Meet Todd Patrick: PATRICK STUDIOS
What sets PSA apart?
"Definitely our employment statistics and the fact we have an agency and events wing of the institution that builds shows and facilitates employment. We have the highest rates of employment at any private institution across the nation. We also hold the highest percentage for number of alumni in one show (we had 6 alumni in ‘Aladdin the Musical’ national tour).”
What roles have PSA alumni secured?
We have alumni in all corners of the globe; Broadway, Westend, Paris, all cruising company’s theme parks and in every area of the cabaret world in Europe and corporate commercial events.
Karli Dinardo just closed Dancin’ on Broadway and opened the ‘Tony Awards’, Tyler Lotzof is understudy to Baby in the UK tour of ‘Dirty Dancing’, Euan Fistrovic Doidge just closed as the lead in ‘Joseph’ and will play the scarecrow in ‘Wizard of Oz’ opposite Elandrah Feo as Dorothy while she is on break from playing Peggy in ‘Hamilton’ before the Asia tour. Samantha Dodemaide continues as Nini in ‘Moulin Rouge’ with her understudy also PSA alumni Kahlia Davis.
We have alumni in ‘Wicked’ (Aus and WestEnd), ‘Miss Saigon’ (Aus), ‘Rocky Horror’ (Aus), ‘Mary Poppins’ (Aus), ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (Aus), ‘Harry Potter’ (Aus), ‘Hamilton’ (Aus), ‘Singing in the Rain’ (WestEnd), ‘Magic Mike’ (US), ‘Moulin Rouge’ (Paris), ‘Royal palast’ (Strasbourg).
On a corporate level in Australia, we produce the biggest events with our Agency and events wing Patrick Management with clients like AFL, KPMG, VIRGIN, CROWN, NAB and the worldwide success ‘Bluey’ ."
What do you look for in an audition?
"Attitude work ethic and physical and vocal potential."
What skills and experience can students expect to leave a course at PSA with?
“They can expect to have been exposed to the top industry professionals that they have been able to build a reputation with, setting them up to succeed in the audition rooms. To have developed an unrivaled discipline and work ethic and professionalism from constantly working with these top industry choreographers produces and directors. We give them invaluable stage experience - we perform each and every term and professional experience as we facilitate the students getting paid gigs during their training, on-stage and on screen. They also leave us with an outstanding physicality. Our students are the top triple-threat artists. We really push our singers to dance and our dancers to sing, creating the most well-rounded artists.”
What inspires you to keep educating?
“Personally what keeps me educating is the constant flow of incoming students that get better and better every year, their talent drives me to want to build better programs and opportunities. I’m also driven by the success of my alumni. Watching them come back and share their knowledge and experience with the next generation is an incredibly rewarding journey to have been a part of.”