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President’s Report

Annual General Meeting

Wednesday March 18 – 2009

Patron, Councillor David Hinchliffe . . . . .my Committee colleagues. . . .ladies and gentlemen.

Welcome to the twenty-fourth Annual General Meeting of Queensland Musical Theatre & Arts Inc. as we begin our twenty-fifth year of operations. I have much pleasure in delivering my nineteenth Report.

We met in 2008 on Ash Wednesday, March 19, which is also the Feast Day of St Joseph. Long-serving Committeeman and Life Member Bill Carr did not make himself available for re-election. He was joined by Vanessa Hill, and both Errol and Sally-Anne Westendorf. Notice of Motion was given at the Meeting to raise the Membership Fee to Forty Dollars -- with appropriate concessions -- from 1 January 2009, the decision ratified subsequently at an Extraordinary General Meeting.

Our choice for the first production of 2008 was No No, Nanette! Auditions were held on February 2^nd and 3^rd, with Doreen Omiros Production Director, Julie Whiting, Music Director; and Sarah Roberts as Choreographer. Our Supporters’ launch was on March 28 in the Lucinda Room at Parliament House; and as usual we must thank Mr Speaker Reynolds, retiring now in a few days from the Parliament.

 Our first musical offering was on March 24, when we took a potted Concert version of The Pirates of Penzance to the “Bribie Island Pirate Festival”. My thanks to those members who made the visit; and we were paid a fee of Five Hundred Dollars.

Your new Committee met on twelve occasions, plus one Special Meeting to discuss Brisbane City Council Proposals. Members elected were:-

Executive

President:                       Brian Cahill  MBE (Life Member)

Vice-President:              Deian Ping   (Life Member)

Treasurer:                       Pio Matarazzo  (Life Member)

Secretary:                       Nick Neild

                          and

Artistic Director:            Denise Cahill (Life Member)

Members:  Stephanie Beer, Ali Clinch, Lindsay Fletcher, Jill Gardiner, Alyssa Maugham, Doreen Omiros (Life Member), Nadine Uhlhorn.

It was disappointing that Ms Beer, having accepted the position, failed to attend a single Meeting.

April 11 saw the beginning of a saga with TELSTRA and SENSIS which, if I were to relate it all----the e-mails, faxes, letters, telephone calls----it would keep you here until morning. Briefly, what it was about was that your Committee decided that having the same telephone number for Denise and me---and for QMT---was becoming too complicated. So, it was decided that the landline number would be our personal one; and that QMT would go to a Mobile telephone.  These people have been unable to grasp the concept that although QMT (for Business purposes) and Brian & Denise Cahill have the same Postal address, Accounts should not be sent to “Brian Cahill” if they happen to be a QMT matter. This, I should add, when the Yellow Pages and White Pages show quite clearly who owns what telephone number. Our recent threat of taking the matter to the Federal Ombudsman may have steadied the ship!

In April, your Committee nominated me for a position on the Lord Mayor’s Community and Parks Enhancement Committee. Despite several requests from us as to what was happening, telephone calls and e-mails to and from the Lord Mayor’s Staff; and a promised personal intervention by the Lord Mayor, nothing happened. After the Lord Mayor’s being returned with a majority, the idea was cancelled. The whole thing became an exercise in futility.

A rehearsal Camp for “Nanette” was held at the Ewan Maddock Dam site on a very cold May weekend; and on June 21 we had an “out of Town” run at AVEO Durack, which was very successful and brought $700.00 into our Account.

The Production opened at Brisbane POWERHOUSE  (Powerhouse Theatre) with a matinee on the Queen’s Birthday holiday; and came down on June 14.

In July, we looked at the possibility of installing an air-conditioning unit at Beeston Street; but without a Grant it would have been too expensive. Also in July, we held auditions for The King and I, with Deian Ping as Production Director, Julie Whiting as MD; and Ali Clinch making her debut as Choreographer. Because of the Children’s Services Act, we had two juvenile casts of wonderful children. Many of the adult rôles were doubled too, such was the quality on offer. We had our Sponsors’ launch on August 22, went into Camp on 3-4-5 of October, played AVEO on October 19 (again $700.00); and opened at the Schonell Theatre on the twenty-second, coming down on November 2. This time, we entrusted the Ticketing to BRIZTIX, an arm of the Harvest Rain Theatre Company. In several matters, BRIZTIX failed to live up to its contractual Agreement with us. On occasions the service was slipshod, to be kind to it; at times the system failed us completely; and still there is the unsolved matter of our querying whether or not GST was charged. If it was, then there is some money owing to QMT because this Association is GST exempt.

In September we re-activated our Public Trust Fund, whereby any financial amount or material donation over Two Dollars in value, paid to or given it, earns a Tax deduction. To the $100.00 with which we began it, has been added $500.00 from a family; and just under $100.00 from a subscriber.  The three Trustees are New Farm resident, Adelle, Lady Kaye, highly qualified Accountant and former QMT Treasurer James Hamilton and I. Neither Lady Kaye nor James Hamilton is a member of the QMT Committee.  The Committee, by its own decision, has no control of the Fund. If a request is made by the Committee for a release of some Funds, the Trustees must fulfill it if they consider that there is sufficient reason.

Now, we are preparing our first production for 2009, with a revival of the Queen of Operettas, The Merry Widow. Denise, our “Merry Widow” in the 1991 Production, will Direct the piece, with a talented young newcomer to QMT, Steve McKay as MD; and one of our most talented and beautiful dancers, Julianne Burke, making her debut with QMT as Choreographer. The Show is cast and in rehearsal.

It remains only for me, on behalf of the QMT Members, to express our gratitude to Cr Hinchliffe, Michael Hawkes, Publisher of Village News, Kellie Higgins-Devine of 612 ABC, Ian Maurice and Marty Ryan of Radio 4BC, Damian Lee of Radio 4EB, Barry Jantzen of Radio 4RPH, Howard Ainsworth and the staff of 103.7 4MBS-FM, Paul Dellit from “A Little Gossip”, the Arts Section of The Courier-Mail; and to Brisbane City Council Parks and Gardens co-ordinator Mick Becei. Without the help of such people as these, it would be next to impossible to function successfully.

Brian Cahill    MBE  JP  CERT. TEACH  BA FCMD

PRESIDENT

18 March 2009