LOCAL amateur theatre companies were in the spotlight earlier this month at the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Awards.<\/p>\n
Ballarat Lyric Theatre\u2019s Tristan Harris received an open Award of Excellence for his performance as Jimmy in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert<\/em>.<\/p>\n Matthew and Laurence Heenan were celebrated for their lighting design in Lyric\u2019s We Will Rock You<\/em>, while BLOC Music Theatre\u2019s production of Newsies Jnr<\/em> received a Junior Award of Excellence for set movement and choreography.<\/p>\n Other local award nominees included BLOC\u2019s Violet Feduniw and Joe Appleton for their performances in RENT<\/em>, and Lyric\u2019s Gareth Grainger, Jeandanielle Evans, Horace Tang, and Matthew Osborn for their work in Priscilla<\/em>.<\/p>\n The cast of RENT<\/em> closed the ceremony with a performance of iconic song, Seasons of Love<\/em>, which director Matthew Henderson said was a \u201cspecial\u201d moment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe finishing number is always the spot you want to get, and it was a nice Christmas present for us all to come back together and re-group,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we were also there to celebrate Violet, for her nomination for First Feature Performance in a Leading Role, and Joe, who was up for two awards.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be there to support them, two of our youngest cast members, was really special as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Heenan worked behind the scenes on Newsies<\/em>, and said the BLOC team, on and backstage, were proud of their season at Mount Rowan Secondary College Theatre.<\/p>\n \u201cNewsies<\/em> had incredible success and Ballarat audiences really embraced it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love the immediate recognition during a show when there\u2019s a standing ovation or thunderous applause, but to be acknowledged by the Guild months later is the cream on top for the happy company that enjoyed doing Newsies<\/em>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re so passionate about the BLOC junior program that we run, nurturing young performing artists. It\u2019s where I started my career, back when I was 10.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyric\u2019s president Michael Whitehead said they were thrilled to see Harris highlighted individually.<\/p>\n \u201cTristan was recognised for his use of the digeridoo, and its incorporation into modern musical theatre practice in Priscilla<\/em>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cTristan and Nikki Foy, our Aboriginal consultant, worked to make sure it was authentic, and appropriately done.\u201d<\/p>\n Having staged two major productions this year, just months apart due to the pandemic, Mr Whitehead said the company was proud of the quality performances they delivered.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had full houses for both shows,\u201d he said. \u201cOur focus is always on the local community knowing that as a non-professional company, we\u2019ll always produce professional quality productions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe choose material that local audiences want to see, and see done well, and any commendation we get is such a stimulus to the enthusiasm of those in the company, and those coming through in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we achieve high standards, and the team does good work, it does encourage people to come and join us.\u201d<\/p>\n