as a performer, and Sydney icon. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Whooshkaa, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Recipient of Best New Podcast at 2019 Australian Podcast Awards. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages). www.stagespodcast.com.au

The STAGES podcast enters it's 5th year in 2022. A host of great guests is guaranteed! Tune in weekly with host Peter Eyers as he celebrates creative talents on stage and off. STAGES returns on March 1st. Catch you then!

The STAGES podcast now arrives at the final episode of Season 4 - a Christmas themed addition featuring Geraldine Turner and Kate Fitzpatrick. It's been a big year for the podcast, dropping 87 episodes in 2021. And what a year! Join us for this Christmas Eve edition as Kate and I reflect on Christmas' past and present; we pull some crackers, and reflect on Stephen Sondheim's legacy with Geraldine Turner. We again feature the Ron Creager and Tina Tessina penned Christmas song, 'Christmas Will Find Us Wherever We Are'; performed by Lauren Schmutter. And the cast of '9 to 5' jingle festive bells to carry us into a very 'Dolly' Christmas! We also highlight some of the theatre offerings heading our way in 2022. The STAGES podcast will be back in March. Thanks for your support through 2021. Have yourself a Merry Christmas and the best of times in the New Year!

Noeline Brown is a National Treasure. A beloved star of stage and screen, Noeline first gained notice for her comedic skills in the brilliant Phillip Street Revues of the early 1960's in Sydney. Her TV fame began when she starred in the legendary satirical smash The Mavis Bramston Show in 1964, with Gordon Chater, Barry Creyton and Carol Raye. Starting in 1976, Noeline starred in The Naked Vicar Show along with Ross Higgins and Kev Golsby. She was also everyone's favourite panellist on Blankety Blanks with Graham Kennedy. Her film career features memorable roles in the classic Walkabout and Emma's War. Her sixty year stage career includes Don's Party, Cowardy Custard, Emerald City, Applause, Double Act, Valentine's Day, Later Than Spring and Wallflowering. Noeline won the Norman Kessell Award for Best Performance in 2008 for her starring role as Florence Foster Jenkins in Peter Quilter's Glorious. In 2014 Noeline starred as Maggie in the hit QTC production of Geoffrey Atherton's Mother and Son. In 2008 Noeline was made Australia's first Ambassador of Ageing. Her works as an author include "Longterm Memoir" and "Living the 1960's". In 2022, she is back on the boards and on tour in Mono: A three-person one-man show, alongside John Wood and Max Gillies. What a thrill to welcome Noeline Brown to STAGES! The STAGES podcast is available from Apple podcasts, Spotify, Whooshkaa and where you find your favourite podcasts. www.stagespodcast.com.au

Noeline Brown is a National Treasure. A beloved star of stage and screen, Noeline first gained notice for her comedic skills in the brilliant Phillip Street Revues of the early 1960's in Sydney. Her TV fame began when she starred in the legendary satirical smash The Mavis Bramston Show in 1964, with Gordon Chater, Barry Creyton and Carol Raye. Starting in 1976, Noeline starred in The Naked Vicar Show along with Ross Higgins and Kev Golsby. She was also everyone's favourite panellist on Blankety Blanks with Graham Kennedy. Her film career features memorable roles in the classic Walkabout and Emma's War. Her sixty year stage career includes Don's Party, Cowardy Custard, Emerald City, Applause, Double Act, Valentine's Day, Later Than Spring and Wallflowering. Noeline won the Norman Kessell Award for Best Performance in 2008 for her starring role as Florence Foster Jenkins in Peter Quilter's Glorious. In 2014 Noeline starred as Maggie in the hit QTC production of Geoffrey Atherton's Mother and Son. In 2008 Noeline was made Australia's first Ambassador of Ageing. Her works as an author include "Longterm Memoir" and "Living the 1960's". In 2022, she is back on the boards and on tour in Mono: A three-person one-man show, alongside John Wood and Max Gillies. What a thrill to welcome Noeline Brown to STAGES! The STAGES podcast is available from Apple podcasts, Spotify, Whooshkaa and where you find your favourite podcasts. www.stagespodcast.com.au