OTYP 2013 Artistic Report

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//2013 ARTISTIC REPORT


|www.outbacktheatre.com| Cover image: Richie Hallal


Chair’s Report Page Creative Producer’s Report Page About Outback Theatre for Young People Page 2013 Year in Review Page Reverberate Project Page Illuminate Project Page Sideshow Project Page Gifts of Translation Project Page Page Young Producers Program OTYP Successes Page 2013 Team Page Coming Up in 2014 Page Company Supporters Page

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CONTENTS


Welcome to Outback Theatre for Young People’s (OTYP) Artistic Report for 2013. Outback Theatre for Young People is an ever-evolving organisation, adapting to community needs, funding availability and project-based staffing. 2013 saw institutional change at the very foundations that has provided both challenges and opportunity. Long-term Chair Amy Hardingham decided to stand down from the Chair’s position, although she remains a dedicated member of the Board. I was delighted to be nominated and duly appointed to the position and believe that we are in a good standing to build on the strong position that Amy had led us to . At the same time, Creative Producer Mandy Field also resigned from the full time role so she could dedicate more time to her family and individual pursuits. Luckily for OTYP, she will return to run an ambitious project in 2014, working with the youngest participants we will ever have recruited through out Little Movers and Makers project. It is testament to OTYP and the culture of the organisation that those who move on to new challenges remain loyal and associated with the company and it is this culture that I hope to promote into the future. The vacancy created by Mandy’s departure, and the funding arrangement she secured through the Vincent Fairfax Foundation for a part-time Development Manager provided an opportunity to recruit fresh blood and new ideas into the company.

Despite some in regional Australia finding recruitment difficult, we have found two very talented and enthusiastic people to fill the roles of Creative Producer and Development Manager. Claire Harris came to OTYP from Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney and her experience there and her natural enthusiasm and belief in what we do at OTYP has seen her look for new opportunities to grow the company. Martina Link is an American born music teacher with experience in youth work and fundraising and has welcomed the opportunity to concentrate on expanding our funding sources to ensure we can continue to deliver projects to regional communities. Change is often challenging, but at OTYP we have looked at it as an opportunity and it has paid off. In 2013 we worked hard to set ourselves up for our biggest year ever in 2014. We have an ambitious program with five projects either being delivered or commencing in the next 12 months. We have set up a new community fundraising program and continue to identify private philanthropic opportunities. I am very excited for the future of OTYP. We have an enthusiastic team in both our permanent staff and our dedicated network of Artistic Directors who work with us on projects. The Board reflects a mix of skills and experience to compliment and support our staff. Together we will work hard to ensure OTYP continues to deliver innovative theatre and artistic opportunities in regional Australia. Perin Davey Chair, Outback Theatre for Young People

CHAIR’S REPORT


Opportunity for Growth 2013 was a year of transition and growth, with many achievements artistically, financially and organisationally. Commencing the role in June, I had some pretty big shoes to fill in replacing Mandy Field who is still a major asset to the organisation. She paved the way for the company by securing funding to hire a part-time Development Manager, securing major funding from the Department of Social Services, and other achievements too numerous to mention. I would like to thank her for her contribution to the company, and for still being available on the other end of the phone when I need some advice. Prior to my commencement in the role I was lucky enough to travel to Deniliquin to be involved in the final outcome of the Reverberate Project, led by Danielle O’Keefe. It was a thrill to see the town that I was about to relocate to, come alive with young people bouncing all over town sharing the work they had created with their families and their community. I realised then I had some pretty high expectations to sustain, especially from Deniliquin locals. Wakool Shire’s Illuminate Project, was the first project that I was fully involved in with the company. It was a beautiful way to start my time at OTYP and to see a part of the world I had never seen before. Connecting with artists such as Angela Frost and Richie Hallal, that hold such a passion and belief in the work we do out here was inspiring. I witnessed first hand how one project can connect a region; touch the lives of every young person in that region while delivering an authentic regional story to our communities. I still get feedback from the play A Town Called Mills Acre, and it never gets old.

