A Chat with Jillian Green

She's currently appearing in the smash hit musical Wicked in Japan, and this week Melbourne-based actress Jillian Green caught up with AussieTheatre.com's Troy Dodds...

TD: You are in Japan starring in a special version of Wicked at the moment. Tell us about it.
JG: The version of Wicked that I am performing in is a very special version for Universal Studios Japan of highlights with scenes and songs from the smash-hit Broadway musical, mainly revolving around the characters of the witches Elphaba and Glinda, starting with their arrival at the Emerald City and meeting the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, then flashing back to their years at Shiz University and then ending with Elphaba making the decision to defy gravity to become “Wicked”. This takes place a long time before Dorothy and Toto make their arrival in Oz. I am one of seven Australians in the Universal Studios stage adaptation of Wicked and there are also five Americans and 19 Japanese. I am in the Ensemble and I also understudy the part of Elphaba. The majority of the dialogue is in Japanese and the songs are a mixture of both English and Japanese, which has posed a bit of a challenge! The Costumes and Set are replicas of the Broadway production and the choreography, although altered slightly, is also taken from the Broadway production.

TD: You've just finished doing We Will Rock You in Japan as well - what was the experience like?
JG: I was cast in the Original Australian production of We Will Rock You in 2003 and toured Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Tokyo until September 2005. When the opportunity to rejoin the show for another three month season here in Japan was offered to me, I jumped at the chance to be a part of it again. It would have to be one of the greatest shows to be involved with and I have learned so much from performing along side some of Australia’s greatest talents. It was also an absolute privilege to work with Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor and also Ben Elton, who wrote the musical. My time spent working on Rock You in Australia and Japan has provided me with ever lasting friendships and so many beautiful memories that I will cherish forever.

TD: You've been on the road quite a bit lately, how do you handle being away for so long?
JG: I have my moments when I miss home – mainly being so far away from family and friends - but I love my profession and I am privileged to be given the opportunity to travel at the same time as performing. It is a great experience and because I am doing what I love it makes it a lot easier to be away from home for long periods of time.

TD: I've been reading up on you and saw that you were born in Tasmania. When did you make the decision to move to Melbourne, and was it a tough call?
JG: Even from a very young age, I always knew that I would pursue a career in Performing Arts. Singing and dancing has always been a huge part of my life and I am very lucky to have a very supportive family who recognised my talents and dreams and did everything possible to help me get the necessary training for me to achieve my goal of working professionally in the industry. I don’t even know when I actually decided that I would move to Melbourne – even when I was younger, it was always what I wanted to do and I knew that it would happen at some time. After finishing year 12, I made the big move across Bass Strait to my new home in Melbourne to complete a 2 year Diploma in Performing Arts Course at Dance Factory in Richmond. This was what I wanted to do…..

TD: Why did you decide to base yourself in Melbourne?
At the time Melbourne was the heart of musical theatre in Australia. Although, Sydney could have also been an option because of the same reason, Melbourne was where I wanted to be and where I felt more comfortable. My family and I had always traveled to Melbourne for holidays too so I knew more of Victoria than of New South Wales.

TD: I understand you do a bit of teaching around the traps as well - tell us about that.
JG: I have been teaching dance and singing since I was in high school and I continue to teach as a means of employment when I am not performing. It is lucky for me that I have this craft to fall back on and that I have the skills and qualifications to do so. I love being able to see my students grow and become better dancers/singers and performers. I still keep in touch with my schools and students while I am away and I am always hearing from them too. I teach a variety of styles of Dance to all ages of varying standards.

TD: What's next for Jillian Green?
JG: I believe that I still have a lot to learn and most of that will come with experience and through working in the industry. I work with my vocal coach on a regular basis when I am living in Melbourne and attend Dance classes regularly to keep myself up to date. I am here in Japan for another year and I am going to take this time to develop and learn as much as I can from all the very talented people I am surrounded by. I want to spend the rest of my life performing and to do that I need to be versatile so I plan to make myself a stronger performer in any way I can. I have no definite plans yet for when my contract with Universal Studios Japan ends, but it is a year away and I know so much is going to happen for me between now and then.

TD: Where would you ultimately like to be in say five or 10 years?
JG: I hope that I am still doing what I love – Performing