Dear Theatre Lover
My name is Claudia Barrie and I am the Artistic Director and Producer of Mad March Hare.
9 years ago I independently mounted my first show under the MMH banner. An actor first and foremost, my producing career was born out of a need to work on both Australian and International works that provoke, inspire and entertain audiences. I was finding myself frustrated with the lack of opportunities I was being presented with and sought a solution as a producer. I am passionate about telling important stories that express valuable ideas and embrace confronting and challenging themes. Over the years I have continued to search for strong and resonant plays relevant to today’s audiences that may or may not see the light in a main stage company. I am dedicated to working with professional production values and professional and committed artists. I am proud to have also championed female driven past productions and am continually working with an awareness to achieving greater gender equality in theatre. Whilst MMH receives no funding from the government, I am committed to working towards the full waging of artists and engaging in financially sustainable practices. I believe in complete transparency for all artists in our current co-operative profit share model.
I don’t need to tell you what the actual importance of the arts is but I will say this: It is the job of the artist to hold a mirror up to their community, to challenge them and to change them. The theatre offers a visceral and ephemeral experience that no other form of artistic expression does. It involves a shared kinetic exchange that is completely unique for each audience member. It can provide moments of sheer joy and release from someone’s reality. It can remind them of their childhood or a memory long forgotten. It can allow an audience member to connect emphatically with the plight of somebody who lives in a reality completely removed from their own and as a result incite social change. And the value of that is priceless.
I am asking for your support to ensure that we can continue to foster outstanding independent work, to tell important stories and to tell them well. Your financial contribution will help MMH produce shows of the highest echelon and support our aim to ensure that the artists and crew involved in our productions can be rewarded financially for their work.
If you have seen MMH work in the past and valued the stories told, the work of the actors, directors, designers or crew, this is how you can show us.
WHERE WILL YOUR MONEY GO?
Your donation will assist with:
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Cast and Creatives fees
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Set materials
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Props
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Costumes
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Lighting
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Sound
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Publicity/Marketing
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Insurance
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Performance Rights
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Venue Fee
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Administration
If you are interested in supporting independent theatre in a philanthropic or sponsorship capacity either individually or through your business, please get in touch and we can discuss suitable packages. Donations can be arranged through Creative Partnerships Australia and the Australian Cultural Fund which hold DGR status to allow for tax deductibility.
Thank you for your support and taking the time to read about Mad March Hare and I look forward to seeing you at the theatre soon!
With Love
Claudia Barrie
Artistic Director
Mad March Hare Theatre Company
*Whilst MMH is currently not producing I encourage you to reach out to the many other incredible independent companies and show your support. There are so, so many. I would primarily draw your attention to Red Line Productions at the Old Fitz, Bakehouse Theatre Company at the Kings Cross Theatre and the Old 505 at the 5 Eliza. Those companies are residents of the venue and provide space for smaller companies such as MMH to work. Reach out. Get involved.
WHAT THE CRITICS HAVE SAID...
“★★★★★ A public reckoning with the experience of being a young woman. A play that you can feel collide with your body.” -Time Out (Dry Land)
“An unexpected pleasure. One of the highest order…Do not miss this production if you cherish theatrical excellence.” Kevin Jackson’s Theatre Diary (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo)
'A beautiful production that successfully expresses Herzog’s vision…Mad March Hare have done a wonderful job bringing Belleville to the Sydney stage at the Old Fitz Theatre. This is a deep, complex play directed by someone in full control of the material and her cast.' Lisa Thatcher (Belleville)
'One wishes that the principal companies in Sydney, occasionally, revealed such enterprise, and delivered a similar, a relative, quality of work, as this. The Independent sector of the Sydney Theatre scene has a finger on the living pulse of the world and its dramatic literature.' Kevin Jackson's Theatre Diary (Shivered)
'There have been a couple of wonderful independent shows this year...but Mad March Hare have put together a show that can mix it with the best, in regard to design, vision and performance. Not to be missed." Dinner and a Show (Shivered)
'Exquisite direction…a laudable cast and Philip Ridley’s gripping play, this is a production that should be elevated to the forefront of Sydney’s theatre scene.' Absolute Theatre (Shivered)
'Perfectly realised…a standard that will be hard to beat in this year’s festival.' Theatre Now (Dark Vanilla Jungle)
‘…astounding performance impresses with a savage depth that is rarely encountered.' Suzy Goes See (Dark Vanilla Jungle)
'Remarkable...provocative...frightening.... top-notch theatre...One of the best things I've seen all year.' Lisa Thatcher (Dark Vanilla Jungle)
'...beautifully convincing... alarmingly confronting.' The Buzz From Sydney (Dark Vanilla Jungle)
'An excellent production.. an extraordinarily talented and generous cast' Lisa Thatcher (A Moment on the Lips)
AWARDS AND SPECIAL MENTIONS
NOMINATION: Best Director- Claudia Barrie
Nomination for DRY LAND
Broadway World, 2017
NOMINATION: Best Play
Nomination for DRY LAND
Broadway World, 2017
NOMINATION: Best Actor- Sarah Meacham
Nomination for DRY LAND
Broadway World, 2017
NOMINATION: Best Actor- Patricia Pemberton
Nomination for DRY LAND
Broadway World, 2017
NOMINATION: Best Lighting Design- Benjamin Brockman
Nomination for BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO
Broadway World, 2017
DARK VANILLA JUNGLE: Best Actor in a Dramatic Role (Suzy Goes See BEST OF 2015)
DARK VANILLA JUNGLE: Top Moments on the Sydney Theatre Stage 2015- SOLO PERFORMANCE (Jason Blake, SMH)
SHIVERED: Best of 2015 (Upstaged Reviews)