Media Kit Embargoed until 8pm Thursday 4 September

Transcription

1 Media Kit 2015 Embargoed until 8pm Thursday 4 September

2 SEASON 2015 life in living colour Mtc announces another great season of storytelling MTC Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO today announced another great season of theatrical storytelling a year of life in living colour at Melbourne Theatre Company in Featuring 11 mainstage plays, a family show, an education production, an independent theatre festival, a series of play readings, and productions touring regionally, interstate and internationally, 2015 is another energetic year at MTC. Season 2015 spans a tremendous range of themes and performance styles, from the austere poetry of the Beckett masterpiece Endgame to the thrilling escapism of North by Northwest and all points in between, said Brett Sheehy AO. I am especially proud of the new Australian works gracing our stages providing mainstage opportunities for four terrific Australian writers and two composers, and of the inaugural MTC Women Directors Program bearing such immediate results with five of the 11 mainstage productions being directed by women. As well as our mainstage season, in 2015 we consolidate all our initiatives of the past two seasons which have been so successful in reaching out to new audiences in Melbourne and beyond. MTC is out and about like never before. In these myriad ways, MTC is putting the transformative power of live theatre and storytelling within reach of the six million citizens of Victoria, as well as a national and international audience. I invite you to be enthralled, delighted, provoked and challenged with MTC in 2015, said Mr Sheehy. There are four world premieres at MTC next year. A stage adaption of the classic Hitchcock film North by Northwest, directed by Simon Phillips, will bring this supreme suspense caper to life. A larrikin take on the ANZAC centenary, Steve Vizard and Paul Grabowsky s The Last Man Standing is a work promising to be unlike any other in this year of commemorations. A new play from Kylie Trounson, The Waiting Room, draws on her own childhood to tell the story of her father, IVF pioneer Emeritus Professor Alan Trounson, while a boutique gem of a musical by Tim Rogers and Aidan Fennessy transforms an iconic album into a very Australian love story in What Rhymes with Cars and Girls. These world premieres take their place alongside the best and most interesting plays from overseas some startlingly new, and others exciting revivals. Comedy queen Jane Turner revisits motherhood in Jumpy, a hilarious West End hit directed by Pamela Rabe. From British playwright Simon Stephens comes Birdland, a story about an imploding rock star played by Mark Leonard Winter. Buyer and Cellar is an adoring fan letter to Barbra Streisand, a one-man extravaganza starring Ash Flanders. A charming family treat by Tasmanian writer Finegan Kruckemeyer, The Boy at the Edge of Everything takes audiences on an extra-terrestrial adventure for ages eight and up, and the acclaimed Swedish play, I Call My Brothers, recreating 24 hours in the mind of a young Arab man after a terrorist attack, is MTC s Education Production for senior school students. These five productions are all Australian premieres. Season 2015 also contains four modern classics. Samuel Beckett s great modernist masterpiece, Endgame directed by MTC Associate Artistic Director Sam Strong sees master craftsman Colin Friels return to MTC and brings classic absurdist theatre back to the mainstage. Ariel Dorfman s stunning world-wide hit Death and the Maiden stars Susie Porter and is directed by Argentinian-born MTC Associate Director Leticia Cáceres. Nadine Garner shines amid locals swapping ghost stories in the multi-award-winning Irish play The Weir. And acclaimed actress Alison Bell finds herself at the centre of a complex love triangle in Betrayal, Harold Pinter s most arresting relationship drama.

3 SEASON 2015 life in living colour MTC s NEON Festival of Independent Theatre is back for its third year, together with the popular Cybec Electric play reading series, Women Directors Program, MTC CONNECT and MTC Ambassadors. MTC s vital education productions and programs are enhanced by even more initiatives under the banner Sharing The Light which will see greatly increased access for students, children and families across Victoria. In 2015 MTC tours internationally and interstate, taking Complexity of Belonging to Europe and Jumpy to Sydney, and coproduces Death and the Maiden with Sydney Theatre Company. MTC will also be a part of the new Southbank outdoor summer arts festival, SummerSalt, and is a Program Partner of MPavilion. Subscriptions are now open for Single tickets for Jumpy, What Rhymes with Cars and Girls and Endgame go on sale on Tuesday 2 December, with the rest of the season's single tickets on sale from Wednesday 4 March For more information go to mtc.com.au, phone or follow Melbourne Theatre Company on Facebook and melbtheatreco mtc2015

4 SEASON 2015 life in living colour australian Premiere Jumpy by April De Angelis Southbank Theatre, The Sumner 31 January 14 March Thursday 5 February 2015 Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman Southbank Theatre, The Sumner 18 July 22 August Thursday 23 July 2015 World Premiere What Rhymes with Cars and Girls music and lyrics by Tim Rogers words by Aidan Fennessy Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio 13 February 28 March Thursday 19 February 2015 The Weir by Conor McPherson Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio 14 August 26 September Thursday 20 August 2015 Endgame by Samuel Beckett Betrayal by Harold Pinter Southbank Theatre, The Sumner 21 March 25 April Thursday 26 March 2015 Southbank Theatre, The Sumner 26 August 3 October Saturday 29 August 2015 World Premiere The Waiting Room by Kylie Trounson australian Premiere Buyer and Cellar by Jonathan Tolins Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio 15 May 27 June Thursday 21 May 2015 Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio 30 October 12 December Thursday 5 November 2015 World Premiere North by Northwest Adapted for the stage by Carolyn Burns Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse 1 June 4 July Thursday 4 June 2015 WORLD Premiere The Last Man Standing by Steve Vizard, music by Paul Grabowsky Southbank Theatre, The Sumner 6 November 12 December Wednesday 11 November 2015 australian Premiere Birdland by Simon Stephens Southbank Theatre, The Sumner 6 June 11 July Thursday 11 June 2015 australian Premiere SCHOOL HOLIDAY ADD-ON: The Boy at the Edge of Everything by Finegan Kruckemeyer Southbank Theatre, The Lawler 23 September 9 October Thursday 24 September 2015

5 Jumpy by April De Angelis Cast includes Jane Turner Director Pamela Rabe Set Designer Michael Hankin Lighting Designer Matt Scott Voice & Dialect Coach Leith McPherson «««««The funniest new play the West End has seen in ages. The Telegraph Makes the audience giggle, gasp and groan in painful recognition. Mail On Sunday A compassionate, very funny and finally moving play about modern living. Financial Times Venue: Southbank Theatre, The Sumner Season dates: Saturday 31 January Saturday 14 March pm Thursday 5 February 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Tuesday 27 January 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Tuesday 2 December 2014 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Australian comedy queen Jane Turner revisits motherhood in Jumpy, a hilarious West End hit by April De Angelis about frazzled hopes and parental anxiety. Directed by Pamela Rabe, the Australian premiere of this uproarious comedy opens MTC s 2015 Season at 8pm Thursday 5 February at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner ahead of a Sydney Theatre Company season. Jane Turner, who began her career as a dramatic actor with MTC in Blabbermouth and Man The Balloon, returns to the Company to tread the boards as Hilary, a modern woman coming to terms with middle age and the reality that, eventually, every liberal and fair-minded parent finds themselves at the head of a dictatorship. Turning fifty isn t the worst of it for Hilary. Nor is it the feeling that life has passed her by, that her marriage is failing, or that her job is going nowhere. It s not even the feeling of suffocation and panic that overcomes her at unexpected moments. Oh no, the worst of it is her fifteen year-old daughter, Tilly, wayward, precocious and contrary, driving her to hair-clutching despair. But perhaps it s not even that. Could it just be that young Tilly insists on grabbing every freedom that passing time has denied her mother? April De Angelis is a British playwright and librettist. Her play Jumpy premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2012 to critical acclaim and is currently being developed as a television series. De Angelis other work includes A Gloriously Mucky Business, Calais, Country, Playhouse Creatures, Wild East, A Laughing Matter, The Warwickshire Testimony, The Positive Hour, an adaptation of Wuthering Heights and Catch, which was a collaboration with four other female playwrights for Royal Court. Her librettos include Flight for Glyndebourne Opera and The Silent Twins for Almeida Theatre. Pamela Rabe has previously directed Solomon and Marion, Elling and In the Next Room (or the vibrator play) for MTC; Elling, The Serpent s Teeth: Citizens for Sydney Theatre Company; and Porn.Cake for Malthouse Theatre. Her many distinguished appearances as an actor include The Cherry Orchard, His Girl Friday, Hamlet, Boston Marriage, and God of Carnage for MTC; and Les Liaison Dangereuses, The War of the Roses, The Season at Sarsaparilla and Richard III for STC. She has worked extensively in film and television, appearing in Wentworth, The Secret Life of Us, The Well, Paradise Road, Cosi and Sirens amongst others. Rabe was a member of MTC s Season 2012 Programming Team. mtc.com.au/jumpy

