Arts world Frozen in time
DUBBO-BORN triple threat, Thalia Smith, should be performing her dream gig as dance captain in Disney’s highly anticipated, hit Broadway musical, Frozen, right now.
Instead, thanks to fears of a second wave, the musical theatre star is in full lockdown in her Melbourne apartment.
When the impact of COVID-19 hit Australia in March, Ms Smith was just about to wow Queensland crowds with the musical rendition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
“I was in Brisbane with the rest of the cast and crew of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we were three days away from our first audience when we got the news that we were being shut down and sent home,” she told
“Unfortunately for us, Brisbane was the last leg of our tour so there was no final opening night, no closing party, no proper goodbyes, just pack up and get home as swiftly and safely as you can.”
Rehearsals for Frozen were booked to begin in May with opening night at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre scheduled for July.
Her partner, Sam Ward, who is a member of all-male singing group the Ten Tenors, has also had an upcoming international tour put on pause, meaning they are both, “for the foreseeable future, unemployed.”
And while it’s been admittedly “frustrating at times,” Ms Smith has always been resilient and made the most of the forced down time.
Over the past few months she has continued perfecting her craft with the help of technology, begun a Certificate 3 and 4 in fitness and even starred in a new age performing arts genre, dubbed ‘Zoom-iscals,’ or streamed musicals.
“There’s been lots of Zoom singing lessons, Zoom dance classes, Zoom play readings; anything I might have done PRE-COVID, I now try to shoehorn into a Zoom-version,” Ms Smith said.
“My lounge room has been a yoga studio, gym, dance studio, singing studio, and a self-tape room.”
Growing up surrounded by the arts in Dubbo, Ms Smith was a permanent front-row fixture in most Dubbo Ballet Studio and Dubbo Theatre Company (DATS) performances.
After graduating from Dubbo College in 2012, she went on to study a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre) from the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts.
Her major musical theatre credits to date include roles in 42nd Street, We Will Rock You, Grease, Hello Dolly! and Mamma Mia.
Being a part of an industry that was “brought to a halt in a matter of days,” hasn’t been easy for Ms Smith.
“Due to the nature of our work and the sheer numbers of people involved in the creation of work, as well as the large numbers of Theatre goers and patrons, Theatre was one of the first industries or businesses to be shut down, which subsequently means we will be one of the last to recommence.”
She is also disappointed in the government’s lack of support for the industry, saying she would “absolutely” like to see them do more.
“After much campaigning, the recent ‘arts rescue package’ of $250 million was announced, but the arts contributes $112 billion to our economy annually, and with over 600,000 workers in the arts sector, that would equate to a one-off payment of $416 for any arts worker,” she explained.
“But the government’s arts package is tied up in grants and loans, which means that musicians, dancers, actors, choreographers, lighting techs, sound engineers, writers, composers, videographers, painters, drawing artists, directors, etcetera, all miss out.
“With many arts workers, including myself, being ineligible for job keeper, things are dire.”
At this stage, the Sydney run of Frozen the Musical has been rescheduled to open on December 1, 2020.
Tickets are available via: www.frozenthemusical.com.au
Won’t ‘Let it go’:
Melbourne.
Local performing arts star Thalia Smith is back in lockdown in