MTC Celebrates 10 Years Of Southbank Theatre

As MTC's acclaimed production of A View from the Bridge comes to a close on the Sumner stage, the Company celebrates the 10 year anniversary of its home venue, Southbank Theatre.

Since opening in 2009 Southbank Theatre has become a landmark of the Melbourne Arts Precinct and been host to nearly 300 events, welcoming 1.5 million attendances to shows, play readings, public talks, special events and more.

At the heart of all this activity is MTC's annual seasons of productions. The decade has seen almost 100 MTC productions in the venue and 15 collaborations with the independent sector through MTC's NEON Festival. Together these shows have have brought communities together, broken records, won awards, pushed technical boundaries and paved a new path for the Company.

MTC Artistic Director & CEO Brett Sheehy said, 'Over the past 10 years, MTC's Southbank Theatre has established itself as a hub for the artistic community, the launch pad for bold new works, and a place for audiences to come together. It is the home we needed as the State theatre company, one that has seen some of the Company's greatest theatrical triumphs play out and an awe-inspiring amount of art.'

With an extensive catalogue of productions to reflect on, highlights from the Sumner and Lawler stages include Poor Boy; the Helpmann Award-winning productions of Jasper Jones and The Children; a swag of outstanding Shakespeare productions such as Macbeth, Richard III and Twelfth Night; The Boy at the Edge of Everything; Ladies in Black, Complexity of Belonging and Other Desert Cities, all promoting cross-artform collaboration to stunning result; and three years of MTC's NEON Festival of Independent Theatre.

In addition to MTC's own work, Southbank Theatre has welcomed other presenters from dance companies to international festivals, providing a space for new ideas and unique productions to be shared with Melbourne audiences.

MTC Executive Director & Co-CEO Virginia Lovett said, 'As one of the first arts venues to establish itself in the area, Southbank Theatre has become synonymous with Melbourne's Arts Precinct. Standing proud with its iconic exterior and state of the Art Theatre technology, the building is a landmark of the neighbourhood and one soon to be surrounded by even more artistic vibrancy as the development of the precinct continues. This year of celebration is about shining a light on the legacy of the first 10 years and looking towards the next, signalling a new era of MTC in Southbank.'

This year, 7 new MTC productions will be staged at Southbank Theatre, beginning with Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge and concluding with the much anticipated musical Kiss of the Spider Woman starring Caroline O'Connor. MTC is also proud that it's first MTC NEXT STAGE commission, Golden Shield, will debut on the Sumner stage in August.

Throughout 2019 MTC will be celebrating 10 years of Southbank Theatre with special events, activities and editorial content. More details about the events and activities will be released in the coming months and the growing array of special editorial can be viewed at mtc.com.au/southbank10.