The Victorian Government is backing the local musical theatre industry through a new partnership with City of Melbourne to uncover Victoria’s next musical smash hits and support homegrown productions to take to the stage - from Melbourne’s independent theatres and East End theatre district to the West End, Broadway and beyond.
The new Musical Theatre Development Fund will back the Victorian sector and the careers of local writers, directors, performers, lyricists, musicians and more.
The Fund is being kickstarted with a $1 million investment from the Victorian Government and City of Melbourne.
According to the most recent Live Performance Australia report, Victoria is the capital of Musical Theatre in Australia with the highest recorded revenue and attendance. Victoria’s musical theatre sector generated $204.7 million in ticket sales, 38.5% of the national result.
In addition, the state benefited from millions more in expenditure from interstate and international visitors who flocked to see exclusive and premiere productions.
While Victorians play a pivotal role in bringing these productions to life onstage and behind the scenes, the majority of blockbuster musicals in the market are created overseas, where dedicated investment and incentives are provided to develop and test works to ensure they are market ready.
The new Musical Theatre Development Fund will change the game by helping to bring local musical theatre ideas from the page to the stage, while keeping Victorian talent at home as they incubate and test their projects.
The Fund will support the industry at different levels. It will help creative teams develop their projects through masterclasses, workshops and mentorships, and give participants the opportunity to pitch their ideas to global industry leaders. Top ranked projects will receive dedicated investment to take their work to the next stage.
The Fund will also back established teams to take their next steps towards commercial release and support emerging Victorian musical theatre projects to stage their shows at independent theatres in the City of Melbourne, platforming the next generation of talent.
Together this will create a pipeline of new local musical theatre productions that will delight and inspire audiences at home and aboard.
An Australian-first, the Musical Theatre Development Fund is an initiative of the Victorian Government’s creative industries strategy Creative State 2028 which aims to strengthen Victoria’s $41.1 billion creative economy, creating local jobs, attracting investment and backing Victorian talent for success.
The Musical Theatre Development Fund is a partnership between the Victorian Government and City of Melbourne. The program will be developed and delivered in partnership with industry experts.