6 WHAT Rhymes with cars & girls Music and lyrics by Tim Rogers Words by Aidan Fennessy Cast TBC Director Clare Watson Musical Director Tim Rogers Tim Rogers is a statesman of Australian music. Music Feeds A troubadour from the tip of his felt-brimmed hat to the idiosyncratic chop of his right hand. Rolling Stone Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio Season dates: Friday 13 February Saturday 28 March pm Thursday 19 February 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Monday 9 February 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Tuesday 2 December 2014 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au Arts Centre Melbourne or artscentremelbourne.com.au mtc.com.au/rhymes WORLD PREMIERE The achingly lyrical songs from Tim Rogers debut solo album, What Rhymes with Cars and Girls, and words by award-winning playwright Aidan Fennessy are woven together to create a tale of love across the class divide in contemporary Australia. Melbourne Theatre Company presents the world premiere of this exciting new collaboration at 8pm Thursday 19 February at Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio. With musical direction by Tim Rogers, What Rhymes with Cars and Girls is an urban romance, a balm for the hardest of hearts and solace for anyone who has ever been in love. Director Clare Watson said, I m thrilled to be working on this delicate and heartbreaking piece. Aidan has created a textured and lyrical script that is a harmonious marriage with Tim s cult hit album. I ve always loved these songs and am delighted to be collaborating with this team of hopeless romantics in bringing What Rhymes with Cars and Girls to the stage in a way that s timeless, moving and undeniably Australian. This is the ballad of Tash and Johnno, brought together by a conjunction of the stars and a pizza delivery gone awry. Tash is a smart-mouthed singer in a band and Johnno is a three-time loser from the wrong side of the tracks. But, what do you know? It s love. Almighty love. With an authentic catch and pain in it, like a song in the throat of one who knows how it goes. Knows how love can lift you high and dash you down. Knows that it s never the coming together, it s the holding on. Tim Rogers is an iconic figure in the Australian music scene. As the frontman of internationally renowned band You Am I, Rogers has released ten studio albums, three of which debuted at number one in consecutive years, with the records also receiving ARIA Awards and multiple platinum and gold statuses for commercial sales. Rogers has also released critically acclaimed solo albums, alongside collaborations with Tex Perkins, The Temperance Union and The Bamboos. His acting credits include performing for Malthouse and Griffin Theatres, as well as a TV hosting role on Studio at the Memo. Aidan Fennessy is an award-winning playwright and director. As a playwright, his work includes National Interest; Brutopia, which won the 2010 Griffin Award; Chilling and Killing My Annabel Lee, for which he won the Wal Cherry Award and was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier s Literary Award; and The Trade, for which he won the Best Newcomer at the 2002 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Fennessy was a founding member of Chameleon Theatre, a member of the Artistic Directorate of HotHouse Theatre, Artistic Director of the Store Room Theatre Workshop, and Associate Artistic Director at MTC ( ). Clare Watson is the Artistic Director of St Martins Youth Theatre. She directed On the Production of Monsters for MTC s 2012 Lawler Studio season and has directed for the stages of the Sydney Opera House, Arts Centre Melbourne, the Store Room and La Mama. Watson has created site-specific performance works in a hotel room, the Old Melbourne Gaol, a disused swimming pool, a car, and a crumbling art deco apartment. Her work has won and been nominated for a number of awards including the inaugural Best Director Award for Melbourne Fringe 2005 and she has toured productions nationally and internationally. Watson was part of MTC s inaugural Women Directors Program in 2014.

7 endgame by Samuel Beckett Cast includes Julie Forsyth, Colin Friels, Luke Mullins Director Sam Strong Set Designer Callum Morton Associate Set Designer Andrew Bailey Lighting Designer Paul Jackson Sound Designer Russell Goldsmith «««««That such a dark, unsparing play can leave its audience feeling so richly rewarded is one of the mysteries of great art. The Telegraph Versatile, dedicated, accomplished and compelling. Crikey (on Colin Friels) The quintessential dramatist of the 20th century. The Age Venue: Southbank Theatre, The Sumner Season dates: Saturday 21 March Saturday 25 April pm Thursday 26 March 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Monday 16 March 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Tuesday 2 December 2014 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au Twenty-five years since MTC last performed one of Samuel Beckett s great modernist masterpieces, Associate Artistic Director Sam Strong directs master craftsman Colin Friels in Endgame. Bringing classic absurdist theatre back to the mainstage, Endgame opens at 8pm Thursday 26 March 2015 at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. Returning to MTC following his triumph in Red, 2013 Helpmann Award-winning actor Colin Friels plays the blind man who cannot stand. He is joined by Luke Mullins (Waiting for Godot) as the servant who cannot sit and Julie Forsyth (Private Lives) as the mother who lives in a bin, on a set designed by acclaimed visual artist Callum Morton (Other Desert Cities). Director Sam Strong said, Endgame has been at the top of my list of plays to direct for as long as I can remember. It s the funniest, bleakest and purest work from one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. I m thrilled to be working with an incredible cast and creative team to bring Melbourne a fresh look at Beckett s masterwork. In a bare room where two windows look out on desolation, four little lives go on. In this petty realm, Hamm is enthroned, blind and old, immobile and unmoved. His aged parents, Nagg and Nell, own nothing but their fading memories. His servant Clov, upstanding and downtrodden, hobbles about performing his ritual duties, keeping things going for all of them. Four pieces in someone else s game, playing out their final moves. Irish novelist, playwright and poet Samuel Beckett was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in His first published work was an essay on his friend, and renowned Irish novelist, James Joyce. Beckett went on to write his famous trilogy of novels Molloy, Malone Dies, and The Unnameable, and his first and most celebrated play, Waiting for Godot. This play began Beckett s association with Theatre of the Absurd, which influenced later playwrights such as Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard. His most well-known subsequent plays include Endgame and Happy Days with his work characterised by a tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour. MTC Associate Artistic Director Sam Strong is one of Australia s leading theatre directors. His directing credits include The Sublime, The Speechmaker, Private Lives, The Crucible, Other Desert Cities and Madagascar (Melbourne Theatre Company); Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Sydney Theatre Company); The Boys (Sydney Festival/Griffin Theatre Company); The Floating World, Between Two Waves, And No More Shall We Part and Speaking in Tongues (Griffin); The Power of Yes (Company B Belvoir); and Red Sky Morning and Faces in the Crowd (Red Stitch). He has been nominated for multiple Best Director and Best Production awards at the Helpmann Awards, Sydney Theatre Awards and Green Room Awards and won the 2013 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Direction of a Mainstage Play. mtc.com.au/endgame

8 THE WAITING ROOM by Kylie Trounson Cast includes Belinda McClory, Aaron Pedersen Director Naomi Edwards Lighting Designer Richard Vabre An intrinsically Melbourne story The Age Naomi Edwards is a formidable talent with a light touch, bold ideas and the courage to follow them through. Stage Noise Dr Trounson is not just a great thinker. He s a can-do scientist. ABC Radio Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio Season dates: Friday 15 May Saturday 27 June pm Thursday 21 May 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Monday 11 May 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Wednesday 4 March 2015 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au Arts Centre Melbourne or artscentremelbourne.com.au mtc.com.au/waiting WORLD PREMIERE First performed to an enthusiastic response as part of Melbourne Theatre Company s 2014 Cybec Electric play readings, and now receiving its world premiere on the mainstage, The Waiting Room by Kylie Trounson grapples with the nature of conception, the science of creation and what it feels like not to conceive at all. An Australian tale that celebrates the development of IVF in Melbourne from a uniquely personal perspective and examines humanity s drive to leave its own imprint, The Waiting Room opens at 8pm Thursday 21 May at Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio. Award-winning actor Aaron Pederson (MTC s King Lear, Mystery Road, Jack Irish) plays pioneering Australian Father of IVF Emeritus Professor Alan Trounson and Belinda McClory (The Doctor Blake Mysteries, The Matrix) a woman going through IVF, both in the 1970s and today, in a multi-layered play created in collaboration with director Naomi Edwards, who makes her MTC mainstage debut with this production. Kylie was a child when her father Alan Trounson made breakthrough after breakthrough in fertility research. It was 1970s Melbourne and society was divided: was he a hero? Or a mad scientist playing God? The controversy swirled so close to her, yet she was far too young to understand how much was at stake. But now she can see it plain: that when we speak about conception we speak of the most profound things, of family and faith, our lives and our mortality, and our uncertain place in Nature. Playwright Kylie Trounson said, The Waiting Room is about legacy what we strive to leave behind in the face of mortality, be it our own biological child, a scientific breakthrough, a work of art, or an understanding of God. I started writing a play about the development of IVF, which then became a play about my family, and then about other families, parenthood, relationships, sacrifice and how we fit in the lifecycle of the universe. Kylie Trounson s works include The Hyacinth Project (La Mama), Uninvited Guests, Hotel, Eavesdropping (St Martins Youth Arts Centre), The Man with the September Face (Arts Centre Melbourne), The Lost Story of the Magdalene Asylum (Peepshow Inc), Divine (Peepshow Inc) and Love Letters (St Martins, Arts Centre Melbourne). Kylie was writer-in-residence for Red Stitch Actors Theatre in , where she wrote Merman, which was shortlisted for the 2011 Patrick White Playwright s Award. Trained at the Victorian College of the Arts, Naomi Edwards has directed for MTC s Lawler Studio, Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Australia, Arena Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, La Mama, Milkcrate Theatre, St Martins Youth Arts Centre, RADA, VCA, Victorian Opera, Sydney Opera House, Arts Centre Melbourne and many more. Her directing work spans children s theatre and community theatre. Her production of Cautionary Tales for Children for Arena Theatre Company received a Helpmann nomination for Best Presentation for Children in In 2012 she received the Gloria Dawn/Gloria Payten and Mike Walsh Scholarships. Edwards was part of MTC s inaugural Women Directors Program in 2014.

