Melbourne Model The Musical
Encyclopedia
Melbourne Model: the Musical was a 2008 musical
satire
of the political circumstances surrounding the implementation of the controversial 'Melbourne Model
'; a radical restructuring of the undergraduate curriculum at the University of Melbourne
, one of Australia's top universities.
Written by Fregmonto Stokes, the show was the last produced by the 15-year-old theatre group Crunch, based in the School of Creative Arts at the university - pending its winding down as a result of the Melbourne Model.
The musical, despite being a student production, received media attention from Australia's mainstream press, perhaps due to the implication of the Melbourne Model's main proponents, Vice-chancellor
Glyn Davis
and Provost
Peter McPhee
, over cuts to the Arts Faculty, for which the university had already come under much scrutiny in the Australian press.
Melbourne Model ran a repeat season during 2009, coinciding with that year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival
in April.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of the political circumstances surrounding the implementation of the controversial 'Melbourne Model
Melbourne Model
The Melbourne Model is a radical restructuring of the undergraduate curriculum of the University of Melbourne, located in Victoria, Australia, one of the country's richest universities...
'; a radical restructuring of the undergraduate curriculum at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, one of Australia's top universities.
Written by Fregmonto Stokes, the show was the last produced by the 15-year-old theatre group Crunch, based in the School of Creative Arts at the university - pending its winding down as a result of the Melbourne Model.
The musical, despite being a student production, received media attention from Australia's mainstream press, perhaps due to the implication of the Melbourne Model's main proponents, Vice-chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
Glyn Davis
Glyn Davis
Glyn Conrad Davis, AC is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.- Early life :Professor Davis was educated at Marist Brothers College, Kogarah...
and Provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
Peter McPhee
Peter McPhee (academic)
Peter McPhee is an Australian academic, and was the Provost of the University of Melbourne. He is the first person to have held the position at Melbourne, as it has typically been in place at universities in the United States and the United Kingdom....
, over cuts to the Arts Faculty, for which the university had already come under much scrutiny in the Australian press.
Melbourne Model ran a repeat season during 2009, coinciding with that year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
in April.
Original cast
| Role | Original Cast |
|---|---|
| Glyn Davis Glyn Davis Glyn Conrad Davis, AC is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.- Early life :Professor Davis was educated at Marist Brothers College, Kogarah... |
Nick Masters |
| Wally Higgins-Beaumont | Joshua Lynzaat |
| Selina Sherm*n | Kali Hulme |
| Bathsheba McQueen | Danielle Asciak |
| Peter McPhee Peter McPhee (academic) Peter McPhee is an Australian academic, and was the Provost of the University of Melbourne. He is the first person to have held the position at Melbourne, as it has typically been in place at universities in the United States and the United Kingdom.... |
Liam Murphy |
| Daniel Lopez | Mitch Jones |
| Geoffrey Blainey Geoffrey Blainey Geoffrey Norman Blainey AC , is a prominent Australian historian.Blainey was born in Melbourne and raised in a series of Victorian country towns before attending Wesley College and the University of Melbourne. While at university he was editor of Farrago, the newspaper of the University of... |
Sam Rankin |
| Jessie G | Siobahn Toohey |
| Chorus | Eleanor Bally Andrew Wong Michaela Hogan Leah Landau Esther Lowe Dylan Morgan Corey Reynolds Asher Warren Ed Teng Hon Yap |
| Directed by | Richard Pettifer |