Thoroughly Modern Millie
David Wynen’s professional CV as performer, dancer, director and teacher is impressive and he continues to travel and work overseas, particularly in the States. Last year he taught at arguably America’s top Music Theatre college: Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He says while Melbourne has been the traditional hub of music theatre, opportunities for people who don’t wish to leave Sydney have been more limited. But will there be enough jobs for all these graduates? “Okay, we teach Music Theatre, but we’re also teaching life skills. We have ex-students who are Entertainment Managers at casinos, publicists, professional directors and choreographers. A lot of our graduates go into education. “The skills that you learn in the Music Theatre degree don’t necessarily lead you to The Lion King.” Will he now be based in Sydney? “No, I will artistically direct between the two. I need to make sure that the
students in Ballarat are getting the same education as the students in Sydney, that the overall vision, the branding is the same across the two campuses. “We’ve had so many top Sydney industry people enquire about teaching on the course. Once we’ve got the enrolment sorted, I’m hoping to
announce the raft of excellent professionals who’ll be teaching.” Official closing date for student applications is October 7, though Wynen says he could well be considering late applications through to the middle of November. Frank Hatherley
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