9 north By northwest Adapted for the stage by Carolyn Burns Cast TBC Director & Set Designer Simon Phillips Set & Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper Composer Ian McDonald This loop-the-loop thriller is pure Hitchcock. The Independent Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse Season dates: Monday 1 June Saturday 4 July pm Thursday 4 June 2015 Production briefing: 6pm Monday 25 May 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm, Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Wednesday 4 March 2015 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au Arts Centre Melbourne or artscentremelbourne.com.au mtc.com.au/northwest WORLD PREMIERE Melbourne Theatre Company, in collaboration with Kay + McLean Productions and Warner Bros. Theater Ventures, presents a stunning stage adaptation of the Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest, adapted by Carolyn Burns and directed by MTC luminary Simon Phillips. This not-to-be-missed theatrical spectacular will have its world premiere at 8pm Thursday 4 June 2015 at Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse. Declared the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures by its screenwriter Ernest Lehman, the 1959 American spy thriller was an instant classic. Now, using 21st century stage technology, Hitchcock s supreme suspense caper is brought to life, with every twist, every thrill, each pass of the crop-duster, and the thrilling climax on Mount Rushmore writ large on stage. When Roger O. Thornhill, a suave and successful advertising executive, is abducted by thugs who insist he is a man called George Kaplan, there s obviously been a mix up. When they don t believe him, that s infuriating. When they try to kill him, that s frightening. And when they pin a murder on him, that s time to run! From New York to North Dakota, Thornhill is chased by spies, Feds and the inevitable cool blonde. Director Simon Phillips said, North by Northwest has long been one of my favourite films and when the offer came to work on a stage adaptation, I couldn t resist. It s the perfect challenge. Like so many of the Hitchcock greats, large sections of the film have a taut, sometimes claustrophobic intensity that makes for a perfect stage experience. But of course it s the impossible bits that really get theatrical juices flowing. Who d be stupid enough to try to depict on stage a man chased by a crop-duster? I would. You don t get this much crammed into a theatrical experience all that often so it s going to be an action-packed, audacious and occasionally pretty steamy ride! Carolyn Burns began her career in New Zealand, devising and writing The Retrievers, an 18-part TV comedy thriller for children. Her first play for adults, Objection Overruled, was performed in all major New Zealand theatres. After moving to Australia, she worked as a journalist with SBS before being selected to attend the screenwriting course at AFTRS. She also wrote for ABC children s television. In Adelaide she wrote four plays, all performed at the Adelaide Festival Centre, including adapting both Haxby s Circus and High Society for the stage. High Society toured Australia and the UK. Since moving to Melbourne, Burns has worked as a dramaturg and script editor, and is currently collaborating on three new works for the stage. During his twelve years as MTC Artistic Director, Simon Phillips directed 60 productions including The Importance of Being Earnest, Hamlet, Richard III, August: Osage County, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Visit, Inheritance, The Blue Room, Proof, Life x 3, Bombshells and The Tempest. In November 2014 he is directing Pennsylvania Avenue, reuniting with Joanna Murray-Smith and Bernadette Robinson after the runaway success of Songs for Nobodies. Across his 30-year career, his directing credits range from new works, Shakespearean classics, musicals and opera. Phillips musical credits include Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (which had West End and Broadway seasons and is currently touring internationally), the new Australasian version of Andrew Lloyd Webber s Love Never Dies (recently filmed by Universal), The Drowsy Chaperone, and High Society (also adapted by Carolyn Burns and toured Australia and the UK.)

10 Birdland by Simon Stephens Cast includes Mark Leonard Winter Director Leticia Cáceres Set Designer Marg Horwell Lighting Designer Andy Turner Composer & Sound Designer Jethro Woodward «««««As hypnotically tell-all as the best rock biography it s funny and it s tragic. Exeunt Magazine Simon Stephens [is] one of Britain s most important contemporary playwrights. ABC Arts Ceaselessly inventive critique of rock stardom. The Guardian Venue: Southbank Theatre, The Sumner Season dates: Saturday 6 June Saturday 11 July pm Thursday 11 June 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Monday 1 June 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm, Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Wednesday 4 March 2015 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au mtc.com.au/birdland AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE From the mercilessly cool pen of British playwright Simon Stephens comes Birdland, a piercing satire about celebrity obsession directed by MTC Associate Director Leticia Cáceres. Mark Leonard Winter makes his MTC debut in this slyly witty character study of an imploding rock star which opens at 8pm Thursday 11 June 2015 at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. Director Leticia Cáceres said, Birdland charts the unravelling of a man who seemingly has it all, taking us behind the glitter and glamour of rock & roll to reveal a victim of his own fortune. Simon Stephens does this with great wit and deft writing, resulting in one of the most innovative new plays to come out of London in the past twelve months. Our damaged idol will be played by the mesmerising Mark Leonard Winter, whose work I ve admired for a long time and am thrilled to be collaborating with for this production. Fame is Paul s environment. It s what he swims in; what he takes in with every breath. Once a pub-rocker with promise, he now packs out stadiums throughout Europe. Everyone wants a piece of him. Thousands chant his name. The multitude stare up at him. He feels their eyes eating away. Consuming him. Hollowing him out. And when there s a suicidal leap from a hotel rooftop, he feels the fall. Simon Stephens has gained a reputation as one of Britain s most important contemporary playwrights. His work includes Wastwater, Motortown, Country Music, Herons and Bluebird (Royal Court Theatre); the Olivier Award-winning adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Harper Regan and Port (National Theatre); an adaptation of A Doll s House (Young Vic); Punk Rock (Royal Exchange, Manchester and Lyric Hammersmith); Pornography (Edinburgh Festival); and On the Shore of the Wide World (Royal Exchange, Manchester and National Theatre). He won the Pearson Award for Best New Play for Port; an Olivier Award for Best New Play for On the Shore of the Wide World; and for Motortown German critics in Theater Heute s annual poll voted him Best Foreign Playwright in Stephens has also written radio plays and adapted a number of works for screen. He is currently an Associate Artist at London s Lyric Theatre. MTC Associate Director Leticia Cáceres has been lauded as one of the most exciting talents in the country. For MTC she has directed The Effect, Cock, Constellations, Yellow Moon, Helicopter and Random (nominated for three Green Room Awards). She has also directed for Belvoir (Miss Julie and The Dark Room, nominated for seven Sydney Theatre Awards), La Mama (Tall Man), Creative Regions (Tales of the Underground), Queensland Theatre Company (The Orphanage Project, Far Away, and The Memory of Water), Sydney Opera House (Random, Hoods, and Children of the Black Skirt, all recipients of Drama Victoria Awards), La Boite Theatre/Brisbane Festival (Kingswood Kids), Arts Centre Melbourne, and Brisbane Powerhouse (Hoods and Children of the Black Skirt). She is the co-founder of nationally-acclaimed independent theatre company RealTV whose seminal work Hoods won the 2009 Matilda Award for Best Independent Production. RealTV is currently under commission with Belvoir.

11 D eath and the maiden by Ariel Dorfman Cast includes Eugene Gilfedder, Susie Porter Director Leticia Cáceres Set & Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper Composer & Sound Designer THE SWEATS A beautifully constructed psychological thriller. The Arts Desk Gripping and harrowing. The Telegraph As well as raising important issues, the play is also gripping, with much of the intensity of a first-rate thriller. The Telegraph Venue: Southbank Theatre, The Sumner Season dates: Saturday 18 July Saturday 22 August pm Thursday 23 July 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Monday 13 July 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm, Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Wednesday 4 March 2015 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au mtc.com.au/maiden A co-production with Sydney Theatre Company Some plays maintain their relevance because some horrors never go away. Ariel Dorfman s stunning world-wide hit Death and the Maiden is one such work. Argentinian-born MTC Associate Director Leticia Cáceres brings an acute historical awareness to this new co-production with Sydney Theatre Company which stars Susie Porter and Eugene Gilfedder, and opens at 8pm Thursday 23 July 2015 at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. Winner of the 1992 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, psychological thriller Death and the Maiden was on stage at MTC in Twenty years on, writing about its 2011 West End revival, Ariel Dorfman said, It happened yesterday but it could well be today I can t help but ask if 20 years from now I will be writing this phrase all over again: this story happened yesterday, but it could well be today Director Leticia Càceres said, I regard Death and the Maiden as part of my heritage, part of a dark past shared not only by a number of South American countries such as my homeland Argentina, but over and over again in so many places around the world. I am honoured to be able to share it with a new audience and demonstrate why this play is so powerful, and remains so tremendously important. Military rule is over and the new democracy looks towards a brighter future. But for victims of the old regime, such as Paulina, memories are a prison. Through months of pain and degradation she never saw her tormentor s face, but she heard his voice, calm yet menacing in her ear, a voice she will never forget. When her husband Gerardo invites a stranger back to their isolated beach house, she hears that voice again. Ariel Dorfman has been called a literary grandmaster and one of the greatest living Latin American novelists. He is a Chilean-American author of fiction, plays, librettos, poems, essays and films in both Spanish and English. For Death and the Maiden he won the 1992 Olivier Award for Best New Play and in 2008 he penned the libretto for an operatic version of the play. Among his other plays are Reader, Widows, The Other Side, Purgatorio, and Picasso s Closet. Dorfman s fiction includes Mascara, Hard Rain, The Last Song of Manuel Sendero, Konfidenz, The Nanny and the Iceberg and The Burning City which was co-authored with his son Joaquin. A documentary based on his memoir, A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel, received numerous prizes and was short-listed for an Academy Award. MTC Associate Director Leticia Cáceres has been lauded as one of the most exciting talents in the country. For MTC she has directed The Effect, Cock, Constellations, Yellow Moon, Helicopter and Random (nominated for three Green Room Awards). She has also directed for Belvoir (Miss Julie and The Dark Room, nominated for seven Sydney Theatre Awards), La Mama (Tall Man), Creative Regions (Tales of the Underground), Queensland Theatre Company (The Orphanage Project, Far Away, and The Memory of Water), Sydney Opera House (Random, Hoods, and Children of the Black Skirt), La Boite Theatre/Brisbane Festival (Kingswood Kids), Arts Centre Melbourne, and Brisbane Powerhouse (Hoods and Children of the Black Skirt). She is the co-founder of nationallyacclaimed independent theatre company RealTV whose seminal work Hoods won the 2009 Matilda Award for Best Independent Production. RealTV is currently under commission with Belvoir.

