Mike Walsh O.B.E. - Official Website

THE MIKE WALSH FELLOWSHIPS

Background
In 1996 Mike Walsh OBE established the Mike Walsh Fellowships to assist young theatre artists with the potential to make a significant contribution to the Australian arts and entertainment industry. The Fellowships enable recipients to travel abroad and so to obtain a wider knowledge and experience of theatre, perhaps through a formal course of study, or by a self-devised program that might include, for example, one or more of the following (the list is indicative, not exhaustive): a course of instruction; private classes; observation; secondment; meetings; an association with a theatre company; attendance at a festival; visiting costume museums. It is expected that a Fellow will take up the Fellowship within eighteen months of award, and will, soon after, return to Australia to pursue a career.

At the time of establishing the Fellowships Mike’s business interests were all in Sydney, and the Fellowships were offered exclusively to graduates of any full-time course offered by Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art who had graduated in the previous ten years. The total value of the awards was $35 000 annually; in the fifteen years of the awards Mike gave more than $500 000 in these NIDA Fellowships.

Development
In recent years, with his acquisition of Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, Mike’s interests spread to his home town. At the same time, many of the productions staged at the Maj have been musicals, and Mike has been impressed both by the number and by the quality of the graduates in Music Theatre from the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts who have graced the productions. These two facts led him to make changes to the Fellowships in 2010. Since 2011:

the Fellowships have been open to a theatre practitioner who is a recent graduate of NIDA, of the Victorian College of the Arts, or of WAAPA;
the period of eligibility has been reduced to exclude graduates who have not had time to establish themselves in the profession; and
the total amount distributed annually has been increased to $50,000.

Eligibility for 2014 Fellowships
Theatre practitioners in any field – not only performers – whose final year at NIDA, the VCA, or WAAPA was 2004 to 2011 inclusive. All applicants compete on an even footing. For course eligibility, see ‘For Intending 2014 applicants’

Scope of the Fellowships
Each applicant must present a proposal outlining the intended use of a Fellowship. Originally this was limited only by cost, and not by area of specialization. Because of the increased number of applicants now eligible, the only proposals now considered are those that are broadly in the field of theatre.

Timing
A Fellowship must be taken up and completed within eighteen months following its award; otherwise it will be forfeit, and any moneys paid will have to be returned. Recently however, an extension was given, on compassionate grounds; an application for extension will be considered on its merits.

Administration
The Fellowships are administered by Terence Clarke AM, with the assistance of Di Edwards, Mike’s Personal Assistant. All shortlisted applicants for a 2014 Fellowship will be interviewed in Sydney on Wednesday 12 November by a panel chaired by Mike; the other members include Sandra Bates AM, Co-Artistic Director of the Ensemble Theatre, Sydney, Mark Rowe, General Manager of Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, Martin Gordon, Deputy Chairman and Director of Daniel Sparrow and Mike Walsh Productions, London, and Mr Clarke. Applicants unable to make their way to Sydney at their own expense – the preferred alternative - will be interviewed by Skype.

Applications
Intending applicants should first download and read ‘For Intending 2014 Applicants’, below, and then download and complete the Application Form.

Closing date
5:00 pm, Friday 31 October 2014

Enquiries
Address enquiries to Mr Clarke: tjoclarke@gmail.com