Rowan Witt

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SpinachMouse (talk | contribs) at 17:09, 20 July 2017 (→‎Career). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Rowan Witt is an Australian theatre, television and film actor. He is best known for his roles in The Book of Mormon, Into The Woods, South Pacific, Dogfight, Underbelly and The Matrix.

Rowan Witt
Hilary Cole & Rowan Witt
at the 2016 Helpmann Awards
Born
Sydney
Alma materSydney Conservatorium of Music
OccupationActor
RelativesEleanor (twin sister)

Early life

Witt was born in Sydney to script writer parents. [citation needed]

He went to high school at the International Grammar School. His graduating artwork topped the state, and was selected to feature in the exhibition 'ArtExpress' at the NSW Art Gallery, where he was additionally awarded the Julian Ashton drawing scholarship.

Witt attended the Sydney Conservatorium of Music University, from which he received a Bachelor of Music Performance, majoring in Classical Voice.[1]

With a background in improv, Witt also trained extensively at various institutions including ATYP and NIDA.

Career

Witt studied acting and music from an early age, before going on to work extensively in film and television. Several notable roles include The Matrix,[2] Somewhere in the Darkness, Escape of the Artful Dodger, Underbelly and Home and Away.[3] He was short-listed to the final four for the role of Harry Potter in the series of feature films and was the only Australian actor to be flown to Leavesden Studios in England to screen-test for the role.[4]

As a classical performer Witt performed in concerts, recitals, oratorios and operas including, Opera Australia's Britten's Turn of the Screw, Puccini's Tosca, Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream and Mozart's The Magic Flute.

Witt made his musical theatre début in The Lincoln Centre's production of South Pacific at the Sydney Opera House in which he played Professor.[5] Directed by Bartlett Sher and starring Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Lisa McCune,[6] the production broke records for the fastest selling show in Sydney Opera House history.[7]

This was soon followed by Witt's breakthrough role as Jack, in the 2014 Australian production of Into The Woods, at the Melbourne Arts Centre.[4] He garnered critical acclaim for "redefining the role", being described as "a talent to watch", "terrifically crafted" and "bringing a depth of detail to Jack beyond any performance to date".[8][9][10]

Witt then starred in the Australian premiere of Pasek and Paul's musical, Dogfight, at the esteemed Hayes Theatre, as the Vietnam marine, Bernstein.[11][12] AussieTheatre named Witt's performance a highlight of 2015, stating "Witt is the kind of actor that musical theatre needs."[13]

During the run of Dogfight, Witt started rehearsals for Cameron Mackintosh's multi-Helpmann award-winning production of Les Misérables (25th Anniversary Production) with which he toured Australia.[14]

Some of Witt's other lead theatre roles during this time include John Hinckley in the Australian tour of Sondheim's Assassins,[15] Danny in Baby at the Hayes Theatre, Leaf Coneybear in William Finn's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Young Buddy in the acclaimed concert production of Sondheim's Follies – opposite Philip Quast, Debra Byrne, Lisa McCune, David Hobson and Anne Wood.[16]

Witt is currently starring as Elder McKinley in the Australian premiere of The Book of Mormon at The Princess Theatre in Melbourne.[17][18]

Witt has starred in numerous national and international commercials,[19] and as a voice-over actor can be heard on screen and radio, in animation, advertising, television shows and movie soundtracks.[1]

Personal life

Witt has a twin sister, Eleanor, a musician, who performs under the stage name, ELKI.[20][21]

References

  1. ^ a b "Rowan Witt " EM Voices". www.emvoices.com.au.
  2. ^ "Spoon Boy in 'The Matrix'". TMZ.
  3. ^ "FOLLIES in CONCERT". www.folliesinconcert.com.au.
  4. ^ a b "Victorian Opera 2014 – Into the Woods Programme". Issuu.
  5. ^ "Aussie cast of South Pacific is filmed for DVD | News". AussieTheatre.com.
  6. ^ "South Pacific – Sydney | Reviews". AussieTheatre.com.
  7. ^ "SOUTH PACIFIC at the Sydney Opera House". BroadwayWorld.com.
  8. ^ "Review: Into the Woods (Victorian Opera)". www.limelightmagazine.com.au.
  9. ^ "Into the Woods review (Arts Centre Melbourne) | Daily Review". dailyreview.com.au.
  10. ^ "Victorian Opera: Into the Woods | Reviews". AussieTheatre.com.
  11. ^ "Review: Dogfight — Hayes Theatre Co | Reviews". AussieTheatre.com.
  12. ^ "Dogfight – Review". Jo Litson: Scene and Heard.
  13. ^ "Favourite moments in 2015: Sydney theatre | News". AussieTheatre.com.
  14. ^ "Les Misérables wins 5 Helpmann Awards, including Best Musical!". Michael Cassel Group.
  15. ^ "Assassins | Australian Arts Review". artsreview.com.au.
  16. ^ "FOLLIES in CONCERT". www.folliesinconcert.com.au.
  17. ^ "The Book of Mormon breaks box office records in Melbourne but only opens in 2017". The Sydney Morning Herald. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  18. ^ "Cast - The Book of Mormon Musical - Melbourne | Official Website". The Book of Mormon Musical - Melbourne. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  19. ^ "Rowan Witt - The Book of Mormon Musical - Melbourne". The Book of Mormon Musical - Melbourne.
  20. ^ "ELKI". SoundCloud.
  21. ^ "ELKI on Apple Music". iTunes. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rowan_Witt&oldid=791495367"