12 THE WEIR by Conor McPherson Cast includes Nadine Garner, Peter Kowitz, Greg Stone Director Sam Strong Lighting Designer Matt Scott Composer & Sound Designer Steve Francis «««««The Weir is unmissable theatre. Irish Post For shivers, laughs and a night of master storytelling, you cannot top The Weir. Time Out Mr. McPherson is a first-rate spinner of yarns. The New York Times Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio Season dates: Friday 14 August Saturday 26 September pm Thursday 20 August 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Monday 10 August 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm, Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Wednesday 4 March 2015 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au Arts Centre Melbourne or artscentremelbourne.com.au mtc.com.au/mtcweir Melbourne s much-loved Nadine Garner stars in the multi-award winning play The Weir, Conor McPherson s beautifully crafted story about loss and the consolations of connection. Directed by MTC Associate Artistic Director Sam Strong, this gem of a play brings together the great Irish tradition of bar room tales and the theatrical power of storytelling. The Weir opens at 8pm Thursday 20 August at Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio. Greg Stone (Glengarry Glen Ross) and Peter Kowitz (Australia Day) join Nadine Garner (Private Lives) in this modern ghost story that instantly became a classic, mesmerising audiences from the West End to Broadway and back again, and now on stage in Melbourne for the first time. Director Sam Strong said, The Weir is one of my all-time favourite plays. It is simply a beautiful piece of storytelling that allows actors and audiences to disappear completely into the world created on stage. I ve filled Conor McPherson s Irish pub with actors I ve loved working with before and I can t wait for audiences to join us for this haunting, moving, and heart-warming experience. In a small rural pub in the west of Ireland, the old regulars and their host fall in to swapping ghost stories, the sort of local legends and anecdotes that over the years get stretched in the telling. It s not their usual entertainment for a week night. They re just showing off, as fellas do, throwing around a little blarney for the benefit of an attractive stranger in their midst. And Valerie, who has just moved from Dublin into town seems to be enjoying the stories. What s the harm in it? Who could know how deeply these stories strike home and that the most heartchilling story is waiting to be told? Conor McPherson is a playwright, screenwriter and director who was named by The New York Times as the finest playwright of his generation. He won an Olivier Award for Best New Play in 1999 for The Weir and a George Devine Award for St Nicholas in McPherson s recent work includes an adaption of Strindberg s The Dance of Death and The Night Alive which premiered in the UK and transferred to the Atlantic Theatre in New York in He received a Tony Award nomination for his play Shining City and an Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play for The Seafarer. His directing credits include The Veil for the National Theatre and The Eclipse, which marked his debut as a screen director. His other work in film and TV includes Strangers based on the novel by Taichi Yamada and Quirk for the BBC. MTC Associate Artistic Director Sam Strong is one of Australia s leading theatre directors. His directing credits include The Sublime, The Speechmaker, Private Lives, The Crucible, Other Desert Cities and Madagascar (Melbourne Theatre Company); Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Sydney Theatre Company); The Boys (Sydney Festival/Griffin); The Floating World, Between Two Waves, And No More Shall We Part and Speaking in Tongues (Griffin); The Power of Yes (Company B Belvoir); and Red Sky Morning and Faces in the Crowd (Red Stitch). He has been nominated for multiple Best Director and Best Production awards at the Helpmann Awards, Sydney Theatre Awards and Green Room Awards and won the 2013 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Direction of a Mainstage Play.

13 b e t raya l by Harold Pinter Cast includes Alison Bell, Nathan O Keefe, Mark Saturno Director Geordie Brookman Lighting & Set Designer Geoff Cobham Associate Set & Costume Designer Ailsa Paterson Composer Jason Sweeney Exquisitely crafted. The Guardian The greatest and most moving, of all Pinter s plays. The Telegraph Harold Pinter is the most influential British playwright of his generation. The New York Times Venue: Southbank Theatre, The Sumner Season dates: Wednesday 26 August Saturday 3 October pm Saturday 29 August 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Monday 24 August 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm, Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Wednesday 4 March 2015 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au mtc.com.au/betrayal Acclaimed actress Alison Bell finds herself at the centre of a love triangle in Betrayal, Harold Pinter s most arresting relationship drama. Created by the State Theatre Company of South Australia and directed by its Artistic Director Geordie Brookman, Betrayal opens at 8pm Saturday 29 August 2015 at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner after seasons in Adelaide and Canberra. Hailed for its economical writing and backward travelling plot, Betrayal is inspired by Pinter s real-life affair with a British TV presenter and the reaction of her husband. Regarded as one of Pinter s major works, this is MTC s third outing of this remarkable play, following its premiere in 1980 and again in 2001 when it was a runaway hit. Director Geordie Brookman said Betrayal is a play of great economy and power. It s full of blood, damage and the heavy consequence of in the moment choices. In Alison Bell, Nathan O Keefe and Mark Saturno, I m lucky enough to have three actors at the peak of their powers, ready to bring Pinter s yearning and dark humour to life. Emma and Jerry meet for the first time since the end of their affair, but the coals they rake over have long grown cold. Emma reveals she is finally going to leave Robert, the husband and best friend they betrayed. When, later that day, Jerry decides to confess all to Robert, he discovers that Robert found out about the affair years ago and said nothing. Was this secret his betrayal? Or his revenge? As memory reels backwards towards the moment the affair started, the lies tangle into a web of deception and betrayal begets betrayal. Considered one of the most influential modern dramatists, Harold Pinter was a playwright, director, actor, poet and political activist. His acting and writing career spanned more than 50 years and in 2005 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. His legacy includes twenty-nine plays such as The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, The Homecoming, The Dumb Waiter, No Man s Land, Moonlight, Ashes to Ashes, Betrayal, Party Time and Celebration; and twenty-four screenplays including The Servant, The Go-Between and The French Lieutenant s Woman. Geordie Brookman is the Artistic Director of State Theatre Company. His directing credits for the Company include The Importance of Being Earnest, Little Bird, The Seagull, Maggie Stone, Hedda Gabler, The Kreutzer Sonata, Speaking In Tongues, romeo&juliet, Ghosts, Attempts on Her Life, The Dumb Waiter, Ruby Moon, Hot Fudge, Toy Symphony (co-production with QTC), and Knives In Hens (co-production with Malthouse). Other directing credits include Spring Awakening: The Musical (STC), Baghdad Wedding (Belvoir), Metro Street (Arts Asia Pacific, Power Arts, Daegu International Musicals Festival and State Theatre Company of South Australia), The City and Tender (nowyesnow), Marathon, Morph, Disco Pigs and The Return (Fresh Track), Tiny Dynamite (Griffin), Macbeth and The Laramie Project (AC Arts). His productions have won or been nominated for Helpmann, Greenroom, Sydney Critics Circle, Adelaide Critics Circle and Curtain Call Awards. A State Theatre Company of South Australia Production

14 BUYER AND CELLAR by Jonathan Tolins Cast Ash Flanders Director Gary Abrahams A Funny-Girl, Babs inspired comedy. New York Post The most talked about new comedy of the season. New York Times The show is a crowd-pleaser, and it doesn t take long to figure out why. New Yorker Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio Season dates: Friday 30 October Saturday 12 December pm Thursday 5 November 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Monday 26 October 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm, Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Wednesday 4 March 2015 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au Arts Centre Melbourne or artscentremelbourne.com.au mtc.com.au/buyercellar Presented by special arrangement with Darren Bagert, San Shaheen and Ted Snowdon. AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE A massive cult hit in New York that went on to enjoy a sell-out US tour, Buyer and Cellar is a shopaholic s delight and an adoring fan letter to Barbra Streisand. Directed by Gary Abrahams, Green Room Award-winner Ash Flanders takes on Jonathan Tolins funny one-man extravaganza which opens at 8pm Thursday 5 November 2015 at Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio. Director Gary Abrahams said, I am thrilled at the chance to work with the supremely talented Ash Flanders on this hilarious and witty multi-character oneman play. Jonathan Tolins razor sharp script is perfectly tailored to Flanders comic stylings. I laugh out loud every time I read it and I laugh even louder when I imagine Ash performing it. It s demented, wicked, fabulous fun. A wonderful ode to celebrity and the rampant narcissism it requires to become one. The play is pure fiction. Well except, of course, the part about a singing legend by the name of Barbra who has a passion for design. And, true, she does have a fabulous house in Malibu, and, yes, in her vast basement she has created her own shopping mall to display all her stuff. But the whole business about Alex, an out-of-work actor, who takes a job looking after the mall, with dreams of serving its only customer well, not a word of that is true. At least, not as far as we know. For playwright Jonathan Tolins, Buyer and Cellar began with a passing comment, How d you like to be the guy who has to work down there? The notion stuck, and after reading Streisand s Passion for Design cover to cover, sifting through biographies and watching old interviews, he had written a comedic play set entirely in the star s basement. Jonathan Tolins is a Brooklyn-born writer and producer whose other work includes The Twilight of the Golds, If Memory Serves, The Last Sunday in June and Secrets of the Trade. His film work includes The Twilight of the Golds and Martian Child, and for television, he was a writer for Queer as Folk, The Academy Awards, The Tony Awards and Partners. Ash Flanders makes his MTC mainstage debut in Buyer and Cellar, having appeared in The Golden Dragon for MTC s 2012 Lawler Studio Season and in The Sovereign Wife with his company Sisters Grimm as part of MTC s 2013 NEON Festival of Independent Theatre. His recent acting credits include Hedda Gabler (Belvoir), Psycho Beach Party (Little Ones Theatre) and Tame (Malthouse). Flanders was nominated for Best Male Actor at the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival for his performance in the one-man show I Love You, Bro. Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2009, Gary Abrahams has worked as a director, writer and dramaturg. In 2010 he wrote and directed Acts of Deceit (Between Strangers in a Room) and Something Natural But Very Childish, winning him the 2010 Green Room Award for Best Director Independent Theatre. For Red Stitch he directed Day One. A Hotel, Oh Well Never Mind Bye, The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, The Pride and ROAM. He has worked as an assistant director at MTC on All About My Mother, Songs for Nobodies, The Gift, Australia Day and Complexity of Belonging, a collaboration between MTC, Chunky Move and the Melbourne and Brisbane Festivals. He is currently Resident Dramaturg at Red Stitch Actors Theatre.

