Corporate Sponsor - Drama Victoria Theatre Festival

Braybrook College

The Drama Victoria Theatre Festival iis a performance-making festival for Year 9 and 10 students from schools across metropolitan and regional Victoria. The Festival focuses on the creative development of young theatre makers by giving them an opportunity to explore ideas with their peers, learn new ways of approaching performance, learn about first nation perspectives and expanding their creative engagement, through drama, with the community around them. We focus on the creative learning process, not the dramatic product.

The festival aims to develop students’ creative inquiry via aesthetic education techniques, collaborative skills and to address the cross curriculum priority of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, providing an opportunity for students to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of First Nations histories and cultures, knowledge traditions and holistic world views. This knowledge and understanding of, and connection with, the world’s oldest continuous living cultures will help learners to participate in the ongoing development of Australia as a nation. (ACARA, 2016)

The Festival begins in Term One with participating teachers undertaking professional development in Aesthetic education techniques and protocols of working with First Nations content. This is followed by a series of Stimulus Days for students, held at universities across the state.These days consist of a series of creative development workshops, in which students unite with those from other schools, working collaboratively with each other, led by the Festival artistic director to creatively investigate and explore artworks and issues related to First Nations histories and future. These days also provide students an opportunity to experience ‘University life’ and receive information about Tertiary options. Participating school groups then return to their schools to work across the two three month Festival period creating short works inspired by the creative stimulus material utilising aesthetic education techniques. These performances will be shown in cluster groups across the state, uniting students from different schools to share their devised work with each other and their wider community.

Catholic Ladies' College

A mixture of nerves and excitement as our Year 10 Drama students wait for their cue to go on and share their performance about 'The Stolen Generation� at the Drama Victoria Theatre Festival.

Drama Victoria strongly supports the inclusion of First Nations history and futures in our educational opportunities believing that drama enables students to explore our history, diversity and inclusion in meaningful and empathetic ways. We aim to forge a future for Australia that promotes understanding and harmony.

Theatre Festival 2015

Theatre Festival 2019

Aesthetic education is defined as "an intentional undertaking designed to nurture appreciative, reflective, cultural, participatory engagements with the arts by enabling learners to notice what is there to be noticed, and to lend works of art their lives in such a way that they can achieve them as variously meaningful."

(Maxine Greene Institution, 2014)

Drama Victoria took over the discontinued Monash schools festival in 2015, redeveloping the concept to align with curriculum needs – providing skill development for students, teachers and pre-service teachers. Monash University continues to support the festival as a sponsor. In 2019 Drama Victoria was able to also secure the support of LaTrobe University, Deakin University and Melbourne University; this support of $5000 per University enabled Drama Victoria to continue to grow the festival and engage 23 high schools in a highly beneficial and inspiring journey.

Through supporting the Drama Victoria Theatre Festival you will be able to: Have your logo on Drama Victoria Theatre Festival promotional materials and the Drama Victoria website as the festival sponsor, listed under the Theatre Festival and Sponsor pages Connect directly with teachers through opportunities to introduce/speak at festival cluster events; Promotion to our teacher membership and wider community through our monthly enews and be promoted as festival sponsors on our social media with just over 3000 followers; Opportunity to promote at our mini-conference in February 2020, which attracts approx 100 delegates.

A trade stand at the Drama Victoria State Conference (December 2019 and/or 2020); which attracts approx 350 delegates.

Support the inclusion of First Nations perspectives in middle years drama education; Support Drama Victoria, a professional teaching association in Victoria

In exchange, we are asking: $15,000 (plus GST) support

The expenses for the festival in 2019 were $36,000. The combined University sponsorship covers $20,000 of this cost, the rest of the expenses subsidised by school participation costs, donations and Drama Victoria budget. We hope that in 2020 we can receive corporate sponsorship to reach more regional participants.The Festival does not run for profit.

In 2020 Drama Victoria is hoping to be able to engage more schools including regional areas and is seeking a major sponsor to enable the program to have further reach through providing funding to enable us to travel to regional schools to offer this wonderful opportunity.

For further information, photographs and a reflection article please visit our website.

We appreciate your consideration as a corporate sponsor for the 2020 Drama Victoria Theatre Festival. If you would like to discuss further sponsorship inclusions please contact us on festival@dramavictoria.vic.edu.au