New York based Australian composer, lyricist and performer Matthew Lee Robinson visited Toowoomba on Saturday 17 March to conduct a workshop with aspiring thespians at The Glennie School as their rehearsals ramp up for their production of Beauty and the Beast.
Matthew has been awarded the University of Tasmania Stephen Schwartz Songwriting Award, the Pratt Prize for Music Theatre, the $100,000 Australian Council Music Fellowship and nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work. As a Churchill Fellow, Matthew was recognised as a talented Australian and encouraged to pursue excellence for the enrichment of fellow Australians.
As a star of stage and screen and talented composer and lyricist, Matthew continues his work as a theatre educator in Australia and internationally. Matthew worked with the Glennie girls on phrasing, breath support, energising phrases, connection to text and relationship with given circumstances, even conducting masterclasses for the leads to work on their solo items.
Matthew then incorporated the full cast so he could teach them about lyric specificity, the connection between actor and character and vocal technique.
Glennie School’s Junior Years Music Teacher Mr Jacob Findlay say the workshop was an excellent motivational tool for the girls as they prepared for their September performance. “The opportunity to listen to a highly respected industry professional with Broadway experience will inspire the girls in the many rehearsals to come leading up to production week,” said Mr Findlay.
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