15 THE LAST MAN STAND ING by Steve Vizard music by Paul Grabowsky Cast includes Peter Carroll Director Roger Hodgman Set & Costume Designer Richard Roberts Lighting Designer Matt Scott A particularly fine writer. Laugh out loud hilarious, politically serious, scandalous, ribald, flippant, emotional, insightful and poignant. Sydney Morning Herald (on Steve Vizard) Paul Grabowsky s history is still in the making but it could fill an encyclopaedia already. ArtsHub A master of timing, milking every word for comedy. Australian Stage (on Peter Carroll) Venue: Southbank Theatre, The Sumner Season dates: Friday 6 November Saturday 12 December pm Wednesday 11 November 2015 Production Briefing: 6pm Monday 2 November 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm, Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Wednesday 4 March 2015 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au mtc.com.au/lastman WORLD PREMIERE In this memorial year of Gallipoli comes a glorious comedy with song from Steve Vizard and Paul Grabowsky. The Last Man Standing will fittingly have its world premiere on Remembrance Day at 8pm Wednesday 11 November 2015 at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. Steve Vizard and Paul Grabowsky, who first worked together on their multi-awardwinning 1990s prime time TV show Fast Forward, team up with former MTC Artistic Director Roger Hodgman to put elder statesman and Helpmann Award-winning actor Peter Carroll through his paces in a riotous new ensemble piece. Colonel Raymond Hope, hero of the Afghanistan campaign, is appointed to take charge of the Gallipoli Centennial Concert. But arriving at rehearsals to find an all-singing, all-dancing fiasco, he comes close to running up the white flag until he hears that, amazingly, the last remaining Gallipoli digger is still alive. Perhaps this great Australian can lend weight and dignity to the occasion? But Clarry Flint didn t get to be The Last Man Standing without knowing when he s landed on a good thing. This uproarious and moving tale cuts to quick and no one gets off scot-free. Not the politicians hoping to score points, not the ratings-hungry media, and especially not those who try to mask the brutality of war. Director Roger Hodgman said, The Last Man Standing seduces us into a toe-tapping night of celebration yet somehow provokes powerful questions about the true meaning of sacrifice, war and legend. Through Clarry Flint, we hilariously and inescapably see ANZAC as a living breathing curmudgeon, challenging the blurred boundaries between larrikin and legend, myth and malarkey. Writer, lawyer, producer and Gold Logie winning performer, Steve Vizard is one of Australia s most recognised and versatile entertainment industry figures. In 2010, Steve was nominated for a lifetime achievement award for outstanding contribution to the film and television industry. He co-founded the acclaimed production company Artist Services and is a prolific creator/producer of TV shows and films which have screened in over 50 countries and won over 30 industry awards. Steve has written and edited several books, including Two Weeks in Lilliput, a bestselling account of the Constitutional Convention. One of Australia s most distinguished artists, Paul Grabowsky is a multi-awardwinning pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He has written the scores for over 20 feature films and many TV series. His works for the theatre include operas and multimedia works. He is founder and Artistic Director of the internationally renowned Australian Art Orchestra, and has released multiple CDs. He was Artistic Director of the Queensland Music Festival ( ) and the 2010 and 2012 Adelaide Festivals. He regularly performs with his trio, quartet and sextet. Roger Hodgman was MTC Artistic Director from 1987 to 1999, directing more than 50 productions including Frost/Nixon, Blithe Spirit, Art, The Talented Mr Ripley, and A Doll s House. Others include Sondheim s Into the Woods, Assassins, Sweeney Todd, and A Little Night Music; the premiere of Janis Balodis trilogy Too Young for Ghosts, No Going Back, and My Father s Father; American classics Who s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, A View from the Bridge and The Crucible; and numerous TV shows including The Secret Life of Us (AFI nomination for Best Director), Blue Heelers and Stingers, and a number of children s drama series.

16 THE BOY AT THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING by Finegan Kruckemeyer Cast TBC Director Peter Houghton It is impossible not to laugh out loud. This is one not to be missed. Seattle s Child Magazine Raises lots of deep questions which will be excellent discussion topics for the family dinner table. ParentMap Venue: Southbank Theatre, The Lawler Season dates: Wednesday 23 September Friday 9 October pm Thursday 24 September 2015 Subscriptions: On sale from 9pm, Thursday 4 September (enquiries only) or mtc.com.au Single tickets: On sale from Wednesday 4 March 2015 Southbank Theatre Box Office or mtc.com.au Originally commissioned by Trust Sidekick Theater Company, New York and Seattle Children s Theater, Washington. AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Melbourne Theatre Company takes audiences young and old on an extraordinary journey of imagination and friendship with The Boy at the Edge of Everything. This charming family treat by Tasmanian writer Finegan Kruckemeyer, directed by Peter Houghton, brings a universe of sly observation and wry jokes together in an extra-terrestrial adventure for ages eight and up. The Boy at the Edge of Everything opens 7pm Thursday 24 September 2015 at Southbank Theatre, The Lawler. Commissioned by New York s Trusty Sidekick Theater Company and presented as a play-in-progress at New Visions New Voices at The Kennedy Center, The Boy at the Edge of Everything had its world premiere in March 2014 as a co-production with the Seattle Children s Theater, playing to rave reviews and followed by a string of US performances. Playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer said, This play was first imagined beneath a mountain in Tasmania, discussed with director Jonathan over two rich years, buoyed by support from organisations in four US states, made tangible by the amazing production team at Seattle Children s Theatre, and now culturally reimagined by MTC on home shores. I look forward to MTC s realising of interstellar surrealism, and domestic familiarity a story about a family we can know and a voyage we can only imagine, allowing a young audience both the creative permission and emotional pathos it deserves. Simon Ives keeps to the schedule. Not just the school schedule with new stuff to learn coming at him all day, but everything else packed into his young life: music lessons, sports practice, clubs, activities and homework. It s full on and wouldn t it be great just to find time to think? Meanwhile, way out in space, another boy, with nothing to do that hasn t already been done, sits bored and lonely in the intergalactic quiet. Opposite lives on opposite sides of the cosmos. It would be beyond incredible if they ever met, but one day, completely unscheduled, that s exactly what happens. Internationally acclaimed writer Finegan Kruckemeyer s work has toured the world, with 70 commissioned plays performed in five continents and translated into five languages. Kruckemeyer s lyrical script Boats was awarded the 2013 Shanghai International Children s Festival Award for Most Excellent Show. In 2012 he won the Helpmann Award for Children s Theatre and in 2011 was the inaugural recipient of the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship. His writing credits include The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly, The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy, Escape From Peligro Island and This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing, for which he won the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award. Peter Houghton is an award winning Australian actor, writer and director. His directing repertory includes True Minds for MTC; Noises Off for Marriner Theatres; Front, which he also wrote, for Melbourne Workers Theatre; Footprints on Water for La Mama and Griffin Theatre; No Man s Island for the Melbourne Festival; Little Brother for Trades Hall; and Svetlana in Slingbacks and God s Last Acre for Playbox. Among his other credits are a Green Room Award for Direction of New Australian Works and a critically acclaimed trilogy of solo shows; The Pitch, The China Incident and The Colours, all of which he wrote.

