Queenie van de Zandt
Core Tutor
(Next to Normal, Into the Woods, King Kong)
Brisbane, Gold Coast & Melbourne Workshops
Queenie van de Zandt moves through the world entertaining, educating and serenading the people she meets. She has the unique ability in all her work to make people feel deeply, and to awaken laughter, empathy and awareness in equal measure.
Her ability to seamlessly transition between various genres of entertainment sets her apart as a truly versatile performer, with a career spanning musical theatre, plays, cabaret, recording, film, and television, as well as acclaimed work as a comedian, writer, and arts educator.
Her career highlights include: on television: Upright II (Foxtel/Stan), Safe Home (SBS), The Newsreader - Seasons 1, 2 & 3, Very Small Business and Da Kath & Kim Code (ABC), and Five Bedrooms (Network 10), in theatre: Face to Face (STC), Women of Troy (Malthouse/STC), Rabbit Hole, Absent Friends and Abigail’s Party (Ensemble Theatre), Secret Bridesmaid’s Business and After January (La Boite) and The Road to the She-Devil’s Salon (QTC), on film: Scooby Doo and Girl Clock, in musical theatre: Next to Normal (James Terry Collective), Thoroughly Modern Millie (TDP), Into the Woods (Victorian Opera), Follies (Storeyboard Entertainment), Funny Girl (SSO), King Kong Live on Stage (Global Creatures), The Full Monty (IMG/David Atkins) and Oliver (Cameron Mackintosh/IMG), and in cabaret - Smoke & Mirrors (Sydney, Melbourne and Edinburgh Festivals), Moments in the Woods, BLUE: The Songs of Joni Mitchell, CABARET - In 12 Easy Steps, The Best (and Worst) of Queenie van de Zandt and I GET THE MUSIC IN YOU, an evening with Jan van de Stool (Adelaide Cabaret Festival).
As the driving force behind her boutique production house Amazon Woman Enterprises, Queenie has released 4 albums (Amazon Woman, Other Stories..., Queenie van de Zandt – Live in Cabaret and Singing & Vocal Warm Up Exercises); created her award-winning show BLUE: The Songs of Joni Mitchell which continues to tour around Australia and internationally, and continues to develop projects involving her cult, comedy alter-ego Jan van de Stool. As Jan, Queenie has twice co-hosted The Helpmann Awards (Foxtel/ABC), performed in Jan’s multi-award-winning comedy show I GET THE MUSIC IN YOU, an evening with Jan van de Stool (MICF) and continues to tour her latest show, Jan van de Stool in PARTING THE RED CURTAINS (BCF & SCF).
Most recently Queenie co-wrote, co-produced and stared in the stage show Middle Raged, which will toured Australia in 2026 and will return for new season in 2027.
Alongside her performance work, since 2000, Queenie has presented master classes, workshops and courses in cabaret, song performance and audition technique for musical theatre around the country. She is writing a book about audition technique and in 2020 released a CD, with fellow vocal educator Beth Daly, called Singing & Vocal Warm Up Exercises – From Beginner to Professional. She has held teaching positions in numerous performing arts schools, has been invited to conduct master classes and seminars throughout Australia and internationally and has written musical theatre courses for several leading institutions. She has taught in the music department at NIDA and has held teaching positions in the music theatre courses at VCA and Federation University in Ballarat (formerly BAAPA).
In 2015 Queenie co-founded The Australian Musical Theatre Academy (AMTA). AMTA offers workshops, masterclasses, and courses for students of all skill levels, bringing them together with top-tier industry professionals to give students the tools to live creative, passionate and fulfilling lives.
Widely regarded as Australia’s leading teacher of audition technique for musical theatre, Queenie combined her 26+ years of studying audition technique with her 37+ years as a multi-award winning performer of musical theatre, to develop a unique audition and performance preparation method, that has helped her students gain leading roles in shows such as The Lion King, Annie, Mary Poppins, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Pretty Woman: The Musical, Fiddler on the Roof, Six: The Musical, Anastasia, The Book of Mormon, Beauty & the Beast, Wicked, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, Hamilton, Chicago, and Grease, to name just a few. Queenie has been teaching her method to performers across Australia and internationally for the past 24 years. The remarkable number of her students who have gone on to become renowned performers in commercial musicals, has seen her hailed in the press as a ‘musical theatre star-maker’.
As a true champion of the arts, having joined Actors Equity, MEAA in her very first professional show in 1989, Queenie’s unwavering passion for her craft and commitment to the union has made her a powerful advocate for artists Australia wide. Queenie brings to all her work, not only this wealth of experience but also her fine communication skills, her passion for the arts, her warm and positive nature and her wonderful sense of humour.
With a staggering 22 theatre award nominations and 9 well-deserved wins under her belt, Queenie van de Zandt's talent continues to be recognized with each new achievement. To stay connected with her latest projects and performances on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok follow @QueenievdZandt | @JanvandeStool | @AMTAcademy.
