PRESENTED BY KAY & MCLEAN PRODUCTIONS AND ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE
SECRET BRIDESMAIDS' BUSINESS
It’s the night before Meg Bacon’s wedding. She’s waited thirty-three years for this and she knows she’s going to love every moment! She’s gathered her mum and her bridesmaids together for one last night of girlie fun.
While the bride prepares for the biggest day of her life and her mum Colleen fusses over ribbons and shoe fabrics, Meg’s bridesmaids, Lucy and Angela, stumble upon some information that has the potential to shatter Meg’s dream. Should they tell or not tell?
In the hilarious yet painful push and pull that follows, Lucy and Angela discover that sometimes there is no right answer when it comes to doing what’s best for your friend.
In true Australian style Elizabeth Coleman’s Secret Bridesmaids’ Business is a funny play about serious issues like truth, loyalty, denial, sex, love, the meaning of marriage, female friendship and the plight of Modern Woman with a biological clock that just won’t keep up with the times!
Coleman’s smash hit wedding comedy returns with an all-star line up of grooms all eager to tie the knot...
Helen Christinson
The Bride
Helen graduated from QUT's Acting program in 2004. While at QUT she was fortunate enough to work with such directors as Michael Gow, Jennifer Flowers, Karen Crone and Sean Mee on shows including Live Acts on Stage, The Winter's Tale, Roberto Zucco andThe Rocky Horror Picture Show.
After graduating from QUT Helen played the dual role of Ellen and Sarmitte in LaBoite's The Drowning Bride, directed by Michael Futcher. Helen has also worked at QTC, again under the direction of Michael Gow, playing Amanda in Private Lives, a co- production with STCSA, and the seductive widow- next- door, Fanny Wilton in Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman. She has also delved into her darker side playing Lena in the Stablemates' production of Marius von Mayenberg's The Cold Child, directed by Anthony Skuse.
Helen's film credits include Rapid Fear, Endurance Island, The Underdog's Tale and Harrisville. She has also appeared in the short film The Pitch.
Helen was thrilled last year to be cast in MTC's The 39 Steps under the direction of Maria Aitken. She has loved every minute of working on The 39 Steps and has toured Australia and Asia with the show.
Caroline Craig
Bridesmaid
Caroline graduated from NIDA in 1999 and has since worked solidly in theatre and television. It was her role as Tess Gallagher on Blue Heelers which made her a household name and one of Australia’s most loved actors. Most recently Caroline starred in the Channel 9 award winning mini-series Underbelly playing the hard hitting policewoman Jackie James. As well as acting, Caroline narrated the entire series and has since moved on to narrate series 2, Underbelly – A Tale of Two Cities. Other television credits include the ABC mini-series Bastard Boys, Orange Roughies and The Heartbreak Tour.
Caroline’s theatre credits include Pig Iron People and Bed for Sydney Theatre Company, Love Song and Hitchcock Blonde for Melbourne Theatre Company, Babes in the Woods and Falling Petals for Playbox and Twelfth Night for Bell Shakespeare.
Kate Jenkinson
Bridesmaid
Kate graduated from WAAPA in 2004 winning the Nigel Rideout Award and has since been in constant demand for drama and comedy on both stage and screen. In 2005 Kate was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award for her role as Julia in Black Swan’s production of Zastrozzi and was a regular on the TV comedy series The Wedge from 2005 to 2007. She appeared on Thank God You’re Here in 2006 and 2007 as well as Forgotten Cities a new pilot for Working Dog.
In 2007 Kate also worked on Sean Micallef’s comedy Newstopia and had a lead guest role on the Channel 9 drama series Canal Road.
She began 2008 in the MTC production of Don Juan in Soho before commencing a series regular role on SBS’s Bogan Pride directed by Oscar nominee Peter Templeman. During 2008 Kate also had recurring roles on Southern Star’s Rush and Satisfaction and guest roles on Southern Star’s Tangle and Ruby Entertainment’s Whatever Happened to that Guy.
Katrina Milosevic
Bridesmaid
Katrina is a graduate from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). Since graduating in 1997, Katrina has been working consistently in theatre and television. Katrina played Sophie Novak (an ongoing role) in the TV series Stingers. Her work on the show earned her the recognition as an up and coming talent and in 2004 was nominated for a Best New Talent Logie Award.
Audiences may also be familiar with Katrina in the role of Kelly Katsis on Neighbours.
Katrina has also worked on the popular series’ Blue Heelers (recurring role of Raelene) and The Games. She also starred in the telemovie Little Oberon and the 2008 runner up at Tropfest Uncle Johnny.