17 MTC EDUCATION Melbourne Theatre Company s award-winning Education Program reaches thousands of young people across Victoria every year, providing access to first-class productions and learning programs. MTC strives to deliver a program that broadens the experiences of Victorian students, inspiring them to nurture a passion for the arts and empowering them to pursue their own artistic goals. From January 2015, MTC s ability to put the transformative power of theatre and live storytelling within their reach will be stronger than ever before, thanks to a new five-year Sharing The Light initiative in partnership with Crown Resorts Foundation. Of the four key programs dedicated to making theatre more accessible, three of these relate directly to MTC Education. Crown Resorts Student Theatre Pass will provide up to 10,000 disadvantaged students each year with subsidised $5 tickets to MTC shows and subsidised travel costs for outlying students. This will more than double MTC s student attendances. The MTC and VCA Indigenous Scholarship Program will help create career pathways for Indigenous students. Sharing The Light s MTC Education on Tour enables an annual tour to regional Victoria. MTC s 2015 Education Production is the acclaimed Swedish play, I Call my Brothers by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles. Recreating 24 hours in the mind of a young Arab man following a terrorist attack, this thought-provoking play deals with issues of ethnic tension, prejudice and racial profiling. I Call my Brothers, directed by MTC CONNECT and Women Directors Program alumni Nadja Kostich, will have its Australian premiere at Southbank Theatre in April before touring to regional Victorian secondary schools in partnership with Regional Arts Victoria. MTC s school holiday show, The Boy at the Edge of Everything by internationally acclaimed Tasmanian writer Finegan Kruckemeyer, will have an Education Season for Year 3+ in the first week of Term Four (October 5-9). Director Peter Houghton will take audiences young and old on this imaginative extra-terrestrial adventure. MTC Ambassadors continues in 2015, with a new group of Year 11 theatre-lovers embarking on this year-long extension program to gain insight into the world of professional theatre. The Ambassadors attend MTC shows, meet with artists and staff, and share their experiences of theatre with like-minded peers. This program is offered free of charge and 2015 Ambassador applications open in January. MTC supports the study of VCE Drama and VCE Theatre Studies by offering one-day intensive VCE Solo Performance and Stagecraft Workshops in June and August. Bookings open in Each September, MTC welcomes young people from across Victoria to its Youth Scholarship Course, a week of intensive drama workshops. This program is free of charge to students aged 14 to 16 who would not otherwise have access to an extracurricular drama program due to economic, geographic or personal barriers. Students are nominated by a teacher, with one nomination accepted from each school. Applications open in mid All MTC Education shows are supported by comprehensive teachers resources, and productions featured on the VCE Playlist are further enhanced by special pre-show talks and post-show Q&As. The MTC Student Hub Facebook page provides a forum for students to discuss theatre and engage in the MTC community. The students were buzzing with conversation following the performance and the subject matter touched many. We are very grateful for the chance to have this wonderful production brought to our school. Teacher response to Yellow Moon regional schools tour I definitely think the course has changed the way I see myself. I actually found myself again, for me, who I really am. Youth Scholarship Course participant Best thing I have ever done for my growth as a performer and the best way to get a theatre education. A HUGE honour and privilege MTC Ambassador For more information and to view the full MTC Education Program visit mtc.com.au/education MTCStudentHub

18 MTC OUT, about & ON TOUR MTC is extending its theatrical footprint beyond its venues in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, engaging with audiences and artists nationally and internationally to share the notion of live-storytelling with as many people as possible. MPavilion MPavilion is a new unique architecture commission and design event for Melbourne, situated in the Queen Victoria Gardens on St Kilda Road each spring/summer from An outstanding architect will be commissioned by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation each year, with support from the City of Melbourne. MPavilion opens in October 2014 and will feature both in-pavilion activities and arts precinct-wide activities, of which MTC will be a Program Partner. For more details visit mpavilion.org SummerSalt Outdoor Arts Festival MTC is proud to be partnering with our Melbourne Arts Precinct neighbours in the inaugural SummerSalt Outdoor Arts Festival to be held in January and February An eclectic and accessible program will see Victorians descend on the precinct to enjoy Melbourne s summer with a splash of fun. The full program for this inventive and entertaining arts festival will be launched in late October, when you can view details at summersaltfestival.com.au Complexity of Belonging MTC s co-production with Chunky Move, Melbourne Festival and Brisbane Festival, Complexity of Belonging, will tour throughout Europe in Uniting the artistic forces of one of Europe s most important theatrical voices Falk Richter, with that of Chunky Move s director and choreographer Anouk van Dijk, Complexity of Belonging is the result of two masters at work. A daring and politically charged work, it is a masterful take on contemporary theatre, seamlessly integrating text, movement and music to create a work of theatre that is in and of its time. Sydney Theatre Company MTC s production of Jumpy, starring Jane Turner and directed by Pamela Rabe will tour to Sydney Theatre Company from 26 March to 16 May Death and the Maiden, a co-production with Sydney Theatre Company directed by MTC Associate Director Leticia Cáceres, will also play at Sydney Theatre Company from 28 August to 10 October Complexity of Belonging Photo by Sarah Walker Regional Victorian Schools Tour MTC s 2015 Education Production for senior level students, I Call My Brothers, will tour into schools throughout regional Victoria in association with Regional Arts Victoria and as part of MTC s Sharing The Light initiative with Crown Resorts Foundation. This follows on the success of MTC s first-ever in-schools regional tour of Yellow Moon in 2014.

19 SHARING THE LIGHT Melbourne Theatre Company s ability to put the transformative power of theatre and live storytelling within reach of Victorian students and families has received a major boost thanks to a five-year $2.5 million Sharing The Light initiative in partnership with Crown Resorts Foundation. The first Victorian arts initiative to be supported by Crown Resorts Foundation, Sharing The Light has four key objectives: to provide disadvantaged youth with subsidised high quality live theatre experiences; to provide families in outer Melbourne suburbs with subsidised tickets to MTC's family shows; to tour education productions to regional Victorian students; and to provide Indigenous scholarships. This is an extraordinary act by Crown Resorts Foundation, said MTC Executive Director Virginia Lovett. It builds on Crown s $18 million contribution to the construction of MTC s home the Southbank Theatre with a new transformational project for the Victorian community. Sharing the Light signals a new era for MTC in terms of education and access. We will at last be able to step out into the community and share what we do with a far wider range of Victorians over a sustained period of time. Studies here and overseas clearly show that investing in the cultural learning of young people reaps wholesale benefits in later life. Those who have access to cultural activities are better equipped to contribute to Australia s economic prosperity and social harmony. Cultural learning also encourages skills in decision-making, the ability to empathise with others, an opportunity to exercise imagination, and to generate and communicate new ideas. The two main hurdles to attending theatre are cost and access: now, for the price of a large bag of lollies, top quality theatre will be in reach of many more Victorians, said Ms Lovett. Crown Resorts Foundation Advisory Board Chairman Gretel Packer said, We are delighted that MTC is the first Victorian arts program we are supporting. We understand the importance of theatre and live storytelling. Sharing The Light is focussed on making theatre more accessible for families and students, giving children across Victoria the opportunity to experience the magic that theatre can deliver. We are thrilled to be a part of this program. Sharing The Light comprises: Crown Resorts Student Theatre Pass: providing up to 10,000 disadvantaged students per annum with subsidised $5 tickets. Travel costs for outlying students will also be covered, and visits will be accompanied by teacher s notes and digital student resources will be provided in advance of their visit. Crown Resorts Family Theatre Pass: providing families and children in outer Melbourne suburban areas with subsidised $5 tickets to MTC s memorable family shows. MTC Education on Tour: supporting MTC to tour one educational production to regional Victoria each year, building on the success of 2014 s Yellow Moon inaugural in-school tour to engage up to 5,000 students per annum. MTC and VCA Indigenous Scholarship Program: a new program to help create career pathways for Indigenous students. MTC will collaborate with the University of Melbourne to develop a longitudinal evaluation of the program across the five-year program.

20 NEON Festival of Independent Theatre MTC s NEON Festival of Independent Theatre was launched in 2013 to support Melbourne s unique and thriving independent theatre scene and its astounding artists. The Festival is designed to give a true snapshot of the independent sector, showcasing its diverse content, aesthetic, form and appeal on stage at Southbank Theatre. Each year for the past two years, NEON has provided five independent companies with complete curatorial freedom to present their work, their way, each for a ten-day season in the Lawler at Southbank Theatre. NEON EXTRA runs alongside the performances offering an inspiring program of free activities, providing valuable knowledge and insight into the arts industry through free public talks, workshops, masterclasses and networking opportunities for independent theatre makers. The inaugural NEON Festival featured original works from Daniel Schlusser Ensemble, Fraught Outfit, The Hayloft Project, THE RABBLE and Sisters Grimm saw works from Little Ones Theatre, angus cerini / doubletap, Antechamber Productions & Daniel Keene, Arthur and Sans Hotel. It also offered an expanded program to include a series of late-night play readings for NEON UP LATE, curated by MKA: Theatre of New Writing, and NEON EXTRA featured the Festival s first keynote conversation which welcomed Barrie Kosky back to Melbourne exclusively for NEON. Since its inception, NEON EXTRA has brought together industry commentators, journalists, arts professionals and leading creatives to discuss ideas and share their views about the theatre landscape. Arts professionals who have been involved include Patricia Cornelius, Alison Croggon, Wesley Enoch, Lally Katz, Ralph Myers, Alice Pung, Josephine Ridge, John Safran, Andrew Upton, Anouk Van Dijk and Lyn Wallis. Through NEON, MTC has been able to generate a dynamic connection between the independent and mainstage theatre sectors and open up Southbank Theatre as a place of connection, collaboration, discussion, debate and celebration of Melbourne s exceptional theatre scene. NEON will return in 2015 to once again light up Melbourne. Details of the program will be announced in early That NEON opens up a space to embrace creative conflict, the exchange of ideas on and off stage, makes it a crucial part of the artistic and intellectual fabric of Melbourne s theatre scene. The Age NEON is an incredible springboard for artists and it was such an honour to take part in an important shift in the history of Melbourne independent theatre and hopefully provoke discussion and debate about our work. Stephen Nicolazzo, Little Ones Theatre Of all the models I have encountered both within Australia and internationally since 2001 I can truthfully say that this model of supported independent production is right up there with the very best. Angus Cerini, angus cerini / doubletap Being a part of the NEON season allowed Brian, Helen and I to work with complete artistic freedom Our work was wonderfully supported. Daniel Keene, Antechamber Productions & Daniel Keene Sitting in a program that showed such diversity of form and genre was a real treat. It s not often you are working in such close company with so many interesting and inspiring artists. Paige Rattray, Arthur I have been overwhelmed by [MTC s] support, in fact, and have found the experience of seeing how the building operates and meeting the incredible people who function within it utterly enlightening. Nicola Gunn, Sans Hotel MKA s involvement in NEON has been a chance to connect with a different audience and to enliven and disrupt some of the more formal spaces of the Southbank Theatre with music, cushions and late night art We hope to continue and expand MKA s artistic collisions with MTC. John Kachoyan, MKA: Theatre of New Writing