Later in the year we ran two, smaller scale projects that have resulted in larger scale projects in 2014; Gifts of Translation led by Richie Hallal in Swan Hill, and Sideshow Project led by Bec Cooen in Balranald. You can read more about these through the report. All four projects demonstrate the top-level artists we work with. We are so incredibly lucky to work with some of Australia’s best contemporary artists, and our projects are stronger for it. The year for me personally, was about creating a sustainable future for OTYP. Towards the end of the year we moved into our brand new office space, courtesy of Deniliquin Council, and we secured funding for 2014 at a level higher than any other year. The future looks bright, and I am proud to sit in the Creative Producer Chair, work with an extraordinary creative team and Board of Directors and watch the young people of our region flourish. Claire Harris Creative Producer, Outback Theatre for Young People

CREATIVE PRODUCER’S REPORT


Outback Theatre for Young People Outback Theatre for Young People (OTYP) is a notfor-profit organisation, dedicated to innovative, participant-owned youth theatre. We engage regional and rural young people between the ages of four and 26 years throughout south west NSW and northern Victoria, in collaborative, generative theatre projects that celebrate their lives and their aspirations.

OTYP’s head office is in Deniliquin, a town of approximately 6,500 people. All of our communities; Hay, Deniliquin, Griffith, Balranald, Swan Hill and villages across the Wakool Shire have been hit by drought, flood and the closure of industry. Among our participants are young people who face isolation, poverty and a struggle with literacy.

From humble beginnings 25 years ago, where OTYP delivered drama programs out of the back of a ute to young people from Hay, Moulamein, Barham, Maude, Oxley and Deniliquin, OTYP has defied the odds to become one of the longest running and most innovative youth arts organisations in the country, delivering up to five major projects a year.

One of the only arts company dedicated to engaging young people in the region, OTYP services towns where there is no other access to professional arts experiences, not bringing in culture from the capital cities but developing it in our towns. Our projects create an inclusive and supportive creative environment, where young people are equipped with tools of imagination, vision and the ability to affect change. Through engaging with OTYP young people are encouraged and recognised by their community as key contributors to their local cultural landscape.

OUTBACK THEATRE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE


//2013 YEAR IN REVIEW


REVERBERATE

STAGE 2, FEB - MAY 2013 DENILIQUIN, NSW CREATIVE TEAM Artistic Director: Danielle O’Keefe Video: Jim Coad Projection/Sound: Vic McEwen Interactive/Projection/Animation: Jerome Dernoncourt Production Manager: Asha Watson Creative Producer: Mandy Field 2013 saw the second and final stage of our music-and-sound based theatre project, which brought together music and theatrical storytelling to create a large scale work in collaboration with the young people of Deniliquin. Over a 20-week period, project Artistic Director, Danielle O’Keefe, worked with disparate groups of Deniliquin youth, taking every opportunity to engage with the young people of Deniliquin. Deniliquin Council provided the project an after-school home in the disused tourist information building in the main street. Once cleaned out and given an eclectic youth-designed coat of paint regular after school workshops were held in this space, renamed Young, Wild and Free. On Saturday May 18th 2013, the streets of Deniliquin’s CBD were brought to life with interactive sound and video works created by young people in collaboration with artists Danielle O’Keefe (Artistic Director), Vic McEwan (Cad Factory), Jerome Dernoncourt (Animal Logic) and Jim Coad (Video Architecture). The event began at Deniliquin’s Waring Gardens in the centre of town, where the audience was guided by a map, engaging with both intimate works and large scale performances, finally arriving back at Waring Gardens for a main stage event featuring Deniliquin born garage rock band ‘King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizards’, supported by the experimental sounds of local emerging artists ‘Milk Steak’, Sean McConnell and Kyle Taylor.

600 Deniliquin locals meandered through the streets discovering each of the 12 installations as part of the Reverberate festival

Installations included: • Visual art works created by primary and secondary students mapped onto the Town Hall Building, • Live video drawing on St Michael’s School • A silent disco at the Young, Wild and Free project hub and youth space • Small, one-on-one experiences of both original scary stories and fairytales • A hauntingly beautiful and intimate installation telling the story of a fictional character’s transition into adulthood • A large-scale video work projected onto the Island Bird Sanctuary with an associated performance. The 600 strong audience journeyed through the town where they viewed and interacted with installations that highlighted the unique beauty of locations around Deniliquin. The audience ranged from the very young through to the elderly and the streets were bursting with activity, with small groups of audience members tearing through town. The project has also provided lasting invigoration to the town’s young people who are requesting that more projects come to their town. In 2014 we are rolling out two projects and in 2015 we will commence the two-year residency style project While You Were Sleeping.

