LUMEN Summer 2020 - Flipbook - Page 32
T
orben Brookman’s GWB Entertainment
has produced big name musicals such
as School of Rock, Matilda, West Side
Story and The King and I, for the delight
of audiences around the world, but it’s here in
South Australia that he chooses to live and grow
his business, and invest in our state’s creativity
and culture.
“We feel that has to happen because we're very
proudly based here, love living in Adelaide and
grew up here. It's a choice, not a requirement for
the work that we do,” said Torben.
“So then, with that comes a responsibility to
build and grow the industry here, and make sure
that whatever we do is of a standard that can
be recognised on any stage, anywhere around
the world.”
Growing up in the Adelaide Hills with both
parents working in theatre, his mum Verity
Laughton a playwright, and dad Rob Brookman
a producer, artistic director and one of Australia’s
most highly regarded Arts administrators, you
could say a career in theatre was Torben’s destiny.
But Torben didn’t set out to follow in their
footsteps, because as a child he never saw what
his mum and dad did as a typical job.
“It's not like many vocational jobs where you
work nine to five, and when the office closes you
go home and have a separate life and do different
things. In the theatre, everything sort of merges
and blends,” said Torben.
“You may finish work for the day, but then you're
off to see a show, which is also kind of work, but
it's also your passion.”
Torben started an Arts degree at the University
of Adelaide, not because he had a clear vision of
his future, but partly because both his parents
studied Arts there and had “incredibly fond
memories” of the University. He also felt a broad
degree would expose him to a range of things and
he could figure out what he wanted to do as he
went along.
He later switched to a Bachelor of Science,
following an interest in athletics and sport and a
fascination with exercise physiology.
Despite perusing other interests, Torben
continued to work part-time in jobs based in and
around the theatre. Whether that be in front of
house as an usher, selling tickets in the box office,
or as part of the staging crew.
In the lead up to starting honours in exercise
physiology, an opportunity came up to work
on one of the early WOMADelaide Festivals. It
was an experience that painted a different future
for Torben.
“It was one of those pivotal moments of figuring
30
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
out who you are, and I started to realise that while
I love learning and data, I don't necessarily think
that I personally gravitate to being in a lab on my
own for long periods of time.
“I'm much more someone who enjoys being in
an environment where there are lots of different
things going on, a variety of things. I think it was
the best decision I made. Needless to say, I’ve
worked in the arts and entertainment industry
ever since.”
Torben’s interest and skills in creative production
continued to grow with many wonderful
opportunities to follow to develop his craft.
Of all the experiences, Torben said working with
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s company The Really
Useful Group to tour Cats and Phantom of the
Opera in Asia in the early 2000s had the most
profound impact on his career.
The company took two of Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s most well-known and loved productions
to places that had never seen musicals before
and working with locals who had never worked
in the theatre before. The opportunity brought
with it all sorts of new and interesting problems
to solve, invaluable learnings and possibilities for
the future.