21 CYBEC ELECTRIC Cybec Electric is an annual series of semi-staged readings of new Australian plays. First presented in 2014, it is the evolution of MTC s public play readings, formerly known as the Cybec Readings. Cybec Electric is made possible by Roger Riordan AM and The Cybec Foundation, who have been supporting play readings at MTC since An important talent accelerator for writers and directors, Cybec Electric allows the best emerging artists to make the move from the independent sector to MTC. It also has a powerful backstage component as a bridge for students into the professional sector, underpinned as it is by a burgeoning partnership between MTC, Victorian College of the Arts and University of Melbourne that provides genuine opportunities for interns. With scripts in hand, professional actors present new works-in-progress with the assistance of directors and dramaturgs. Cybec Electric celebrates theatre in its essence, great stories, excellent writing and brilliant acting all working to ignite the audience s imagination. Simplicity is key the combination of engaging stories and raw talent doesn t need a table full of props or complicated staging, just an audience willing to contribute to the next generation of game changing Australian voices. Over the past six years, 17 Australian writers including Raimondo Cortese, Paul Galloway, Tom Holloway, Kate Mulvany, Melissa Reeves, Robert Reid and Ian Wilding have had their works developed under the guidance of MTC s artistic team. In 2014, Cybec Electric comprised five plays: The Visitors by Jane Harrison, A Counting and Cracking of Heads by S. Shakthidharan, In the Kingdom of Chá by Sue Smith, 8GB of Hardcore Pornography by Declan Greene and The Waiting Room by Kylie Trounson. The Waiting Room will receive a full production in MTC s 2015 Season. Other plays that have been seen on MTC s stages since their Cybec reading include The Water Carriers by Ian Wilding, The Joy of Text by Robert Reid, The Dream Life of Butterflies by Raimondo Cortese and Happy Ending by Melissa Reeves. Cybec Electric will return in 2015 with details announced early in the new year.

22 COMMISSIONS PROGRAM From its earliest days Melbourne Theatre Company has been committed to presenting new Australian plays. In fact, in 1955, just two years after the company was formed, MTC presented its first world premiere of an Australian play: a certain untried play by its then Artistic Director Ray Lawler, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, which also became the first Australian work the company toured internationally. Since then, the MTC Commission Program has regularly developed and presented new Australian plays. It is MTC s greatest hope that these commissioned plays successfully translate to the stage so that Melbourne stories and Australian perspectives have the opportunity to reach a wide local and international audience, and perhaps even become that most elusive of things, an Australian Classic. At any given time, MTC has commissioned playwrights developing new work. As part of the commissioning process, playwrights establish and maintain regular contact with MTC s Literary Director Dr Chris Mead, who provides dramaturgy expertise, advice and the opportunity for developmental readings of these new works. Clemenger Commissions Since 2006, Peter Clemenger AM and his wife Joan Clemenger, have championed new work by supporting MTC play commissions. Their aim was to provide worthy Australian playwrights with greater opportunities to have their voices heard with MTC, providing an invaluable learning experience for their writers and the continued development of Australian theatre. Writers have included Reg Cribb, Richard Flanagan, Justin Fleming, Tom Holloway, Peter Houghton, Daniel Keene, Kate Mulvany, Hannie Rayson, Melissa Reeves, Robert Reid and David Tredinnick. Of the 22 plays commissioned to date, six have been tested in front of an audience through their inclusion in MTC s public play reading series: This is How by David Tredinnick; The Rasputin Affair by Kate Mulvany (shortlisted for the 2012 Patrick White Playwrights Award and 2013 Griffin Award); Eating Alone by Robert Reid (shortlisted for 2013 Griffin Award); The Curtain by Daniel Keene; Ronnie Gospers by Richard Flannagan; and Won t Be Seeing Rainbows Anymore by Tom Holloway. Melissa Reeve s comedy about desire and misguided obsession, Happy Ending, also received a reading, leading to it being produced and presented as part of MTC s 2012 Studio Season. In the past two years, since the arrival of Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO, the Clemenger Commissions have become an even more serious expression of MTC s desire to bring new works to the stage. This has seen the successful staging of new plays by Eddie Perfect, Simon Stone and, most recently, Brendan Cowell. Melbourne entertainer Eddie Perfect s first play The Beast was staged in association with Melbourne Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, becoming a hit of MTC s 2013 Season and playing to an audience of almost 20,000. Simon Stone s adaptation of Chekhov s The Cherry Orchard was also one of the hits of 2013, also playing to an audience of almost 20,000 theatre-goers. The latest commision, The Sublime from award-winning actor and writer Brendan Cowell, opened in August, putting footy, sex scandals and power under the spotlight. There are currently six Clemenger Commissions in progress: Roslyn Oades is writing a documentary-style play based on the Melbourne identity Santo Caruso, who ran the well-known Melbourne Sports Books and whose mother was infamously murdered by his father. Declan Greene is writing a comedy which explores gender identity and re-assignment, suburban compromise and family dislocation. Jane Bodie, whose last play with MTC was A Single Act in 2006 which won the NSW Premier s Literary Award, is now writing about real and virtual living.

23 COMMISSIONS PROGRAM Tom Holloway, whose play Red Sky Morning won the 2008 Green Room Award for Best New Writing for the Australian Stage, is adapting one of the great crime dramas of the 20th century for the stage. Finegan Kruckemeyer is a playwright tremendously skilled in creating family shows and young peoples theatre, reflecting MTC s recent move into this area. Robert Reid is writing Shelter, an excoriating comedy drama about urban developments at the edge of Melbourne, the labyrinth of bush fire policy and the nightmare of bush fire reality. Other Commissions In addition to the Clemenger Commissions, which are determined annually, MTC also takes other opportunities to commission writers as they present themselves: Joanna Murray Smith has written Pennsylvania Avenue, which will open in November as part of the 2014 Season. Co-commissioned by MTC and Manhattan Theater Club, Hannie Rayson is writing on the food industry, good fat, GM produce and our dinner plates. Patricia Cornelius is adapting and updating Lorca s 20th century classic House of Bernarda Alba. Angela Betzien is writing a play for young people, Egg, commissioned in partnership with Terrapin Puppet Theatre funded through Australia Council Interconnections grant. She is also writing a new play for Colin Friels about journalism in the age of the internet courtesy of the Malcolm Robertson Foundation.

24 MTC WOMEN D IRECTORS, ' PROGRAM Melbourne Theatre Company s Women Directors Program, a first for a major theatre company in Australia, is designed to begin to redress the under-representation of women directors on Australia s mainstages. Led by Leticia Cáceres, MTC s first female Associate Director in eight years, it is a year-long program for emerging and mid-career artists to gain professional experience working in the industry. MTC Women Directors Program is a step towards MTC developing stronger relationships with women artists. In 2014, having received more than 70 applications from emerging and established directors living in Victoria, MTC appointed Olivia Allen, Bridget Balodis, Naomi Edwards, Lucy Freeman, Petra Kalive, Nadja Kostich, Sarah Kriegler, Elizabeth Millington, Janice Muller, Kate Sulan, Yvonne Virsik, Ingrid Voorendt and Clare Watson to participate in this unique new program. The directors attend production briefings, selected design briefings and receive exclusive invitations to MTC events and other networking opportunities. In addition they participate in an intensive leadership/coaching workshop focussing on developing personal authority and confidence, enhancing leadership potential and career management. They also have the opportunity to pitch work to MTC for production, and receive regular mentoring support from the Company s artistic and management staff. The program also provides an opportunity for the participants to build a supportive peer community to discuss their experiences and seek peer group advice. It offers leadership training, practical career advice and coaching across a wide range of aspects of the theatre industry, while offering open access to all facets of MTC operations. Since its inception, several of the 2014 alumni have secured employment opportunities in our 2015 mainstage and education seasons, including Clare Watson (What Rhymes with Cars and Girls), Naomi Edwards (The Waiting Room) and Nadja Kostich (I Call my Brothers). Applications for the 2015 MTC Women Directors Program will open in late 2014 with the program due to commence in February For full details on how to apply for MTC Artist Access initiatives, visit mtc.com.au/artistaccess

