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Regional Arts Connect kicks off for 2018
March 13, 2018 /in News, Uncategorized /by Claire Harris
Regional Arts Connect is back and in full swing for 2018. The year will see us continue to work with community organisations and groups in 4 remote and rural areas of NSW: Walgett, Wilcannia, Lake Cargelligo and Curlewis, with one simple mission – to increase arts opportunities for young people living in these areas, and up-skill the communities to deliver these opportunities themselves beyond the completion of our project. With last year being made up of community consultation, drama facilitation training and planning, 2018 is where we go full steam ahead to put all of that into practice!
First up for a visit this year was the Lake Cargelligo Drama Group. In the closest of all our towns (just a 4.5 hour drive away), Lake has a population of 1,300, and within that, a thriving Drama Group that have been putting on plays and musicals since the 1980's with sell out shows each year. So where do we come in? Even though the drama group are primarily an adult group, they have found that more and more young people are wanting to join, and so we're working closely with them to help that happen in the best possible way.
Last year the community underwent some professional development with our Community Producer Alyson, by participating in 2 evenings of drama facilitator training, and assisting Alyson in the delivery of a week long school holiday program in partnership with Lake Youth Centre. From that, we are so thrilled that there are now community run monthly drama workshops for young people at the Youth Centre.
To accommodate a young cast, it was decided that the groups production for 2018 was to have a family focus, with young people and adults uniting on stage and performing equally alongside each other. How amazing are Lake Drama Group?! We love this, as not only does it mean more opportunities for young budding actors, but encourages a whole new audience of young people. Talk about arts exposure!
After lots of readings of plays something magic happened – for the first time ever the whole group agreed on the same play – the fabulous Love by Finegan Kruckemeyer. Being a play that is about a small Australia community and aimed at audiences of all ages, it's no wonder why it was Love-d (see what I did there?).
So, with this decided, our first trip out was all guns a blazing to get the production process going! In just 3 days we assisted with a community read through of the script, casting of the play (with a young person in the lead!) assigning and defining production roles and beginning the production schedule. Now it's over to Lake Drama Group to begin rehearsals, and we can't wait to see the story begin to come to life in our next visit.
As we travel around Regional NSW we feel so inspired by the commitment from groups like this one in Lake, in supporting young people and the arts. With the wealth of experience and knowledge in theatre making that Lake Drama Group already have, we're thrilled to support them in passing that on to the younger generations, and inspire the development of young artists.
Click HERE to check out the animation we made in the holiday workshop.
https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Regional-Arts-Connect.jpg 561 750 Claire Harris https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Claire Harris2018-03-13 04:06:142021-10-21 02:39:35Regional Arts Connect kicks off for 2018
Join the OTYP Board
November 21, 2017 /in News, Our Region, Uncategorized /by Tahni Froudist
Outback Theatre for Young People is seeking EOIs from the community to be considered for nomination to the OTYP Board of Directors.
OTYP is dedicated to creating innovative, participant-owned youth theatre. We engage young people, aged 4 to 26 years, from throughout the Riverina region in collaborative, generative theatre projects that celebrate their lives and their aspirations.
OTYP is seeking 2 – 3 new board directors with a skills-base not limited to but drawn from the fields of Law, Finance, Arts Management, Governance, Fundraising, Community Leadership and Education.
If you are interested in submitting an EOI download the Board EOI Document and follow the instructions to submit.
Deadline for EOIs is 5pm, 15 December, 2017. Appointments will be made in 2018.
Find out more about OTYP's current Board of Directors here.
https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/orangedots.png 293 285 Tahni Froudist https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Tahni Froudist2017-11-21 07:40:372021-10-21 02:40:15Join the OTYP Board
The Echo In Our Walls – Performance Outcome – Hay, April 2016
June 1, 2016 /in Hay, Projects, The Echo in our Walls 2015/16, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People
"Outback Theatre has been a wonderful experience for my children…the team were very professional and passionate about the artistic development of kids in our isolated community. Thank you." Participant's Father
The Echo in our Walls Project ran throughout 2015 & 2016 and engaged the young people of Hay in the local and oral histories of their town. Where can we find local history in places other than books and newspaper articles? We were interested in excavating stories from less obvious sources: an uncaptioned photograph, the wild asparagus that grows by the riverbank, the words of an elder, the language of Hay's original inhabitants.
This project centred on the idea that we have to be intentional and creative in remembering this history. If we don't make a concerted effort to preserve these stories and this language, they could get lost.
