creative team biographies
amity dry
- music, lyrics, book & concept
Amity Dry is an Australian book writer, composer, lyricist, singer and actress who is well known for her roles on the hit TV show ‘The Block,’ her top 10 album ‘The Lighthouse’ and her critically acclaimed musical ‘The (M)other Life'.
Amity was featured on the original series of THE BLOCK and THE BLOCK ALL STARS, winning the All Stars series. Her debut album THE LIGHTHOUSE peaked at #6 on the Aria chart, was certified Gold and was one of the most played songs on Australian radio that year. Her follow up album TRUE TO ME achieved national airplay with the single Roller Coaster.
Amity wrote, composed and starred in the musical, MOTHER, WIFE AND THE COMPLICATED LIFE which has played over 100 shows throughout Australia and received critical acclaim. It was selected for development at the NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, played at the ‘Commission for the Status of Women Conference’ at the UNITED NATIONS, a concert at 54 BELOW New York and was translated into Norwegian for a season in Kristiansand, Norway.
Amity has written and performed in the cabaret shows, MOTHER, WIFE AND THE COMPLICATED LIFE (Adelaide Fringe Festival) SO YOU WANT TO BE FAMOUS (Adelaide Fringe Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival) TAPESTRY – A TRIBUTE TO CAROLE KING (Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival, Out of the Square Tour) and THE BLOCK TO BROADWAY (Adelaide Cabaret Festival.) She’s also featured in PICTURE PERFECT – The Songs of Scott Evan Davies (Adelaide Cabaret Festival) and IN GOOD COMPANY – The Songs of Matthew Lee Robinson.
Amity’s TV credits include THE BLOCK, MAKEOVER STREET, RENOVATION RESCUE, RENOVATION RUMBLE and FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS. Her TV performances include THE TODAY SHOW, MORNINGS WITH DAVID AND SONIA, GMA, A CURRENT AFFAIR, MORNINGS WITH KERRI-ANNE, MICALLEF TONIGHT, CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT and the anthem at the AUS v NZ Rugby Union.
Amity has featured in TV and online campaigns for MICROSOFT, TOYOTA, SUZUKI, ENERGY AUSTRALIA, BENDIGO BANK and RAMS. She also performs at corporate events with her band Hepburn and writes a column for Domain.com.au. Amity most recently premiered the cabaret show 39 FOREVER in the Adelaide Fringe Festival to a sell out season and 5 star reviews.
christopher hurrell
- co-bookwriter & dramaturg
Born, raised and trained in South Australia, Christopher has collaborated with playwrights both established and emerging as director, dramaturg and in his former role as Literary Manager of Sydney’s Griffin Theatre Company, on the development and production of many exciting new works of Australian theatre.
He has directed the world premiere productions of Whore by Rick Viede (Belvoir Street BSharp), the musical Las Vegas (Confidential) at the State Theatre, Men, Love and the Monkeyboy by Caleb Lewis at the Darlinghurst Theatre and Riverside Theatres in Parramatta, The Department Store by Justin Fleming (based on the novel Au Bonheur des Dames by Emile Zola) for Parnassus Den at the Old Fitzroy Theatre, Navigating Flinders by Don Reid at the Ensemble Theatre and Mr Bailey’s Minder by Debra Oswald for Griffin Theatre; a production which broke the box office record for Griffin and later toured throughout Australia.
Christopher founded Tangent Productions, and his production of Marlowe’s Edward II for that company was presented at the Queen’s Theatre at the 2002 Adelaide Fringe. Other productions he has directed for Tangent have included Tony Kushner’s epic Homebody/Kabul at Belvoir Street BSharp, the Sydney premiere of the multi-award winning Myth, Propaganda and Disaster in Nazi Germany and Contemporary America by Stephen Sewell in 2003 (as well as its successful 2005 revival) and Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream (presented as The Nightmare) at the Darlinghurst Theatre.
In 2007, Christopher directed Actors at Work for the Bell Shakespeare Company, creating national touring education productions based on Hamlet, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night and Macbeth. These productions played to nearly 40,000 secondary school students nationwide.
He was associate director for Wayne Harrison on Codgers by Don Reid and as assistant director to such illustrious Australian directors as Gale Edwards, Neil Armfield, Jim Sharman and John Bell, he worked on Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest at the Bell Shakespeare Company, Buried Child and What the Butler Saw for Company B Belvoir, Eureka! The Musical for the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Presence for Griffin Theatre Company and Art for the State Theatre Company of South Australia.
