Interview: Amy Manford And Genevieve McCarthy of DISNEY IN CONCERT: A DREAM IS A WISH at Riverside Theatre

Genevieve McCarthy and Amy Manford, the Perth born duo and founders of MM Creative Productions are no strangers to big performances and big stages. They've both performed big roles on London's West End, not to mention performances all over the globe for world leaders and major international events. In a major coup of sorts, the two have become the first all-female team to be granted rights to perform Disney songs, which they will showcase in DISNEY IN CONCERT: A DREAM IS A WISH in October. The pair sat down and chatted about their amazing careers to date and their adventures with MM.

Both Genevieve McCarthy and Amy Manford have performed roles that aspiring performers would dream about and in theatres that are renowned the world over. Whilst Perth may seem insignificant by comparison, the pair are still very much looking forward to these home town shows.

"Obviously gracing those stages and performing for so many people is incredible, especially coming from Perth," said Amy. "But it's very special for me to come home and perform for friends and family, there will certainly be a lot of love in the room."

"Growing up in Perth and being a performer, you obviously dream of those big stages and those famous people or iconic events," added Genevieve. "But then when you do get to perform there- as amazing as it is- you can't help but think how nice it would be to go home and sing for friends and family. It's also special for me because when I first started performing it was with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, so to be able to revisit all those connections is really nice."

The highly regarded WASO holds a special place for Amy, too. "I remember even from my school days we used to go and see some rehearsals or special performances from WASO. I can still remember seeing the whole orchestra and just thinking it was so cool, so to be able to come home and do it again after having the opportunities we've had is very exciting."

It's been quite a journey for the pair to be where they are. Genevieve McCarthy has a Masters in Performance from London's Royal Academy of Music, but that came after she attained a Bachelor of Laws, which is the field she went into when she left school.

"I actually started performing when I was 9. I was in the school choir, and one day my Nan phoned me up and said 'I've just seen an ad for open calls for Les Mis, you should go!' So I was lucky enough to play young Cosette in Les Miserables which was the huge 10th anniversary production, and then I went pretty much straight into The Sound of Music, which was another big production, then I was in Annie, then I went into the children's chorus of the WA Opera, so I feel I started young. When I finished high school, I felt I'd already achieved all my Theatre Dreams! That prompted me to pursue law, so I worked as a solicitor for a while and whilst I really enjoyed that, I never stopped having those Theatre Dreams. I moved to London and studied at the Royal Academy and I was really lucky at how everything came together."

Amy, on the other hand, sees herself as taking a somewhat opposite journey. She graduated WAAPA before attaining a Masters in Vocal Performance from the Royal Academy of Music, but how she got there was somewhat different.

"My little sister was the singer of the family growing up, and as much as there is sibling rivalry, I never wanted to do what she was doing. I started out as a rhythmic gymnast and went into nationals twice for that, then a knee injury got me out of that, so I got into pole-vaulting, and went to nationals for that, but all along I was passionate about violin and played that through school. Just before year 12 my music teacher 'gently suggested' that I may not be up to the required standard of violin. I thought 'well I guess I can sing' and that's how I started singing! Many people thank their teachers for sending them along the path they take and I suppose in a way I have a teacher to thank for being where I am!"

The movies and music of Disney mean a great many things to people the world over. Not only are the pair the first all-female company to be granted rights to the music of Disney, they also hold it very dearly.

"There's always a sense of nostalgia with Disney," said Genevieve. "Some of my happiest childhood memories are of watching Disney movies with my two sisters. The three of us were always quite dramatic, so we'd re-enact our favourite scenes and sing the songs, and so every time I think of Disney I think of those happy childhood memories. I also think that Disney write courageous and aspirational female characters, and those sorts of characters aren't always visible in other movies you see growing up, so it's always been somewhere I can turn to for inspiration."

