Georgina Hopson

It was a comment from a teacher that changed the course of Georgina Hopson’s life. She had been studying marketing when a summer school musical theatre teacher told her she saw something special in her. So, she enrolled in a Bachelor of Music Theatre at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and hasn’t looked back since.

Starring in some of the most beloved shows alongside some of the biggest names in the industry during her studies, it didn’t take long for Georgina to be noticed when she graduated in 2014 Dame Julie Andrews attention had been sparked, and Georgina was cast in the Australian tour of My Fair Lady. She says her time at Queensland Conservatorium allowed her to hit the ground running.

“I learnt so much at the Con that I use in my daily practice,” Georgina says. “It gave me those tools and techniques to use every day at work. It’s what set me up to have a good work ethic as well.”

And as she found out, having a good work ethic as an artist during a global pandemic was extremely important. “Your career is never one single upwards trajectory,” she laughs. “It’s a rollercoaster, trust me!”

Two years ago, she was cast in a leading role in The Secret Garden opposite Australian treasure Anthony Warlow. Sadly, the show was cancelled thanks to COVID-19. Then she received the incredible news she was to star as Princess Fiona in Shrek: The Musical—also a COVID-19 casualty.

Undaunted, Georgina kept making sure she got into the audition room and was seen by the right people. “I'm the person that's always calling up my agent to be like, ‘Hey, I heard that this show is happening, I'd love to be considered for it, how do we make this happen?'” she says. I'm
always looking for opportunities.”

That attitude led Georgina’s career to reach some dizzying heights. She’s the recipient of a Matilda Award for Best Emerging Talent in 2015, the coveted Rob Guest Endowment in 2017, and a 2020 Green Room Award for her role in Ragtime. More recently, she made up for her COVID-cancelled shows by nabbing the lead role in a history-making Sydney Harbour production of Phantom of the Opera, and an alternate lead in the Alanis Morisette-inspired Jagged Little Pill.

But despite all the success (and a tiny bit of burnout) she’s achieved, she still finds time to come back to where it all began at Queensland Conservatorium to inspire the next generation of students.

“It's important to be able to use the knowledge I was given to give back,” she says of a recent masterclass session she led for current students. “It’s really nice to pay it forward. I was blown away by the passion and talent in the room.”

"It took me right back to being a student,” she explains. “I remember all the workshops and master classes that impacted me... It felt like a beautiful full-circle moment of being able to give students those tools they can take with them for the rest of their careers.”

Georgina says she would not be where she is today without the knowledge and inspiration she received from attending Queensland Conservatorium. “They taught me everything I know,” she says. “On the day of my audition, I remember being so nervous. And at the end of the day, [Head of Performing Arts] Paul Sabey gave this beautiful speech and there was just amazing energy in the room. I just felt so inspired by what I'd seen and by what I felt I could learn at this institution... I was just so excited to learn here.”