There were a few unexpected moments during the process.
We were continually impressed by the camaraderie within the ensemble of young people from Hay. In particular, the older performers looked after the younger kids and helped them rehearse and learn their lines.
We were delighted to witness the pride and ownership of the work by the ensemble, as well as the confidence they gained in public speaking and singing. We were impressed by the honest and candid storytelling of the kids, sharing feelings about their life in Hay and how they see the town and its social hierarchy. The ensemble were braver than we could have ever expected, in sharing their honest perspective of their life in a small rural town, without fear, shame or censorship.
After our six week development period, we were ready for our performances which were held on Saturday 2nd April at 7.30pm and Sunday 3rd April at 3pm. Our Saturday night show featured stunning outdoor projections by Vic McEwan which gave the night a particularly magical quality and all shows were sold out with a waiting list.
When watching the show, it was like these young people were offering their parents and community a gift. They were giving them insight into their heads and hearts. What they feel, what they see, how they navigate the world. By making a show about history, we managed to tap into the present day, and hopes for the future.
The show we made was honest, brave and unflinching. Often, young people and especially teenagers can mask their true feelings, thinking they won't be understood or properly listened to.
This show gave them the ability to share themselves and their perspectives, without irony or shame. To connect to their history, their family, their traditional country, their townspeople and each other.
The creative outcome of this show was a sprawling, huge, ambitious production – but we were happier with the personal achievements we witnessed. A young woman processing her grief. A young man learning his identity can be a source of strength and pride. A young boy learning to speak to a crowd without tears running down his cheeks. A young girl learning to speak the language of her ancestors.
These are the memories that will echo on within the team, within the young people involved, and within the walls of Bishop's Lodge, forever.
Jessica Bellamy, Artistic Director
Our stories are the dreaming stories.
What you live is your story.
Dreaming is our voice.
Our life is connected to country.
Our life is connected to place.
We live according to our stories.
If we lose our stories, we live for the wrong things.
If we lose our stories, we don't know how to live.
Raymond 'Splinter' Woods, Cultural Advisor[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
0 0 Outback Theatre For Young People https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Outback Theatre For Young People2016-06-01 15:21:022021-10-21 02:28:47The Echo In Our Walls – Performance Outcome – Hay, April 2016
DRAMAFORCE 2016
June 1, 2016 /in Deniliquin, Dramaforce 2016, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People
Creative Engagement Program for Young People with Special Needs
DRAMA FORCE is a community driven project that provides young people in Deniliquin with something that unifies and connects them, while at the same time celebrating their creative uniqueness.
CREATE a professional, inclusive performance for children and their parents through a comprehensive creative workshop program.
EMPOWER and EDUCATE and provide a cultural experience for young people on their own terms, and a leadership opportunity for young performers. Children with special needs will learn new, creative ways of self expression and communication.
BRIDGE new friendships and help children with special needs build on their emotional intelligence.
DRAMA FORCE inspires imagination and social development in children with disabilities, specifically young people on the autism spectrum, and capitalizes on the strengths and interests of participants. The series of creative workshops encourages social inclusion, confidence, turn taking, team building, flexible thinking and focus.
In 2017, OTYP aims to further develop a performing arts curriculum with these young people, exposing them to a wider variety of creative art forms, and encouraging their own art making and creativity. During the course of 2016 we saw social development, confidence building and team work skills improving among the participants due to their involvement in the classes. In 2017, we will run weekly classes (8 weeks a term for 4 terms) that culminate in two performances (one mid-year, one end of year) completely devised and dreamed up by the participants.
Workshops focus on: Confidence building, eye contact, art making, movement, negotiation skills and listening. DRAMA FORCE is designed to target the socio-emotional challenges of autism by utilising established behavioural intervention paradigms implemented in combination with theatrical techniques.
The project is supported by Intereach Deniliquin, the Mazda Foundation, Regional Arts NSW and Arts NSW. If you would like to get involved please contact Sarah Parsons at sarah@outbacktheatre.com or (03) 5881 6260
0 0 Outback Theatre For Young People https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Outback Theatre For Young People2016-06-01 14:18:162021-10-21 02:28:47DRAMAFORCE 2016
Bordertowns 2016 – Stage 1 Berrigan Shire
May 31, 2016 /in Berrigan, Bordertowns 2016/17, Projects, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People
Bordertowns is a community driven work, where young people are given the responsibility of learning skills in verbatim theatre while devising, composing, performing, interviewing locals, and then curating that work into a production.
