Student Theatre FAQs

• UMSU – University of Melbourne Student Union, an organisation which supports students and is here to help you make the most of your time at University.
• UHT – Union House Theatre, the student theatre organisation on campus – part of UMSU’s Arts and Culture division.
• STG – Student Theatre Groups are autonomously run groups of students dedicated to a style or genre of performance. All groups are affiliated to UMSU.

Student theatre at UMSU is funded by the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF), an annual fee payable by all students at the University of Melbourne.

Affiliation is the process for an STG to become formally associated with UMSU, and thereby be able to access the resources and benefits of UMSU. It also means you have some responsibilities to uphold, which are all explained in the STG Regulations and Model Constitution.

We have a pretty illustration here which explains why this is a hot ticket.

New STGs can form at any time of the year.

Existing groups must affiliate by the start of Week 3, Sem 1 otherwise you won’t be able to use the rehearsal facilities or apply for venue hire.

Any University of Melbourne student who subscribes to the aims of the STG. In UMSU’s Student Theatre Regulations and Model Constitution these are also referred to as ‘Full Members’.

Someone who is a non-UoM student who wishes to be part of student theatre activities.

Only Full Members have voting rights (decision making) in General Meetings. An Associate Member (non-UoM student) is not eligible to vote and therefore cannot be responsible for decision making in a group.

Decision-making roles in a production environment include (but aren’t limited to) members of the executive, production and artistic directors, production managers and other creative / production leaders. To have decision making (or leadership) responsibilities participants need to be a Full Member, i.e. a currently enrolled UoM student.

Yep! Sure does. You can use the same process that you use for enrolled UoM students who join up. Remember you need to keep the details of all members of your group.

It’s all in the name... student theatre!

Students and professionals often have very different expectations around time commitments and the ultimate outcome of the theatre show. Professional artists might have more time, feel as though more rehearsals are necessary than busy students are able to commit to. This can create friction around the objectives of the project.

Student theatre is also about students having as many opportunities as possible, to learn, perform and get involved! If these opportunities are taken up by people outside of student theatre, then students miss out.

Student theatre is funded by the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) and is set up to support University of Melbourne student life on campus.

It’s always nice to be able to finish what you started while you were a student. Maybe someone is halfway through theatre group commitments when they graduate for example. Consider mentoring a new student to take over your role as you spread your wings to life outside of Uni once that commitment in finalised.

Students from other universities can be Associate Members of the Student Theatre Group.

Where possible, prioritise University of Melbourne student experience. From time-to-time shows might call for a large cast, or special skills, or the support of someone from a different Uni.

Students’ Council approved the most recent Student Theatre Regulations (which link to the Model Constitution) in 2022. Lots of work has been put in to making these relevant and reliable so that you can get on with the core business of making, ahem, ‘art’.

Chat with UHT if your group wants to make minor updates to the constitution, due to the nature of your activities. These must be voted on at your Annual General Meeting (AGM) and reviewed by UHT to ensure you are remaining constitutional.

As its name suggestions, an Annual General Meeting (or AGM) is help annually to update members, report on the years’ activities, vote for committee members, and attend to important business. More information on running an AGM is available on the STG Canvas Module, which (if you are part of a group) you will be enrolled in.

The Affiliation Risk Assessment covers the day-to-day operations of your theatre group and is completed when you affiliate. It considers how you approach governing the group, normal activities such as rehearsals, how you work sustainably and look after the people affected by how the group is run. It’s broad in nature and designed to be a reference point to help you manage your theatre group safely throughout the year.

A show risk assessment is hyper-specific and considers all the risks associated with a particular event or production. Because the specific choreography, set design, venue, and more will differ from show to show, it’s important to do a show risk assessment to make sure that all foreseeable risks have been accounted for.

These sorts of risk assessments are standard throughout the entertainment industry and are required in line with OHS legislation and industry guidelines. The risk assessment processes you do with UHT are transferrable to elsewhere in the sector (and to other sectors, too!).

The backstage facilities of the Union and Guild theatres are shared between the two venues. The maximum number of performers in backstage areas is 40, per the building’s occupancy permit. UHT works to manage this backstage number across productions in both the Guild and Union theatre.

Productions that may exceed this limit will need to undergo rigorous risk planning measures and may incur additional requirements and restrictions on their activities.

Even with these additional measures – which are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with UHT and the University – approval is not guaranteed and should not be planned for. These backstage limits are set by the University and building authorities.

For more information and questions email production@union.unimelb.edu.au

A term used to describe the process of applying for a venue on campus. All existing affiliated STGs will receive an email in April (for Sem 2 allocations) and September (for Sem 1 allocations). If you’re not yet registered as a group, send us an email to uht@union.unimelb.edu.au and we’ll add you to the list, so you don’t miss out.

It’s nice to move out of home or housesit for a bit at least, isn’t it.

How exciting that your group wants to venture forth into the wide world. Maybe it’s for Comedy Festival, perhaps you’ve got a kooky venue to perform in! We still encourage you to register your group, so that you have all the dishy benefits of affiliation with UMSU including insurance, advice from our Prod team, access to resources and grant money (see this pretty picture). Plus, you still get to feel like you are part of the student theatre community!

On this page here, and by reading STG Regulations and the Model Constitution

Our Student Theatre Guidelines and Resources page has plenty of great bed time reading.

Also, when your group affiliates you are automatically enrolled in the Canvas module which provides all the info about running a group in the one handy place. It’s like a uni tutorial, but fun.

If you’re unsure, feel like maybe something is unconstitutional, or you’d like advice around planning your group’s projects/season. We love a chat. We also like biscuits.