If Theatre was established by Matt Scholten in 2006 and has produced and co-produced many theatre productions in Victoria, New South Wales,
Queensland and Tasmania in metropolitan and regional venues.
If Theatre’s debut was the 2007 production of Harold Pinter’s psychodrama A SLIGHT ACHE at Chapel Off Chapel.
If Theatre then presented THREE SHORT PLAYS BY JACK HIBBERD for La Mama as part of the La Mama’s fortieth birthday season and BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS by Ben Ellis at the Fairfax Studio for the Short & Sweet Festival.
In 2008, Matt began directing the work of Daniel Keene with HALF & HALF, also the debut for The Dog Theatre.
In 2009, If Theatre’s most ambitious project to date was THE COVE, a season of eight short plays by Daniel Keene (four world premieres, four revivals) performed at The Dog Theatre. THE COVE was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for three Green Room Awards.
MR FOOTBALL, by Matt Scholten, a documentary theatre project, was created and presented in the 2009 Big West Festival at The Dog Theatre.
In 2010, If Theatre was given two opportunities to create work at Theatreworks St. Kilda with Matt’s adaptation and creative development of Dostoevsky’s CRIME & PUNISHMENT in August 2010 and the Melbourne premiere of Daniel Keene’s THE NIGHTWATCHMAN in December 2010.
If Theatre then presented the world premiere of BOXMAN by Daniel Keene, a work commissioned by the 2011 Big West Festival.
In 2013, BOXMAN toured Victoria and New South Wales and was presented by the following theatres in a co-production with Regional Arts Victoria:
Wagga Civic Centre
Shirley Burke Theatre, Parkdale
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat
Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre
Frankston Arts Centre
Burrinja Cultural Centre, Upwey
Wyndham Civic Centre, Werribee
Gasworks Arts Park, Albert Park
Colac Otway Performing Arts and Cultural Centre
Kyneton Town Hall, Kyneton
Geelong Performing Arts Centre
In 2015 & 2016, MOTHER by Daniel Keene, written at the request of Matt Scholten for actor Noni Hazlehurst was produced by If Theatre and Regional Arts Victoria and toured nationally at the following locations across Australia:
2015
Gasworks Theatre, Albert Park
Wyndham Civic Centre, Werribee
The Clocktower, Moonee Ponds
The Memo, Healesville
Burrinja Cultural Centre, Upwey
The Forge Theatre, Bairnsdale
Mildura Arts Centre
Swan Hill Performing Arts Centre
Riverlinks Shepparton
Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre
Devonport Entertainment Centre
Theatre Royal Hobart
West Gippsland Performing Arts Centre, Warragul
Latrobe Performing Arts, Traralgon
Hamilton Performing Arts Centre
Portland Arts Centre,
Her Majesty’s Theatre Ballarat
Geelong Performing Arts Centre
2016
Karralyka Centre
Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre
Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wooloongong
Glasshouse Arts Conference and Entertainment Centre, Port Macquarie
Ipswich Civic Centre
Empire Theatre Toowoomba
Lake Kawana Community Centre, Mooloolaba
Riverway Arts Centre Townsville
Centre Of Contemporary Arts, Cairns
MOTHER won the Drama Victoria award for Best Performance by a Theatre Company for VCE Students and was nominated for two Helpmann Awards: Best Regional Touring Production and Best Female Actor in a Play for Noni Hazlehurst. MOTHER was also a finalist in the 2016 Australian Performing Arts Centre Association’s (APACA) Drover Awards for Tour of the Year.
MOTHER was then presented in a co-production with Belvoir Street Theatre in January 2018 and at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in August 2018, winning Noni Hazlehurst the Matilda Award for Best Female Actor in a Leading Role. In early 2020, the play was presented at HOTA Gold Coast and a return season by popular demand at QPAC.
THE CAMPAIGN by Campion Decent was presented by the Tasmanian Theatre Company, Blue Cow, If Theatre and Salamanca Arts Centre October 22-November 3, 2018 at the Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart. Matt Scholten and Campion Decent were supported in the development of THE CAMPAIGN by Playwriting Australia.
In 2019 Matt Scholten began working with the community of Biloela, Queensland on a verbatim theatre project called HAVEN. In 2021 he received seed funding from Queensland Theatre and then began a collaboration later that year with Belloo Creative with support from Playwriting Australia and Brisbane City Council on the development and production of the work which has a planned performance season in 2023.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
GREEN ROOM AWARDS 2010 for The Cove
Best Actor Bruce Myles (Nominated)
Best Actor Majid Shokor (Nominated)
Best Actress Jan Friedl (Nominated)
DRAMA VICTORIA 2016 for Mother
Best Performance by a Theatre Company for VCE Students (Winner)
HELPMANN AWARDS 2016 for Mother
Best Regional Touring Production (Nominated)
Best Female Actor in a Play for Noni Hazlehurst (Nominated)
(APACA) DROVER AWARDS 2016 for Mother
Tour of the Year (Finalist)
MATILDA AWARDS 2018 for Mother
Best Female Actor in a Leading Role (Winner)
TASMANIAN THEATRE AWARDS 2018 for The Campaign
Best New Writing (Campion Decent, Winner)
Best Production (Nominated)
Best Ensemble (Nominated)
Best Supporting Actress (Nominated)
Matt Scholten 