LEONGATHA Lyric Theatre performed at the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria’s ‘Bruce Awards’ on Saturday and collected some of the evening’s honours for this year’s production of Into the Woods, those awards going to a vastly experienced creative talent and an actress on the rise.
Retiring director Colin Mitchell OAM won the 2024 Edith Harrhy Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre, having long contributed to Leongatha Lyric Theatre and other companies including Wonthaggi Theatrical Group, his set and costume design complementing his directing.
He received a standing ovation when accepting his award at the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre in Traralgon.
“I, of course, am very honoured and deem myself fortunate to be acknowledged with an award for doing what I love,” Colin told the Sentinel-Times.
He also received the Hazel Rogers Award for costumes.
The Award for an Open Supporting Performer in a Female Presenting Role went to Lyric Theatre’s Cecily De Gooyer for her part as Cinderella in Into the Woods, and she also earned the Anna Marinelli Award for a Junior Performer in an Open Production.
Colin reflected on Cecily’s success.
“Every now and then I am privileged to work with young performers that have natural talent and Cecily is definitely one of them; she makes the job of directing a lot easier,” he said.
Colin elaborated that such talented actors “innately know what to do and can slip into another person’s skin with ease”.
“We were lucky to have three of these young talents in Into the Woods, the other two being Taine Lowe and Aoife O’Connell,” Colin said, the pair having played Jack and Little Red Riding Hood
respectively.
Colin is pleased to have played a small part in the journey of those young performers.
His recognised outstanding contribution to musical theatre no doubt includes his vast influence as a mentor to such rising talent over many years, having found his place in theatre, and being delighted to share its magic with others.