REVERBERATE STAGE 2

400 young people in Deniliquin were involved in the overall Reverberate Project throughout 2012/2013

‘The ideas of the young people in Deniliquin were created, developed and followed through. We have left a real mark on the town and I still had young people, weeks later, sending through artistic photos or sound recordings showing me that they are looking at their world with inquisitive eyes.’ Danielle O’Keefe, Artistic Director

‘This is what mum was talking about in leading from behind’. Emily Chartres 22


| Photography Š Kate Butler |


ILLUMINATE

STAGE 2, MAR - SEPT 2013 WAKOOL SHIRE (Barham, Wakool, Moulamein), NSW OTYP developed a comprehensive theatremaking toolkit and associated documentary alongside the development of A Town Called Mills Acre

CREATIVE TEAM Artistic Director: Angela Frost Artistic Associate: Richie Hallal Production Manager: Brownwyn Pringle Stage Manager: PJ Rosas Creative Producer: Mandy Field/Claire Harris Illuminate Stage 2 saw Artists Angela Frost and Richie Hallal work with the young people of Wakool, Moulamein and Barham to create an original touring theatre show based on local themes and ideas, such as small town culture, farming, population decline, creativity and resilience. Through auditions at Barham High School a core cast was identified for the production and through a series of workshops and rehearsals over the 7-month period, Barham Public School, Moulamein Public School and Wakool-Burraboi Public School were involved in informing the themes and direction of the story which resulted in a work that the community felt immensely proud of and ownership of.

The play embarked on a three-week tour of the Wakool Shire in August/September 2013. The design for this project is unique in the way that the young people in each town made up the ensemble cast for the performances in that town as part of the tour. Each of the students were involved in research sessions where they informed us about the struggles, opportunities and intricacies of their community. Their ideas about what was special about their environment, what the people were like, what is magical about the bush, how local events are put together, what happens at them and why they are important, featured strongly in the performance.

A Town Called Mills Acre follows the story of the McCoy’s, a rice farming family living in a small community in southern Riverina of NSW. Through the play we come to know a vibrant, connected community through scenes depicting netball, farming and local events. The McCoy’s livelihood comes under threat as changes in water access, environmental concerns, and the growing fears of an uncertain future become overwhelming. The McCoy’s are forced to question their own lifestyle and the very fabric that holds their community together. We are witness to a family paving their way forward through innovation, creativity and courage.

The result saw over 80 young people perform onstage during the tour, and all performed together at the finale held in Barham in September. Alongside the development of this touring work was the creation of a toolkit and associated video documentary. OTYP artists mentored young people in all aspects of the documentary making process as part of our broader Young Producers Program. The process and the outcome highlighted community strengths and celebrated the culture, the people and the lifestyle of the young people of the Wakool shire. The play represented the members of the Wakool Shire in a very real way that brought out feelings of joy, hope and belonging.

ILLUMINATE STAGE 2

The Illuminate project creative team worked with young people across 7,549 sq kilometres

‘…It is incredible. It addresses issues such as neighbours leaving the district, population decline, irrigation farmers selling their water, disengagement in groups and organisations in town, uncertainty that there is a future in farming, financial hardship, severe depression, yet it managed to turn all this into an overwhelmingly positive and hopeful message for the future. These are the voices of our future – and they are awe-inspiring and inspirational.’ Ruth Wade, CEO, Rice Growers Association


| Photography Š Richie Hallal |


SIDESHOW

STAGE 1, NOV - DEC 2013 BALRANALD, NSW CREATIVE TEAM Artistic Director: Bec Cooen Artistic Associate: Scott McBurnie Creative Producer: Claire Harris The Sideshow Project is the next chapter in the development of the Balranald Circus; a rural youth circus that is building on an existing enthusiasm for circus among the young people of Balranald, initiated by OTYP’s Waterways project in 2009 and 2010, followed up by BYO Grownup in 2012, and a further weeklong circus skills intensive in November 2012. This project fosters a burgeoning, youth led local arts movement, creates positive cross peer relationships, and engages young people in physical activities whilst being fun and exciting.

These young people have been passionately asking for this development opportunity, seeking ways to develop their art form in and with their community. The majority of young people leave Balranald immediately after finishing high school, while this group is determined develop Balranald as a dynamic and enjoyable place for young people, contributing to the town’s sustainability and resilience.

The Sideshow Project has three core elements. The first is to develop circus, play-building and performance skills with the young people of Balranald; the second is to create an original performance work (2014), drawing on classic sideshow themes and characters; the third is professional development and leadership workshops with older young people and adults who will become ongoing trainers and supervisors in the Balranald Circus.

As a group the young people of Balranald have flourished through our circus projects in their community and in 2013 we saw a marked increase in confidence and initiative. In previous projects young people have needed constant input from artists to engage with creative tasks, in the 2013 stage of the Sideshow Project, young people were empowered to take ideas away in small groups, work on them independently then present their work to the larger group. Successive work with the young people in Balranald has fostered a culture of youth creativity and positive risk taking so that even young people new to the community are showing confidence in taking physical and creative risks.