Katrina has also featured in video clips for The Whitlams, Dallas Crane and Wendy Matthews.
Some of her theatre work includes Fat Pig written by Neil Labute for Sydney Theatre Co. (Katrina was nominated fo a Glug Award in 2006 for her performance as Helen)
The world premiere of Operator written by David Williamson for the Ensemble Theatre, Macbeth for The Sydney Theatre Co, Julius Caesar, and Antony and Cleopatra (both) for The Bell Shakespeare Co and Alive at Williamstown Pier for Griffin Theatre Company, The Maids for Theatre 20/20 and Barrie Kosky’s Open Your Mouth and Close Your Eyes.
Katrina was proudly the face of Ella Bache in 1999/2000 where she represented the idea that “Everyone is beautiful”.
Jacki Weaver
Mother of the Bride
Jacki Weaver’s career has spanned more than four decades, in more than sixty plays, several films and quite a lot of television,( but, alas, never a soap opera,) beginning with her professional debut as Cinderella at Sydney’s Philip Theatre when she was still a schoolgirl.
Jacki has won a MO Best Actress Award for “ Old Masters” at the Sydney Theatre Company,and a Best Actress Award in the Sydney theatre critics GLUGS Awards for her performances in Neil Simon’s “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” with Max Gillies, as well as Reg Cribb’s “Last Cab to Darwin” with Barry Otto.
Jacki has won two AFI Awards, for “Caddie” and “Stork”, a Logie for “Do I Have to Kill My Child”, a Variety Club Award for Best Actress in a Musical for “They’re Playing Our Song “ with John Waters, for which she also won a Gold Record.
Jacki also won a Variety Club Best Actress Award for “Shadowlands” at the Opera House with John Bell.
Jacki played more than two hundred performances as the legendary Billie Dawn in “Born Yesterday” which broke box office records at the Sydney Opera House, only to be broken again with John Bell in Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing”, again at the Drama Theatre and again directed by Richard Wherrett who also directed Jacki as Masha in “The Seagull” with John Bell and Ruth Cracknell at Belvoir Street when it was still Nimrod.
Jacki’s other work for the Sydney Theatre Company includes “Pig Iron People”, “Fred”, “Six Degrees of Separation”, The Wharf Revue, “After the Ball”, “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “The Three Sisters”
Jacki’s films include “Picnic at Hanging Rock” directed by Peter Weir, “The Removalists”, “Petersen”, “The Perfectionist” and “Cosi”.
Jacki first appeared at the Stables the year after it opened as Nimrod in 1971 in “The Removalists”, “After Magritte”, ”Customs and Excise”, “The Roy Murphy Show” and “Tom”.
For the Melbourne Theatre Company Jacki has worked in “Emerald City”, “Blithe Spirit”, “Joe Egg”, “The Sisters Rosensweig”, “Shadowlands” and “Daylight Saving” by the late Nick Enright.
Jacki performed in a tour of sixty nine different venues around Australia in Patrick Edgeworth’s “Girl Talk” with Christen O’Leary for HIT Productions
and a sellout national tour of Robert Hewett’s “The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead” a one woman show in which she plays seven different characters.She also appeared in “Priscilla Queen of the Desert-The Musical”.
Most recently Jacki has appeared in “Prisoner of Second Avenue” for The Queensland Theatre Company, “Death of a Salesman” for The Ensemble Theatre and made a guest appearance in the television series “Satisfaction”.
Patrick Brammall
The Groom
Patrick Brammall graduated from VCA in 2001. Since graduating, Patrick has worked with Bell Shakespeare in As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors and as a member of the ensemble in Just Macbeth!. He recently finished an acclaimed season of Moonlight and Magnolias directed by Bruce Beresford for MTC.
In 2006, Patrick was awarded The Philip Parsons Young Playwright Award with John Leary for co-writing The Suitors. Healso worked as assistant director alongside Neil Armfield for Company B’s production of Peribanez starring Leanna Walsman and Socratis Otto.
Patrick’s television credits include regular roles on The Alice, Home and Away, Canal Road, and guest roles on All Saints and most recently on the second series of East West 101.
Rodger Corser
Guest Groom
Rodger graduated from Deakin University in 1996 with a B.A Media Studies (Honors). His breakthourgh role came in 1998 when he was cast in the leading role (from a field of 6000) in RENT, the musical. The show was a box office hit over its Sydney and Melbourne seasons and launched Rodger into a successful career in television. His other theatre credits include Leader of the Pack and Below.
