Murray River Performing Group (MRPG)

This collection documents the history and development of the Murray River Performing Group (MRPG) and its associated activities (including the early Flying Fruit Fly Circus) between 1979 and 1996.

The Murray River Performing Group was a professional community theatre group that performed productions dealing with local themes and issues. It was established in 1979 as a community initiative driven by Robert Perrier, Lloyd Suttor and Mark Shirrefs to develop a cultural scene in the Albury-Wodonga region at a time when Albury-Wodonga was a focus for the federal government’s decentralization policy.

The group also began a circus program to engage local children which went on to become the Flying Fruit Fly Circus. By 1995 the Murray River Performing Group experienced a drop in audience numbers, and in 1996 it was given notice that government funding would be pulled from the organization. Relaunching as HotHouse Theatre in 1997, the Company moved from their premises on Olive Street in Albury to their current home on Gateway Island.

The collection comprises photographs, negatives, slides, t-shirts, news articles, advertisements, reports, audio-visual recordings, press releases, posters, flyers, programs, correspondence, cards, scrapbooks, tickets, and newsletters.