25 MTC CONNECT MTC CONNECT is a partnership with Multicultural Arts Victoria that was established in 2014 to broaden the range of voices informing Melbourne Theatre Company s theatre making and programming processes. It is part of MTC s long-term goal to more accurately reflect Melbourne s cultural diversity, and to help reduce the cultural myopia that has influenced many Australian artistic pursuits in the past. A first for an Australian state theatre company, MTC CONNECT is a tailored program where eleven theatre artists of diverse cultural backgrounds act as cultural and artistic ambassadors, advocates and facilitators between MTC and their communities. The MTC CONNECT Ambassadors are: Tania Canas (El Salvadorian) Teame Ersie (Ethiopian) Rashma N. Kalsie (Indian), Nadja Kostich (Serbian), Vuyo Loko (South African) Tariro Mavondo (Zimbabwean), Diana Nguyen (Vietnamese), Rani Pramesti (Indonesian), Jaime Wilson Ramirez (Chilean), Marco Romero Rodriguez (Chilean) and Majid Shokor (Iraqi). Programs include individual masterclasses, one-on-one sessions, attendance at all MTC productions, programming updates and debriefs, and longer-term initiatives. MTC CONNECT Ambassadors have already begun researching a new work, supported by MTC and the Australia Council, with the aim for it to be presented as a live storytelling event at Southbank Theatre. Developed over a six-month period of interviews, workshops and artist development sessions, this event will examine and celebrate the stories of immigrant women who have left their children in their country of origin. The final format and date of the public event will be determined by the development process. For more details about MTC Artist Access initiatives, visit mtc.com.au/artistaccess

26 MTC FOUNDATION In July 2014, Melbourne Theatre Company announced the establishment of the MTC Foundation to assist the company in increasing its ability to attract major philanthropic support. The MTC Foundation has two purposes: to build an endowment fund that will provide an ongoing secure revenue stream for the company; and to provide a mechanism to receive, consolidate and distribute all donations to the MTC. The endowment fund will initially be seeded with $500,000 to encourage further endowed donations and bequests. The five-year $2.5 million Sharing The Light initiative with Crown Resorts Foundation is the first major leadership gift to the MTC Foundation and will be expended over the next five years. Chairman Terry Moran AC said, Our heavy reliance on ticket sales and relatively low level of government funding means that, more than ever, MTC must focus on seeking private sector support if we are to continue to transform lives with the power of live theatre now and into the future. The MTC Foundation will provide donors with the security, certainty and transparency they need to be able to support us. The MTC Foundation will focus on four key areas of MTC s business: Innovation: Supporting local artists and writers to create ground-breaking works with stories that need to be heard. Community: Making the magic of theatre accessible through family shows, ticket subsidies for underprivileged youth, and regional touring. Education: Inspiring over 10,000 Victorian students each year with VCE-linked productions, scholarships, workshops and school tours. Southbank Theatre: Preserving and ensuring a sustainable Southbank Theatre as a dynamic, contemporary iconic landmark in the Melbourne cultural landscape. Answerable to the MTC Board, the MTC Foundation will have up to 12 Trustees, including at least two MTC Board Members, whose sole obligations will be to encourage and manage Development funds. All donations to the MTC Foundation over $2 are tax deductible.

27 MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY Melbourne Theatre Company is one of Australia s flagship performing arts companies. In 2013 MTC celebrated 60 years of enriching lives through the storytelling power of the finest theatre imaginable. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO and Executive Director Virginia Lovett, MTC produces classic and contemporary Australian and international theatre with style, passion and excellence to entertain and challenge audiences. Each year, MTC produces up to twelve plays in a subscription season, together with an education program and the NEON Festival of Independent Theatre. As one of the largest theatre companies in the English-speaking world, MTC employs around 450 staff each year (with approximately 90 full time staff), producing approximately 700 performances a season. It has the biggest subscriber base of any performing arts company in Australia, and annually welcomes more than 260,000 people to its shows. MTC regularly tours productions to other capital cities around Australia. MTC works with a range of outstanding Australian talent, including actors such as Rachel Griffiths, David Wenham, Pamela Rabe, Robyn Nevin, Jacki Weaver and Geoffrey Rush. In recent years, MTC has commissioned and produced outstanding Australian playwrights such as Joanna Murray Smith, David Williamson, Eddie Perfect, Lally Katz and Brendan Cowell. MTC is renowned for the quality of its productions and works with some of the finest creatives in the country, including directors Simon Phillips, Neil Armfield, Sam Strong, Leticia Cáceres, Gale Edwards and Simon Stone. MTC s Southbank Theatre is located in the heart of Melbourne s Southbank Cultural Precinct. Each year around half of the mainstage season is performed in the 500-seat Sumner, with smaller-scale works and other activities in the 130-seat Lawler. The balance of the mainstage season is staged at nearby Arts Centre Melbourne s 884-seat Playhouse and 376-seat Fairfax Studio, with the four theaters enabling MTC to present works of a wide variety and scale. MTC is a semi-autonomous department of the University of Melbourne. Approximately 90% of MTC s revenue comes from Box Office, Sponsorship, Touring and Fundraising and, as a designated Australian Major Performing Arts Company, MTC receives 9% of its funding from the Australian Government through the Australia Council and the Victorian Government through Arts melbtheatreco mtc2015 mtc.com.au

28 MTC LEADERSHIP Brett Sheehy AO Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO is one of Australia s most accomplished and acclaimed artistic directors, producers and curators. He is Artistic Director and CEO of Melbourne Theatre Company. He is the only person ever to be appointed to direct three of the five international arts festivals in Australia s State capital cities, having been Artistic Director of four Melbourne Festivals, two Adelaide Festivals and four Sydney Festivals. He was also Artistic Director of the cultural program for the 5th Biennial World Summit on Arts and Culture in Brett has also been a mentor for the Australia Council s Emerging Leaders Development Program and a judge for the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards since From he was selector and mentor for the Harold Mitchell Foundation Fellowships and a member of the Artists Advisory Panel at Bell Shakespeare Company. He has been Founding Ambassador for Australia Council s We All Play a Part initiative encouraging nation-wide community involvement in the arts since 2008, the year he was also a member of the Creative Australia panel of the Australia 2020 Summit. He has also been a member of the Power Panel of the Australian Financial Review Magazine and a member of the Arts Advisory Group of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He was a member of the Committee for Sydney from In the 2012 Queen s Birthday Honours Brett was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the performing and visual arts as a director of national festivals, to international artistic exchange, and through mentoring roles. Virginia Lovett Executive Director Virginia Lovett took up the role of MTC s Executive Director from January Prior to this she was General Manager of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival where she delivered a funding increase of $5 million and in 2011 achieved record attendance levels. A highly experienced and well-respected arts manager, she successfully designed a range of strategic and audience development initiatives through her roles at Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Festival. In addition, Virginia has extensive marketing and communications experience gained in a range of different organisations including Zoos Victoria, Sydney s Powerhouse Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Sydney Theatre Company. She worked as a media advisor for state ministers in Victoria and New South Wales. In 2006 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. Currently, she is Chair of Arena Theatre Company and Deputy Chair of Force Majeure.

29 WE APPLAUD YOU! MTC would like to thank our major donors who have generously supported our activities during the past year. All contributions inspire and empower us to transform lives through theatre. $100,000+ Crown Resorts Foundation Packer Family Foundation $40,000+ The Joan and Peter Clemenger Trust The Cybec Foundation $20,000+ Dr Geraldine Lazarus and Greig Gailey Louise and Martyn Myer AO Caroline and Derek Young AM Anonymous $10,000+ Cattermole Family Norman and Betty Lees Macgeorge Bequest Gordon Moffatt AM and Jacqueline Moffatt The Myer Foundation Sidney Myer Fund Malcolm Robertson Foundation Luisa Valmorbida Maureen Wheeler AO and Tony Wheeler AO Anonymous $5,000+ Bardas Foundation Sandy Bell and Daryl Kendrick James Best and Doris Young Dr Andrew Buchanan and Peter Darcy Ian and Jillian Buchanan John and Robyn Butselaar The Michael and Andrew Buxton Foundation Marshall Day Acoustics (Denis Irving Scholarship) The Dowd Foundation Professor Margaret Gardner AO and Professor Glyn Davis AC Jane Hemstritch Anne Le Huray Susanna Mason and the late Noel Mason Ian and Margaret McKellar Daniel Neal and Peter Chalk Tom and Ruth O Dea Professor David Penington AC and Dr Sonay Hussein Jeanne Pratt AC Pinky Watson Dr Michael and Lynne Wright Anonymous MTC is a registered not-for-profit organisation with DGR status. All donations over $2 receive a tax-deductible receipt.

30 celebrating our partners Leading Partner Major Partners Opening Night Media Production Partners Season Partners Corporate Members Donald Cant Watts Corke, Odgers Berndston MTC is a department of the University of Melbourne. MTC is assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and by the State Government of Victoria through Arts Victoria. MTC is a member of Live Performance Australia and the Australian Major Performing Arts Group. Details in this Media Kit are correct at the time of publication. MTC reserves the right to add, withdraw and substitute artists and vary the program should the need arise. MTC Season 2015 concept: MTC Marketing. Art Direction: Emma Wagstaff. Design: Daniel Cordner, Helena Turinski, Emma Wagstaff. Photoshoot coordination: Millie Mullinar. Wardrobe: Sophie Woodward. Hair and make-up: Blondie, Deborah Brider (Viviens Creative). Mainstage photography: Jo Duck (lead), James Green, Bridget Radomski, Bronwen Sharp. Additional photos: Jeff Busby, Benjamin Healley, James Henry, Mandy Jones, Pia Johnson, Tony Lewis, Gina Milicia, Sarah Walker, Heath Warwick.