- Promote an appreciation of the arts – particularly live
theatre - within the community.
- Present public performances of live theatre, concerts and
any other activity which promotes the arts.
- Encourage, assist and develop the full range of talents
associated with the development of the arts.
- Achieve the highest possible production standards with
the resources available.
Since its inception, CLOC has staged over eighty productions
(see list of past productions),
ranging from operettas such as Die Fledermaus and The
Merry Widow to contemporary works like Evita, Chess
and Les Miserables to period pieces like The
Scarlet Pimpernel. Moreover, the company has presented
several firsts in Melbourne non-professional theatre. In 1983
CLOC premiered Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd – the
first professional or non-professional production in Australia.
Other non- professional premieres followed: Annie (1985),
1776 (1988), Sunday in the Park with George (1992),
Song and Dance (1997), Singin' in the Rain (1998),
Gigi (2003), Steel Pier (2005)
and the Australasian Non-Professional Premiere of the Andrew
Lloyd Webber sensation CATS (2006).
CLOC is a large and sophisticated organisation - one that continually strives to achieve the highest quality outcome for each production. Against a background of challenging economic times, and often with considerable competition from professional productions, CLOC has adopted a bold production policy and is committed to presenting two major musicals each year – firmly believing that "while there is a paying audience there is no such thing as amateur".
CLOC's pricing policy is structured to assist and encourage
a wide range of groups and individuals to attend productions.
An average ticket price of less than $35.00 puts top quality
musical theatre within the means of many who would be otherwise
unable to afford it. CLOC productions attract an audience
of up to 15,000 each year - a significant proportion (over
half) being children, students, pensioners and seniors at
concession rates.