Each participant in the leadership workshops plan and deliver workshops to the younger participants, mentored and supervised by OTYP staff ensuring the sustainability of the Circus as a safe and viable activity for the community.

The final performance outcome was a fantastic display of accumulated talent from the last five years, featuring the characters of the ‘Balranald Circus’, which packed the school hall and was very well received by the community. OTYP returns to Balranald in 2014 to create a professional touring work.

SIDESHOW STAGE 1

Our in-school program provided access to circus training for 137 students across grades K-11 from Balranald Central School.

Balranald’s population is 1,159 and our in-school program provided access to circus training for 137 students across grades K-11

Circus classes include juggling, pyramids, devil sticks, diabolo, clowning, skipping, tumble, mini tramp, trapeze, adagio (partner balances). We also introduced plate throwing and hat juggling.

OTYP has been running our circus program in Balranald since 2009, in 2014 we will support a group of young trainers who have come through the program, in creating their own theatrical work.


| Photography Š Claire Harris |


GIFTS OF TRANSLATION STAGE 1 NOV - DEC 2013 SWAN HILL, VIC CREATIVE TEAM Artistic Director: Richie Hallal Creative Producer: Claire Harris Gifts of Translation is OTYP’s first project across the border into Victoria and is a storytelling, theatre, dance and cultural sharing project that aims to develop leadership, capacity and cohesion within the community of African migrants and build understanding, co-operative relationships and social cohesion with the wider community of Swan Hill. Stage 1 saw Artistic Director Richie Hallal work with the African Community to unite people and develop leadership so that all participants can approach stage 2, when the wider Swan Hill Community will be engaged, as a harmonious group. Stories, ideas, concepts and passions were explored to establish cultural sharing between the diverse cultures of Africa. Young people attended dedicated drama workshops while cultural sharing; dance and storytelling workshops engaged members of the African community of all ages. Drama workshops were rich with ideas, stories, observations and layered both with stories from their old countries along with current joys and challenges of living in Swan Hill. The African Australian young people took to the drama workshops with gusto and joy. The major outcome for 2013 was a Cultural Workshop and was a wonderful way to connect the African communities. Each African group involved (South Sudan, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Mauritius) cooked and brought their own pot of their country’s cultural food.

The event included: • South Sudanese families performing their traditional cultural dances. The audience was then invited to learn a South Sudanese dance and dance together, • Zimbabwe families performing their three traditional dances and then teaching everyone the dances, • Moroccan storytelling about arriving in Australia and starting a new life in Swan Hill, • A smorgasbord of magnificent tastes of all the beautiful foods brought for dinner by the families, • South Sudanese teenagers presenting their play that they had been rehearsing. It explored themes of belonging, experiences of racism and how these young people have related to Australia’s history. The strongest theme was how lucky they felt living in Swan Hill, • To end the event, the whole room shared in a Mauritius Dance - “It is quite fitting that this is the last dance because at a wedding or a party this is the dance we have to finish the night. This is always the last dance of the party”. Gifts of Translation Stage 2 continues through 2014 culminating in a cultural community festival in September.

The Gifts of Translation project connect people from South Sudan, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana, Mauritius and Morocco who all live in Swan Hill. The goal of the project is to create a happier, healthier and more harmonious Swan Hill where African migrants are viewed as valued members of the community. ‘You see, we love Swan Hill and we are very happy in this community. Some people in Swan Hill think we are not good. But we are very good people and we are very friendly. Our culture is very important to us, we want the people of Swan Hill to understand our culture, our skin might be different but our blood is the same, we are all one’. South Sudanese Project Participant

GIFTS OF TRANSLATION STAGE 1


| Photography Š Claire Harris |


YOUNG PRODUCERS PROGRAM The Young Producers Program is OTYP’s ongoing program to foster cultural leadership and develop the practice of our young artists in our communities. Through each of our projects young people identify themselves through commitment, aptitude and eagerness to absorb skills and knowledge – as incipient, talented theatre makers.

The Young Producers come together with the OTYP Creative Producer, Development Manager and artistic staff to critically evaluate OTYP projects, contribute to project design and strategic planning, assist with community liaising and participant engagement and discuss themes, ideas and issues relevant to young people of the Riverina.

The Young Producers Program will link these young people to each other, to our company and to other professional arts organisations in the wider region, mentor their emerging arts practice and facilitate them to initiate their own arts projects.

Each of our Young Producers is paired with an Artistic Directorate member and will contribute to projects as Associate Directors, Designers and Producers in artistic and supporting roles, while developing their own arts practice. At other professional arts organisations, Young Producers observe and, when appropriate, take part in process and view work; extending their knowledge of theatre and its possibilities.

