Heritage Collection » Interviews

MURPHY interview

@gm — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 03:10:17 +0000

Interview of Graeme Murphy AO, conduted by Philippe Charluet during the making of The Australian Ballet MURPHY (circa 2018), a tribute celebrating his 50 years in dance.

MURPHY Review

Videos Tab above: MURPHY trailer (TAB) and MURPHY rehearsals (in slow-motion)

Interviews on Kristian Fredrikson

@gm — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 04:04:19 +0000

A close collaborator to Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon all the way from their early days, Kristian Fredrikson had a prodigious talent in designing costumes and sets for the stage. His work was acclaimed for its sumptuous, jewel-like quality, and a sensuous level of detail, which was obvious to all who worked with him, including The Australian Ballet’s Wardrobe Production Manager, Michael Williams.

Videos Tabs: 1) a glimpse inside The Australian Ballet’s wardrobe dpt making Kristian Coppélia’s costumes

2) Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Wardrobe Manager Andrew Pfeiffer discuss Kristian Fredrikson’s costumes for Coppélia

Hear also the AUDIO INTERVIEW (focussing on Dance) between Michelle Potter and Kristian Fredrikson (1993) in Sydney for the National Library of Australia

“First of all, can I just say that I think you’ve got to love dance and somewhere inside your soul or mind, or whatever it is that one has, you’ve got to be a dancer and also a choreographer. You’ll never express those in reality, in real terms, but there’s got to be a certain sense of frustration at not being those things, so therefore you can react- your body muscles react to a dancer and to a choreographic movement, so that when you’re beginning to design for those people, you know what’s happening.”

Kristian Fredrikson

Going To Bendigo, Victoria in The Next Six Weeks? (April 29th, 2023)
Two of Kristian’s beautiful costumes designed for Dame Joan Sutherland are exhibited in the foyer of The Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo, during The Melbourne Opera’s six week season of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring Des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle). The costumes are from The Australian Performing Arts Collection who have many designs and costumes by Kristian Fredrikson in their collection. On display are two costumes from The Australian Opera (now, Opera Australia) productions, Lucrezia Borgia 1977, and The Merry Widow 1978.

Rumours Interview (1979)

@gm — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 01:16:38 +0000

“Why don’t you just dance?” – an interview with Graeme Murphy during the making of Rumours (1979) when Sydney Dance Company was still called the Dance Company of NSW

Murphy’s New York interview (1981)

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:38:20 +0000

A short interview with Graeme Murphy during Sydney Dance Company very first American season (the photographer in the opening montage is Branco Gaica). Known for its risk-taking repertoire, the Company made its American debut at the City Center-55th Street Theater in New York in 1981.

In the early 80s, New York was bustling with creativity. It was dirty, dangerous and dazzling. Sydney Dance Company’s program premiered ten ballets, seven of them choreographed by Murphy, including his signature works Sheherazade, Poppy, Rumours (Act 1), Daphnis and Chloé and Viridian

The tour was a huge undertaking – yet an overwhelming success – with the Company’s debut described as one of the high points of the New York dance season.

Poppy Review A Dance troupe from Australia Program

Conversation with Graeme Murphy (2005)

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:08:18 +0000

An interview conducted by Philippe Charluet, originally made to contextualise Graeme Murphy’s new work GRAND (2005); but the conversation went on of course, Graeme always contributing interesting insights on diverse subjects.

Frank van Straten interview (2001)

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:06:44 +0000

Frank van Straten AM passed away on 19 April 2024. He was a celebrated Australian performing arts historian, author and former director of the Performing Arts Museum at the Arts Centre, Melbourne. In recognition of his services to the performing arts in Australia, Van Straten was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

In 2001, van Straten acted as the Historical Consultant for Graeme Murphy’s ‘dance musical’ TIVOLI, which premiered at the State Theatre, Arts Centre, Melbourne. This video commemorates his passionate contributions by giving us a glimpse into the history of the Tivoli Circuit that inspired Murphy’s Tivoli.

