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Let's get hilarious: The 2024 revue season takes the spotlight

29 April 2024
Shows for students, by students
In Semester 1 2024, three boisterous revues are taking over the Seymour Centre. We spoke to students involved in the revues to find out what it's like to participate as well as what the audience can expect when they attend a performance.

What is a revue?

A university revue is a theatrical performance combining dance, music and comedy, and is written for students, by students.聽Revues at the University of Sydney are a tradition that has been happening for over 25 years, and the final productions are always a fun evening filled with lots of laughter and spectacle.

University of Sydney Revues happen twice a year, and the first group of revues are only a couple of weeks away. Taking over the Reginald Theatre at the Seymour Centre, the is on from 8鈥11 May, the is showing from 16鈥18 May, and you can catch the 聽from 23鈥25 May.

What's it like to be in a revue?

Being part of a revue can be hugely rewarding.聽It's a fun, collaborative and creative environment to develop ideas, gain confidence, make new friends and create life-long memories, all while honing your skills on the stage.

Vic Georges, co-director for the 2024 , finds the revue space an ever-changing environment that keeps you on your toes.

鈥淧oC Revue season is absolutely crazy and that鈥檚 the only way to describe it! Some days you witness comedic history being made, others you鈥檙e dropping to the floor after doing an entire dance routine 鈥 nothing is ever the same,鈥 Vic said.

Amy Warner, co-director for the 2023 , believes community is at the core of any revue production.

"The community is the best part of this show. I鈥檝e made some of my closest friends through Queer Revue; it鈥檚 such a generous network of people that care for each other and are really invested in the next generation of performances."

A group of performers smiling into a mirror backstage at a theatre

Performers backstage at the Queer Revue.

What about auditions?

Revues are cast by audition,聽but don't let that dissuade you.聽Auditioning can feel daunting, but it's important to remember that the revue team just wants to see your personality. Often, you won鈥檛 need to prepare anything, and you may be asked to participate in some activities or theatre games in a small group.

"We鈥檝e called them 鈥榲ibe checks disguised as auditions鈥, simply because we don鈥檛 believe in the traditional methods of auditioning 鈥 we want as many talented PoCs as possible," said Vic.

Adelaide Tustian, the 2024 President, describes auditions as easy and stress-free environments, where improvisation is championed over preparation.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 prepare anything! It was a group audition with five other people and we played some drama games and did some improvisation. We then read a short script in pairs," Adelaide said.聽

聽If you're still unsure about auditioning, you can always reach out to the revue organisers to find out what the audition process might be like.

Students rehearsing an energetic group number with choreography

People of Colour Revue rehearsals.

How does a revue become a show?

Rehearsing a revue show may be different from how you would imagine a typical theatre show to be rehearsed. Revues are devised collectively, which means that the cast works with the directors and creative team to come up with scripts and sketches they want to perform. Each day of rehearsals is fun, exciting and new; some days you might be workshopping different ideas for sketches, or sometimes you'll be rehearsing a big group number together.

鈥淭hrough rehearsals each week you get to know, laugh with, and love the personalities in your cast. The atmosphere is always collaborative, but you always feel like you can be yourself and let loose,"聽said Zack Alloggia, a Queer Revue cast member in 2023.

鈥淩ehearsals range from workshopping, editing and performing sketches to perfecting our big song and dance numbers, but what stays consistent is a whole lot of fun and a good escape from whatever is going on in our lives,鈥 Vic added.

For Adelaide, Womn's Revue rehearsals are about creativity and connection.

"Rehearsals feel a bit like hanging out with friends and being creative. We鈥檒l often warm up together and spend some time getting into the groove before splitting into groups and writing scripts for ideas we want to work on, or performing and putting all of the sketch ideas into one big show."

Three students rehearsing a scene with lights around them

Womn's Revue rehearsals.

What if you don't want to get on stage?

There is so much more that goes into putting on a show than just the performers on stage. If you have a talent that you think could be helpful for a stage production, for instance in sound, lighting, choreography, set design and more, reach out to revue organisers to get involved. Your skill could be the special touch that makes the revue stand out.

鈥淚n our crew, you can get involved in sound design, set design, stage management, stage-handing, costume and make-up design, graphics, show photography 鈥 the list goes on and on," said Vic.

"PoC Revue welcomes talent of all kinds and we want the visions and capabilities of as many people on campus to be showcased within the production and through later projects.鈥

Why should you attend a revue?

Revues are one-of-a-kind performances. They're a light-hearted, lively and joyful environment where you can meet fellow students, laugh about the idiosyncrasies of student life, and enjoy live theatre.

"Come along to the show and see what we're about! Come celebrate queer joy! And follow us on socials so you know when crew call outs and auditions are for next year," said Amy.

Grab your tickets to a University of Sydney revue for a great night out and to support the students who put so much time and effort into making sure these high-quality theatrical performances are incredible to witness, each and every year.

  • , 8鈥11 May
  • , 16鈥18 May
  • , 23鈥25 May