"I think every kid growing up sees a fair few Disney movies so it's almost hard to avoid that becoming part of your life," added Amy. "Mulan was such a big inspiration in my teen years, though when I was younger, I was obsessed with Cinderella. We wore the dresses for the show in a promo shoot, and mine looked exactly like Cinderella's dress, and I just thought 'If six-year-old me could see me now, she'd be blown away!' Being able to sing these songs with a full orchestra and with actual movie footage behind us is incredible. It was by no means easy to get the rights to perform Disney songs, they wanted to know all about us and we had a lot of late night phone calls to people in LA and back and forth negotiations, but when you go past the business side of it it's just so unbelievable to think that Disney have trusted us with their music and their brand "

Despite their differing journeys, the two did both end up performing in London, and both being performers from Perth it makes sense that the two would form a friendship.

"I actually did rhythmic gymnastics with Gen's younger sister when I was 8, so we kind of knew each other then," said Amy. "But then we went to different schools and moved to different places, so we lost contact a bit. One day though she appeared in my messages asking me to sing at her wedding*, so I sang at Gen's wedding in Perth, and when we were both in London we caught up and both said that we'd like to come back to Perth, and seeing a few shows in London together we thought how amazing it would be to bring those unique and big shows to Perth. When COVID closed London's theatres we got very real about those conversations. We moved back to Perth not only to be close to family and friends but because it was basically the only place in the world where theatres were still open, but when we got here we also found that if we still wanted to perform we'd have to make our own work, so that's how we started MM Creative Productions. We started quickly, we did The Magical Music of Animation with WA Philharmonic at Perth Concert Hall five weeks after we signed the paperwork to create MM."

In times like these, though, it's hard to know exactly what the future holds for MM Creative Productions.

"We do have some big plans," said Genevieve. "We were really inspired seeing some of the semi-staged productions in London and New York. Growing up, we never had those productions in Perth. There's some starting to happen now in the Eastern states, but we'd love to bring some of those to Perth. Our focus for now is mainly orchestral work, we want our shows to have a full orchestra and be able to bring those pieces to an audience in the way that the composer envisaged. I guess it all leans towards putting on those big, grand productions. Being interested in theatre in Perth can be hard because you'll often just see the same shows, so when we moved to London it was an experience to be able to see new musicals or Sondheim shows. I think we've already decided that whatever we do next, it will most likely be a Stephen Sondheim work."

Whilst bringing big shows to Perth is one motivation, Genevieve and Amy both have a specific motivation to put on a Disney show.

"By doing the work of Disney, we know that a lot of children will come, and children here certainly don't often get the chance to see a full orchestra," said Amy. "We're giving it to them in a fun and accessible environment and I think there's value in that. If you see an orchestra as a kid, you will be more inclined to want to see the orchestra as an adult. When you go to a movie you don't get the same idea of the scale of an orchestra but also the many instruments, so to be putting that on stage is nice."

Genevieve has a fond memory of giving children that opportunity. "I vividly remember my niece coming up to me after our Magical Music of Animation show and saying, 'Aunt Gee-Gee, when I grow up, I want to be in an orchestra!' Well, she actually said 'I want to be THE orchestra,' but it was still very touching. It's been great working with Jessica Gethin who will be conducting the shows because we know she'll want to give the children that chance too and will take the time to highlight each section of the orchestra, so you'll not only hear how amazing a full orchestra is, but the many different parts that go into it. Regardless of what happens or how many tickets we sell, I'll be happy if just one child gets that spark inside them that gets them interested in being a musician or singer or performer. It would be very special to give a child those sorts of dreams. Having always had those dreams myself and ending up following them even after going down a slightly different path, I hold those dreams very close."

DISNEY IN CONCERT: A DREAM IS A WISH is at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre in the Riverside Theatre on October 29th and 30th. Tickets and more information from Ticketek.

Images thanks to Stef King and MM Creative Productions.

*Genevieve asserts that it was in fact Amy who messaged her to begin the friendship.

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