Adelaide's talent drain problem

Joey Haenen graduated with a music theatre degree in Adelaide but had to move to Melbourne. Jazz Garcia also left for the east coast. There is no work in Adelaide and most agents are over east.

“There is no work here and so you've got to move over east, that's where most of the agents are.”

Jo Casson decides it's now or never

Arts veteran Jo Casson discovered that every other major city has a professional local theatre company and Adelaide didn't. She decided to form one herself. The exodus from South Australia has been happening for decades.

“I just decided it's now or never, no-one's getting any younger.”

Full Circle is born

Jo Casson joined forces with others to form Full Circle, South Australia's first-ever professional music theatre company. It has backing from philanthropist Pamela Wall AO but is seeking more support and applying for grant funding.

Choreographer returns home

Zoe Komazec-Kermond, Full Circle's choreographer, returned from the east coast after performing in Cats, Matilda and Mary Poppins. She believes the new company will convince performers to come home. There is so much talent in South Australia.

“There is so much talent in South Australia, so much talent and we do sometimes feel like we have to go away in order to achieve what we want to achieve.”

Catch Me If You Can auditions

Full Circle will stage Catch Me If You Can, a stage version of the Leonardo DiCaprio film. Auditions attracted more than one hundred performers for twenty five roles. Joey Haenen sent an audition video and won the lead role of Frank Abagnale Jr.

The casting challenge

Jazz Garcia earned a contract in the show's ensemble after three day auditions she found extremely strenuous. More than thirty creatives and technical crew were hired. The final cast is a mix of South Australians and others returning to the state.

“The dance call was extremely strenuous, I'd say that was one of the longest kind of dance audition processes I've ever been in.”

Full Circle's advantage

Recent major musicals including Beetlejuice, Waitress, Back to the Future and Dear Evan Hansen cancelled shows due to increased cost pressures from touring across vast distances. Full Circle will not tour nationally, only within South Australia, avoiding these high costs.

Plans for the future

Full Circle wants to stage two musicals a year for the next two years, then increase to three after that. Catch Me If You Can plays at Futures Theatre in Paradise from November five to seven. Getting productions into regional areas is a future goal.