Backstage
Bringing you the joy, curiosity and entertainment of a trip to the theatre.
37
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Programme
37 programme
Learn about the origins of AFL, read thoughts from Director Isaac Drandic and Playwright Nathan Maynard and meet the Season 2025 cast and creatives in our immersive digital programme.
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Video
37 | Eddie Orton and Syd Brisbane interview
The standout of Season 2024 that won the hearts of audiences and critics alike is back, and you don’t need to be a footy fan to love it.
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Video
37 at Marvel Stadium
The cast stepped off the stage and onto the field to perform a special excerpt before the Sir Doug Nicholls Round clash between Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans.
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Feature
Community, ceremony and corroboree
Set & Costume Designer Dale Ferguson and Director Isaac Drandic sat down to discuss designing the world of the Cutting Cove Currawongs.
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Feature
Behind the artwork
Artist Emma Salmon explains the meaning of her piece commissioned by us for the season of 37.
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Video
Meet Assistant Director Kamarra Bell-Wykes
Kamarra Bell-Wykes – one of our 2024 MinterEllison Future Directors – discusses her experience assistant directing 37, her involvement as a dramaturg and her advice for aspiring theatre makers.
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Video
37 trailer
Watch the video trailer for 37 ahead of seeing the production live on stage.
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Video
Currawongs team photo day
Writer Nathan Maynard, Director Isaac Drandic and the cast of 37 take a break from rehearsals for a few laughs and a hearty discussion.
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Programme
37 Programme
Writer Nathan Maynard and Director Isaac Drandic discuss bringing the blend of Marngrook and AFL to the stage. Plus meet the cast and creatives in our immersive digital programme.
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Feature
Marngrook and the modern-day game
Learn about the traditional Aboriginal game that inspired AFL and hear from artists continuing its legacy.
Season 2025
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Video
Much Ado About Nothing | Alison Bell and Fayssal Bazzi interview
For the first time in 30 years, Melbourne Theatre Company presents a brand new production of Shakespeare’s joyous war of words and razor-sharp banter starring Fayssal Bazzi and Alison Bell.
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Video
Dying: A Memoir | Genevieve Morris interview
Genevieve Morris explains how her lived experience will help in her portrayal of Cory Taylor in Dying: A Memoir, a story filled with humour and heart.
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Video
Rebecca | Bert LaBonte, Nikki Shiels and Pamela Rabe interview
The cast of Anne-Louise Sarks's revival of Daphne du Maurier's classic 1938 novel discuss why lovers of thrillers, mystery and romance will love Rebecca.
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Video
Kimerbly Akimbo | Marina Prior and Christie Whelan Browne interview
Playing mother and daughter, Marina Prior and Christie Whelan Browne tell us why this uplifting musical will make audiences laugh, cry and fall in love with the music.
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Video
Mother Play | Sigrid Thornton interview
No stranger to Melbourne Theatre Company, Sigrid Thornton tells us why playing Phyllis feels like a homecoming.
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Video
The Wrong Gods | Nadie Kammallaweera and Radhika Mudaliyar interview
Nadie Kammallaweera and Radhika Mudaliyar reveal why they're excited to work on a play in Season 2025 that champions strong women.
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Video
The Robot Dog | Roshelle Yee Pui Fong and Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan interview
Playwrights Roshelle Yee Pui Fong and Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan on how they collaborated to bring this funny, clever play to life.
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Video
Never Have I Ever | Chika Ikogwe, Simon Gleeson, Katie Robertson and Sunny S Walia interview
The cast of Never Have I Ever on why they're drawn to this quick, sharp comedy written by Deborah Frances-White.
Read
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Feature
Dinner and a show
Heading to a production at Southbank Theatre and looking for a pre or post-show bite? Here are four standout venues located nearby, offering something for every taste.
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Feature
Honouring Robert McDonald through the next generation
This year's recipient of the Robert McDonald Award – named after Melbourne Theatre Company's inaugural Education Manger who was dedicated to helping young theatre makers reach their potential – is Claire Le Bond.
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Feature
Stitching the story | Creating costumes for My Brilliant Career
Olivier Award-winning Set & Costume Designer Marg Horwell on the runway looks she was inspired by and why the costumes for Sybylla Melvyn were some of the most rewarding designs she’s done to date.
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Feature
Blak in the Room | A response by Wesley Enoch
Playwright, director and Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch on First Nations theatre as a continuation of oral traditions.
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Feature
Blak in the Room | A response by Andrea James
Yorta Yorta/Gunaikurnai theatremaker Andrea James on the importance of Blak stories.
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Feature
Melbourne Makers: Anchuli Felicia King
Screenwriter, playwright and Melbourne Theatre Company’s Playwriting Fellow Anchuli Felicia King on following her curiosity down rabbit holes and why she’s not interested in her own voice.
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Feature
An enduring partnership | The MinterEllison Future Directors initiative
Fresh off the back of announcing a three-year renewal of our major partnership with MinterEllison, we spoke to our 2024 Future Directors to find out what they got out of the program.
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Feature
Worlds Apart: Designing contrasting spaces in Cost of Living
Set & Costume Designer Matilda Woodroofe explains her inspiration, how she consulted with the cast and why she feels supported by Melbourne Theatre Company.
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Feature
Celebrating Open House Melbourne at Southbank Theatre
We let visitors get a glimpse of what goes on behind the curtain.
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Feature
The other side of the stage
Bert LaBonté reflects on making his directorial debut with Suzan-Lori Parks's Topdog/Underdog.
