STAGES with Peter Eyers

London-based Australian producer Garry is the GM in RGM. With over 25 years experience developing, producing and managing ground-breaking productions around the world, he is an impresario of great vision and passion.

RGM Productions is an independent, Olivier Award nominated theatre production company with an objective is to discover, develop and introduce new and compelling productions to new audiences around the world.  Established in 2012 by husband and wife team Garry McQuinn and Rina Gill, the company has an impressive portfolio of productions ranging from drama, music, dance and cabaret to children’s theatre and comedy.

Garry is the lead producer and managing partner of Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical, the Broadway and West End hit show that is now Australia’s most successful theatrical export.  For the past decade Garry has been responsible for driving Priscilla’s international success; to date the show has played to almost 6 million people in 135 cities in 30 countries around the world.

After working as stage manager for Melbourne Theatre Company, Garry headed to London where he worked as stage manager for Noises Off around the world.  He returned to Australia and a life as company manager, production manager and sometimes even director for several big shows.

Garry’s list of credits include The Rocky Horror Show, Steaming, Sweet Bird of Youth, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Boy From Oz, Blood Brothers and Showboat, and (while joint Managing Director of Back Row Productions) he toured many international shows including Tap Dogs, Slava’s Snowshow, Mums the Word, Gumboots, Fosse, Shaolin Monks of China, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Jerry Seinfeld, Cats and Circus OZ.

Like Priscilla and Tap Dogs, Garry’s story is quintessentially Australian.  Before winning a scholarship to NIDA (Australia’s national drama school), he spent his youth playing semi-professional football and surf-lifesaving on Wollongong’s beaches.  After leaving school he worked on the blast furnace floor at the Port Kembla steelworks where he fell in with a gang of immigrant labourers who nurtured his interest in theatre and encouraged him to apply for NIDA.

Garry not only won a scholarship and graduated, but returned some years later to teach – and then head NIDA’s Production Course for over a decade.  He has enjoyed an unbroken relationship with the school for over four decades including two terms as a member of the Board of Directors.  He is currently serving as a member of the NIDA Foundation Trust board.

Garry joined the STAGES podcast from London to reflect on a celebrated career …. making and presenting impactful theatre.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

Tim Jones has led the Seymour Centre theatre venues in Sydney since 2009. Last month announced that he is stepping down from the role.

Together with a talented and passionate team, he has worked to position Seymour Centre as vital to the creative life of both the City and the University of Sydney. 

To achieve this he has initiated a range of curated artistic programs, focused on the presentation of outstanding contemporary performance and the exploration of big ideas, and driven by the principles of risk-taking, diversity, and inclusion.

His leadership has resulted in collaboration with pre-eminent independent theatre companies to present the best new work from local and international writers and artists; the provision of quality performing arts experiences for primary and secondary students to enhance syllabus learning; and partnerships with major cultural organisations such as the Sydney Festival, Mardi Gras and Sydney World Pride. 

Supporting emerging and independent companies has also been a feature of Tim’s term with SIMA Jazz, Siren Theatre Company, Shaun Parker and Company, Squabbalogic and Sport for Jove all, at various times, in residence at Seymour. 

Tim Jones began his career as an actor, performing for St Martin's Youth Arts and Playbox in Melbourne before moving to Sydney and graduating from NIDA with a BFA in Acting. He performed for theatre companies including Belvoir and Sydney Theatre Company before taking up a full-time role as Artistic Associate at the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), where he developed his commitment to delivering quality performing arts experiences for young people, a commitment that still informs his ongoing professional arts practice.

In 2005 he became the Artistic Director of ATYP, and went on to develop and direct over 14 new theatre works for young performers, including productions by leading Australian writers such as Louis Nowra, Michael Gow, Patricia Cornelius, and Debra Oswald (directing the premiere of her works, Stories in the Dark, in 2007, and Skate, which toured to the Belfast Festival in 2005). International collaborations included two partnerships with Cirque du Soleil and directing the world premiere of Patrick Marber's The Musicians for Sydney Festival.

At the Seymour he has developed and directed a range of premiere theatre productions including Transparency by Suzie Miller; two versions of The Hansard Monologues by Katie Pollock and Paul Daley; 2071, an adaptation of a work about climate change by Duncan Macmillan; Made to Measure by Alana Valentine, developed in partnership with the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney; and, in 2022, the premiere theatrical adaptation of Heather Rose’s Stella Prize-winning novel, The Museum of Modern Love presented as part of Sydney Festival.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

Matt West is the Director / Choreographer for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. Matt received the L.A. Drama-Logue Award, the L.A. Ovation Award, New York’s Drama Desk Award and London’s Olivier Award, for the much celebrated show, which is in the Top 10 longest running shows in Broadway history - with 5461 performances.

The classic story of Belle and her Beast has become an audience favourite around the globe. Matt recently returned to Beauty and the Beast, 30 years on, to review the show and bring it into a new era - taking full advantage of developments in technology, cultural shifts, choreographic influence and the abundance of magic, readily available from the Disney brand.

