Riverlea Theatre
Riverlea Theatre has continued to draw on Waipā talent with its latest production – Flashdance – which opens a three week season on Saturday.
Alex Smith
Alex Smith who plays understudy to Andy Derby as Nick, and Sean Hapi who plays Jimmy hail from Cambridge.
Flashdance, a romantic drama was the third highest grossing movie in the US in 1983.
It is being directed by Noelle Savill, an actor and singer. Savill arrived in New Zealand from the US aged 18 on a study gap-year where she developed a relationship with a “local lad”. The pair returned to the US where Noelle studied in Chicago earning a BA in Music before returning to New Zealand and settling in Hamilton in 2017.
She has been involved with the Hunchback of Notre Dame for Hamilton Operatic, Legally Blonde for Morrinsville Theatre and Young Frankenstein for Hamilton Musical Theatre. Flashdance for Riverlea Theatre, is her first directing role.
Sean Hapi
“It’s a very active show, it has the triple treat – acting, singing and dancing. We auditioned a wide range of performers from backgrounds including ballet, modern dance and street dance to hip-hop and pole dancers,” she said.
Flashdance has an all-female production team including Savill as director, choreographer Stephanie Balsom from Taranaki, vocal director Lilli Taylor from Morrinsville, director of the six-piece on-stage band Katie Wigmore and photographer Stacey Smith from Te Awamutu.
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