Latest News from The Guild: Spring 2023 – Music Theatre Guild of Victoria

Member Company Census

Thank you to all our MTGV Member Company Census who completed the census.
Your responses and the information collected from the Census will be used to assist the Guild in determining the best way to support our community

Didn’t receive your company census?

Update your companies details via
https://www.musictheatreguildvic.org/home-store/membership/

Acknowledgement of Judges

This year our Judging Panels attended Open Category and Junior Category shows in both Melbourne and regional Victoria. All of our judges are volunteers and we wanted to share our gratitude for all of the hard work they have contributed to this year.

We also wish to share our appreciation for the following judges who will not be continuing in 2023:

Ann Hubbard
Caroline Leavy
Elyse Carmichael
Kathy Lang
Sandy Wills
Sarah Carruthers

Thank you for your willingness to volunteer your time and service to support our wonderful Victorian theatre community. It has been greatly appreciated

Judges’ Guidelines

Both the open and junior judging panels follow a set of guidelines and criteria set out by MTGV in regard to nomination and commendations.

MTGV Judges are not permitted to participate in the discussion of a show with which they, their partner, or immediate family have been associated or any other productions of a show they’ve been associated with in the same year. We request that our Judges are not allocated seats within the vicinity of the production team, creative team or board of management for the production they are judging.

Furthermore, request that Member Companies ensure our Judges are eligible to attend any show open for sale to the General Public. Efforts are made by Judges to avoid gala, opening and fundraising nights where possible.

Read the full list of Judging Guidelines here

Introducing our production team:

Director: Tamara Finch

In a period spanning 45 years, Tamara has extensive experience having worked with many of Melbourne’s theatre companies both on and off stage as either choreographer, producer or director. With a list of credits both vast and varied, Tamara has received many Victorian Theatre Guild nominations and has been awarded for Choreography – ‘Chicago’ (both in 2001 and in 2022), ‘Pippin’ (2003), ‘Hair’ (1996) and Directors award for ‘Pippin’ (2003)

Musical Director: Brad Treloar

Brad has been involved in musical theatre in Geelong since he was 14 years old. He has worked on over 60 musicals in Geelong, in roles including Musical Director, Vocal Director, Rehearsal Pianist, and pit musician as well as producing several shows.
Brad has been Musical Director for many shows including Oliver, The Sound Of Music, The Phantom Of The Opera, The Wizard of Oz, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Last 5 Years, Wish Upon A Song, 13 The Musical, Rent, Evita, Forbidden Broadway, The Addams Family, Cinderella, Pippin, Godspell and A Slice of Saturday Night.
Brad has been honoured to receive multiple nominations from the Theatre Guild of Victoria for Best Musical Direction and received the Geoff Tomkins award for his work on Wish Upon A Song in 2021.
Outside the theatre world, Brad is a piano and vocal teacher privately and at a number of schools in Geelong, as well as an accompanist and director of numerous choirs.

Award Nominations:
Edith Harrhy & Musician’s Award

Each year, the MTGV has the opportunity to present two additional awards, other than those within the regular categories.

They are the Edith Harrhy Award and a Musicians Award.

These two awards are given by the Committee, not by the members of the judging panel, and are selected from nominations received from member companies.
Accordingly, the Committee is inviting you, our members, to put forward any person who fulfils the appropriate criteria and are therefore worthy of consideration by the Guild.

Please give this matter some serious thought and send your nomination, together with supporting information regarding their experience and services, to [email protected] by FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER 2023

All nominations will then be considered by the committee.

EDITH HARRHY AWARD:
For Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre There are numerous people associated with musical theatre who have given their expertise, time and energy to the promotion and advancement of the art form as well as assisting many others to further their artistic careers or simply to gain enjoyment from it. Edith Harrhy devoted a great deal of her life doing just that. She died in 1975 and this award is in acknowledgement of her outstanding musical life.
The award is for outstanding contribution to musical theatre (contributed in an honorary capacity) and is not necessarily awarded each year.

MUSICIANS AWARD:
This award was instigated in 1991 and acknowledges the musicians whose dedication is paramount and essential to the productions staged by music theatre companies. Whilst their services often do not come freely, they supply their talent and expertise at a reduced rate without which companies virtually could not operate. The all-important rehearsal pianist is normally recruited from amongst their ranks.
The award is not granted in recognition of any particular performance but acknowledges the recipient’s years of service or expertise and is not necessarily awarded each year.

Award Night Acknowledgements

During the 2023 Award Ceremony we would like to make the following acknowledgements

IN MEMORIAM:

The Music Theatre Guild of Victoria encourages our members to let us know when a member of their community has passed away. Let us know who has left us during the last year and what impact they had on your company and the wider theatre community. Please send an image with the person’s name and member company.

LIFE MEMBERS:
We wish to acknowledge any Life Members appointed by our member companies over the last year and ask for you to send images of these significant members. Please send an image with the person’s name and member company.

Please email any nominations for the categories below to [email protected]

Award Sponsorship

The Guild acknowledges the companies, individuals, corporate bodies and foundations that sponsor our Bruce Awards each year in support of the Awards Night.

The Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Inc. is a not-for-profit organisation for the ongoing support, encouragement and development of non-professional music theatre in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Currently we are seeking Expressions of Interest for sponsorship of the following Awards