21 years ago when the kids went back to school in January 1982, Merilyn Brend started a business that was in a relatively new field in the Outer Eastern suburbs. She was combining her two loves that of acting and children. She formed the Merilyn Brend Children's Theatre. In 1984 she added an agency to the business and it became MBCTA. Merilyn was involved in the Film and Television Industry as well as Youth Theatre. Over the years there have been lots of successes, such as Jane Hall (Secret Bride's Business/Weddings), Ryan Maloney (Neighbours) and Tempany Deckert (Home and Away), Tony Farrell (Mamma Mia) plus heaps of other kids and adults that are within the Industry or allied industries. But Merilyn says "It's not the fact that some people have become famous it's more that a lot of the students that I have trained have gone on to do something useful with their lives. I'm not the only factor in their lives but I hope I've helped. I haven't done it on my own, my husband Bill Robinson has supported me in every area, stage managed, set building, camera work and done all those technical things that you've got to do in theatre."

During these years she was also dialogue coach on the then well known children's television series, Sugar & Spice and Pugwall 1 and 2. Ten years later things changed again and the she closed the agency to concentrate on teaching, which was at this stage increasing at a very large rate. So the abbreviation very comfortably became Merilyn Brend Children Teenagers and Adults - MBCTA Theatre. Plus her new teaching venture was the inception of the Australian College of Dramatic Arts, which specialises in acting for Film and Television only. This college went on to become a Registered Training Organisation and to have the only accredited part-time Certificate II Acting (Film and Television) in Australia.

Today Merilyn is still teaching with her Youth Drama School catering from ages 8 to 25 and her Film and Television acting classes. She attributes some of her success to the fact that her curriculum offers a wide variety of materials, from stimulating improvisation to performance, from Shakespeare to experimental works. She has also formed a Youth Repertory Theatre Company to give opportunity to young people to experience the magic of performance. After all learning is in the enjoyment of doing.

She is also continuing to teach VCE Drama privately.

Merilyn has many tales to tell; like one time in London when she helped the flamboyant Lionel Bart (of Oliver fame) conduct a drama workshop on the rooftops of the Theatre Royal, or acting on a barge in the middle of a canal amidst inflatables and fireworks, of her successes and failures with kids in the TV Industry, of her hopes for the future of Youth Arts.
We can pour money into sport but not every kid likes sport, so where is the money for Youth Arts? Is it seriously a minority subject?
Merilyn and Bill have a wonderful little theatre right in the heart of a light industrial area in Boronia; a renovated 60's film laboratory is a great place for workshopping ideas, for performances and training.
So in her 21st year in business, she and husband Bill will be having fun and working hard in the theatre, especially in Youth Arts.

This acting group is mainly youth-run, with youth crew and youth actors between the ages of 9 to 25. The aim of the repertory company is for the young actors to stay together for at least 18 months to two years to work on different performance styles and to experience the magic of performance, creating new works and experiment with varying dramatic art forms.  This company of young actors also have excellent ability in song and dance.  An Old Time Music Hall toured to the historic gold-mining area of Walhalla as part of a Federation 100 project.

MBCTA has an established permanent Youth Repertory Amateur/Community Company for actors between the ages of 8 to 25. The aim of this company is to rehearse and perform a varied repertoire of plays for performance at the theatre and at festivals and any other events. This is an exciting chance for young actors to experience the benefits of working within a performing company for a substantial length of time. It is not training, it is a chance to put talent to work. If older actors are required for a specific role then audition notices will be send out or placed on the website. Rehearsals occur once every two weeks with performances at the weekend. We also have a team of young people who take on the jobs of assistant director, stage manager, front of house staff, lights, sound, costumes and
props. If we have vacancies they will be posted on the website.

At present we are looking for a publicity person.