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About Us

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the Victoria Theatres Trust is to become a recognised expert body concerning theatre and its development in Australia by:

  1. The active promotion, preservation, renovation and use of the historic theatres of Victoria
  2. The identification, cataloguing and promotion of Victoria's rich theatre heritage
  3. The promotion and development of new theatres, especially world class commercial theatres
  4. The building of links between theatre owners, administrators, entrepreneurs, technicians, architects and designers
  5. The study and promotion of world wide trends in the design of theatres
  6. The establishment of links with similar organisations in Australia and abroad and
  7. The maintenance of Melbourne as the theatre capital of Australia

 

Committee

 


June '07 Committee Meeting: (L to R) Elisabeth Kumm, David Cullinane, Bruce McBrien, Mimi Colligan, Robin Grove, Frank Van Straten, Philip Waldron, Darien Sticklen.

Patron:

 Sue Nattress AO

Founder

 Evan Hercules
Born in the little bush town of Boort, Evan aged 12 built his first theatre out of wheat sacks and wooden crates. He studied Fine Arts at Melbourne University, painting & sculpture at RMIT.  As an art teacher he learned stage-craft at Ballarat National Theatre. He was awarded a scholarship in 1961 to study stage design at the Slade School London. There he worked with the RSC, solo and with top West End stage designers. He settled in London. Evan was chosen to join a small team of designers for the new BBC 2. He designed dramas, series, operas and kids’ stuff including the original Dr Who. He worked as Art Director/Production Designer on many feature films including Alan Parker’s The Evacuees (1975), Midnight Express (1978), Breaking Glass (1980), Riders in the Storm (1986) and A Prayer for the Dying (1987). With the advice of the UK Theatres Trust he set up the VTT in 1995. As our London representative and ex-officio committee member Evan continues to be actively involved in the work of the VTT.

President:

 Robin Grove
Robin won the ABC orchestral composition prize in 1957, and his two-act ballet score was presented at Her Majesty's, Ballarat in 1958. From 1962 to 2005 he taught literature at the University of Melbourne, during which time he chaired the University's Theatre Board for 14 years.  He was one of Ballet Victoria's Board of Directors for 12 years, and choreographed 5 dance works for that company. During the 'Seventies and 'Eighties he was dance critic for The Australian and then the Age. His most recent book is "Thinking in Four Dimensions", an investigation of choreographic processes in contemporary dance.

Secretary:

 Philip Waldron
Philip has had a life long interest in theatre. For many years he worked for Ansett Airlines in administrative capacity and now works for a boutique property management company. As secretary he brings a wide range of organisational skills and commercial knowledge to the position.
Treasurer:
 Simon Marsh
Simon commenced his career as a cost accountant at Ford Australia. Since leaving Ford, he has been working within the Chartered Accounting profession for in excess of thirty years, and for the past twenty five years with PKF, Chartered Accountants. Simon was appointed a partner of that firm in 1987 and specialises in advising private businesses and professionals on their financial affairs. Simon was appointed managing partner of PKF in 2002.

Committee: 

 Peter Johnson
Peter was chairman of the ALSO Foundation’s Special Events Committee which produced the legendary Red Raw and Winterdaze warehouse dance parties during the period 1992 until 2000. In 1995 he was responsible for the conversion of Shed 14 at Docklands into a permanent performance venue, acting as honorary architect for the works. He has undertaken extensive research into the work of his great great grandfather and Australian’s most prolific colonial theatre architect George R. Johnson (1840-1898). He also co-ordinates an architectural theatre study group at the SLV. Peter operates an architectural practice in St Kilda and teaches part-time at Melbourne University.


Margaret Marshall
Margaret Marshall is Curator of the Performing Arts Collection at the Arts Centre, Melbourne and has been a member of the curatorial staff since 1996. Margaret’s work includes researching and appraising potential acquisitions, curating exhibitions and displays, and developing content for publications and websites. She is also a committee member of the Performing Arts Special Interest Group of Museums Australia. Margaret holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in history and fine arts from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma of Museum Studies from Deakin University.


