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A town of 4,600 people, Numurkah is nestled on the banks of the Broken
Creek, 210km north of Melbourne. It lies in the middle of a rural
irrigation district, which relies principally on dairying, fruit
production, mixed farming and grazing.
Numurkah acquired a reputation as "The Singing Town" in the early 20th
century, due to its diverse range of high quality choral groups.
However, the town has also always had bands, orchestras or small
instrumental ensembles of some description kicking around, waiting for
the opportunity to perform!
Numurkah's reputation has long rested upon its talented array of
choral singers, who belonged to groups such as:
• the Numurkah Harmonic Society (founded 1883)
• the Numurkah Choral Union (1885)
• the Numurkah Dramatic Club (1886)
• the Numurkah Amateur Minstrel Club (1888)
• the Numurkah Amateur Dramatic and Musical Society (1890)
• the Numurkah Musical Society (1896)
• the Numurkah Amateur Opera Company (1901)
• the Chorale Musicale (1908)
• the Numurkah Chorale Society (shortly after World War I)
• the Numurkah Singers (1963).
The Numurkah Singers Company - now known as the Numurkah Singers
Theatre Inc. - boasts a record as the longest-running choral group in
the history of Numurkah.
It first took to the stage in 1963 when Numurkah's Rose Festival
Committee asked a local woman to organise entertainment as part of the
festival. The Singers staged 'Pirates of Penzance', a production which
was so successful with local audiences that the players wanted to
perform again, and took a two week break before beginning preparations
to perform 'The Mikado'.
Since 1963, the Singers have staged a production every year, with the
exception of 1963 and 1968, when two productions were put on, and
2000, when there was no production.
1963 Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado
1964 HMS Pinafore
1965 The Gondoliers
1966 La Belle Helene
1967 Iolanthe
1968 Pink Champagne, Trial by Jury
1969 Patience
1970 Orpheus in the Underworld
1971 Tom Jones
1972 Ruddigore
1973 La Vie Parisienne
1974 The Merry Widow
1975 Naught Marietta
1976 Fiddler on the Roof
1977 Brigadoon
1978 Bless the Bride
1979 Camelot
1980 Lilac Time
1981 Gypsy Baron
1982 Pirates of Penzance
1983 New Moon
1984 Desert Song
1985 White Horse Inn
1986 Oklahoma
1987 Music Man
1988 Hello Dolly
1989 Annie Get Your Gun
1990 Carousel
1991 No No Nanette
1992 South Pacific
1993 Guys and Dolls
1994 The King and I
1995 Australia Remembers Revue
1996 The Sound of Music
1997 High Society
1998 Oliver
1999 Annie
2001 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
2002 The Wizard of Oz
2003 Cinderella
2004 The Boyfriend
2005 Peter Pan
2006 Beauty and the Beast
2007 Pinocchio
2008 Good Vibes
In recent years, the Singers have also staged a minor production each
October. These productions have included cabaret style shows and
musical reviews.
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