Her Majesty's Ballarat

Welcome to the blog of Her Majesty's Ballarat. Here you will find details about our shows, heritage building and theatre; as well as a little bit of behind-the-scenes info that is always good to know!

[inthemindofatheatrekid]

All the best performers bring to their role something more, something different than what the author put on paper. That’s what makes theatre live. That’s why it persists.

Stephen Sondheim  (via inthemindofatheatrekid)

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June is a great month for drama with the AMAZING Sundowner; a great month for dance with the Melbourne Ballet performing some great new pieces; Rockwiz has SOLD OUT; and comedy hits Ballarat with the Comedy Roadshow.

Full details at www.hermaj.com

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Our Theatre and Marketing Coordinator was sent round the theatre armed with an Instagram account.... These photos were the result!

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In our previous post, you can see our images of The Courier visiting her Majesty's. Here is the link to the article. Let us know what you think.

Great photo taken in the roof!

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The Ballarat Courier have a tour of the building looking for hidden treasures and views that are not normally seen by the public...

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Dame Kiri Te Kanawa played a recital here on the 23rd March to great success.  We thought that we would share some of the behind-the-scenes photos with you. It really was a great night, and thanks to everyone to was there!

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Her Majesty's has been a central part of the cultural life of Ballarat since it first opened its doors in 1875. Australia's best preserved theatre building, it has been continuously used as Ballarat's home of live performance ever since. It has been owned and operated by the City of Ballarat since 1987 and functions as Ballarat's performing arts centre.

We are going through our archive room and found this picture taken in 1899 for the Melbourne Leader... it has given us an idea.

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I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.

Oscar Wilde

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May is a month of musical, local talent, vocals and duelling pianos... not to mention fantastic comedy.

Our 2013 Theatre Season continues with some great shows. 2013 is shaping up to be one of our best!

Shows include: The Kransky Sisters, Two Grands... Four hands, Last Man Standing, BLOC's Anything Goes and Moon by the Australian Voices.

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We have a question for you. Does anybody know who these names belong to? They  were painted in the roof of Her Maj in 1949 and we would love find out more!  If you have any clues - let us know!

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Sundowner, starring Helen Morse and created by KAGE Theatre Company, is a breath-taking piece of contemporary Australian theatre.

Saturday 8 June  8PM PRICE RANGE: $15.00 - $54.00

VENUE: WENDOUREE CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS

"It's the strangest thing. No longer being able to tell what is the past and what is the present. It seems that events that took place only minutes ago are now being erased while memories I have been able to hold at bay for decades suddenly come rushing toward me." 

The realm of memory remains a great mystery. Through the eyes of three generations, Sundowner tells the story of so many Australian families. If a loved one starts to lose their memories, what role can we play in holding on to them? And how can we care for them in the present while honouring their memory?

Starring Helen Morse, Sundowner combines theatre, dance and physicality in a story of lament and at times, grief and sorrow. Ultimately though, this is a story of love: love of family, love of history and love of life.

Morse is splendid...Director Kate Denborough seizes every opportunity to bring to life the collisions between the past and the present happening in the woman’s mind. The Australian

http://hermaj.com/show/season/sundowner

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April is month of great drama, daytime shows, circus skills and music… let us know what you want to see!

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We've just held a photo shoot with BLOC Music Theatre and The Courier in our auditorium... We couldn't help taking some of our own pics! Anything Goes is on from 16 - 26 May.Tix now available. See www.hermaj.com for details

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The Her Majesty's Ballarat 2013 Theatre Season has official been launched and there are some fantastic things to see this year! 

We thought we would just start you off with March today and over the next week let you know about the rest of the year. (But look carefully, we have included a sneek peek at April!)

All details and on-line booking for all shows can be found at www.hermaj.com, but you can also contact our box office on 5333 5888.

What will you see?

[ntlive]

THE MAGISTRATE: The Wigs of a Victorian farce

The National’s wig shop had it’s job cut out for itself during the production of The Magistrate as these Victorian-era hairdos go to the extreme to punch up laughs in this 120 year-old farce. Cis Posket alone has a style that accentuates his child-like nature and despite the physical comedy that the rest of the cast ensues, hair remains intact. Take a look at some of the styles in these behind-the-scene photos of wig masters at work…

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Her Majesty's is showing a screening of London's National Theatre production of  'The Magistrate' at the SMB Courthouse, Ballarat on Sunday 3rd February.

 For full details visit: http://hermaj.com/show/national-theatre-live/the-magistrate 

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Welcome to the new Her Majesty's Ballarat Blog!

#UPDATE#

WOW & what a great night we had at the launch last night!

Over 130 Members, Supporters, Councilors and Friends came to be introduced to the new season. Starting in March with a big week of shows including shadow puppetry, a tribute to Australias internationally renowned female stage stars of the past, George Orwells Animal Farm and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, as you can see, there is a lot of variety.

If you havent got your Season Brochure yet, call the MajesTix Box Office on 5333 5888 and well post it to you.

Were looking forward to what promises to be a simply sensational year here at Her Majestys Come join us!!!

ORIGINAL POST

It seems hard to believe that I have been here in Ballarat and guiding our beautiful theatre for two years. Following a great year in 2012 which has seen the sensational inaugural Ballarat Cabaret Festival and, more soberly, the retirement of Wendy Hall, our dedicated Theatre Coordinator after more than 20 years I am pleased to be introducing our new season for 2013.

Please also join me in welcoming our new Theatre Coordinator, Jon Harris. 2012 saw Her Maj break ‘Out of the Box’ and present in some different venues. This year we come back home and concentrate on presenting at Her Majesty’s.

This has in part been driven by the lack of shows that have demanded to be presented in other types of venues, but also by the feedback from our patrons who prefer to see us present shows at Her Maj.

The one show in the season which is not at Her Majesty’s is a show that simply demanded to be included. Presented at Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts, Sundowner stars the incomparable Helen Morse and explores something that even science does not fully understand – the human mind. Touching, frustrating and simply must-see theatre.

 Last year Her Maj welcomed back Ballarat Lyric Theatre who will not be presenting a season with us in 2013 as they prepare for the Ballarat premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster The Phantom of the Opera in 2014. Instead, we are thrilled to welcome back the University of Ballarat Arts Academy Music Theatre Graduating Company with 42nd Street which they present alongside BLOC Music Theatre’s brand new production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes.

BALLARAT CABARET FESTIVAL will be back in October again titillating audiences with the best in Australian Cabaret including Bradley McCaw, winner of the 10th Annual Sydney Cabaret Showcase.

So grab your Membership Card, mark your calendar and join us for some of the best theatre Australia has to offer, right here in Ballarat.

Don't forget our new season is launched on the 29 February at 6.00pm... full details will be on www.hermaj.com from then.

GRAEME RUSSELL THEATRE MANAGER .