Professional theatre artists will work with young people from 7 different primary schools in shire, as well as community members through the Berrigan Shire Council. This project aims to engage young people in a large-scale community wide celebration of their place and its people; while encouraging literacy through playwriting workshops and verbatim collection, musicianship through workshops, choirs and composition, and respect and citizenship through cross-generational partnerships and storytelling. Working with playwright Julian Larnach (Australian Theatre for Young People, Griffin Theatre) and sound artist and director Danielle O'Keefe (Australian Youth Choir), young people will ask two main questions of their communities: "What are you most proud of?" and "What are you afraid of?"
The answers will be recorded, collated and constructed into a performative work that the entire community has ownership of. The show aims to celebrate the communities of the Berrigan Shire, endow its young people with skills, confidence and pride; and bring people together through art. The funding will be spent on artists fees, travel, accommodation and allowances for artists, equipment (musical instruments, recording devices), sets, costumes and props, technical elements of the production (lighting and projection), travel and vehicles costs.
If you live in the Berrigan Shire and would LOVE to get involved, please contact Sarah Parsons on sarah@outbacktheatre.com.
This project is made possible through support from ARTS NSW, The Australia Council and the Federally Funded Catalyst program.
0 0 Outback Theatre For Young People https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Outback Theatre For Young People2016-05-31 12:48:132021-10-21 02:28:48Bordertowns 2016 – Stage 1 Berrigan Shire
While You Were Sleeping 2016 – Stage 1 – Deniliquin
November 18, 2015 /in Deniliquin, Projects, Uncategorized, While you Were Sleeping 2016/17 /by Outback Theatre For Young People
While You Were Sleeping is OTYP's newest project and is all about imagination in unconventional places and unique spaces. It will provide opportunities for young people to work with professional artists on large scale installations.
While You Were Sleeping is a street art and innovative public sculpture project that aims to inspire creativity, build a culture of sustainability, increase awareness of the values of recycling, and celebrate the place in which we live. We will engage professional artists, purchase supplies, run workshops, orchestrate overnight installations, and facilitate a project that unites art, environment and community.
Throughout 2016 & 2017, we will create a series of pop-up public art installations throughout Deniliquin designed by young people and director, Sarah Parsons, to elicit responses from the whole community which will be shaped into a large scale outdoor performance in 2017.
While You Were Sleeping was developed in response to the mixed feelings expressed by Deniliquin teenagers about their town, the perception of teenagers as out-of-place on the streets, loiterers rather than citizens, and the joyous response of the town to the outdoor outcome of our Reverberate project.
The project is set to take flight in September 2016, we believe that our project can serve as a provocation for our community, and we can make positive changes in our town, and for our local young people, so if you would like to be involved in any way, shape or form, please contact Sarah Parsons at sarah@outbacktheatre.com. We would LOVE to hear from you.
Project partners: Deniliquin Council, Yarkuwa Indigenous Education Centre, Deniliquin Information Centre, Deniliquin High School, Intereach and local primary schools.
This project is funded through support from ARTS NSW, The Australia Council, and the Federally funded Catalyst Program.
0 0 Outback Theatre For Young People https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Outback Theatre For Young People2015-11-18 13:13:192021-10-21 02:28:48While You Were Sleeping 2016 – Stage 1 – Deniliquin
The Echo in our Walls 2015 – Stage 1 – Hay
November 18, 2015 /in Hay, Projects, The Echo in our Walls 2015/16, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People
The Echo In Our Walls 2015 – Stage 1
The Echo in Our Walls is a project that uses the historic house and garden Bishop's Lodge as venue and inspiration for a promenade theatre piece.
The Echo in Our Walls launched with a creative development in Hay this September. The young people of Hay and Booligal, in consultation with Artistic Director Jessica Bellamy, Director Lara Kerestes, Sound Designer and Composer Vic McEwan and Cultural Liaison Ray Woods, devised the first stage of the project.
During the creative development process, participants were engaged in workshops on family history, devising work, drama process activities, shadow puppetry and more. They were encouraged to bring along artefacts from their families, and items that meant something to them to inspire their theatre making. Ray and Gubba Woods led a walk along Bushy Bend at the Murrumbidgee River to explain the Indigenous murals and the history of Indigenous people who lived in Hay and surrounds.
