Cry-Baby: The Musical

This has been a special year for our musical theatre program, with its move to being a resident company at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). We are grateful to John Kotzas and his team for being so supportive and engaged in taking the QPAC relationship with Griffith University to this next level. We also give our thanks to the University—under Vice-Chancellor Professor Carolyn Evans and with the strong advocacy of Arts Education and Law Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Harrison—for their belief and investment in enabling this extraordinary partnership. It is particularly telling that this has happened this year— the senior class of tonight’s production were first-year students in our historic mainstage production of Grease at QPAC in 2021.

While the relationship with QPAC is distinctive in world terms, it would only have been embraced because there was collective belief in the quality of the program’s product. We are immensely grateful to Professor Paul Sabey for his vision and leadership in bringing the program to such an extraordinary level. In just over a decade from its inception, he’s created a program with unwavering standards and a world-class profile, with a teaching and admin team that espouses the values that Griffith holds dear. The achievements of our alumni—visible all across the country and beyond—is a further testament to the work of all involved.

The show itself is of course not only a culmination of three years’ work and talent evolution but also a major celebration in its own right. In Paul’s intro, he speaks in more detail of the production and people, so here I wanted simply to say how much the Conservatorium as a whole will be looking forward to the performances, building on strong positive memories of previous work involving the principal members of the production team. It is a privilege for the students to have access to such professional quality and we are immensely grateful to all for giving their time to be with us. Internally, our own team is similarly extraordinary and I want to acknowledge all involved in back-of-house (under Cameron Hipwell), front-ofhouse (with Michael Hibbard) and in the pit (led by faculty member Heidi Loveland).

The musical is an annual highlight for us because it brings together so much of what we are about across the whole Conservatorium, both in terms of curriculum and engagement. Thank you, too, to the Conservatorium’s Executive team— in particular Professor Peter Morris, Deputy Director (Engagement)— for their support, and to all in our administration who help ensure such an epic event fits so smoothly with everything that surrounds it.

Finally thanks to you, as a member of tonight’s audience, for being with us. Whether you’re a donor, a frequent attendee, an advocate for the arts, or a firsttime visitor, we value greatly that you see value in connecting with us. I wish you a wonderful evening and look forward to you continuing to connect with us and our art, in as many ways as make sense for you, alongside those close to you.