Christopher graduated from the Flinders University Drama Centre with an Honours Degree in directing in 2000.
sarah tipple
- director & co-book writer
Sarah has a excitingly eclectic variety of Directorial experience - from directing the Royal Shakespeare Company's next large scale holiday production, to the English National Opera, as well as blockbuster musicals and barbershop comedy troupes - making her one of the most exciting and versatile directors in the UK.
Sarah is the directing brainchild behind he new (and ultimately most successful) version of the sell out musical Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage for the latest 2011-2015 UK tour and 2013-15 Asian / South African production - her new interpretation of the musical was met with huge acclaim.
For the English National Opera, she was revival director on Anthony Minghella’s production of Madam Butterfly n May 2012, and more recently revival director for Mike Leigh’s production of Pirates of Penzance in 2016.
She has also directed You Can Still Make A Killing (Arts Educational, London), Annie Get Your Gun and Bay (Claire Studio, Young Vic), Mad Funny Just, winner of the Old Vic New Voices award (Theatre503) May- fly (Old Vic New Voices 24 Hour Plays) and the world premiere of Danny Morrison’s The Wrong Man (Pleasance Theatre & tour).
She has directed The Marriage of Figaro for award winning opera company Opera Up Close at the Kings Head Theatre from 2011 to the present.
She is also the o-founder of Barbershopera Productions - the highly acclaimed comedy barbershop quartet featuring three guys and a girl which, since 2007, has charmed audiences across the UK and internationally with their award-winning work.
Sarah has directed all their shows to date, which include Barbershopera: Toni & The Guys (Plymouth Drum, UK Tour and BBC Radio 4), Barbershopera: The Barber Of Shavingham (Edinburgh, Trafalgar Studios and UK and International tour), Barbershopera: Apocalypse No! (Trafalgar Studios and UK tour) and Barbershopera:
matthew brind
- orchestrations
Matthew is an international Composer, Arranger and Conductor.
His work spans Film, Radio, Television, Theatre, Pop and Concerts. He has worked with various orchestras including, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, Welsh Pops Orchestra and various session orchestras in London, Los Angeles and New York. He has conducted and arranged for numerous Big Bands including, BBC Big Band, X Factor Big Band, Britain's Got Talent Big Band and America's Got Talent Big Band. He works with Gospel Choirs in London, New York and LA on various projects. Matthew has been arranger and conductor for three UK number 1 albums, and 3 UK number 1 singles.
Matthew is arranger for the TV shows, X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, America's Got Talent and was Musical Director / Arranger for BBC's Tonight's the Night. His arrangements have also been heard on the Royal Variety Show and Strictly Come Dancing. Matthew is Musical Director for John Barrowman and is arranger for platinum selling music producer, Graham Stack. Recently Matthew has been involved in the movie Paddington 2 as arranger and music producer.
Matthew’s theatre credits include, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse Theatre) Musical Supervisor. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre) Musical Supervisor and Additional Arrangements and Orchestrations. Only the Brave (Wales Millennium Centre) Composer, Orchestrator, Musical Supervisor. Legally Blonde the Musical (Savoy Theatre) Musical Director. Miss Atomic Bomb (The Other Palace) Musical Supervisor / Orchestrations. Desperately Seeking Susan (Novello Theatre) Musical Director. Me and My Girl (UK Tour) Musical Director and Additional Arrangements and Orchestrations.
Matthew lives in South Wales with his wife, Laura and two sons, Alfie and Frankie.
michael tyack
- musical supervisor
One of Australia's most in demand and respected Musical Supervisors
He has been involved with many major musicals including Cats, Phantom Of The Opera, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Singing In The Rain, The Lion King, Wicked, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and others. He has been Musical Director of many shows including Madiba, Side By Side By Sondheim, Chess, The Wizard of Oz, Jerry’s Girls, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, High School Musical, The Boy From Oz, Tivoli, The Witches of Eastwick (for which he was awarded a Green Room Award), and the Hugh Jackman tour of The Boy From Oz.
He was also musical director for The Production Company’s Dusty, Brigadoon. and The Boy From Oz.
He was awarded a Green Room Award and a Helpmann Award for the musical direction of the Disney/Cameron Mackintosh production of Mary Poppins.
Michael has been musical director for several shows at the Hayes Theatre including Blood Brothers, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and the new Australian musicalsThe Detective’s Handbook and Melba.
Michael’s cabaret and concert credits are extensive, having worked with Australian and overseas artists including Megan Hilty, Sutton Foster, Betty Buckley, Aaron Tveit, Conchita Wurst, Trevor Ashley,Toni Lamond, Philip Quast, David Campbell, Caroline O’Connor, Tim Draxl and Judi Connelli both here and abroad.
This year Michael was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) for services to the Performing Arts