new singing classes and more!

So You Still Think You Can Act?? Sing? Dance?! Write Your Play?? 2012

Happy New Year 2012!

My new scene study class for adults starts this Monday! And for kids ages 8-12years, this Saturday. If you're interested please contact zizie.enact@enfiniti.com.my

For the first quarter we have my new acting classes, a scriptwriting workshop with Na'a Murad, news broadcasting and TV presenting with Bettina Khan (Bettina Chua, formerly from CNBC News Asia) and dance with Pat Ibrahim and Suhaili Micheline.

Singing class and more will be announced soon. Private vocal classes are currently available which can be scheduled to suit your time.

Here in Kota Damansara, in the Strand. Enfiniti Academy (under the umbrella of Enfiniti Vision Media, Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina) is opposite the Giant here and the Strand is close to the Air Asia Tune Hotel and Sunway Giza, further in from Ikea and the Curve etc. Map: http://www.facebook.com/enfinitiacademy?sk=app_129982580378550

Start off the New Year by improving your skills in a fun class with celebrity teachers, at affordable prices!

http://www.facebook.com/enfinitiacademy

See you in class!

School's Out, Musical Theatre's In! - Introducing our Teachers! Learn drama, singing and dance from our Musical Theatre experts!

Enfiniti Academy, ENACT

School's Out, Musical Theatre's In! -Musical Theatre Workshop for Kids and Teens in Petaling Jaya!

An introduction to the performing arts for young people!




I'll be teaching drama for musical theatre at this upcoming December 2011 workshop for kids and teens, along with other industry professionals, including Aaron Khaled (The Secret Life of Nora), Ida Mariana (Puteri Gunung Ledang), Suhaili Micheline (The Secret Life of Nora), Michael Xavier Voon (director of Shout!) and Ann Tan (dance teacher extraordinare). See you there!

contact: zizie.enact@enfiniti.com.my

http://www.facebook.com/enfinitiacademy

my program on bbc knowledge

Click on this link to see me on the BBC Knowledge website!

BBC Knowledge

I think you can leave a comment or check the guide/schedule to find out when it will be on! :))

Directing Dreamgirls, the Broadway Musical

In the first 7 months of 2011, I directed a Broadway musical and had a baby. Two life-changing milestones (for me) and that’s not the half of it..........

Needless to say, it’s been hard to find a moment to update my blog. In fact I started writing this in August and it is now the end of October! Only now do I understand how intense, time-consuming and remarkable it is, to be a parent and a mother. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I do plan to blog about this amazingly intense, yet fun, humbling, pride-giving, wonderful and very, VERY painful experience of juggling the two new loves of my life, my newborn son and directing in the theatre, but perhaps when I’ve caught up on some sleep! Perhaps in another couple of months........ ;)

But I must say, we had a great cast, crew and production team and I feel very privileged to have worked with them all. I really felt I gave ALL the energy and love I had to this fabulous musical (which was not so easy while breastfeeding, attending to a newborn, getting used to being a mother and not having had a full night’s sleep for the last 8months! Aaaah!). I don’t think the cast will ever really know how much I loved them, until they themselves have a baby one day in the future! But this was one production, and opportunity to exert my artistry, which I could never have turned down.

In the meantime, below is an amazing review I got from Terence Toh and my director’s notes that were in the programme book of the musical, Dreamgirls.

Director Joanna Bessey did

a fantastic job with the staging,

with all scenes being visually

and musically arresting. Her

production captured perfectly

the glitz of 1960s America,

where soul and disco ruled the

airwaves. Particularly well done

is the opening scene, a talent

show, where despite many things

happening simultaneously, the

action was well coordinated, your

attention always drawn to the

crucial parts of a scene.

Whether through colourful

costumes, inspired lighting,

massive backdrops, pyrotechnics

or props (even a scale model

of a Cadillac at one point!)

every number was memorable.

Dreamgirls was the kind of show

where you sat at the edge of your

seat, awestruck, wondering how

anything could top what you’d just

seen, and then the next musical

number comes and blows you

away completely.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/61181782/Selangor-Times-July-29-31-2011-Issue-35

Programme Book, Joanna Bessey's notes:

Musicals are always about bringing the outside world into the theatre and this time we have brought New York and Broadway to KL! But with a cast and creative team from right here!

