Audiences will be quavering with excitement when they go to see Brisbane’s own musical ghost story Quavers, produced by Real and Diverse Theatre (RAD) in partnership with Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU) and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC).
RAD is a Centacare-supported inclusive theatre ensemble, with the production merging the group’s personal experiences and ghostly fascinations with the skills of world-class musicians and composers to present a comic tragedy that tells beautiful and emotionally-challenging stories of human connection.
The story is set in Brisbane around a historical music store called Quavers, which is owned by a set of siblings.
When developers come knocking, each of the siblings calls upon their ghost friends to help scare them away, including Hildegard the classical ghost, Daisy the jazz ghost, a country and western ghost and of course a rock ghost.
Each one has had their own original score created by QCGU students under the guidance of composition lecturer Nicole Murphy, which will be brought to life by an ensemble of QCGU musicians in QPAC’s Playhouse.
Ms Murphy has been working with the RAD team for three seasons now, with this being the first time she’s brought the students in with her, working in pairs as they gain real-world theatre production experience.
She said the collaboration had enriched their learning and brought fresh, newly-composed music to the community.
“Real and Diverse is a really fun, playful theatre company and has been great to work with,” she said.
“There’s this great sense of joy and playfulness in the shows they develop and in this one you’ll see some amazing sets and costumes as well.”
First-year composition student Erika Johnson said she was incredibly grateful for the experience working on such a fun and unique project.
“Collaborating with a more experienced third-year composer has been really valuable and created a high-capacity learning environment for me, and having my pieces played at QPAC by professionals is just amazing,” she said.
The RAD actors have been enjoying the learning process as well, eagerly practising their lines and immersing themselves in their roles ahead of opening night, with Centacare Artistic Director Clark Crystal saying their confidence and willingness to share their talents had blossomed.
“It’s been fantastic working with the team from Griffith,” he said.
“The musicians and composers really embraced the experience working with our guys from RAD – learning to work with people who are neurodiverse and have physical disabilities – and likewise our crew have really welcomed the opportunity to work with the composers, singing their songs and dancing to their music.
“It’s been a lovely journey and a joyful time.”
Quavers is showing 24-26 October, with tickets available through QPAC.