Bruce McBrien OAM
Bruce first appeared on stage in 1952 with the Heidelberg Theatre Company and went on to perform in 151 productions of the Lyric, Festival, Whitehorse and Elwood theatre companies. In 1986 he founded the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria, which now embraces over 80 companies and supports 11 judges travelling Victoria for its ‘awards for excellence’ program. Known as the Bruce Awards, their end of year presentation rivals the Oscars, Tonys, Oliviers etc. In 1990 he was created a Knight of St John for community service and in 2000 received the Medal of the Order of Australia mainly for his contribution to Musical Theatre.


Julie Ross
Julie is a current member of CATHS (Cinema & Theatre Historical Society Inc.) and previous committee member of Federation of Victorian Film Societies Inc. (which started the Melbourne International Film Festival 56 years ago).  Her interest in the moving screen commenced when her uncle, Albert G Tonkin built the 'ELECTRA' Cinema at Boronia in 1937 and the 'LOYALTY' Cinema in Upper Ferntree Gully in 1939. Julie is a great supporter of childrens' and youth theatre, especially: 1812, Athenaeum - Lilydale, Eastern Musical Theatre and The Knox Fledglings.  Julie has been secretary of the local drama group 'The Clocktower Theatre’ and also of the Ringwood branch of the Victorian Arts Council.


Darien Sticklen
Darien has been part of the creative and/or producing teams for many major music theatre productions ranging from opera to cabaret. Highlights include national tours of My Fair Lady, The King and I and the international co-production of Die Frau Ohne Schatten. In 1992 he established his own firm and has since overseen the production of many outstanding events in Australia and overseas. Darien is a member of the Artistic Advisory Panel of Victorian Opera, and on the board of directors of The Production Company.  In 2003 he founded Australian Community Theatre (ACT Inc) and has directed their inaugural, highly successful theatre productions. He is a graduate Fellow of the Williamson Community Leadership Program within Leadership Victoria.

On Stage Editor:

 David Cullinane
David made his theatre début on the stage of the Mosman Town Hall in 1940, as one-third of a dragon, in his kindergarten end-of-year concert. Despite the audience probably being full of talent spotters, he is still waiting for a phone call. To fill in time (and the cooking pot) he took on a career involving public relations working with large companies (mainly ICI and Alcoa) among other PR work, producing sales and internal publications. In 1999 he was appointed founding editor of the VTT magazine On Stage. Under his able stewardship the magazine has gone from strength to strength, growing from a mere 12 pages in the first issue to 48 pages currently.

On Stage
Editorial Committee:

Mimi Colligan
Mimi Colligan writes on 19th century popular culture and biography. Part of her Ph.D thesis was published by MUP as Canvas Documentaries in 2002. Mimi is a Fellow of the RHSV, an Honorary Research Associate with the National Centre for Australian Studies at Monash University and a member of the Victorian Working Party of the Australian Dictionary of Biography. She recently curated an exhibition in Richmond on Cremorne Gardens and its entertainments. Mimi is currently writing a book on the lives of Mr and Mrs G.B.W. Lewis who, in the 1860s and 1870s, took theatre from Melbourne to China and India.

Elisabeth Kumm
Elisabeth is a founding member of the Victoria Theatres Trust. Her series Pets of the Public  has been a regular feature of On Stage since 1999 and comprises profiles of theatrical personalities from the nineteenth century, including Kyrle Bellew and Mrs Brown Potter, Julius Knight and Olga Nethersole. As a theatrical historian and biographer she assisted Lady Tait with her book on pantomime – Dames, Principal Boys…and All That, published by Macmillan in 2001 and also worked with her on her as yet unpublished memoirs I Have a Song to Sing. Elisabeth is currently researching the Brough and Boucicault Comedy Company, an important but forgotten theatrical troupe that was active in Australia from the mid-1880s.

Frank Van Straten OAM
Over the years Frank has amassed a vast collection of Australian theatre memorabilia. He was director of the Victorian Arts Centre Performing Arts Museum from 1984 until 1993. For 15 years Frank researched and presented ABC Radio’s popular Nostalgia feature over Melbourne’s 774. He contributes historical articles to many theatre programs and journals. His books include National Treasure: The Story of Gertrude Johnson and the National Theatre (1994), The Regent Theatre: Melbourne’s Palace of Dreams (1996), Tivoli (2003) and Huge Deal: The Fortunes and Follies of Hugh D. McIntosh (2004).



              


 





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Dedicated to the preservation, renovation and promotion of Australian theatre heritage