by Trevor Osburn, President
2018 has been another year of outstanding success. It is tremendously rewarding to be able to report that our Theatre continues to give pleasure to our community, with more than 2,700 tickets sold over our four productions this year.
In 2018 Beaumaris Theatre inducted six new Life Members. Life Membership recognises significant service and contribution to Beaumaris Theatre over a long period of time.
Rhonda Vaughan
Rhonda became involved with Beaumaris Theatre in 2013 and was a valued Committee member for 10 years from 2008 - 2017. During her time on Committee, Rhonda was Ticket Secretary and suggested we ‘try’ Trybooking, a ticket booking platform that has completely transformed the way audiences book tickets, in 2011. She has regularly assisted with set builds, FOH and Box Office Management as well as taking on the role of MD of the Talbot Awards since 2011. Rhonda has been involved in 23 production and has won five Talbot Awards including Outstanding Stage Management and Outstanding Artistic & Creative Contribution.
Vince Vaughan
Vince’s involvement with Beaumaris Theatre began in 2003 and has since been involved with 39 productions, coordinated and operated lighting and sound for our annual Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea fundraisers as well as countless other events including the Talbot Awards. Vince has been awarded four Talbot Awards for his incredible lighting and sound work and in 2007 was awarded the President’s Award. Vince also coordinated our the venue for our 2008, 2009 and 2010 Talbot Awards, helped with purchasing FOH supplies and overhauled our sound system.
Kristina Doucouliagos
Kristina has been involved with Beaumaris Theatre since 2005 and has since been actively involved with 18 productions and joined our Committee in 2008, taking on the role of Minutes Secretary in 2014 and 2015 and helping with FOH, Box Office Management and audition meet and greets. Kristina created our Facebook page in 2009 and since 2013 has been our Publicity Officer, coordinating social media, email communication, website and editing our Talbot Tattler. Kristina has been actively involved in 18 production and has won seven Talbot Awards for acting, stage management as well as adjudicators awards.
Danny Forward
Danny first became involved with Beaumaris Theatre in 2004 and has since been involved with 18 (including writing and composing one!) and is the recipient of 12 Talbot Awards including Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Artistic & Creative Contribution. Danny was a Talbot Award Adjudicator seven years, and also spent seven years about Talbot Award Musical Director and Beaumaris Theatre Committee Member, including several years as Secretary.
Jenni Osburn
Jenni’s involvement with Beaumaris Theatre dates back to 2007. Joining the Committee in 2009, Jenni has regularly assisted the Treasurer and taken on the role of acting-Treasurer when required. She has also successfully applied for a significant number of Bendigo Bank, Bayside Council and Community Grants on our behalf, maintaining the assets register and negotiating our lease with the Council. Jenni has been actively involved in 34 production and is the recipient of nine Talbot Awards for her Outstanding Costumes. Jenni continuously assists with Box Office, FOH coordination and audition meet-and-greets, set-builds and a myriad of other Beaumaris Theatre needs.
Trevor Osburn
Trevor’s involvement with Beaumaris Theatre began in 2007 and he joined the Committee in 2009. Since 2011 Trevor been the FOH Manager and coordinated gala nights as well as taking on the role of Talbot Awards Convenor in 2012. He is a member of the Health and Safety Sub-Committee, Chaired our Season Selection Panel from 2015-2018 and was elected Secretary in 2013 and has been President of Beaumaris Theatre since 2014. Trevor continuously assists with Box Office, FOH coordination and audition meet-and-greets, set-builds and a myriad of other Beaumaris Theatre needs.
We honour these people and all the Life Members that have gone before for continuously going above and beyond, their long-term commitment and the quality and innovation of their contributions over the years.
Across the four shows we welcomed 35 cast members, 25 crew and 13 musicians. This is over and above the more than 100 volunteers who provide all the necessary support that a production needs, including set building, costumes, props, publicity, front of house needs, managing websites, Trybooking, cleaning the Theatre and its surrounds, ordering supplies and ensuring maintenance items are completed. THANK YOU to all our volunteers for ensuring Beaumaris Theatre can provide a great venue and great entertainment.
The spectacular Chicago has 12 sell-out shows full of murder, mayhem, singing and dancing. Our congratulations go to director Debbie Keyt for delivering a dazzling production that hit all the highlights Chicago built its reputation on.
