Jack Chambers | |
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 Chambers photographed by Lachlan Woods Photography | |
| Born | 10 October 1988 Brisbane, Australia |
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Jack Chambers (born 10 October 1988) is a dancer, singer, actor and choreographer, from Brisbane, Australia. He is best known for winning the first season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia in 2008.
Chambers started dance lessons at Brisbane's Julie-Ann Lucas School of Dance at the age of three and continued there until he was 17. He combined this training with acting and singing studies.
Chambers' career took off at the age of 10 when he was cast in his first professional musical, the stage production of The Sound of Music , playing Kurt Von Trapp at the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane. [1] Jack was also part of the amateur theatre community in Brisbane from the age of ten, working with companies such as Ocean Theatre Company and Queensland Musical Theatre.
In 2009 Jack made the move to New York City, where he began teaching Jazz dance at the Joffrey Ballet School & Peridance Capezio Center, in Manhattan. Jack also had the opportunity to work with many choreographers including Emmy Nominated Brian Thomas in the commercial dance world of NYC and Broadway's Josh Prince, where he performed as a part of an ensemble of dancer/singer's at The Kennedy Center's Annual Spring Gala of 2010, hosted by Liza Minnelli and Ben Vereen.
After only working 18 months in NYC, Jack found himself being flown back to Australia as he was cast as the teen heartthrob, Link Larkin, in the Original Australian touring production of Hairspray . [2] Which earned Jack a nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical, at the Sydney Theatre Critics Awards.
2012 Jack joined the cast of Jason Gilkison's world renowned production Burn the Floor. Jack toured to Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan before heading to London for a 6th month season on the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre. [3]
Chambers returned to the Australian stage in 2016, to play Cosmo Brown in the national touring production of Singin' in the Rain . The cast also starred Adam Garcia, Gretel Scarlett & Erika Heynatz. Jack's performance of Cosmo, earned him 3 award nominations in Australia, 2 of which he won. A Helpmann Award nomination for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, [4] Winning a Green Room Award for Best Male in a Supporting Role [5] & Winning the Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Dance, Musicals or Physical Theatre. [6]
In 2019, Jack toured in Hugh Jackman's The Man, The Music, The Show - World Tour - 90 shows, across North America, Europe & Oceania. [7]
After 2 years of COVID, Jack returned to the stage starring as the chimney sweep Bert in Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Production of Mary Poppins The Musical. The show toured all major cities in Australia from April 2022 - Oct 2023. [8]
Chambers was crowned the first So You Think You Can Dance Australia winner in 2008.
Jack also made an appearance in the 2nd season of the show, dancing alongside Kate Wormald, in the Top 100 Week episode.
2014 saw Chambers back on the show, when he danced with 2nd season winner Talia Fowler, for Australian singer Tina Arena, promoting her New Single Reset All. [9]
From the age of 15, Chambers started choreographing and performing with the male tap group Raw Metal, which in 2010 became RAW Company.
Jack is now Artistic Director of RAW Company.
In 2007 he choreographed and performed in the company's production Project X at the Holland Dance Festival in The Hague and The Singapore Arts Festival.
In 2016 Jack choreographed and performed in the company's Off Broadway season of 'UNTAPPED', at the New Victory Theater in New York City.
'UNTAPPED' continued to entertain audiences, winning the title of Best Dance Act [10] at the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2016.
RAW Company, as of 2016, is now also a Registered Training Organisation, offering courses in both Dance and Musical Theatre.
Hairspray is an American musical with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, with a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on John Waters's 1988 film of the same name. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, the production follows teenage Tracy Turnblad's dream to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show. When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight, leading to social change as Tracy campaigns for the show's integration.
Robert Mills is an Australian actor, television host and singer-songwriter. He was one of the finalists from the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. He co-hosted the late-night quiz show The Mint with his childhood idol, J-Dawg, the two would go on to star in the hit show Young Talent Time, and was a regular singer on the game show The Singing Bee both on the Nine Network. Mills took part in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars, and appeared on Celebrity Apprentice. In 2008, Mills won the lead male role of Fiyero in a production of Wicked, and continued the role when it moved around Australia. He has since starred in a number of popular large scale musical theatre productions. In 2012, Mills was announced as the host of Network Ten's revamped Young Talent Time. He played teacher Finn Kelly on Neighbours from 2017 until 2022.
Adam Garcia is an Australian stage, television, and film actor who is best known for lead roles in musicals such as Saturday Night Fever and Kiss Me, Kate. He is also a trained tap dancer and singer. Garcia has been nominated twice at the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1999 and 2013.
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Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.
Mary Poppins is a musical with music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, and a book by Julian Fellowes. The musical is based on the similarly titled Mary Poppins children's books by P. L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film, and is a fusion of various elements from the two, including songs from the film.
George William Stiles is an English composer of musicals for the stage.
Harvest Rain Theatre Company was a not-for-profit theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. Beginning as an amateur company, it evolved into a professional musical theatre company presenting arena productions around Australia, before closing in 2022.
Lisa O'Hare is an English actress who has played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and the title character of Mary Poppins in the West End and UK stage. She more recently has appeared in several prime-time American television shows on TNT, ABC and NBC. She most recently starred on Broadway in the musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.
Benjamin James Ellis is an English stage and script actor who starred in the role of Link Larkin in the West End production of the musical Hairspray from its opening in October 2007 until July 2009.
Anthony Drewe is a British lyricist and book writer for Broadway and West End musicals. He is best known for his collaborations with George Stiles.
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply TheOlivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, but they were renamed in honour of the British actor of the same name in 1984.
Trevor Ashley is an Australian musical theatre actor, cabaret, and drag artist based in Sydney. He also has appeared on television in The Very Trevor Ashley Show.
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Christopher Horsey is an Australian entertainer, director, choreographer and performing arts teacher.
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