Discover more about the work of MTC staff and artists in various production roles.
MTC Education Online is supported by the Victorian Department of Education and Training. Select VCE resources produced in collaboration with Virtual School Victoria.
Acting
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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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Video
Acting | Theatre Production Processes
Learn more about what actors do in each stage of the theatre production process.
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Q&A
Charles Wu on Torch the Place
Torch the Place reminds us that it is important to listen to your parents, and that problems need time, space and understanding to solve, says Charles Wu.
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Q&A
Michelle Lim Davidson on Torch the Place
From watching influencers online for research to the unique challenges of working on a production where the script could be changing throughout the rehearsal process, Michelle Lim Davidson takes it all in her stride.
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Interviews
From student to stage
Actor Izabella Yena’s MTC journey began in high school. This year she makes her MTC mainstage debut in Home, I’m Darling, and she will return to the stage a few months later for Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes.
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Interviews
The Players
Cast members from Shakespeare in Love tell us about choreography, corsets and codpieces.
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Q&A
Flying high
Meet MTC’s Storm Boy, Conor Lowe, who makes his professional debut playing the title character in Tom Holloway’s stage adaptation of Colin Thiele’s much-loved novel.
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Q&A
The Actors Prepare
We sat down with the cast of The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You during rehearsals to hear more about their work.
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Interviews
A wonderful journey
In Così, Katherine Tonkin plays Ruth, an obsessive personality who often frustrates her peers with her meticulous behaviour. She shares her thoughts on the rehearsal process and her journey to finding Ruth.
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Coffee in the Lounge
Zoe Terakes on staying present
Zoe Terakes tells us about their introduction to acting and the thrill of climbing into someone else’s skin on stage.
Set & Costume Design
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Feature
How to make an Elizabethan ruff
The artisans who work behind the scenes on MTC shows may be out of sight but their impressive skills and talent are vital in creating the magic of theatre. Costume maker John Van Gastel gives us a glimpse of what’s involved.
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Video
Design Presentation
Watch Anna Cordingley's design presentation for the 2019 MTC production of Storm Boy and learn more about the set and costumes.
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Q&A
Dressing Torch the Place
Costume designer Kat Chan discusses heightened naturalism, Princess Diana’s maternity dresses, wigs and more.
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Galleries
Sketching the 1950s
Take a sneak peek at Set & Costume Designer Renée Mulder's exquisite costume sketches for Home, I'm Darling.
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Interviews
Creating the universes of the Spider Woman
Award-winning set and costume designer Alicia Clements discusses the ‘marathon’ journey of bringing Kiss of the Spider Woman to life through costume.
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Feature
Art Finishing
See how costumes are 'broken down’ to make them just right for the world on stage.
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Feature
Sister Act
Costume and set designers Esther Marie and Rebecca Hayes have conceptualised an imposing, yet intimate physical space for Golden Shield.
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Interactive
Set Design Discovery
Learn more about the set design for Shakespeare in Love by exploring this interactive image.
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Galleries
Welcome to wardrobe
Behind the 80 plus costumes that grace the Playhouse stage in Shakespeare in Love, an enormous amount of work has gone on behind the scenes at MTC HQ.
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Feature
Designing Connor's World
Set and costume designer Romanie Harper has created a layered world for The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You.
Directing
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Video
A Director Prepares
How do directors choose plays? Is their relationship with the audience different from an actor’s? What are they looking for during the previews? How DO directors direct?
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Q&A
Meet Petra Kalive
MTC’s new Associate Director Petra Kalive talks about her journey, and reflects on what this moment of ‘great pause’ means for theatre now and in the future.
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Video
Directing | Theatre Production Processes
Learn more about what directors do in each stage of the theatre production process.
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Q&A
Talking stuff with Dean Bryant
Torch the Place director Dean Bryant discusses the world premiere of a production overflowing with ideas.
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Feature
Into the Wild
Director Prue Clark revisits her teenage years for her MTC directorial debut.
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Feature
Directing Hungry Ghosts
Director Petra Kalive provides insight into the creative development for Jean Tong’s exciting new play Hungry Ghosts.
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MTC Talks
Interview with Eddie Perfect and Dean Bryant
Eddie Perfect and Director Dean Bryant talk about the first time they met, their time studying Performing Arts at WAAPA, and the work that goes into creating a new Australian Musical.
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MTC Talks
Sarah Goodes on A Doll's House, Part 2
Director Sarah Goodes discusses A Doll's House, Part 2 in this podcast.
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Feature
Director Sarah Goodes on The Children
MTC Associate Director Sarah Goodes takes on Lucy Kirkwood’s intimate new drama.
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Video
Melbourne Talam | Meet the Director & Designer
Meet Petra Kalive and Andrew Bailey, the director and designer of Rashma N. Kalsie’s world premiere production of Melbourne Talam.
Lighting Design
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Feature
Lighting in the Sumner
Lighting Supervisor Richard Gorr explains how the various lighting positions and equipment at Southbank Theatre are used to create magic on stage.
