New York dancer looks for true love in Hamilton theatre

Wintec Voice Specialist Scot Hall, who plays Oscar Lindquist, with lead actress Kira Josephson (Charity Hope Valentine) and Sweet Charity Director and Wintec School of Media Arts Team Manager, David Sidwell.

Legendary Broadway musical, Sweet Charity is set to open in Hamilton from 21 June – 6 July and the show is also a classroom for the first students studying Wintec’s new Music and Performing Arts degree.

Wintec students Jessica Ruck-Nu’u Malia Otukolo and Kartika Sulistiowati  are getting some invaluable practical experience working with Sweet Charity Director, David Sidwell who also happens to head music and performing arts at Wintec’s School of Media Arts.

 “Sweet Charity is a production where we are drawing on many skill sets required for producing top-end musical theatre and in real life, this is a great experience for our students and staff to work together on,” says David.

“The theatre is our ideal classroom and our students gain a lot more by working on and participating in a real production to develop their skills at a high level. It’s an environment where they are more comfortable.”

Sweet Charity is a Hamilton Operatic production. Six Wintec staff are also involved in various roles from musical direction, acting and marketing, while costume design is in the hands of two Wintec fashion graduates.

The Wintec lineup for Sweet Charity includes:

David Sidwell, Director (Wintec Team Manager School of Media Arts)

Nick Braae, Musical Director (Wintec Lecturer)

Scot Hall, Cast (Wintec Voice Specialist)

Kyle Chuen, Cast (Wintec Theatre Specialist)

Hannah McFarlane, Cast (Wintec Dance Specialist)

Ehsan Yaeghoobi, Marketing (Wintec Tutor)

Jessica Ruck-Nu’u, Cast (Wintec student)

Malia Otukolo – Johnson, Cast (Wintec student)

Kartika Sulistiowati, Orchestra-Violin (Wintec student)

Rose Sidwell, Costume Designer (Wintec alumni)

Brydie Senior, Costume Designer (Wintec alumni)

Sweet Charity is a brassy, Broadway musical set in 1969 that follows the romantic trials and tribulations of Charity Hope Valentine played by Kira Josephson. Charity is an ever-hopeful and often deceived hostess at a seedy dance hall in New York City. Charity’s hopeful romanticism and unfailing optimism lift her out of her circumstances when she meets Oscar (Scot Hall), and she gets a chance to find true love.

Charity’s adventurous journey towards love is marked by some of the best-loved songs (If My Friends Could See Me Now, There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This, I’m a Brass Band) and most iconic dance numbers (Big Spender, Rich Man’s Frug, Rhythm of Life) in Broadway history.

Find out more information on Sweet Charity and the characters here. Tickets for the Hamilton Operatic show are on sale now from $19.90 at Ticketek.

Find out more about studying a Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts at Wintec.

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