Link to recent articles: Arts Hub Stage Whispers Melbourne Athenaeum Reflections Hall of Fame

Frank van Straten Fellowship (Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre, Melbourne)

Videos Tab above: short documentary when former Tivoli circuit’s performers met, in a full day workshop, Australian Ballet’s and Sydney Dance Company’s dancers and creatives for the 1st time. Frank appears in it, of course…

Murphy on TIVOLI (2001)

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:05:14 +0000

An interview with Graeme Murphy AO, conducted at the Australian Ballet during the making of TIVOLI just prior to its premiere in 2001 at the Arts Centre Melbourne. Great insights on the making of this extraordinary Australian Dance Musical…

See also the documentary excerpts – Frank van Stratten Interview

Iva Davies interviews

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:04:40 +0000

© Mark Anning photo

An audio interview with Iva Davies, the front man and musical creative force, that lead the band Icehouse to an amazing 28 platinum albums, eight top 10 albums and over thirty Top 40 singles. Iva was involved with Graeme Murphy’s Boxes (1985) and Berlin (1995) in which he both performed live, composed music and sang repertoire from the likes of David Bowie and Lou Reed (to mention a couple).

Videos Tab above: Iva interview conducted by Molly Meldrum (1986)

Program Article Icehouse Website

Conversation with Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon (2019)

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:04:29 +0000

Intimate talk, hosted by former Australian Ballet’s artistic director, David McAllister, with Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon. David discusses the creation of Nutcracker – The Story of Clara (created in 1992 with many revivals), how this partnership began and every moment in between…

See Video Tab above: An Australian Nutcracker story

Program Teacher’s Resource Kit

Carl Vine interview on Piano Sonata

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:03:59 +0000

In this episode of CLIBURN MASTERPIECE, host Buddy Bray explores Carl Vine’s Sonata No. 1 – a work he composed for Graeme Murphy’s work Piano Sonata in 1991) – with insights from the music composer himself.

Video Tab above: Piano Sonata No. 1 (displaying the score as it plays)
Performer: Michael Kieran Harvey

Akira Isogawa on making costumes (2011)

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:35:40 +0000

Behind the scenes of Graeme Murphy’s Romeo & Juliet for The Australian Ballet, we take a closer look at the costumes designed by Akira Isogawa (interviews with Akira and Graeme Murphy).

Akira also designed the costumes for Salome, Air and Other Invisible Forces, Grand, Ellipse and Short Stories (Ever after Ever)

More videos on Romeo and Juliet’s behind the scenes available here

Video Tab above: The Costumes of Graeme’s work through the years

Conversation with Gerard Manion (2011)

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:04:57 +0000

Conversation with Gerard Manion, set designer, conducted by Philippe Charluet whilst making a documentary on the making of Graeme Murphy’s Romeo and Juliet for The Australian ballet.

Videos Tab above: highlights from Graeme Murphy’s Romeo & Juliet

Barry Conyngham – Music Composer

@gm — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 01:26:18 +0000

Reflections from Professor Barry Conyngham, former Dean of the the Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, who talks about his career, music influences and his new composition, Anzac. This was not composed for Graeme Murphy but the video gives an intimate window into his creative process. He composed Graeme Murphy’s VAST for the Australia’s Bicentennial Celebrations of 1988 – see excerpts – which combined four Austrlian dance companies and toured nationally.

Program

One Plus One Murphy interview (2012)

@gm — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:07:55 +0000

ABC TV One Plus One , a weekly long-form interview show talking with Graeme Murphy

Riley Lee interview

@gm — Mon, 28 May 2012 02:15:14 +0000

Riley Lee talks about about how he began in 1970, his instrument, tradition and his music. Riley played the shakuhachi in the first act of Graeme Murphy’s Air and Other Invisible Forces (1999)

Hear his music on Spotify (track #9 onwards) Program

South Korea Interview (2015)

@gm — Mon, 28 May 2012 02:14:11 +0000

The INNERview: part of a story behind the making of GISELLE (2015) for the Sth Korea’s Universal Ballet with an interview conducted by Kang Yena with Graeme Murphy.

Short story on the premiere opening Videos Tab above

Bradley Chatfield – dancer

@gm — Sun, 27 May 2012 05:52:53 +0000

Descendant of the Kamilaroi people, Bradley Chatfield has a broad career of more than 30 years in the arts including many years as an acclaimed international contemporary dancer before moving into management and executive roles. He has worked with some of Australia’s most respected dance companies including Sydney Dance Company (1991-2009), The Australian Ballet and Dance north as well as heading up the dance faculty at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) in Brisbane.

In August 2022, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) announced Bradley as its new Head of First Nations Programming.

Video Tab above:
The end of Act 1 of Synergy with Synergy (1997)
A couple of excerpts from Grand (2005)