Having the opportunity to direct a Broadway musical in our national theatre has been nothing short of a wonderful dream for me! Not only have I had a dream cast to work with but we also have a fantastic production team who made this "Dream" possible, despite almost impossible odds. Life has a funny way of imitating Art and vice-versa.

I want to thank the producers for creating this opportunity and doing something so ambitious; and I must thank the whole team who have turned this "Dream" into a reality.

I am hoping this is a step in the right direction and adding toward nurturing world-class talent who are home-grown in Malaysia. I do believe world-class shows are already starting to come into fruition, right here in our small industry and hopefully it will continue to grow and even start to be exported on a more regular basis to the rest of the world. And having some cross-cultural exchange, such as this, in which we can learn from Broadway's best, is definitely a step forward on the path to excellence.

I hope you, the audience will agree and be proud of our talented cast, the first Malaysians doing a Broadway show right here in KL!

Love Journey 2 coming soon in April 2011! Busy end to 2010...

It's been a busy past couple of months with a lot of projects in the works coming soon! Including the character of "Lily M. La Rue" who returns to the stage with the Michael Veerapen Trio in April 2011!
More uploads and pics of Love Journey part 1 coming soon!........

In the meantime, catch Joanna Bessey with the Michael Veerapen Trio this weekend, 21st and 22nd January 2011 at the Mezze Lounge, 9:30pm. http://www.mezze.my



Since the re-run of "Shout!" the musical in October:
I performed (sang) with the Michael Veerapen Trio at Alexis Bistro,
was a judge at the "Short & Sweet" theatre festival,
performed in a MRCA corporate show,
shot a cameo role in the mini-series about "Natrah",
continued my voice-over recordings for the animated series, "Supertots",
played a BBC-type news reporter in a commercial shoot for Mercedes (it was exciting working with a Swiss Oscar-nominated director, Reto Caffi! But I did feel rather short next to him! He is double my height; seriously),
directed the ACTS school students in their year end musical production "The King of Pop" at KLPAC Pentas 1,
conducted a week of auditions for the musical "Dreamgirls" with Broadway Academy (which I've been asked to direct later this year),
organised Heidi Vogel to fly from London to perform at Alexis Bistro,
continued my rehearsals with Dato' Faridah Merican for the play I'll be doing with her in May
and finally took some family time off at Christmas! Whew!!!
It's been a crazy busy end to 2010! And all this plus a lot of life-changing family stuff as well!......It's no wonder I haven't had a chance to write a post in a while! :) But I promise to post some more pics and video snippets of all this soon-ish...... :) Meanwhile please check out the link to snippet of Heidi's gig at Alexis (below) Enjoy!





(tired after a short overnight shoot for "Natrah" in Frasers Hill)

Heidi Vogel at Alexis Bistro, December shows

Check out the snippet from Heidi's Alexis Bistro gig in December! Plus her radio interview on BFM. Enjoy! Go to http://joannabesseyproductions.blogspot.com

The re-run of Shout! -the musical!

SHOUT! is the mod musical magazine that brings back the beautiful birds and smashing sounds that made England swing in the 60's.

From cover-to-cover SHOUT! travels in time from 1960 to 1970 chronicling the dawning liberation of women. Just as Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Cilla Black, and Lulu were independent woman with major careers, English and American women were redefining themselves in the face of changing attitudes about gender. SHOUT! reflects that change through the unforgettable music of the time.

SHOUT! flips through the years like a musical magazine and takes you back to the music, the fashion and the freedom of the 60's! This smashing revue tracks five groovy gals as they come of age during those liberating days that made England swing!

Terrific new arrangements of such chart-topping hits as "To Sir With Love," "Downtown," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," "Son of A Preacher Man," and "Goldfinger." It'll make you want to throw back your head and Shout!

Cast: Ning Baizura, Tria Aziz, Shanel Shanty James, Tisha Zarina, Stephanie Van Driesen, Joanna Bessey

DATE
FRI
15 Oct 3.30pm & 8.30pm

SAT
16 Oct 3.00pm & 8.30pm

SUN
17 Oct 3.00pm & 8.30pm

TUE
19 Oct 8.30pm

WED
20 Oct 8.30pm

Ticket prices vary from RM 55 to RM 168 with all sorts of promotions going on and discounts if you get your tix fast! With Visa you get 20% off, with Maxis and the Fan club 15% off etc. Check out axcess.com.my

VENUE
MaTiC theatre on Jalan Ampang, KL (next to Zouk).

See you there in your psychedelic outfits! ;)