Cover image: Year 12 student, Lachlan Miller in the Flinders Dramatic Arts production of "The Three Musketeers", March 2025
Two of the lead student actors in the upcoming production of “Chicago” at Matthew Flinders Anglican College are preparing for exciting careers in musical theatre, having successfully auditioned for a trailblazing pre-tertiary program at Griffith University in Brisbane.
Flinders Dramatic Arts will present“Chicago” from 10-12 June in the Flinders Performance Centre (the event is sold out), where Lachlan Miller in Year 12 will play one of the lead roles of Billy Flynn and Kate Nelson in Year 11 will play the co-lead of Velma Kelly.
Each week, after five days of senior schooling at Flinders, Lachlan and Kate then spend their Saturdays in the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane.
It's an incredibly exciting opportunity for the pair, who learn alongside other talented students from Years 10-12 as part of the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre youth development program.
The program provides a full day of mentoring in dance, acting and singing, as well as an ensemble class that integrates all three essential performance skills. The aim is to enhance technique, boost confidence on stage and in performances, and foster a supportive, kind and enriching ensemble.
It's a demanding yet rewarding weekly schedule for both Kate and Lachlan, as they are also heavily involved in the Flinders co-curricular program.
For example, Lachlan is the Captain of the Flinders Choir and the Flinders Dramatic Arts, and a member of many ensembles, including the Chamber Voices, College Chorale, Contemporary Voices, Man Choir and the group rehearsing for Flinders’ New York City Music Tour in December this year.
Lachlan also rehearses with the Flinders Dance Ensemble, who were recently awarded 3rd place in the Sunshine Coast Dance Eisteddfod for the Musical Theatre section with “Moulin Rouge”. He also received a Highly Commended for a solo dance piece.
Lachlan’s Q&A profile is shared below.
Kate joined the Queensland Academy of Excellence program in November 2024 and is enjoying spending a day each week doing something she’s so passionate about with young people who share her passion.
Kate says, “My current plan after Year 12 graduation is to audition for the Bachelor of Musical Theatre at Griffith University. I eventually want to travel to New York and hope to be on Broadway one day (it’s a dream of mine!) but I've also been thinking about being an entertainer on a cruise ship.”
Q&A Profile With Lachlan Miller, Year 12, Flinders
Lachlan is set to graduate with the Flinders Class of 2025 in November this year, so we asked him to reflect on his journey, and share his tertiary plans and career goals.
Q: Lachlan, tell us about the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre program you're involved in.
"The pre-tertiary classes involve learning and developing our skills as young performers. I travel to Brisbane every Saturday morning for a full day of music making, performance work, personal development and building friendships.
It’s such a positive feeling to come into the green room through the stage door on a Saturday morning and see my friends who share the same passion that I do.
We cover a lot, from dance tech classes and working on choreography from Broadway and West-End shows, to acting classes with directors and performers in Queensland, singing lessons with multiple vocal mentors trained in a variety of vocal types and ensemble classes as a cohort.
The ensemble classes let us put all of our work into action, so we might do activities and performances as solos, small groups or an entire ensemble.
At the Academy, I most enjoy the chance to work with industry professionals who are there to watch our talent skyrocket under their guidance. The course is truly like no other. While I love the coursework, I can tell that many of the friendships I have made through my first year and now second year are going to be lifelong.
Q: How did you secure the opportunity?
I had to go through an audition process similar to the process for the tertiary course through Griffith University. In my audition, I had to self-choreograph and record a two-minute jazz or musical theatre dance solo, along with a two-minute singing audition in a musical theatre style, and perform a monologue. After submitting the audition and waiting patiently to find out the results, we were then notified if we were successful with our audition!
Q: What productions have you contributed to in the 2025 Flinders Dramatic Arts program?
I have been involved in two productions this year: “The Three Musketeers” in March and “Chicago” from 10-12 June.
“The Three Musketeers” was an incredible experience filled with friendships, good memories and skills, especially in stage combat. This production was incredible, and to watch it come to life in the one and a half terms we had for rehearsals was an amazing experience. Not only was I working with my amazing peers, but the crew and staff did such an amazing job at bringing Mr Fraser's ideas to life.
“Chicago” is still in the rehearsal phase, and it’s been incredible to see the vision come to life, thanks to Mr Fraser, Ms Sullivan and Mr Fraser’s talented daughter, Lucy Fraser. Being able to play Billy Flynn is such an amazing privilege; I will commit my whole heart to it.
Q: What skills have you developed at Flinders?
Through Flinders, I have been able to develop my musical theatre skills in a way that sparked my love for the art form.
From when I started doing the Secondary productions in Year 7 to now in Year 12, my acting, singing, and dance skills have grown so much, and it’s a huge part thanks to the assistance and one-on-one coaching from my mentors at Flinders.
Q: How does it feel for “Chicago” to be your final show as a student?
“Chicago” will be such a special show to finish my secondary schooling with! Playing a dream role and being able to perform with some of my best friends in what will be for some of us, our last show, will be such a rewarding experience. I am so excited for the audience to see the hard work we are putting into this show!
Q: What career pathways are on your radar?
Before musical theatre became my first preference, I considered studying aviation; however, now it is one of my last preferences for tertiary study.
My overall plan is to study musical theatre at the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre in Brisbane, receive my bachelor's degree, book roles in productions either here in Australia, in America or the UK.
After that, I would love to explore writing, producing and performing my own original music and doing contemporary music through a record label, as being able to share my art with the world is my dream.
Q: What is your advice to students considering a career in the Arts?
My advice would be, don't give up. As cliche as it sounds, not believing in yourself or thinking that you aren't good enough is not helpful. If you believe you can, you're halfway there. It doesn't matter if you aren't like the others; your uniqueness makes you you, and there will be people out there who love your work. As can be seen by some of the biggest names in the world, sometimes it takes 10 years to have your moment, and that is okay.
Learn about our upcoming production of “Chicago” here.
Captions:
Image 1: Lachlan and Kate perform in "24 Below" with Flinders Vocalists, 2024
Image 2: Lachlan Miller performs with Flinders Dance Ensemble, 2025
