Ainsley Melham

Ainsley Melham
Born (1991-12-02) 2 December 1991[1]
Sydney
Occupation Singer, actor, performer

Ainsley Melham (born 2 December 1991) is an Australian actor, best known as a former member of Australian children's musical group Hi-5, and for playing the title role in Disney's Aladdin in Australia.[2][3]

Biography

Ainsley Melham was born in Australia on 2 December 1991, and raised in Bathurst with his sister Nadia. Before fame, he graduated from Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA),[4] graduating in 2012. He was also educated at the NIDA Open Program, the Australasian Tap Dance Academy and La Belle School of Dance. At WAAPA, Melham performed in a range of musicals, including Ragtime, Violet, Crazy For You, A Chorus Line, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Into The Woods.[5]

In January 2013, Melham joined the Australian children's musical group Hi-5 as part of a new generation, after successfully auditioning in late 2012.[6] He starred in the documentary style cinematic release, Some Kind of Wonderful, which depicted the audition process, and appeared in three television series of Hi-5 House.[7][8] After touring nationally and internationally for three years, Melham departed from the group in January 2016. He stated that he felt it was time to transition back into his theatre roots after "an incredible experience" with Hi-5.[9]

In March, Melham starred as Sonny Malone in an Australian musical production of Xanadu for Matthew Management and Hayes Theatre Co.[9][10] In mid- 2016, he was cast as the title role in Disney Theatrical Company's production of Aladdin in Sydney, Australia. He starred alongside Arielle Jacobs, who played the role of Princess Jasmine until her departure in December. Melham now performs with Hiba Elchikhe, who took over the role.[11] For Aladdin, he was nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical.[12]

Theatre credits

Year Production Role Venue Dates Notes
2016 Xanadu Sonny Malone Hayes Theatre, Sydney 12 May 2016
2016–17 Aladdin Aladdin Capitol Theatre, Sydney August 2016 – March 2017 Original Australian cast
2017–18 Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne April 2017 – January 2018
2018 Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane February – June 2018
Crown Theatre, Perth July – October 2018

Filmography

Film roles
Year Title Role
2013 Hi-5 Some Kind of Wonderful Himself
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2013–16 Hi-5 House Presenter Series 1 to 3

References

  1. ↑ "Ainsley Melham (@MelhamP3)". Twitter. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  2. ↑ "Hi-5 Star Ainsley Melham to star in Australian production of Aladdin". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Ainsley Melham: What it means to be Aladdin". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts" (PDF). Ecu.edu.au. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  6. ↑ McCabe, Kathy (16 March 2013). "Hi-5 new members Ainsley Melham, Mary Lascaris, Dayen Zheng unveiled". News.com.au. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "Get ready for the next generation of Hi-5". Bugg Toys and Licensing. 22 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  8. ↑ McCabe, Kathy (18 August 2013). "Hi-5 will head home to Australia for House Party tour after filming new series in Singapore". News.com.au. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  9. 1 2 Hook, Chris (23 January 2016). "Xanadu: Musical revival in Sydney promises to be a thrilling, scary ride for actors". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  10. ↑ / Larry Heath (13 September 2016). "One Jump Ahead – Aladdin's Ainsley Melham on playing the lead role at Capitol Theatre – Arts on the AU". Arts.theaureview.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  12. ↑ Gartner, Annelies (20 June 2017). "WA shines at Helpmann Awards nominations". The West Australian. Retrieved 20 September 2017.



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