Haul of awards for talented Lilydale theatre cast, crew
From costumes to lighting, lead roles and supporting roles, Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company (LATC) won 15 awards from 34 nominations at the Lyrebird Awards, the most of any company, presented on Saturday 1 February.
Three of the five productions from 2024 garnered awards being Still Alice, Suite Surrender and Clue.
With “so much talent in Melbourne”, Fiona Carter said, being able to bring that to audiences in Lilydale, no matter the show, no matter the script.
“I’m so glad that we’ve got these community theatres where it’s quality theatre. We want to make something good that people will enjoy, that will make them think, make them laugh, make them cry, and it’s like you get to live somebody else’s life when you’re watching it and and as an audience, I want to be touched.”
Toasting a contemporary version of Melba in new exhibition
The culmination of two years’ worth of work to bring a contemporary view of famed opera singer Dame Nellie Melba to the Yarra Ranges finally launched in February with a Toast to Melba.
Described as the Taylor Swift or Kylie Minogue of her era, Yarra Ranges Regional Museum director Megan Sheehy and curator Maddie Reece said this fresh perspective of the singer, mother and revered woman was designed to cater to an entirely new audience.
“What we are trying to do with the exhibition, is to find the elements of her story that are of interest and relevance today particularly for young women who might look to different pop stars and social media influencers, and to really position her as the first person to do that, not just in Australia, but in the world, and to help people understand that she really was the Taylor Swift of her era,” Ms Sheehy said.
“She was that first celebrity. Celebrity and the concept of fame is coined off of Melba, not just people like Melba, but Melba herself,” Ms Reece said.
Heart and hands: Fiona Carter’s love of the piano hits the small screen
Fiona Carter has been playing the piano since the age of five.
As a well-known and loved performer at the Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company, her piano playing is just one of many talents, one she sometimes pulls out on stage.
After a chance email to the Theatre that Ms Carter happened to respond to, she was selected from 1600 applications to be a part of the ABC’s The Piano TV series.
Flying to Sydney to perform and be interviewed by Amanda Keller, only to learn afterwards that “Andrea Lam and Harry Connick Jr had been watching and listening to us”.
Musicality and performing was somewhat of a family trait, passed on from her grandmother and mother, which flowed onto Ms Carter’s daughters and nieces, too.
“Mum used to play for us six girls to sing. We performed as the Williams Family Singers. Dad couldn’t carry a tune, but loved hearing us all play and sing. His father was a pianist too,” Ms Carter said.
“Some of my earliest memories are of lying in bed at night, hearing mum play the piano.”
But her love of performing doesn’t match the simple task of practising at home with her grandmother’s baby grand piano.
“I love the structure and discipline of practising the piano. The world goes away when my heart and my hands combine to make music.”
Art gives Milie the will to keep going after MND diagnosis
Breaking free of the confines set around her, Milie Woods always knew art was a calling she couldn’t resist, little did she know one day it would also provide immense comfort in hardship.
“For me, it’s just who I am. I’ve always been creative. I always wanted to paint. I taught myself to paint under the bed at night as a kid. And look, it’s always been in me,” she said.
As someone who paints every day, Milie said her collection of works is extensive, with roughly 200 pieces accumulated over time.
So when Milie was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in December 2024, it felt like the perfect opportunity to present her art and raise funds while doing so.
Launching A Retrospective in Ink at Round Bird Artspace in Lilydale on 1 June, Milie’s exhibition raised thousands of dollars for MND Victoria.
Despite losing her ability to paint the intricate details she is used to, Milie said if she weren’t able to create art at all, she wouldn’t be as positive as she is.
“What I’m trying to do at the moment is to adapt my artwork to what’s happening to my body.
“It keeps my mind busy. It keeps my mind occupied. It is something I love…If I couldn’t paint, I think I’d just go down hill. It just gives me the will to keep going.
“If you give up, then it just lets the disease take over. When you’re given a diagnosis that is life threatening if you give up, it only progresses further.”
Telling the untold stories of life, hardship and home
The untold tales of Yarra Ranges residents, whose histories are rooted in stories of work, play, hardship and love, craft a vision of what the region was like decades ago.
Wanting to honour and give light to these nearly forgotten stories, the Lilydale Community House set out on a path to do just that.
Receiving funding from the Lilydale Revitalisation Board, the We’re Not Dead Yet project began.
On Tuesday 29 July, the finished product, a book of collected stories, officially launched.
“This came about through conversations I had with various older members of our community and realising how amazing and varied people’s lives have been and still are,” Community house coordinator Suyin Chan said.
“Some have had massive challenges along the way. All have lived very interesting lives. As we get older, we become more invisible in so many ways.
“I wanted to highlight the stories of a few and acknowledge their amazing lives, and hope that others will acknowledge them too. Too many people may assume that you haven’t done much in your life, and it’s far from the truth.”
The powerful act of crafting change
The power of craft to bring about change and awareness on the issues and challenges facing society is not new but craftivist Tal Fitzpatrick brings a new lens to this old concept.
Her touring collection of textile banners landed at the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum in early August, exploring themes of gender-based inequality.
Changemakers: Crafting a difference formed part of the Museum of Australian Democracy’s (MoAD) larger exhibition in Canberra highlighting women’s contributions to Australia’s democracy and development.
“Craft has always really been used as part of people’s modes of resistance and self-advocacy, and we can see that all around the world, all through history,” Tal said.
