January 22nd, 2022Arts and culture in regional Victoria

Arts and culture fans in regional Victoria will experience world-class performances in their local venues and see local productions brought to life, backed by new support from the state government.
Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson has announced the grant recipients for the latest rounds of the Touring Victoria and Small Regional Presenters programs.
Touring Victoria provides grants to arts and cultural organisations, performers and creatives to help them to take professional productions, performances, exhibitions and programs to regional and outer-metropolitan Victoria.
This year’s program has awarded grants of more than $765,000 to eight tours including The Australian Ballet for performances in Mildura and Bendigo, singer-songwriter Kutcha Edwards’s tour of 26 locations and a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra tour of nine centres including Wangaratta, Warragul, Shepparton, Ballarat, Bendigo and Mildura.
The MSO’s initiative takes in concerts, free pre-concert lectures, schools and community workshops and rehearsals with community choirs.
Also receiving funding are tours of The Alphabet of Awesome Science and Barbaroi, contemporary art exhibitions by National Exhibitions Touring Support Victoria, all-female circus-comedy show Don’t Mess with the Dummies, and Finucane & Smith’s Travelling Dance Hall – the Whole of Community Celebration, along with a 25-destination tour by the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.
The Small Regional Presenters program, delivered by Regional Arts Victoria, provides grants to community groups and not for profit organisations, helping them bring performing arts shows to their local communities.
Grants totalling almost $120,000 have been awarded to 11 recipients who will stage a range of theatre performances, concerts, art and education programs and literary events.
Events will be presented at locations including Kaniva, Stratford, Queenscliff, Portarlington, Avenel, Apollo Bay, Birregurra, Creswick and Lakes Entrance.
These include The Bellarine Sessions, a series of concerts in coastal towns around the Bellarine Peninsula, a series of community concerts in Creswick and kickstART, a year-long community focused program of performances in Stratford. In the north east, there is support for six live performances to be held at local halls in the King Valley.
For further details including the full list of funding recipients, visit creative.vic.gov.au.
Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson: “It’s fantastic to see so many wonderful arts events and cultural performances being presented at locations right across the state.
“These programs ensure more Victorians can enjoy great productions in venues large and small, and they bolster creative workers who deliver so much for their communities.”