Paul Dellit Gets Lifetime Achievement Award

2022 maybe the Year of the Tiger, but it’s also the year of Paul Dellit; earlier this year he was awarded the Gold Matilda Award for service to the arts in Queensland, and now he has received the Alan Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award from the Actors’ and Entertainers’ Benevolent Fund for 2022.

QPAC’s Lyrebird Restaurant was the perfect setting for the ceremony seeing as Paul spent 12 years working as a Senior Producer at QPAC. Tim Fairfax, Patron of the Benevolent Fund presented the award to Paul in a room packed with industry heavyweights, family and friends. It was a richly deserved award.

Paul, a graduate of QUT, has had an amazing career working as an actor, musician, director, composer, musical director and producer for various companies such as Queensland Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre Company, Opera Queensland, Brisbane City Council, Adelaide Festival Centre, Queensland Arts Council, Brisbane Festival, Queensland Music Festival, Seymour Productions, Channel 7, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.

In 1999, he was responsible for setting up and managing the QUT Gardens Theatre. Paul has served on various boards and committees including the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) and the music panel for the Helpmann Awards. He has been arts editor for QNews; arts commentator on the Melbourne radio program Broadway at Bedtime; a Queensland theatre reviewer and story contributor for Stage Whispers magazine; and Editor of the arts and entertainment e-bulletin A Little Gossip.

Image: Tim Fairfax and Paul Dellit

With collaborator Peter Pinne, Paul wrote the music, lyrics and book for the musical Suddenly Single and the musical revue Mavis Bramston: Re-Loaded. With Gregory Gesch and Ron Jordan, Paul collaborated on the book, music and lyrics for the musical Speak For Yourself.

Paul has been a proud member of Actor’s Equity since 1987 and at various stages during his career served as a member of MEAA (Actor’s Equity) Queensland Branch Council. Her also served on the management committee of the Actors’ & Entertainmers’ Benevolent Fund (Qld) Inc. for 30 years – with 18 years as President.

In 2003, he was awarded a Centenary Medal for his services to the arts, and in June 2007 was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his outstanding service and contribution to the performing arts in Queensland. In May 2021, Paul was nominated for The Courier-Mail Queenslander of the Year for spearheading a major fundraising campaign for the Actors’ Benevolent Fund (QLD) during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which provided assistance to hundreds of performers and industry creatives who lost their income due to shows being cancelled.

Since June 2021, Paul had been the Manager/Creative Producer of the 850 seat Moncrieff Entertainment Centre in the city of Bundaberg situated on Queensland’s Coral Coast.