ATYP
TWENTY SEVENTEEN
05
MAY TRAN ATYPICAL ADVISOR With the overabundance of articles floating around about how young people are burdens on society, about how we’re apathetic, apolitical and entitled - we’re kind of getting a bad rap. But whether I’m working with ATYP in a production, or with the ATYPicals, I’ve always felt welcomed and respected despite being one of those wretched millennials. Every young actor I know who has been involved with ATYP thinks about their age in terms of years-untilthey-turn-26, until they’re too old to work with ATYP. And while it may seem bleak to bring that up when I’ve been trusted with the task of talking up ATYP, I’ve always found it exceedingly exciting and sweet. To have created a theatre company that inspires that kind of loyalty and fondness in people is amazing. And to have done it with hapless millennials, with our poor attention spans and lack of brand loyalty is apparently nothing short of a miracle. I’ve always found it difficult not to worry about my place as a young Asian-Australian woman in an industry where I rarely see faces like mine, so making a decision to pursue a career in the arts was a tentative one and one influenced hugely by the work that ATYP
produces. ATYP’s 2016 season was one that was unafraid of difference and championed diversity and new talent. It was a breath of fresh air and continues to instil a lot of hope in me. Amidst the fear, ATYP manages to be the panacea for all my panic. My entire ATYP experience has been electrifying and the year I’ve spent in its orbit is something that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I have my fingers crossed that the coming year is just as innovative, diverse and thrilling. I have an inkling that it will be.
ATYPicals 2016 Deng Akot Katy Avery Asha Boswarva Cait Burley Grace Campbell Airlie Dodds Holly Fraser Matt Friedman Brianna Harris Ava Karuso
Micayla Laurence Sean Marshall Julia McNamara Paul Musumeci Kathleen Quere Dominica Roebuck Will Thomas May Tran David Wiernick
ATYPicals is the ATYP youth advisory committee. See pg34 for details.