Today in the Tasmanian Parliament, I spoke about the outstanding success of the Australian Musical Theatre Festival in Launceston and the extraordinary community effort behind it.
From a packed Albert Hall concert to workshops, youth productions, cabaret performances and choir events across the city, the festival brought joy, energy and economic activity to Northern Tasmania.
In my speech, I acknowledged:
• Artistic Director Tyran Parke and the festival board
• volunteers, sponsors, technical crews and community supporters
• outstanding Tasmanian performers including Rob Mallett and Lisa Crosato
• the role of arts and community events in lifting civic spirit
• the proud history of the Albert Hall as a gathering place for Launceston
• what northern Tasmania can achieve when people back themselves and work together
Events like this remind us that with community spirit, volunteers, donors, performers and believers, Tasmania can do great things.
Mr FERGUSON (Bass) – Honourable Speaker, I rise tonight to acknowledge the outstanding success of the Australian Musical Theatre Festival held in my city of Launceston this week and last weekend. My wife, Julie, and I attended the main concert at the Albert Hall with family and I would estimate perhaps another thousand of our community. The Albert Hall was packed and people loved it from the first number through to the finale. Unfortunately, there was no encore. There was real joy in the Albert Hall, which I love to see as our community gathers together.
I want to especially congratulate Artistic Director Tyran Parke, the board, performers, technical crew, the sponsors, the volunteers, and every person involved, including the volunteers who were there helping patrons find their seats and welcoming guests through the doors. Events like this only happen because a lot of people, in our northern community in particular, but around the state, quietly put in a huge amount of work behind the scenes, and of course attracting necessary support. There was plenty of that, including from the Tasmanian Liberal government, the City of Launceston, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, business sponsors, personal donors, arts organisations, schools and colleges, and community members who back the vision and helped to make it happen.
We heard remarkable talent from around the country, but tonight I especially want to acknowledge Tasmanian performers, including Rob Mallett and Lisa Crosato, who were individually and with their other duets, absolutely outstanding.
Of course, the festival was much bigger than just one concert across five days. There were performances, workshops, choir events, cabaret performances, youth events and productions right across Launceston. It created a real buzz in our city and it brought people into our restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels.
But as much as I enjoyed the music itself, I want to say something else about this event, because as I was preparing for this address, I have recognised something quite special. First of all, the Albert Hall itself was packed; it was absolutely packed and I realised that this must be one of those great community events in the history of that building going back many years that people will remember into the future for many years. I add to that, of course, the great day where John Howard, prime minister, addressed the forestry workers in the 2004 election. But I digress.
More than 130 years ago, the Albert Hall was built for the Tasmanian Industrial Exhibition of 1891, an event specifically designed to help lift community spirit during difficult economic times following the Depression of the 1880s. It still stands proudly in Launceston to this day. Last weekend, the Albert Hall was doing exactly that yet again. What made it so impressive was this: yes, there was government support, but the event was really driven by non government, by the northern community, by a statewide community, by believers and by givers. I’m talking about volunteers, local sponsors and donors, performers and, dare I say it, a community that dreamed a dream.
This reminds me, I want to bring to the House what Launceston and northern Tasmania can do when people back themselves with an enterprising spirit and focus on a shared goal that will lift the community. I want to, as a Liberal member for Bass, congratulate everyone involved and look forward to seeing the festival continuing to grow in the years ahead.
