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Craig Schaefer has
directed all the G&S Essgee shows. His 1995 production of The Mikado received three Green Room Theatre Awards as well as a nomination for Craig's
direction. His updated Essgee version of The Pirates
of Penzance toured Australia in 1994 and was
filmed for television. To date the video sales have reached Triple Platinum
status and the soundtrack recording for Pirates received the coveted ARIA
Award. Craig's Los Angeles production of The
Pirates of Penzance won both Best Director and
Best Choreographer awards. He also received the Australian Green Room Theatre
Award for Best Director for the Jo Papp version of Pirates (produced by V.S.O.) in 1984 which also starred Jon English and Simon Gallaher. Craig directed the critically
acclaimed The Student Prince
for Opera Queensland starring Simon Gallaher and Marina Prior and his Los
Angeles production of The Student Prince
garnered a Best Director award. In the States, Craig directs for the Long Beach
Civic Light Opera, the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and in Los Angeles, for the
Light Opera of the South Bay. He also choreographs for television and has
staged numerous nightclub acts for headline entertainers. As an actor Craig
appeared on the American television series First and Ten for two years and is
the voice of Mick McAllister on the animated series Teen Wolf. Craig again directed for Essgee in 1998/99 firstly for
the acclaimed Brisbane production of The Merry
Widow and then for their Australian and New Zealand touring production of
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The
Forum. Craig returned to Australia in
October 2001 and also in 2002 to direct the Essgee Special Anniversary Production of
The Pirates of
Penzance.
Craig returned to Australia in early 2007 to work with Essgee on their new kid's project Showstoppers. Craig is now resident on the Pacific coast of Mexico and is active in many corporate and industrial presentations in U.S. Craig returned to Australia in 2008 to direct Essgee's new version of The Mikado.
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Conductor, composer, arranger, band leader;
Kevin Hocking
is equally happy playing solo piano, conducting a symphony orchestra or
performing with his Big Band which often features his vocal group, modestly
called The Kevin Hocking
Singers. Kevin's name is familiar to many
television viewers in the credits for programs such as
That's
Dancin', The
Simon Gallaher Show,
Australia You're Standing in It
and the series, Talk to the
Animals, for all of which he has been Musical
Director. He has composed original scores for numerous documentaries, animated
films and TV series, including Nature of
Australia (for which the music was given an
international award), I Can Jump Puddles
and recently John Olsen, a Journey Through 'You Beaut' Country'. Kevin Hocking
spent several years in Europe and South Africa, working in theatre, television
and radio. He was Musical Director for the original Melbourne season of
Nunsense and,
prior to conducting the 1994/95 tour of Pirates
of Penzance and the 1995/96
Mikado tour,
for The Mario Lanza Story
at Mietta's. Kevin has produced many concert performances at the Victorian Arts
Centre. After concluding a New Zealand tour of
The Pirates
of Penzance
and The Mikado
in 1996 Kevin again conducted and orchestrated Essgee's new production of
HMS Pinafore.
Kevin has now finished re-orchestrating Essgee's
Pirates for
for a larger Broadway-styled orchestra. Kevin also conducted Essgee's 1999
production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way
To The Forum as well as arranging and
orchestrating additional material for that show as well as Essgee's
The Merry
Widow. In 2000 Kevin toured as Simon
Gallaher's personal Musical Director in Gallaher's special anniversary tour.
In 2001 through to 2003 Kevin again joined the Pirate Band as conductor and musical director for the
new tour of
Pirates. Kevin has recently orchestrated the full musical
version of PARIS
for Jon English as well as being commissioned by the W.A. Ballet to write an
original orchestration and ballet suite based on the Puccini opera La
Boheme. The new ballet premiered in 2004 in Perth followed by a triumphant season in Melbourne at the invitation of The Australian Ballet. Kevin toured throughout 2005 in concert with Julie Anthony & Simon Gallaher and continued touring with them throughout 2006/07. A new CD of Julie & Simon Together At Last features Kevin at the piano. 2007 saw Kevin write a cabaret show entitled Fred & Ginger featuring himself at the piano and as narrator and starring entertainer Phillip Gould. In 2007 Kevin was awarded an AM for services to the music and entertainment industry. Kevin recently completed orchestrating a new recording and concert project for SEEKERS' legend Judith Durham. Kevin was again M.D. in Essgee's new 2009 musical production of The Mikado and continued to be personal MD for Simon Gallaher until 2012. Kevin has recently retired after a lifetime creating wonderful music.
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Sydney born, Graham
Maclean has had a long career in theatre and
his work has been seen throughout Australia and New Zealand. As Resident
Designer for the West Australian Opera Company in the mid 70's, he designed
most of the major operatic repertoire. Later, as Resident Designer for the
Queensland Theatre Company, he designed for many of Australia's leading
directors. He has returned to Queensland Theatre Company twice, once for The Barretts of Wimpole
Street, which was a notable success and
transferred to Sydney; he also designed Blithe
Spirit with Barry Creighton. In Sydney, Graham
has designed numerous plays. Among his favourites have been Dames At Sea
(with Nancye Hayes), Mornings At Seven,
Travelling North, Communicating Doors and American
Buffalo. In New Zealand he designed a tour of Cinderella
with Winsor Davies and Private
Lives, directed by Clifford Williams. He has
also designed numerous corporate and award shows. These have taken him from
Indonesia to Florida and most recently to Hawaii in a show featuring Neil
Sedaka. Graham has designed all but three of the Gilbert and Sullivan
repertoire, many for the second and third time. He was delighted to receive the
Victorian Green Room Award for his designs for The Mikado.
He then completed the Essgee Trilogy of G&S with his beautiful designs for HMS Pinafore. He also designed Death Defying Acts
and Dracula
for John Krummel at Northside, and a production of Anything Goes
in Perth. Graham designed sets and costumes for Essgee's production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
as well as creating revised sets and costumes for Essgee's Special Anniversary Production of Pirates of 2001-2003. Graham designed new productions for the 2008 and 2009 Ensemble Theatre seasons in Sydney and continues to work prolifically across the country. Graham consulted and re-visited his original designs with Essgee's new 2008/09 production of The Mikado. Graham recently retired to country Victoria.
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