Rodger since has appeared in some of Australia’s most popular series’, including the dramas’ Water Rats, Stingers, McLeods Daughters and Home and Away and the comedy Last Man Standing for which he played one of the lead roles. Rodgers’ US television credits include the NBC miniseries The Starter Wife whose cast included Debra Messing, Miranda Otto and Judy Davis and the US TV series Beastmaster. He also played Sam Thomas in Find815.com, an on-line drama related to the 'Lost" TV series. Which was recently nominated for an Emmy.
Most recently Rodger has gained cult status for his role Detective Steve Owen in Channel Nine’s critically acclaimed series Underbelly, and is currently filming the second series of the Southern Star/Network Ten production, Rush in another law enforcing role as Snr Sgt Lawson Blake.
Marcus Graham
Guest Groom
Award winning actor Marcus Graham has been engaging audiences both on stage and screen since he graduated from Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 1986. Marcus has an impressive list of credits most recently 39 Steps for The Melbourne Theatre Company and the 17th Century satire on religion Tartuffe for the Malthouse Theatre. Other theatre credits include Othello with Bell Shakespeare in the role of Lago, The Glass Menagerie, Three Days of Rain, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Antony and Cleopatra, King Lear, Henry IV, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Rivers of China and The White Devil for Sydney Theatre Company; Tourmaline and Zastrozzi for Black Swan Theatre Company/Festival of Perth; Les Liasons Dangereuses, The Seagull, The Blue Room, and Julius Caesar for Melbourne Theatre Company; Oedipus the King and The Shaughraun for Queensland Theatre Company; The Heartbreak Kid for Griffin Theatre Company; The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the Paul Dainty Organisation; A Number for South Australian Theatre Company; Twelve Angry Men for Arts Project Australia; A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Shakespeare in the Park; and It Just Stopped for Playbox Theatre Company/Company B Belvoir.
Recently Marcus’ television credits include the New Zealand production Time Hackers and Channel Nine’s critically acclaimed hit series Underbelly.
Other television credits include Blackjack – Ghosts, Blue Heelers, Secret Men’s Business, Sins of the City, Good Guys Bad Guys, Blue Murder, Halifax, Stupid Stupid Man, The Battlers, GP, The Flying Doctors, E Street and Charmed.
Marcus’s film credits include Three Blind Mice, Josh Jarman, Horseplay, Nicholas, Point of No Return, Dangerous Game and Mulholland Drive.
Hewas awarded a MO Award for his portrayal of Frank’N’Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1994 and also for his performance in The Blue Room in 2004. Most recently in 2006 he received an AFI Award for Best Guest Actor in the television drama Blue Heelers and he was nominated for a Helpmann Award for his portrayal of Oedipus.
Colin Lane
Guest Groom
Best known as one half of Australia’s favourite comedy double act, Lano and Woodley, Colin Lane has earned the adulation of critics and audiences alike.
In almost twenty years together Lano & Woodley won the coveted Perrier Award for best show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, starred in their own television series and toured sold out shows across the country. Sadly they are no longer, after saying ‘Goodbye’ in 2006 with a national tour that took in 34 markets and sold more than 125,000 tickets.
Since the farewell tour, Colin has appeared in "Don's Party" for the Melbourne Theatre Company, followed by a season with the Sydney Theatre Company. He presented "Wine Me, Dine Me" and "Kings of Comedy" for the Nine Network and has made numerous appearances on ABC TV's "Spicks and Specks" and Channel 10's "Good News Week”.
Most recently he appeared at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in "Two For The Road: The Music of Movie Maestro Henri Mancini", and performed as Pooh Bah in Essgee Productions’ “The Mikado” at QPAC and the Adelaide Festival Centre. Colin is also performing his one-man show “I’m Not Sure About The Music” as part of the 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and will be making his debut on “Thank God You’re Here” later this year.
Dylan Lewis
Guest Groom
Dylan quickly shot to cult fame on ABC TV’s national Saturday morning live music show ‘Recovery’. Dylan hosted ‘Recovery’ for 3 years and his infectious persona brought a new element into Saturday morning television and catapulted the popularity of live music and interviewing up to a new level. His warmth and individuality aided in attaining artists that would appear exclusively on ‘Recovery’ whilst visiting Australia.
The year 2000 saw Dylan presenting the national television program ‘The 10.30 Slot’ on Friday evenings, another of ABC TV’s popular music and pop culture extravaganzas. Dylan's association in the music world was cemented when he became the host of the ‘Pepsi Live’ television program and radio show in 2001.
Dylan's media repertoire is well rounded, he started his radio career at Nova 100 a couple of years ago where he and Cal Wilson host the morning show....and he most recently won an ACRA Award for ‘Best Newcomer’.