For the showcase at the end of the development, the key ensemble of young actors performed short scenes and monologues inspired by different aspects of the history of Bishop's Lodge and the community of Hay. It was a festive afternoon in the Lodge that also included installations, audio stories, roving performance, audience participation ("Build your town") and a cake stall!
The close-knit community of Hay rallied around this project, Jessica summaries her experience, "As a city-slicker, I'm used to museums and heritage houses being carefully quarantined institutions. It was therefore very exciting to see the ways in which the Bishop's Lodge committee turns their museum into a living, breathing, still-relevant institution! For example, when Erin Shalders wondered what costume to wear in her monologue set in the 1910s, a member of the committee offered her a lace apron from the turn of the century and said, "How about this?" It was incredible to know that a community could be so close that a 13 year old was trusted with this artefact."
OTYP will return to the plains of Hay in February 2016 for Stage 2 of The Echo in Our Walls.
https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg 0 0 Outback Theatre For Young People https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Outback Theatre For Young People2015-11-18 13:11:222021-10-21 02:28:48The Echo in our Walls 2015 – Stage 1 – Hay
EMERGE: Beneath an Oxbow Lake 14/15
November 18, 2015 /in Projects, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People
Emerge: Beneath an Oxbow Lake 2014/5
Once Julian Larnach was announced as the winner of our Emerge: Riverina Playwright Commission, the research and exploration process began. Julian headed to Griffith and Darlington Point for a residency, and was joined by Dramaturg Jessica Bellamy and Director Paige Rattray, and together they got to know the town, the stories within it, and its people. From this, Beneath an Oxbow Lake was born.
We auditioned young people all across the Riverina for the show, and once we found our wonderful cast, we rehearsed, planned, designed and plotted to get the show ready to open to audiences in the town it was inspired by, Griffith.
The world premiere of Beneath an Oxbow Lake was held at the Griffith Regional Theatre on 24th June 2015. Following wonderful reviews and a welcoming crowd, we travelled the show on to Deniliquin, where locals were thrilled to hear a story from their region, on a stage in their town.
After Griffith and Deni, we packed up the van again and headed to the big smoke – Sydney! Our friends at Australian Theatre for Young People hosted us for a week as we performed the show, chatted to teachers and students, met our funders and industry supporters, and enjoyed being able to share this important regional story.
Thank you to Lori Piquemal for production stills.
Cast/Crew list
Playwright – Julian Larnach
Director – Paige Rattray
Dramaturg – Jessica Bellamy
Sound Design and Composition – Vic McEwan
Production and Stage Manager, Lighting Designer – Ryan Shuker
And introducing – Adam Rowland, Isaiah Carney, Benjamin Stonnill, Claire Gilmour and Felicity Miles
0 0 Outback Theatre For Young People https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Outback Theatre For Young People2015-11-18 13:10:252021-10-21 02:28:48EMERGE: Beneath an Oxbow Lake 14/15
Balranald Circus Presents 'Sideshow'
December 12, 2014 /in Balranald, Past Projects, Sideshow, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People
The Balranald Circus is at it again! Come and join us this Saturday, 13th December at Greenham park in Balranald, from 7pm to watch the wonderful SIDESHOW creations of the young people of Balranald Cenral School, under the watchful eyes of Bec Cooen and Scott McBurnie.
0 0 Outback Theatre For Young People https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Outback Theatre For Young People2014-12-12 10:29:542021-10-21 02:28:49Balranald Circus Presents 'Sideshow'
OTYP 25 Year Fundraising Gala – Tickets on Sale!
October 28, 2014 /in News, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
0 0 Outback Theatre For Young People https://www.outbacktheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/logo-otyp-horizontal.svg Outback Theatre For Young People2014-10-28 14:12:152021-10-21 02:28:49OTYP 25 Year Fundraising Gala – Tickets on Sale!
Folk SongJuly 17, 2018
'The Agitators' is coming to Hay these school holidaysJuly 9, 2018
OTYP APPOINTS FOUR NEW BOARD MEMBERSApril 10, 2018
Regional Arts Connect kicks off for 2018March 13, 2018
Join the OTYP BoardNovember 21, 2017
Bordertowns 2016/17
BYO Grown Up
Folk Song
Gifts of Translation
Postcards from the Riverlands 17/18
The Echo in our Walls 2015/16
Wakool Shire
While you Were Sleeping 2016/17
We acknowledge the First Nations peoples as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters where we live, learn and work, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present.
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