In 2013, I was commissioned to write an original musical for a spectacular production in Gladstone as part of the Queensland Music Festival. The result was unlike any other experience I've ever had, and remains a project that I am immensely proud of.
GLADSTONE GOES LARGE WITH BOOMTOWN -
A PRODUCTION SO EPIC, NO MERE STAGE CAN HOLD IT.
Gladstone is a proud boom town and its people love to share stories of the good and the bad that have come with these waves of settlement over the past 50 years. Of course, there is no better way to tell a community story than through a community musical; but Boomtown is no ordinary musical.
The largest QMF project to date, this is a musical theatre production on a scale you’ve never, ever seen before. With an original commissioned script and score and with a 300 strong cast – all from Gladstone – the spectacle that is Boomtown engulfs the entire Gladstone Marina foreshore with the waterways and Spinnaker Park as the dramatic and inspiring backdrop. Told through a young boy’s eyes, Boomtown is a fantastical journey through Gladstone’s past, present and future to its true heart.
An incredible industrial set, a massive fire-breathing dragon, ethereal floating sculptures and a rather large number of Hi-Viz Zombies. With four astounding performances, these creations – forged in steel and sweat and light and spirit – provide the exquisite framework upon which the people of Gladstone share what it means to them to be a community.
SEAN MEE / DIRECTOR
SCOTT SAUNDERS / COMPOSER
DAVID BURTON / WRITER & ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
MARGUERITE PEPPER / CREATIVE PRODUCER
JOSH MCINTOSH / DESIGNER
BOSCO SHAW / LIGHTING DESIGNER
NERIDAH WATERS / CHOREOGRAPHER
TIM EVANS / SOUND DESIGNER
Boomtown is dedicated to the memory of Cyril Golding, for his extraordinary contribution to the community of Gladstone.
This project has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, and from the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Gladstone Regional Council to support local arts and culture.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Queensland Music Festival would like to acknowledge the generous assistance of Gladstone Ports Corporation.