One of Dylan’s career highlights was when he appeared (briefly) in ‘Star Wars Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones’. Continuing on the feature film ride, Dylan landed a role in ‘The Real Thing’ released in Australia in 2002 and has played the lead role in two short films, ‘Like It Is’ and ‘RAY’, as well as many minor film and TV roles.
Samuel Johnson
Guest Groom
Samuel Johnson has established a reputation as one of Australia’s busiest film and television actors. He is widely recognised for his role as ‘Evan’ over four seasons of the critically acclaimed series The Secret Life of Us. Samuel has also appeared in a number of popular Australian films, including the lead role of ‘Dave’ in Crackerjack, which was the number one Australian film at the box office in 2002 and as ‘Gary’ in The Illustrated Family Doctor. Samuel’s voice has also featured in the stop-motion animated feature film $9.99 with Anthony LaPaglia, Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Otto and Claudia Karvan.
With an extensive list of television credits, Samuel’s performances include ‘Toby’ in After the Deluge, guest roles in Stingers and Blue Heelers, and ongoing roles in Good Guys, Bad Guys, Home & Away and Ocean Girl. His other television credits include Cooper St Sub, Raw FM, The Last of the Ryans, One Way Ticket and Thunderstone. More recently, Samuel had the opportunity to work on Dreamworks’ newest mini-series The Pacific
Samuel has also appeared in a number of stage productions including Hotel Sorrento, The Snake Pit and Mad Woman’s Fountain for the Playbox Theatre and as ‘Danny Rule’ in The Present at La Mama.
Samuel has been widely acknowledged by his peers and the public and was awarded the AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama Series for The Secret Life of Us in 2001 and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for After the Deluge in 2003. His Logie nominations include Most Popular Actor in 2002 and 2003 and Most Outstanding Actor in 2003.
He is currently starring in the new police rescue drama Rush alongside Catherine McClements, Rodger Corser and Callan Mulvey.
Spencer McLaren
Guest Groom
Spencer is a graduate of NIDA and has worked extensively in film, TV and theatre both here and in the UK. His most recent appearances have been in City Homicide, All Saints, MacLeod’s Daughters and in Fully Committed for which he received 5 star reviews. Other credits include TV: The Secret Life of Us (Richie), Green Wing II (UK), Family Affairs, Home & Away, So Now Your Famous, The Lost World Theatre: Footloose (Best Actor nomination), Holding the Man (Workshop), Carousel (BBC UK) , Beauty & the Beast, Priscilla (workshop) Songs for a New World, Take Flight, Closer than Ever, CATS, West Side Story, Kismet, Call Me Madam, Sunday in the Park with George, Bye Bye Birdie. Film: Out of Order, Burn (forthcoming).
David Tredinnick
Guest Groom
David Tredinnick has worked with a number of mainstream and fringe theatre companies over the years. Significant productions include the 2005 Australian tour of Weary, Visiting Mr Green (which toured Victoria in 2007), Noises Off, Angels in America Parts I and II (for which he received the 1993 Green Room Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role), The Talented Mr Ripley, Roulette (Portugal and Sydney seasons), and True West (2002 Green Room Award nomination).
He is a member of The Eleventh Hour Theatre Company, performing in their inaugural production in 2002, Brecht Beckett Kane, 2003’s For Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves, and The Shining Sun is Up Parts 1 and 2 (The Crucible and King John) in 2005. In 2006 he appeared in The Winter’s Tale and Endgame, also for Eleventh Hour. In 2007 he performed the solo show The Pilot Version of Something to Die For, for which he received the Green Room Award for Best Solo Performance (Independent Theatre, and also played Iago in Eleventh Hour’s Not What I Am: Othello Retold.
He is best known to audiences for playing Simon in The Secret Life of Us over four series. Other television appearances include Bastard Boys, Something in the Air, Blue Heelers, Raw FM, the First World War special Pozieres, City Homicide and Halifax f.p.: Swimming with Sharks, for which he was nominated for an AFI award. He has also worked on a number of short films and a handful of features. In 2008 he appeared in MTC’s production of Frost/Nixon and a remount of Endgame for the Melbourne International Arts Festival. David has voiced a number of radio and television campaigns, and has also narrated over one hundred talking books.
As a writer, David has contributed to Meanjin and Australasian Drama Studies, adapted and serialised non-fiction works for ABC Radio National, and written study guides for VCE English students. As well as completing a couple of screenplays which have been assessed by Fox Studios and Working Title, he has provided dramaturgical assistance on numerous script development workshops for theatre, television and film.
