JAMES MILLAR — CO-CREATIVE DIRECTOR

August 2020

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is James Millar and I am a stage actor, writer, teacher and a creative director of the Hope New Works. I trained in Writing at the University of Technology Sydney and in performance at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and am the recipient of The Helpmann, Green Room and Sydney Critics Awards both in the fields of performance and new Australian writing.

It is with unwavering pride that I write this reference for Christian Cavallo after working with him, at length and in great detail, under our flagship initiative “Hope. New Works” — an online enterprise to workshop new theatrical works over four months during the Covid crisis, which we have now redeveloped as a platform to continue developing new work into 2021 and beyond.

Having known Christian by reputation at the VCA and having witnessed his work in independent and large-scale theatre in Melbourne as a director, it was thrilling for me to work with him on the initiative.

His incredibly savvy ability to negotiate with large groups of people, across a large cross-section of material, was exemplary. With an inherent understanding of structure, tone, analysis and narrative thrust in writing; a beautifully developed sense of the technical framework of both performance and production; a rare talent for resourcefulness under changing and challenging conditions; and the welcome skill of efficiency and detail in communication — he was a lifeline to the success of the enterprise.

Added to this, he has a fervent sensitivity to the creative process and to creative people — writers, dramaturgs, actors, musicians and producers.

Christian’s amiable, open and compassionate nature is complemented by a rich knowledge of the history of theatre — in its many splendid forms. His interrogation of the work, and its creators, is always from a fresh and exciting angle and always steeped in continued learning. He understands the fundamental necessity, and thrill, of development and is recognised as an exciting and deeply respected new practitioner in the theatrical community.

I could not vouch for him more as a director, advisor or colleague.

Sincerely,
James Millar.

CAROLANNE GLYNNE — PRODUCTION MANAGER

August 2020

To whom it may concern,

I am delighted to write this letter of recommendation for Christian Cavallo on behalf of GSODA Inc. Christian has directed three senior company shows for us including: Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision in 2011, Heathers the Musical in 2017 and Kinky Boots in 2019. He has also worked with our younger Theatre Collective group in a show pitch Masterclass in July this year.

I have worked with Christian as Production Manager for both Heathers and Kinky Boots and on both occasions, Christian has come to the committee with an extremely well thought out pitch and has been able to clearly outline his vision for the show. His ability to work collaboratively and his calm, cheerful manner and extensive experience made him a well-respected director amongst both production teams.

Christian worked with very different casts for both Heathers and Kinky Boots. Heathers consisted of a very young cast with most in their late teens and early 20s. Kinky Boots was made up of a cast with a great variety of ages and experience. In both cases Christian was able to clearly outline what he required from the cast. His caring approach to the role was apparent and lead him to gaining the most from his cast. Again, his calm, patient manner allowed him to successfully direct a range of different personalities effectively.

As Production Manager I really appreciated Christian’s flexibility. If something he had envisioned needed to be changed, he was quickly able to adapt and make changes that would work. He consistently scheduled well ahead and this effective use of time meant that the production rehearsals ran smoothly, also appreciated by me in my role.

GSODA Inc hope to work with Christian again in the future and I have no hesitation in recommending him for any role.

I can be contacted on 0408659597 if you require any further information.

Sincerely,
Carolanne Glynne
GSODA Inc Production Manager

JESSICA MOHI — CHOREOGRAPHER

August 2020

To Whom It May Concern,

I have had the pleasure of working with Christian in the roles of Choreographer and Movement Director for both a large-scale musical and the Australian debut of a homegrown song cycle production. Christian’s approach as a director is collaborative, inclusive and fosters a supportive working environment that is a joy to be a part of. Christian illustrates his vision with great articulation while remaining open to ideas and input from others. He shows confidence in both maintaining his concept and adapting to change which instils trust from those he works with. One of Christian’s greatest qualities as a communicator is his compassion and kindness. His respect for others cultivates strong working relationships and often allows cast members to achieve levels of performance not previously known. Christian brings humour and levity to his projects along with a wealth of knowledge, experience, passion and not to mention his own unique set of skills and talents as a performer. I’ve been incredibly impressed by the vast range of productions Christian has been involved with during the past few years and believe the theatre industry will continue to benefit greatly from his many contributions to come.

Jessica Mohi

OWEN DAVIES — PRODUCER

August 2020

To whom it may concern,

I have known Christian Cavallo for several years in my capacity as President of Babirra Music Theatre, one of Victoria’s leading nonprofessional music theatre companies. My major involvement with Christian was when he directed our production of Dusty – the Original Pop Diva, in the second half of 2018.

Throughout that process – from first interview to closing night – Christian was professional thorough, creative and very easy to work with:

• He came to the first interview very well prepared and had clearly researched both the show itself and the background thoroughly. It quickly became evident that he was an excellent fit for our company and would be easy to work with.

• Throughout our 3 months of rehearsals Christian was well organised, reliable, and worked well with both cast and the other members of the creative team. His work and guidance ensured top quality performances from everyone in the cast, especially our lead actors.

• He also worked very well with our set and costume designers, striking the right balance between guidance and acceptance, while always ensuring that the overall vision was achieved.

• His thorough research resulted in the inclusion in our show of aspects of Dusty’s life that had not (to our knowledge) been portrayed in previous productions of this musical. These inclusions added significant dramatic impact to the production, and gave it unique qualities.

• Christian also worked very well with lighting and sound designers, ensuring that they too produced work in keeping with his vision.

The show was a great success, audiences were effusive in their praise, reviews were overwhelmingly positive, and the show was a financial success for us.

I have no hesitation in recommending Christian as an outstanding young director who would, I believe, be an asset to any production.

Owen Davies
President, Babirra Music Theatre Inc.
Ph: 0408 223780