In 2010, four students who had graduated in 2009 from full-time tertiary courses at WAAPA; ED 5; Brent Street and Patrick Studios shared their experiences on how they were carving a niche for themselves in the performing arts scene in Australia. Now, four years later, we touch base again with two of those students; Emily Cascarino (ED5) and Tobias Madden (WAAPA) to see how their careers have unfolded.
DA: We last spoke with you in 2010, and just after you had graduated from your full-time course. Can you please outline the performance opportunities you have been offered since then?
Cascarino: In 2010, I was doing Mamma Mia as the understudy for Sophie. Then I was privileged to be offered the role of Dance Captain/Swing on Jersey Boys for the season in Sydney and then the Australasian tour. After two-and-a-half years with that show I was incredibly honoured to have been offered the role of Nessarose in the touring production of Wicked – the Musical, which I am still currently doing.
Madden: I performed in a production of Oklahoma in Perth shortly after I had graduated, followed by a nine-month contract on board the Pacific Princess, as the dance captain and singer/dancer in the 10 production shows on board. When I returned I was cast as Valentine and the Bert understudy in Mary Poppins, and was lucky enough to tour for about a year and half around Australia and NZ. This year I performed as Rod in Singin' in the Rain with the Production Company, and in the ensemble of Pippin for Magnormos (which we performed for Stephen Schwartz himself!!).
DA: Have any of these opportunities taken you out of Australia?
Cascarino: These productions combined have taken me to Auckland twice, about 10 months collectively, and I am about to do Wicked in Manila for seven weeks.
Madden: Yes!! Onboard the Pacific Princess I literally sailed around the world. We visited something like 30 different countries. It was a life changing experience. Also during the tour of Mary Poppins we spent three wonderful months in Auckland, New Zealand.
Read the full feature article by Sally Clark in the February/March issue of Dance Australia.
Tobias Madden