The Mystery of Irma Vep - A Penny Dreadful, our second show, was a dazzling production for very different reasons. The two man cast worked so hard, moving between characters seemingly with ease. The backstage crew worked tirelessly to help make those quick changes as seamless as possible. Well done to director David Collins on his Beaumaris Theatre debut!
Echoes, our third production of 2018, was a thought provoking story of old age, reflections on life and what could have been. It also had an interesting take on what happens in the afterlife. Thank you to Barbara Crawford for her wonderful direction, again a Beaumaris Theatre debut.
Snoopy - The Musical was our magnificent end of year show that brought to life the Peanuts comic strip. Simplicity was the name of the game for costumes, set and choreography, and like always, simple done well is absolutely brilliant. The music was outstanding and Danny Forward’s direction showed his extensive musical theatre experience.
The theatre was the venue for a number of fundraising activities in 2018 including:
Fur the Love of Broadway - Congratulations again to the producers and cast of this wonderful showcase of the immense talent available in Melbourne’s musical theatre scene. Well done to Natasha Bassett and Danny Forward for producing such a spectacular two nights of theatre. All money raised from ticket sales went to the Anamalia Wildlife Shelter and Cheltenham Cat Rescue - two wonderful organisations.
Relay for Life Trivia Night - thanks to Geoff Arnold and Penny Meallin for organising the annual event which was hosted by Peter Newling.
The Biggest and Latest Morning Tea - thank you to Debbie Keyt for organising another fabulous evening and to everyone who came along or were part of the cast and crew.
Our theatre was also used by D.K Productions, Myeloma Cancer Support Group, MLOC, Betty’s Babies Comedy Night and MOTTs revisited fundraiser.
Awards Nights
We continued to sponsor two Victorian Drama League Awards. In 2018 those awards were:
The Alan Crispin Award for Best Lighting Design - Awarded to Chris Shaw for the Elephant Man at Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company
The Chris Churchward & Neil Barnett Award for Best Set Design - Awarded to Doug Bennett for Mr Bailey’s Minder at Ballarat National Theatre
Our Victorian Drama League Award nominated play, The Mystery of Irma Vep, received a number of nominations including:
Chris Churchward - Best Set Design
Deb Carpenter - Best Costume Design
Kristina Doucouliagos & Neil Barnett - Best Prop Design
Jonathan Best - Best Actor in a Comedy
Patt Ryan - Best Actor in a Comedy
Best Production - Comedy
Congratulations to Jonathan Best for his win for Best Actor in a Comedy.
The Janine Chugg President’s Award was awarded to Alex Ashcroft at this year’s Talbot Awards. Alex received this award in recognition for his hard work over the last three years at set building and for helping with front of house and assisting with proof-reading of our marketing materials. Alex approached Beaumaris Theatre in 2015 because he wanted to get involved with local theatre - we are lucky he picked Beaumaris Theatre. Alex has also agreed to join our Health and Safety Sub-Committee in 2019.
Milano’s was again the spectacular venue for our night-of-nights, the Talbot Awards. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. Thank you to Sue Paterson for her accomplished musical theatre accompaniment and special thanks to David Krause, Angela Norris and Stephen Shinkfield who were our Talbot Adjudicators. The adjudicators give up a great deal of time and energy to identify the most outstanding talent in our 2018 productions. Congratulations to Debbie Keyt and her team in organising a wonderful event.
I would also like to congratulate all the members of the Beaumaris Theatre family who were nominees and winners through all the award nights in 2018.
Special Thanks
Duncan Thompson Extensions have continued to provide valuable sponsorship in 2018 as sponsors of our First Aid Kits and our advertising board in front of our building. Duncan Thompson Extensions have been very receptive to various opportunities for supporting our theatre including the programs and various props, especially for Chicago. Duncan Thompson Extensions have provided great assistance to our theatre and we thank them, especially Mr Chris French (Managing Director), for his significant contribution.
I would also like to thank Kerry Hollier who managed our Front of House rosters in 2018.
Peter Hunter has installed new LED lights in the clubrooms and dressing rooms, and updated the lighting at the rear of the building, along with our new LED coloured strip lights at the theatre entrance. Thank you Peter for all your work!
Thank you to Alan Crispin for installing new LED lights in the theatre auditorium and Ian Hodge for installing new mirrors in the dressing rooms - they look great!
I would like to thank Bayside Council for all their assistance in 2018. We have a wonderful asset in having our own theatre space and Bayside Council continues to provide substantial assistance to the maintenance required by the more than 60 year old building.