Watch
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Video
Much Ado About Nothing | Alison Bell and Fayssal Bazzi interview
For the first time in 30 years, Melbourne Theatre Company presents a brand new production of Shakespeare’s joyous war of words and razor-sharp banter starring Fayssal Bazzi and Alison Bell.
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Video
Dying: A Memoir | Genevieve Morris interview
Genevieve Morris explains how her lived experience will help in her portrayal of Cory Taylor in Dying: A Memoir, a story filled with humour and heart.
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Video
Rebecca | Bert LaBonte, Nikki Shiels and Pamela Rabe interview
The cast of Anne-Louise Sarks's revival of Daphne du Maurier's classic 1938 novel discuss why lovers of thrillers, mystery and romance will love Rebecca.
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Video
What are audiences saying about Blak in the Room?
Gunawarra Re-creation, A Wake – A Woke Mob and Emu in the Sun audiences share their thoughts on these three bold new works.
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Video
Destiny | Kirsty Marillier and Barry Conrad interview
Playwright Kirsty Marillier and actor Barry Conrad share their personal connection to the events in Destiny, a premiere coming to The Sumner.
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Video
Kimerbly Akimbo | Marina Prior and Christie Whelan Browne interview
Playing mother and daughter, Marina Prior and Christie Whelan Browne tell us why this uplifting musical will make audiences laugh, cry and fall in love with the music.
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Video
Mother Play | Sigrid Thornton interview
No stranger to Melbourne Theatre Company, Sigrid Thornton tells us why playing Phyllis feels like a homecoming.
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Video
The Wrong Gods | Nadie Kammallaweera and Radhika Mudaliyar interview
Nadie Kammallaweera and Radhika Mudaliyar reveal why they're excited to work on a play in Season 2025 that champions strong women.
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Video
The Black Woman of Gippsland | Chenoa Deemal interview
Chenoa Deemal discusses why it's integral for First Nations voices to push through the ceiling and why she's drawn to her character's determination and grit.
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Video
The Removalists | Steve Mouzakis interview
Steve Mouzakis on why David Williamson's 1971 story is relevant today, and why audiences can expect a transformative experience in the theatre.
MTC Digital Theatre
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News
Five MTC Productions nominated for Green Room Awards
We’re delighted to receive 15 nominations for five of our Season 2021 productions for the 39th annual Green Room Awards.
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Video
Playing the Part
Hear from the cast of As You Like It as they discuss the process of bringing Shakespeare's characters to life on stage.
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Video
Creating Costumes
Discover how the MTC wardrobe team brought Alicia Clements's intricate costume designs for As You Like It to life.
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Video
Shakespearean Comedy
Director Simon Phillips and members of the As You Like It cast discuss the specifics of what makes this play funny.
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Script Notes
All the world's a stage
Tim Walter performs one of Shakespeare's most iconic speeches in As You Like It. Discover how he brings the words to life with his notes on the Seven Ages of Man monologue.
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Education
As You Like It Education Pack
A resource pack for teachers and students to learn more about Shakespeare's As You Like It, with activities to analyse and explore the MTC production.
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Interview
Creating the Forest of Arden on stage
Production Manager Michele Preshaw and Scenic Art Supervisor Shane Dunn reflect on the process of bringing Shakespeare's Forest of Arden to life on the Sumner stage.
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Q&A
Designing As You Like It
Set and Costume Designer Alicia Clements explores the process of creating the magical world of As You Like It on stage.
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Q&A
Directing As You Like It
Director Simon Phillips discusses the specifics of Shakespearean comedy, mistaken identity and witty wordplay in As You Like It.
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Q&A
Lighting As You Like It
Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper discusses shadow, colour and light in his work on As You Like It.
Ask MTC
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Ask MTC
How do you manage water onstage?
For this instalment of Ask MTC, Nick asks how the Company manages water onstage. CAD Drafter Jacob Battista answers, with a little help from Health & Safety Coordinator Liz Mundell.
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Ask MTC
Do you have an armoury?
In this instalment of Ask MTC, Senior Production Technician Allan Hirons answers Simon’s question about prop guns and onstage SFX.
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Ask MTC
Have you seen a theatre ghost?!
Break a leg! Ghost lights (and theatre ghosts). The Scottish play. This Ask MTC question is all about the spooky and the superstitious on stage.
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Ask MTC
How do you write a play?
Benjamin Law answers a collection of audience questions about how to write a play – including the mechanics of writing character and dialogue, finding inspiration, and the challenges of writing for the stage versus writing for the screen or the page.
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Ask MTC
How are your wigs made?
For Ask MTC, our dedicated wigs and make-up artist Jurga Celikiene answers Hilary’s question about how we make our actors’ wigs – and details the journey of one wig over 14 years!
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Ask MTC
How does a revolve work?
This week, Nick asked about the revolve on a stage – what is it and how does it work? One of our technical wizards, Kerry Saxby, provides the answer.
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Ask MTC
What happens to props and sets after a show?
This week, Props Buyer Jess Maguire answers a question submitted by Lee, who wants to know what happens to our props and sets after a show is finished – do we re-use them? If so, how often and how do we re-purpose them?
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Ask MTC
What do actors do when they forget their lines?
This week, Michelle Lim Davidson answers a question from Janice, who wants to know how actors remember all their lines, and how they cope when they forget one!
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Ask MTC
Open House Melbourne: Your questions answered
During Open House Melbourne last weekend, we threw open Southbank Theatre’s virtual doors for a behind-the-scenes tour with Theatre Operations Director Mark Wheeler, and then opened the floor to your questions.
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Ask MTC
How do I go about becoming a playwright?
In this regular feature, you ask the questions and we answer them. This week’s questioner didn't leave a name, but asked all about playwriting. Great question, Anonymous!