A Taste of Broadway for Teachers and Students.

Charles Slucki  from Theatrica has a job many show business tragics would kill for. Each year he leads teachers and students on a backstage and front stage tour of Broadway and the West End. Meeting stars is part of the fun.

How long have you been running these tours?

I began these trips to the USA and the UK when I was still teaching in schools (1992) and when I left full time teaching in 2007 a former colleague of mine from Sandringham College (Megan Searle) and I formed Theatrica. Before the international tours to the UK, USA, and Japan, I had developed programmes to attend and perform at festivals in Australia (25 festivals in Adelaide and some in Sydney).

Who are the tours open to?

Theatrica is open to anyone who is seriously interested in the Performing Arts. This is for school groups Year 10 and up, University students, teachers, performing artists of all persuasions and also any adults who want a NY/Hollywood etc. performing arts experience which they cannot organize themselves.

Describe a typical day?

There is no typical day. Each day has a number of events including lectures, workshops, and seminars, meet and greets, tours of major Performing Arts educational institutions such as Julliard and Alvin Alley. We also introduce our people to New York City from a different perspective than they may get as tourists. The range of people that they meet, from Broadway and Hollywood performers including some of the major big name stars, to producers, directors and in fact people from all aspects of what makes these Performing Arts centres function so successfully.

What are some of your favourite back stage tours?

Any of the theatres that we tour, especially those with a rich history, Ziegfeld, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Gardens and of course the Lincoln Center, possibly the most amazing Performing Arts centre in the world.

Who have you met recently that made your jaw drop?

Angela Lansbury, Sean Hayes, Keanu Reeves and Henry Winkler.

What shows did you see on your recent trip?

Jerusalem, Anything Goes, A funny thing happened on the way to the forum, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Daniel Radcliffe and 4 others.

Which was the highlight and why?

Jerusalem - to see a performance by one of the great actors of our time, Mark Rylance (he was the recipient of a Tony Award for this performance).

Also to see Joel Grey, who is a legend of both Broadway and Hollywood. As a young actor I tried to learn so much from his journey and to see him live at his age working so hard was great.

In your assessment what is the state of Broadway in terms of the entertainment on offer compared to recent years?

I believe that the gap between outstanding and not so good is wider and I believe that has to do with Reality Television performers and film actors getting major roles in order to sell tickets. But I believe that there is great off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatre happening throughout the city. Sometimes it is hard to find, but it is worth spending time to seek some of these shows out - which we definitely do.

When you see big Australian musicals, how does the standard compare?

We have a terrific industry here, but you would be surprised at the number of Australians who are involved in theatre and film in the USA.

It is an ambition of many performing artists from Australia to pit yourself against the volume of artists competing for roles. To get any role, even smaller roles, is very competitive. So the depth of quality of performers is more obvious.

What tours do you have on offer for the next 12 months?

We have tour going to NY/Hollywood at the end of June 2012, then we are offering a tour for Performing Arts teachers and performers and in fact any adults who love the Arts in September 2012. Then in 2013 we have tours going in March/April, June, July and September to NY/Hollywood. Also we are offering a West End tour at the end of May 2012 and May 2013. We are also always open to creating a customised tour for any particular Performing Arts group ie: school, theatre group, theatre lovers group, etc.

Images: Jay Leno with a group member; Theatrica In NY - Charles & Mich Slucki, tour guides & Bernadette Peters & Mary Tyler Moore.

Visit the Theatrica Website http://www.theatrica.com.au/