Gemco Players
Encyclopedia
Gemco Players Community Theatre Inc. is a community theatre group in Emerald, Victoria
and has been active now for 29 years.
Gemco stands for the townships in the Dandenong Ranges:
Over that time Gemco has performed to over 45,000 people using some 3,600 people on or off stage. Gemco has had over 1900 young people involved in its Youth/Children’s programs. All leaders and committee give their time voluntarily
Gemco has raised over $20,000 for groups within the community and beyond. Over 70% of material is Australian with much of it locally written.
Gemco is a not for profit organisation. The youth theatre has grown in the last 9 years from 15 young people, to 3 groups of 60 young people attending per week and a waiting list. The most recent musical by Gemco - “Hot Mikado
” - was not able to be performed at Gemco Hall due to space constraints - in fact, the rehearsals became impossible towards the end when the whole company was assembled.
Aside from all of the productions that Gemco has put on over the past few decades, they have also been involved in the following: A cappella singing workshops by local singer Suzanne Frisk called “Vocal Nosh”; Further acoustic music nights in an informal setting giving local performers the chance to perform in an excellently acoustic environment, run by Carol McCoy and friends. Both these events arose from the performing arts festival.
Involvement in community events include:
Over the past few years, Gemco has hosted:
Other groups who have booked and used the Gemco Hall include:
Gemco's most recent annual project has been the very successful improvised show WotsDaNaymovit?" ("What's the name of it?") in which an ensemble of actors create three completely unscripted one act plays. Following on from this, a new improvisational theatre
group, Gempro was formed as part of Gemco.
After decades of effort, Gemco has also recently received a grant from the Cardinia council
, the State Government & the Federal Government, allowing them to construct a 150 seat theatre in the local area.
Emerald, Victoria
Emerald is a town and semi-rural locality in the Greater Melbourne area, Victoria, Australia, 44 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, outside the urban area. Its Local Government Area are the Shires of Cardinia and Yarra Ranges...
and has been active now for 29 years.
Gemco stands for the townships in the Dandenong Ranges:
- GembrookGembrook, VictoriaGembrook is a town in Victoria, Australia, 54 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia...
- EmeraldEmerald, VictoriaEmerald is a town and semi-rural locality in the Greater Melbourne area, Victoria, Australia, 44 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, outside the urban area. Its Local Government Area are the Shires of Cardinia and Yarra Ranges...
- MonbulkMonbulk, VictoriaMonbulk is a satellite town & suburb of Melbourne located 42 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Monbulk had a population of 2715.-History:...
, MacclesfieldMacclesfield, VictoriaMacclesfield is a town in Victoria, Australia, 47 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Macclesfield had a population of 1,041....
and Menzies CreekMenzies Creek, VictoriaMenzies Creek is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 42 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges... - CockatooCockatoo, VictoriaCockatoo is a town in Victoria, Australia, 48 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia. At the 2006 Census, Cockatoo had a population of 4,560....
Community Theatre
Over that time Gemco has performed to over 45,000 people using some 3,600 people on or off stage. Gemco has had over 1900 young people involved in its Youth/Children’s programs. All leaders and committee give their time voluntarily
Gemco has raised over $20,000 for groups within the community and beyond. Over 70% of material is Australian with much of it locally written.
Gemco is a not for profit organisation. The youth theatre has grown in the last 9 years from 15 young people, to 3 groups of 60 young people attending per week and a waiting list. The most recent musical by Gemco - “Hot Mikado
Hot Mikado
Hot Mikado is a musical comedy, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, adapted by David H. Bell and Rob Bowman...
” - was not able to be performed at Gemco Hall due to space constraints - in fact, the rehearsals became impossible towards the end when the whole company was assembled.
Aside from all of the productions that Gemco has put on over the past few decades, they have also been involved in the following: A cappella singing workshops by local singer Suzanne Frisk called “Vocal Nosh”; Further acoustic music nights in an informal setting giving local performers the chance to perform in an excellently acoustic environment, run by Carol McCoy and friends. Both these events arose from the performing arts festival.
Involvement in community events include:
- Cockatoo’s celebration of the International Year of the Volunteer
- Senior Citizens week closing concert at Cardinia Cultural Centre
- Emerald Winterfest street entertainment
Over the past few years, Gemco has hosted:
- The 6th - 13th Dandenong Ranges One Act Play Festivals
- A concert in aid of the “Bali Appeal2002 Bali bombingThe 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack was claimed as the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia according to the current police general, killing 202 people,...
” and a special fund raiser for the Tenderfoot Kindergarten in Nairobi, Kenya. During this period funds were raised for the local Palliative Care group. - Over AU$3000 was raised in 2005 for the victims of the Tsunami disaster2004 Indian Ocean earthquakeThe 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
via an outdoor music day held in the Gemco carpark.
Other groups who have booked and used the Gemco Hall include:
- The Phoenix Recorder Consort
- Emerald Primary School
- Emerald Performing Arts Company
- The Dandenong Ranges Orchestra
- Beaconhills College’s Year 9 Productions
- The Flinders QuartetQuartetIn music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
Gemco's most recent annual project has been the very successful improvised show WotsDaNaymovit?" ("What's the name of it?") in which an ensemble of actors create three completely unscripted one act plays. Following on from this, a new improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
group, Gempro was formed as part of Gemco.
After decades of effort, Gemco has also recently received a grant from the Cardinia council
Shire of Cardinia
Cardinia Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne between the Western Port bay and the Yarra Ranges on the outskirts of Melbourne...
, the State Government & the Federal Government, allowing them to construct a 150 seat theatre in the local area.
Past
- 1980 - Lord Marmaduke Merkies Last Misdeed - (Melodrama)
- 1981 - Post Horn Gallop - (Melodrama)
- 1982 - Gemco Fowlies - (Written by Roy Down, Neville Galloway & M.O.G - (Topical Review)
- 1983 - Lord Marmaduke Merkies Last Misdeed - ( Revival season in Aid for the Ash Wednesday Bush Fires ) -
- 1983 - Comedies Of Errors - (Comedy)
- 1983 - Snow White - (Pantomime)
- 1984 - Dracula - (Drama)
- 1985 - Trivial Pursuites - (Topical locally written review)
- 1986 - Urbs Urbis / Jaspers Show - (Topical locally written review)
- 1987 - Fogies - (Musical Comedy)