MTC Offering Pair of $15,000 Indigenous Scholarships

Melbourne Theatre Company, in partnership with the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, is offering two $15,000 scholarships to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from Victoria.

Designed to help create career pathways for young Indigenous people over 18 years old, these scholarships are aimed at supporting those preparing for tertiary study, or work, in the field of production for the performing arts.

In addition to the $15,000 cash bursary to cover living and educational expenses, the scholarships provide the opportunity to complete a practical internship at MTC, assisting with mainstage productions and other core Company activities, while learning how a major performing arts organisation operates.

Scholarship recipients will also receive mentoring and guidance throughout the year; access to relevant resources and materials; tickets to see shows, cultural activities and exhibitions in Melbourne; a written reference; and assistance writing job or study applications and preparing for interviews. The program of activities will be tailored to each recipient's level of experience, availability and particular area of interest within the field of production.

Melbourne Theatre Company Executive Director Virginia Lovett said, 'There is nothing more valuable for young people starting out than hands on experience in a real working environment, and this scholarship is a fantastic opportunity to learn from highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals at Victoria's flagship theatre company. For MTC, it is incredibly rewarding to work with young people passionate about a career in the arts and help them take the next steps to gaining further education or employment in the field.

'It is also wonderful to be partnering with the Wilin Centre for the first time and facilitating a scholarship that specifically spotlights production for live performance, a side of the creative industries that offers so many exciting career possibilities, Ms Lovett said.

Throughout the year, the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development, based at the University of Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts, will provide cultural support and assistance to the scholarship recipients.

Richard Frankland, Head of Curriculum and Programs at the Wilin Centre, said, 'I hope this scholarship leads to me seeing more Aboriginal faces studying with us at the VCA and I look forward to connecting recipients to Indigenous arts and culture networks. The internship is an excellent opportunity for Indigenous students to get an invaluable firsthand experience of working in the arts and will give them a huge advantage in their future study and career.'

MTC's Indigenous Scholarships are offered as part of the Company's Sharing the Light initiative generously supported by Crown Resorts Foundation and the Packer Family Foundation. This initiative aims to reduce barriers some young people face in accessing learning opportunities and world-class mainstage theatre.

Other aspects of the Sharing the Light initiative include $5 tickets to MTC mainstage productions for students at eligible schools, $5 tickets to MTC's annual Family Production and the tour of MTC's Education Production to regional Victoria and Launceston in Tasmania.

Applications for MTC's Indigenous Scholarships are open until Friday 19 February.

For more information about the scholarships visit mtc.com.au/IndigenousScholarships

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