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Q&A
Lights, colour and fantasy
Amelia Lever-Davidson sheds light on the task of illuminating Torch the Place.
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Q&A
Lighting a Love Story
Lighting designer Matt Scott helps sculpt a visual language for Shakespeare in Love.
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Q&A
Lighting Storm Boy
Lighting designer Matt Scott explains the concepts and process for his work on Storm Boy.
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Q&A
From Darkness to Light
Lighting designer Niklas Pajanti discusses lighting effects as an expression of the characters in Così.
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Q&A
Light and Rhythm
Lighting Designer Amelia Lever-Davidson discusses her work on The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You.
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Q&A
Lighting Designer Niklas Pajanti
Lighting Designer Niklas Pajanti tells us how lights are used to heighten and release moments of tension on stage.
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Q&A
Nick Schlieper on lighting Macbeth
Nick Schlieper tells us how to create the ruthless world of Macbeth with lights.
Props
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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
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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Education
Props Store Treasure Hunt
Explore MTC HQ in our virtual tour, and find these props hiding in the Small Props Store.
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Video
Props Presentation
Watch Anna Cordingley's design presentation for the 2019 MTC production of Storm Boy and learn more about the props.
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Feature
Building the van
How did designer Alicia Clements — with a dedicated team of contracted and permanent MTC staff — build two life-size vans for the stage?
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Feature
Smashing the Tantalus
The Props team create a treasured family heirloom that smashes spectacularly on stage.
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Feature
Designing Sue's House | Creating the cabinet
Explore how a plywood and pine replica cabinet was transformed into a mahogany and marble masterpiece.
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Feature
Featured Faces: Colin & Geoff (Props)
Meet Colin and Geoff in our Props department.
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Feature
How to Fake a Snag
Learn more to create 'fake snags on a barbecue', just like our Props team did for Australia Day.
Puppetry
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Video
Building the Puppets
Watch how the team at Dead Puppet Society designed and built the puppets in MTC's production of Storm Boy.
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Video
Bringing the puppets to life
Ellen Bailey, Emily Burton and Drew Wilson are the puppeteers who give life to the Coorong’s penguins, snakes, fish and, of course, pelicans.
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Feature
Behind the Puppets
We speak to the puppetry team who are giving life to a menagerie of creatures in Storm Boy.
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Video
Meet Güüs
Discover how one surprise character in Vivid White stole the show – Güüs.
Composition & Sound Design
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MTC Audio Lab
Designing Silences
Clemence Williams began 2020 as composer and sound designer on Torch the Place. Returning to MTC for The Turn of the Screw was a lifesaver, she says. Here, she talks about creating ambience designed to be barely noticed...
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Q&A
The Art of Sound
Currently working on Torch the Place, composer and sound designer Clemence Williams reveals how she uses sound to transport audiences through time and place.
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Q&A
The Sounds of Storm Boy
Composer and Sound Designer Darrin Verhagen tells us about the sonic world of Storm Boy.
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Q&A
The Sound of Anger
Composer and Sound Designer Ian Moorhead combines dubstep, Rambo and 8-bit video games in a sonic world for The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You.
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Interviews
Imbued with Music
Composer and Sound Designer Chris Williams discusses the musical world of Così.
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Q&A
Composer and Sound Designer Chris Williams
Chris Williams discusses how composition and sound design support the emotional core of play.
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Feature
Sidney Millar on Wild's sound design
Sidney Millar takes us on a month-long journey through Wild’s sound design.
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Q&A
Ian McDonald on composing Macbeth
Ian McDonald tells us about the sound of Macbeth’s world.
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Q&A
Darius Kedros on creating sound
Darius Kedros discusses diegetic and non-diegetic sounds in Melbourne Talam.
Theatre Technologies
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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 on the grid of the theatre?
In this regular feature, you ask the questions and we answer them. This week, Simon asks about a theatre term he’s heard: the grid – what is it, and how is it used?
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Feature
The Fly Floor
Head Flyman James Tucker tells us the secrets of Southbank Theatre’s Power Fly System, and how lighting and scenery is flown into the 20-metre void above the Sumner stage.
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Feature
The Basement
Beneath the Sumner stage is where lifts are constructed to propel actors upward through trapdoors. Explore what happens out of sight, and discover how an orchestra pit is lying dormant below the front rows of the theatre.
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Feature
Mixing Desk
During a performance, the front-of-house audio operator balances sound from the actors’ microphones and the music, creating an artificial equilibrium that feels absolutely natural.
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Video
Theatre Technologies | Wall Fall Automation
Actor Izabella Yena provides behind-the-scenes insight into the falling wall in the 2019 MTC production of The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You.
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Interviews
Projections in Storm Boy
Projection designer Justin Harrison explains how the stunning images of the Coorong were captured and manipulated to evoke the wild beauty of coastal South Australia in Storm Boy.
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Video
Meet Güüs
Discover how one surprise character in Vivid White stole the show – Güüs.
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Feature
How do you set fire to a car on stage?
We spoke to MTC Production about simulating a car explosion in Macbeth.