Mentone Girls Secondary College have been kind enough to allow our ‘upcoming production’ advertising board replacement to be on their grounds facing Balcombe Road. We thank them for their generosity.
The Bendigo Bank has been an important support over the years for Beaumaris Theatre and continued to do so in 2018.
I would like to thank the Beaumaris Theatre Committee of 2018 for all their hard work and dedication to the theatre. The Committee has continued to look forward and both plan and provide for the needs of our theatre. Our Committee has again demonstrated that they are working as a collective with the common view of providing the Beaumaris community with a theatre of distinction, both in a structural and cultural sense. A number of decisions in 2018 were based around improvements to the theatre - continuing the move to a more multi-faceted space in front of the stage and a better working environment behind the stage. Being on a Committee of management requires a strong personal commitment and in this day and age there is an expectation that a Committee member obtains a satisfactorily completed Working with Children check, Responsible Serving of Alcohol Certificate, Basic First Aid Certificate, undertake training in CPR and the use of our defibrillator. I am pleased to advise that all members of your committee hold these qualifications. Beaumaris Theatre meets the costs of the qualifications and the Committee organises regular training to maintain the skills of our Committee.
The individual roles of the Committee members haven’t changed significantly in recent years. As President of Beaumaris Theatre I hope that we continue to harness the strengths of the individuals to achieve collective success. I would like to acknowledge:
Steve Morris has been a great support as Vice President. He is a wonderful sounding board and brings a high level of common sense to issues affecting Beaumaris Theatre. He has maintained our membership lists, continues to be instrumental in having Bayside Council representatives attend our productions and has been on hand for the myriad of responsibilities that come with caring for our building.
Robyn Morris, as Treasurer has as always, ensured that financially we continue to grow and prosper. The Treasurer is a very difficult position within any organisation and Robyn’s dedication to the task is second to none. Despite ill health, Robyn has again held the Committee to account ensuring our ongoing financial stability.
Debbie Keyt is the lynchpin of Beaumaris Theatre in so many ways and in 2018 she continued her role as Secretary. Debbie is not only our Bayside Council liaison but she is also the organiser of our set-build Saturdays. She makes herself available for various visitors to the theatre and generally ensures that the theatre is always presented in the best possible way. We all marvel at her energy and drive and are then further amazed that she still finds time to organise spectacular events like the Talbot Awards.
Kristina Doucouliagos, our publicity guru, has the role as organiser of our Facebook page, editor of our Talbot Tatter, sender of emails, manager of website and ensures that all our members are well informed. Kristina continues to look for innovative ways to get our name out there and broadening our reach and appeal.
Jenni Osburn continues working within the Arts systems seeking grants to assist our revenue stream. Jenni has been instrumental in continuing to ensure Beaumaris Theatre is able to access all that is eligible for. As outlined in her Life Membership nomination, her experience with costumes and wardrobe continues to be a critical contribution to the theatre.
Chris Hunter is an important voice on our Committee who, along with Kristina, Dan and Amelia, provide a younger, different point of view ab out what our audiences need and want. Chris also ensures that we consciously consider how we can make our theatre more accessible and we prioritise fairness and equity.
Fred Pezzimenti has spent a considerable amount of time looking to the future of the theatre’s technical services to ensure that Beaumaris Theatre continues to remain both modern and relevant. In 2018 he designed several set and was a regular participant at set builds. His theatre experience is invaluable to the Committee.
Deb Carpenter brings a broader perspective to our Committee. Deb plays a very important because while she is less involved in the day-to-day operations of the theatre, she provides an objective view to any discussion to ensure we make the right decision and take all circumstances into account. Her experience with costume and wardrobe is also an important role within our theatre.
Lynda French is the Chair of our Health and Safety Sub-Committee and has continued to make a significant contribution to this important and ongoing role. We all acknowledge that the health and welfare of all our cast, crew and volunteers are in good hands. Lynda’s work with our sponsorship has been a huge benefit to our theatre.
Dan Bellis joined the Committee in 2018 and has made a significant impact with his experience in wide range of theatre. Dan will be the Chair of our 2020 Season Sub-Committee.
Amelia Joughin also joined the Committee in 2018. She made a number of significant contributions with her business contacts, including sourcing our new Life Member badges and organising our advertising boards that are often on display at Mentone Girls Secondary College.
We can again count 2018 as another step into the bright future of Theatre For All.
Trevor Osburn
President, Beaumaris Theatre
2018