Matt West has worked for the Disney Corporation a life-time, first joining the team as a Friend of Peter Pan, and graduating to creating productions for Disney Parks in Tokyo, Paris and California.

On Broadway he has staged or choreographed productions of Lestat with music and lyrics by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and Mimi le Duck starring Eartha Kitt.

His work as a creative is informed from extensive credits as a performer in theatre and on the Broadway stage including Fiddler on the Roof, Hello Dolly and A Chorus Line. Matt also played the role of Bobby in Sir Richard Attenborough’s film adaptation of A Chorus Line.

International Theatre includes Little Shop of Horrors (Buenos Aires), The Wanderer (Tokyo’s Parko Theatre) The Little Mermaid, Cinderella and Peter Pan for Disney Home Video, The Nutcracker for the Disney Channel. And more than 30 productions of Beauty and the Beast Worldwide. 

Matt Directed and Choreographed Fantasmic for Tokyo Disney Sea. Current Projects Include the Broadway bound Productions of Smackdown and Click.

Matt was recently in Melbourne to visit the brilliant company of Beauty and the Beast, now in it’s final weeks at Her Majesty’s theatre, before it sets of on a national tour.

It truly is a glorious production, and I’m thrilled that STAGES had an opportunity to feature Matt in this episode to reflect on his own celebrated career … and to describe the vast journey of the juggernaut, that is, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

John O’May has worked in all areas of the entertainment industry encompassing music theatre, cabaret, drama, opera, concerts, comedy, radio, writing and directing.

His music theatre credits include Godspell, The 20’s And All That Jazz, Seven Little Australians (which he also directed), HMS Pinafore, Crazy For You, The Merry Widow, A Little Night Music (for which he won his first Green Room Award for Leading Male Performer), The Phantom Of The Opera (in the roles of both M. Firmin and M. Andre both in Australia and internationally), Mamma Mia! and The Light In The Piazza (produced, directed and starred in this award winning show’s only Australian production).

John played the lead role of Georges in La Cage aux Folles, Captain Bracket in the acclaimed Opera Australia production of South Pacific, Doctor Tambourri in Passion, Cardinal Felici in the international tour of The Last Confession with David Suchet, Herr Schultz in the musical Cabaret and Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

John has worked extensively with the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Companies. For The Production Company John has played Major Bouvier/Norman Vincent Peale in Grey Gardens, Elijah Whitney in Anything Goes, General Harrison Howell/Harry Trevor in Kiss Me Kate, and Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl.His film and TV credits include A Heartbeat Away, City Homicide, The Games, Carson’s Law, Between Wars, Starstruck and the ABC series The Divorce opposite Lisa McCune and Marina Prior. He can currently be seen in the Robbie Williams bio-pic, Better Man.
John played the role of Cinderella’s Father/Mysterious Man in Into the Woods for which he was nominated for a Green Room Award for Best Supporting Artist.

John recently played the role of Roland in Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Bloom and joins the show once again for its present season at the Sydney Theatre Company.

W.C Fields famously advised “Never work with animals or children”.

His advice would fall on ‘deaf ears’ for the creatives working on a new production of Annie, premiering at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney in March.

One of the creatives contributing to the show, in a very unique way is Luke Hura. Renowned as one of Australia’s leading Animal Trainers, Luke has been working intently with the canine actors playing Annie’s best friend Sandy in the iconic musical.

Dogs are essential co-stars in a host of stage musicals whether that be Mama Rose’s Chowsie in Gypsy, Bill Sykes’ mongrel in Oliver, Paulette’s Rufus and Elle Woods’ Bruiser in Legally Blonde, Dorothy’s Toto in The Wizard of Oz or Eden Brent’s prized Pomeranian pooch in Bullets Over Broadway.

Perhaps best known, as a canine co-star is Sandy in the musical ANNIE, who frequently steals the show.

Luke Hura’s unique career began over 35 years ago and throughout his journey, has worked on some of Australia’s most well-known films, television shows and stage productions.

Luke’s love for animals began at a very early age where he began to connect with them energetically and intuitively, with this ability allowing him to read and recognise their behaviours and thus he began to work with the animals on a more intimate level. This incredible gift steered him in the direction of training all types of animals for performance, including dogs, cats and a variety of birds.

Luke is well respected in the industry and is an obvious choice for any Producer to have as part of their production team. Some of Luke’s career highlights include – Red Dog & Oddball (the highest grossing Australian Dog Films), Paws, Ned Kelly, Rogue, Neighbours, Blue Heelers, Rove Live, The Flying Doctors, Dingo, A Country Practice, Thunderstone, Halifax f.p, Sea Change, The Wizard Of Oz, The Saddle Club, Kath & Kim, Rush and McClouds Daughters.

So how are the canine actors prepared for such starring roles? Sure they may not have much dialogue, but they have to hit their marks and establish a rapport with their co-stars. To answer all, STAGES spoke with Luke Hura, backstage at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, as Annie (and Sandy) readied for the debut of this new Australian production.

Annie plays the Capitol Theatre in Sydney through to early June before a season at The Princess Theatre in Melbourne from July.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).