Earlier in the year the Board of the Ulumbarra Foundation had the pleasure of viewing the Bendigo Theatre Company’s rehearsal of Fiddler on the Roof and we were very impressed. Several Board members attended their performance and the quality was superb, a fantastic effort.

Opera Australia presented the classic Madam Butterfly to a packed and appreciative audience in July. One of the features was the inclusion in the cast, by request of Opera Australia, of a choir of local young people. How fortunate we are to have a theatre of the calibre of Ulumbarra to be able to attract such a world class company to perform for us. A photograph of the cast, including the children`s choir, is included in this Newsletter.

Another highlight, for which I sincerely thank the Arena Theatre Company and the City of Greater Bendigo for their generosity in providing the tickets, was to bring 48 young students, with four teachers, from the two primary schools in Pyramid Hill, for a performance of "Robot Song" at the Engine Room. Following the performance, Arena treated the children to a guided tour of the set, with an introduction to the cast. The success of this event has resulted in the Foundation`s Board agreeing, unanimously, to offer a similar opportunity to other schools located outside the Greater Bendigo area for suitable concerts.

Also, it has been decided to provide free entry to the popular Cushion Concerts, as a regular occurrence.

In the meantime, the day by day matters of the Foundation continue, including the recent launch of our Annual Giving campaign. To be able to promote and assist the performing arts scene in Bendigo and Central Victoria, regular funding is vital, so I ask our supporters, benefactors, and local businesses to support us. Early indications are positive, let`s keep it moving.

Finally, round 2 of our 2018 Performing Arts Power-up closes very soon. For those groups who missed the notice in the Advertiser on 28 July, I suggest you move quickly if you want to apply for funding assistance
 
Gordon McKern OAM

We had the pleasure of helping to organise a visit to Robot Song performed by the Arena Theatre Co for the students of St Patrick's Primary School and Pyramid Hill College in Pyramid Hill. They were very grateful for their experience which included special Q&A time with the performers after the show!

We received a very heartfelt letter from Arena Theatre Co addressing their deep appreciation at our efforts to support their organisation and specifically our support of Robot Song.

"The wonderful thing about our interactions with school groups such as the one from Pyramid Hill yesterday is that we absolutely love doing them. We want the youngest members of our community (and their parents) to fall in love with theatre and with creativity, because of the positive impact we see it have.  It is really special to be able to share that Q&A time after a show and respond to their beautifully insightful questions and comments. And, I think it's fair to say that Robot Song had a substantial impact on everybody here at Arena too. Thank you to the Ulumbarra Foundation, for its support of Robot Song."
- Christian Leavesley, Artistic Director, Arena Theatre Company.

Our foundation was pleased to sponsor the childrens chorus at the recent performance of Madam Butterfly. Children spent a number of weeks receiving singing training from a very talented singing teacher who taught them how to best sing as a chorus. We were very impressed with their performance in Madam Butterfly!