Behind the scenes at The Happiness, The Heartache photo shoot
The Happiness, The Heartache. "Don't you know who I am?" Created and written by Lulu McClatchy 4 part web series/TV pilot A hilarious satire of the heyday of American serial drama, The Happiness, The Heartache follows the lives of two families, The Bournes and the Hoffens in the glamorous world of fashion and espionage. Filled with colorful characters with intertwining lives, the show is an intensely proud adherence to the spirit of American Daytime soap operas. Set in the late '80s/early '90s, the fashion is massive shoulder pads, loads of glamor and big hair... and that’s just the men. There are cat fights, affairs, betrayals, murders, revenge and plenty of backstabbing. It’s the Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless combined. If you’re a soap fan, you will instantly recognize the iconic characters you love, and those you love to hate. And if you are new to soaps, you will soon be hooked on crazy story lines, fantasy lifestyles, mad characters, and fabulously over the top costumes. Highly addictive, hilarious and filled with twists that will keep you guessing to the very end... if there actually was an ending. Part of the show's appeal is that it doesn’t convey a message of any worth, this is pure entertainment. The characters are so shallow, vain, naive and stupid, it’s surprising that they would have a capacity for a hidden agenda, but they do, they all do. Written and directed by Lulu McClatchy, The Happiness, The Heartache proves that, try as we might, it is difficult to resist the addictive temptation of the soaps. Like a soap opera, we are dropped right in the middle of the action from the first scene, with no apparent beginning and no ending. No matter when you start watching, you can quickly pick up on what is happening and be quickly hooked. It is designed to appeal to anyone who’s ever seen a soap opera, and lets face it: who hasn’t? |
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Meet The Cast
A dedicated fan of daytime TV, Lulu McClatchy had to start taping the episodes when her career as a musical comedienne started to take off. She made her mark in the UK with Supergirly and was later commissioned to write and star in her own sitcom, based around the same character, for the BBC. Returning to Australia, Lulu has been constantly in work with several film and TV roles including, most memorably in Bogan Pride where she played Cassandra Downing in the musical comedy series created by Pitch Perfect’s Rebel Wilson. Oh and she’s twitter friends with Ronn Moss.
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Matt Hetherington has performed as a feature vocalist all across
Australia and around the world both as a soloist and with his band.. He is also an award winning musical theatre actor, recently nominated for a Green Room Award for the 5th time for Promises, Promises. He won the Green Room Award as Best Featured Actor in 2011 for MTC's production of Next to Normal. In 2010 he was named Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and he won the prestigious Helpmann Award as Best Actor in the musical production of The Full Monty. On TV he has guest starred in; City Homicide, Stingers and Marshall Law. In 2012 he set his sights on The Voice as a competing artist. He was a finalist and made the final six on Team Delta. |
Lyall's recent dramatic theatre credits includethe lead role of Tom in Lab Kelpie’s Melbourne premiere of Fat Pig. He has also worked for MTC, Red Stitch, the Victoian Opera, The Production Company and Magnormous.He has been nominated for two Green Room Awards.
On screen he has appeared in The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, The Weatherman, Rake, You’re Skitting Me!, Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth, Tripping Over, Neighbours andBlue Heelers, and feature films Any Questions for Ben? and the upcoming Australian comedyDirt Cheap. He is also an established voiceover artist, working on international animations Get Ace, Sumo Mouse, SheZow, and the AACTA-nominated Flea-Bitten! www.lyallbrooks.com |
Natasha Leigh's first regular role came about in 2007 in SBS Television’s Kick as Tatiana, which was closely followed by Bogan Pride where she starred as the all singing and dancing Tracy, opposite Lulu and Rebel Wilson. Natasha then went on to guest star in numerous Australian shows including Neighbours, City Homicide, Cops : LAC and Rush. Her breakthrough role came in the award winning hit series Underbelly: The Golden Mile playing Mellissa opposite Emma Booth. She most recently had a staring role in British BBC drama Holby City as feisty Australian doctor Lilah Birdwood.
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Perri originally trained in physical theatre and has worked for several theatre companies, including a nationally touring Shakespeare company playing in Macbeth, King Lear, A Midsummer NIght's Dream and Wind in the Willows, and an avant-garde theatre ensemble - working for the company for over six years. Recent acting credits include, The Bazura Project, Laid, Conspiracy 365, City Homicide and most notably Neighbours where she played Jill Ramsay the illegitimate sister of her real life brother (Steffan Dennis who plays Paul Robinson) until he pushed her in front of a car.
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Ryan O’Kane has worked on several New Zealand and Australian films
including Peter Jackson’s Crossing the Line as well as many notable regular TV roles including Rhys Levitt in City Homicide and Sergeant Dorian McGrath in Conspiracy 365. He also just costarred in Aussie feature Save your Legs and played Jeff Thompson in Howzat: Kerry Packer's War. |
Daniel Frederiksen has worked extensively in television, film and theatre. His regular role of Leo Flynn in Stingers won him a Logie nomination for ‘Best New Talent’;and he has enjoyed recurring roles in Blue Healers, Offspring and Young Lions. Recently he appeared in Underground' (The Julian Assange Story)and the yet to be released Underbelly Squizzy. Film credits include Ten Empty, Summer Coda, Closed for Winter and his Best Actor AFI nominated role in Bastard Boys. In theatre, he has worked for Bell Shakespeare, The MTC and was an ensemble member of Red Stitch Actors Theatre for ten years... where he did 'heaps' of shows
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Michelle McClatchy has been in the Entertainment Industry as an Actor andAgent for over 25 years, performing in Australia, Japan and the UK. Michelle first made her mark in a biscuit commercial at age 8 and then went on to become a professional entertainer for an International Cabaret company
performing in Japan. She was then was discovered by Ted Emery in Series One of Fast Forward and starred in TV Sketch Comedy for the next four years. Film and TV credits include Visitors, Blue Heelers, The Secret Life of Us and Neighbours just to name a few. |
Kristin is the lead singer and bass guitarist of Adam 12, Melbourne’s most successful cover band. This, in addition to his acoustic shows, sees him performing seven gigs a week. Kristin also has appeared regularly on television including Pete Ferguson on Neighbours, and guest roles in Underbelly and City homicide. He has also recently completed a lead role in the film The Sunset Six. With a particular passion for accents and character voices. You will often hear him on The Hamish and Andy Show whenever one of their madcap scripts requires some exotic voice acting. Chances are, you’ll never recognize him though.
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Jay Bowen is an Actor and Musician. As well as doing all types of theatre, he performed in The
Glass Soldier, A Streetcar Named Desire and Explorations for the MTC, Acts of Deceit and The Traitors for La Mama, Ghosts at Theatreworks, HAIR and Anything Goes for the Production Company and The Picture of Dorian Gray for Dancing With Strangers. Feature films include Center Place and Ektopus. He had also appeared in many TV series including Small Time Gangster, Killing Time, Rush, Blue Heelers and Stingers. As a rock musician he is currnetly fronting Melbourne band Ten Thousand http://www.tenthousandmusic.com/ who have recently released their debut EP, Tales from the Wasteland. |
And introducing the beautiful Arna Pletes
Arna is an Actor, choreographer, singer, teacher and personal trainer. She has choreographed shows with David Atkins for schools spectacular as well as directing over 2000 students. |