Let's get hilarious: The 2024 revue season takes the spotlight

What is a revue?

A university revue is a theatrical performance combining dance, music and comedy, and is written for students, by students. Revues at the University of Sydney are a tradition that has been happening for over 25 years, and the final productions are always a fun evening filled with lots of laughter and spectacle.

University of Sydney Revues happen twice a year, and the first group of revues are only a couple of weeks away. Taking over the Reginald Theatre at the Seymour Centre, the People of Colour Revue 2024: Sound Check is on from 8–11 May, the Queer Revue 2024: Home & A-Gay is showing from 16–18 May, and you can catch the Womn's Revue 2024 from 23–25 May.

What's it like to be in a revue?

Being part of a revue can be hugely rewarding. It's a fun, collaborative and creative environment to develop ideas, gain confidence, make new friends and create life-long memories, all while honing your skills on the stage.

Vic Georges, co-director for the 2024 People of Colour (PoC) Revue, finds the revue space an ever-changing environment that keeps you on your toes.

“PoC Revue season is absolutely crazy and that’s the only way to describe it! Some days you witness comedic history being made, others you’re dropping to the floor after doing an entire dance routine – nothing is ever the same,” Vic said.

Amy Warner, co-director for the 2023 Queer Revue Society, believes community is at the core of any revue production.

"The community is the best part of this show. I’ve made some of my closest friends through Queer Revue; it’s such a generous network of people that care for each other and are really invested in the next generation of performances."

What about auditions?

Revues are cast by audition, but don't let that dissuade you. Auditioning can feel daunting, but it's important to remember that the revue team just wants to see your personality. Often, you won’t need to prepare anything, and you may be asked to participate in some activities or theatre games in a small group.

"We’ve called them ‘vibe checks disguised as auditions’, simply because we don’t believe in the traditional methods of auditioning – we want as many talented PoCs as possible," said Vic.

Adelaide Tustian, the 2024 Womn's Revue Society President, describes auditions as easy and stress-free environments, where improvisation is championed over preparation.

“I didn’t prepare anything! It was a group audition with five other people and we played some drama games and did some improvisation. We then read a short script in pairs," Adelaide said. 

 If you're still unsure about auditioning, you can always reach out to the revue organisers to find out what the audition process might be like.

How does a revue become a show?

Rehearsing a revue show may be different from how you would imagine a typical theatre show to be rehearsed. Revues are devised collectively, which means that the cast works with the directors and creative team to come up with scripts and sketches they want to perform. Each day of rehearsals is fun, exciting and new; some days you might be workshopping different ideas for sketches, or sometimes you'll be rehearsing a big group number together.

“Through rehearsals each week you get to know, laugh with, and love the personalities in your cast. The atmosphere is always collaborative, but you always feel like you can be yourself and let loose," said Zack Alloggia, a Queer Revue cast member in 2023.

“Rehearsals range from workshopping, editing and performing sketches to perfecting our big song and dance numbers, but what stays consistent is a whole lot of fun and a good escape from whatever is going on in our lives,” Vic added.

For Adelaide, Womn's Revue rehearsals are about creativity and connection.

"Rehearsals feel a bit like hanging out with friends and being creative. We’ll often warm up together and spend some time getting into the groove before splitting into groups and writing scripts for ideas we want to work on, or performing and putting all of the sketch ideas into one big show."

What if you don't want to get on stage?

There is so much more that goes into putting on a show than just the performers on stage. If you have a talent that you think could be helpful for a stage production, for instance in sound, lighting, choreography, set design and more, reach out to revue organisers to get involved. Your skill could be the special touch that makes the revue stand out.

“In our crew, you can get involved in sound design, set design, stage management, stage-handing, costume and make-up design, graphics, show photography – the list goes on and on," said Vic.

"PoC Revue welcomes talent of all kinds and we want the visions and capabilities of as many people on campus to be showcased within the production and through later projects.”

Why should you attend a revue?

Revues are one-of-a-kind performances. They're a light-hearted, lively and joyful environment where you can meet fellow students, laugh about the idiosyncrasies of student life, and enjoy live theatre.

"Come along to the show and see what we're about! Come celebrate queer joy! And follow us on socials so you know when crew call outs and auditions are for next year," said Amy.

Grab your tickets to a University of Sydney revue for a great night out and to support the students who put so much time and effort into making sure these high-quality theatrical performances are incredible to witness, each and every year.

• People of Colour Revue 2024: Sound Check, 8–11 May
• Queer Revue 2024: Home & A-Gay, 16–18 May
• Womn's Revue 2024, 23–25 May