Meet the Creatives
Composer & Writer
Alice Gillham
Director
Robert McQueen
Affectionately known by her nickname ‘Shy’, Alice is a quiet, thoughtful composer and writer. She prefers to work with a small team of trusted creative partners and often disappears to remote locations to write and create music.
Alice is a highly experienced and respected composer, producer, preproduction development specialist, vocal producer, orchestrator, lecturer and music consultant. She has produced and worked with musicians, artists, producers and composers in South Africa, Australia, the United States of America, Britain and Germany and is currently signed to Sony Music Publishing.
Throughout her life Alice has been passionately involved in all aspects of music, from its inception and creation to its production. She composes across multiple genres, loves the integration of music and great storytelling, and is enthralled by the emotional power of the human voice.
In a world obsessed with celebrities, in an industry obsessed with fame, from the very beginning of her career, Alice has shied away from the spotlight. With no social media presence and very rarely giving press interviews (under duress!) - Alice has mostly released her music production projects under pseudonym. She believes that the spotlight should shine on the superb singers and actors who she works closely with and who bring her songs and characters to life.
In 2014, after a decade in general commercial production, Alice decided to focus primarily on Composition (Musical Theatre, Movie Scoring, and larger Production Works) and since then has drawn substantial international investment into the South African theatre sector for original grand-scale projects. Her work is aligned under the production company Shy Music (Pty) Ltd.
She started work on ‘Calling Us Home’ in 2014, writing the score, libretto, book and all piano and orchestral arrangements.
In 2020 she began writing ‘Clarence Square’ – an original grand-scale musical set in 1904 during the Great Fire. ‘Clarence Square’ was introduced to industry and audiences at an International In-Concert Showcase at the Wintergarten Variéte Theatre in Berlin in March 2024.
In 2011, she founded the Africa Voices Trust, a South African non-profit foundation created to support the development of highly talented young African musicians.
Renowned director, dramaturge, and educator Robert McQueen brings a wealth of artistry, insight, and international experience to this production. With a career spanning major theatres and opera houses across North America and beyond, Robert crafts emotionally charged, visually elegant work that resonates deeply with audiences.
He most recently directed ‘Boy Falls From the Sky’ at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre, earning a 2022 Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding Direction. His celebrated theatre credits include ‘Caroline, or Change’ (2020 Dora nomination), ‘Fun Home’ (2018 Toronto Theatre Critics Award and Dora nomination), ‘Life After’ (2018 Dora Award for Outstanding Direction), and ‘Forest Boy’, which premiered at the New York Festival of New Musicals and earned a 2017 nomination for Outstanding Direction. He has also directed major productions including ‘Man of La Mancha’ for the Stratford Festival, ‘The Wild Party’, ‘Falsettos’, and ‘The Light in the Piazza’.
Robert’s operatic work is equally distinguished. He has directed ‘Capriccio’ for Pacific Opera Victoria, ‘La Bohème’ for the Canadian Opera Company, ‘Turandot’ and ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’for Arizona Opera, and ‘The Magic Flute’ for Vancouver Opera, where he also served as dramaturge and librettist.
Internationally, he directed the Japanese-language production of ‘Carousel’ in Tokyo and the groundbreaking Cambodian opera ‘Where Elephants Weep’ in Phnom Penh. He also served as Associate Director for the Broadway and touring productions of ‘Mamma Mia!’ and as Associate to Harold Prince on the national tour of ‘Showboat’.
A passionate educator, Robert teaches masterclasses around the world, including in Shanghai, Mexico City, New York, Glasgow, and across Canada. In 2022, he premiered his first original solo work, ‘The Real Poems’, which he performed with composer Laura Burton in Stratford and New York City.
As director, Robert brings emotional depth, theatrical precision, and a truly global perspective to ‘Clarence Square’.