Local theatre and music man, Connor Morel makes his return to Geelong Arts Centre this week

He brings his second original theatrical work Good Man to the stage.

There’s a homecoming happening this week as Connor Morel steps back onto the Geelong Arts Centre stage. A talent taped to the tapestry of Geelong, Morel has a performance personality that is linked to the stage in many forms. From his early days fronting local band The Run to growing his musical theatre curriculum vitae, Morel is built for the spotlight. 

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His performance portfolio features credits for major touring productions The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale (GWB), Elvis: A Musical Revolution (DVE), The Wedding Singer (DVE), The Mentor (Bravo Arts), The Marvellous Elephant Man (VS), and Roger in Rent (James Terry Collective), and has taken him into international waters, training under the immeasurable Philippe Gaulier in Étampes, France, and to London where Morel now resides. Whilst playing a part in bringing other people’s stories to life has given him his rise, devising, developing and performing his own productions where his stage worlds collide is where the passion sits and it all starts and ends with Geelong Arts Centre.

Taking things back to 2022, Morel received a Creative Engine grant (Ignition), a Geelong Arts Centre’s artist development initiative, to support his work in progress, A Lovely Day To Be Online. The annual grant round offers space, time, monetary funding, performance opportunities, and artistic support towards the writing and development of a performance project. The opportunity afforded Morel the freedom to create the critically acclaimed original theatre debut which fused comedic cabaret gig performance with theatre navigating the online space where addiction, doom-scrolling and social life’s become an antisocial practice. In September 2023, Morel wrapped up his final live performance of the work to a sold-out Open House theatre as part of Geelong Arts Centre’s Grand Opening Festival. 

The creative engine kept rolling for the writer and performer, both in material and in support with Morel receiving another round of funding support from Geelong Arts Centre to explore a deeply personal story; one that required additional digging, and meticulous crafting.

“This time we were writing 5 to 6 times as much,” Morel explains. “It’s much more personal. It took our team much longer to put together because there is a personal connection and you need to invest the time to ensure that it’s authentic and genuine without being too raw.”

“Every sentence and every word coming out of my mouth is meticulously crafted to make sure the audience is understanding all of the emotional weight but also keeping things to the right performance tone. It’s a real balance to deliver this kind of story without it being over the top.”

 

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It’s packaged under the title Good Man. Good Man is a raw, witty rock monologue that blends original music with intimate storytelling, taking the audience into the story of Morel meeting his estranged father, who unexpectedly showed up at one of his gigs. The encounter sparks a lifelong question: what makes a decent man? Through humour, grit, and heartfelt reflection, Morel explores masculinity, the lessons we inherit, and the choices that shape us—all set to the energy of a live four-piece band. Equal parts concert, confessional, and contemporary play, Good Man is a bold, moving journey about growing up, growing wise, and learning what it really means to lead by example.

“It’s a story about mistakes and the choices we make in life and the rejection of toxic masculinity. We try to convey it in a way that doesn’t sound preachy but also has some really strong messages about what the notion of a “Good Man” actually is.”

Whilst Morel and his father are the central characters, the setting of a regional centre is also part of the production’s fabric. In this case, the story is intrinsically Geelong-coded, but can be transplanted into any regional or rural town in Australia.

“We’re in a small pub called “The Townie”. The way I describe it makes audiences immediately think of that one local pub that we all know, and the regulars who frequent there.”  

The new production will be shown this week on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 March where it all started at Geelong Arts Centres, The Open House.

“It’s great to be back in the space and back home. I’m so grateful for the Geelong Arts Centre support for both Good Man and A Lovely Day To Be Online. They have given me everything that an independent artist needs to get a start – time, space, and money. They’re the main pressures faced when making independent theatre and to have that alleviated allows you to focus purely on the work. It’s been a huge help in getting Good Man off the ground.”

Final tickets to see Connor Morel’s homecoming for Good Man can be picked up here.