Rural young people are the ideal collaborators to develop theatre practice in rural Australia. They authentically belong to the communities and they have enormous investment in enriching their towns as places of culture and entertainment. Individual young people see the possibilities of theatre as an art form, as a potential career, and as a way to contribute to the cultural life and sustainability of their community. Their individual practices are mentored by innovative professional artists who nurture their individual development.

In 2013 young people gained skills as production team and film crew on the Illuminate project, youth circus trainers on the Sideshow project and assistant direction on the Reverberate project.

YOUNG PRODUCERS PROGRAM


FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY // OTYP has secured increased levels funding, both government and philanthropic leading into 2014. STAFFING CAPACITY AND SUSTAINABILITY // OTYP hired a Development Manager in a three-days-a-week position and employed a Funding Consultant. In 2013 OTYP’s Creative Producer had had more support than ever before, the results of which can be seen in the more ambitious scope of our work, increased fundraising, a more developed public profile for the company and decreases in feelings of stress and burn-out for staff. 2013 saw changes in the company’s two significant leadership roles, we have a new Creative producer and a new Chair, both transitions a have been smooth and supported pointing to the stability of the organisation. INTEGRATION WITH COMMUNITY // OTYP has moved our office from the first floor of a Council building to the former tourist information centre on Deniliquin’s main street. This move has come about because of recognition by Deniliquin Council of the value OTYP has to the community. The new office gives OTYP much higher visibility. The bigger, light, open space allows greater staff collaboration. DOCUMENTATION // We are increasingly documenting our projects and performance outcomes with high-quality videos posted on our website, social media and other online platforms.

BUILDING CAPACITY IN OUR COMMUNITIES // In 2013 we instituted two important initiatives to up-skill young people and facilitate arts creation in our region. The Illuminate Toolkit, available on the OTYP website, which is a how-to type resource for making theatre in regional communities. The Young Producers Program is concentrating on skills-development for young people, particularly technical and production skills, allowing young people to be employed on future OTYP projects, employed by other events in the region and have the skills to produce their own projects. AMBITIOUS PROGRAMMING // The 2013 season engaged the whole of the Wakool Shire, brought Deniliquin to life, re-energised the youth circus movement in Balranald and saw our first foray over the border to Swan Hill

2013 SUCCESSES


THE OUTBACK TEAM

Creative Producer: Claire Harris (commenced June 2013) Mandy Field (until June 2013) Co-Creative Producer: Laticia Gibson (until April 2013)

Development Manager: Martina Link (commenced September 2013) Book Keeper: Julie Cassar Funding Consultant: Suzanne Hauser Board of Directors: Perin Davey (Chair), Neville Ladson (Treasurer), Amy Hardingham, Harley Moore, Scott Howie, Airlie Circuitt

DENILIQUIN/HAY/GRIFFITH - Outback Story Generator Outback Story Generator is an on-line story-sharing project that will engage over 100 young people from of Hay, Griffith and Deniliquin through a series of in-school residencies. Playwright Jessica Bellamy will work with young people to develop their unique ‘Outback’ stories through a dedicated website, live streaming and active on-line communication. GRIFFITH – EMERGE: Regional Playwright Project Stage 1 Continuing OTYP’s tradition of commissioning new works for and about regional NSW, Emerge will commission an aspiring playwright aged 16-26 from the region and provide them with the professional mentorship required to produce a work of excellence. BALRANALD – Sideshow: Balranald Circus Project Stage 2 Through a 10-week workshop program, OTYP will create a new theatrical work based on archetypal Sideshow Characters for the community of Balranald.

2013 Artistic Directors: Danielle O’Keefe (Reverberate), Angela Frost (Illuminate), Bec Cooen (Sideshow), Richie Hallal (Gifts of Translation) Guest Artists: Richie Hallal, Scott McBurnie, Vic McEwen, Jerome Dernoncourt, Jim Coad Production and Technical: Bronwyn Pringle, PJ Rosas, Asha Watson, Michael Ladson 2014 Artistic Directors: Richie Hallal (Gifts of Translation), Bec Cooen (Sideshow), Jessica Bellamy (Playwright, Outback Story Generator and EMERGE: Riverina Playwright Commission), Mandy Field (Little Movers and Makers) Guest Artists: Scott McBurnie, Julian Larnach, Vic McEwen, Danilo Paglialonga Production and Technical: Michael Ladson

SWAN HILL – Gifts of Translation Stage 2 Gifts of Translation is a storytelling, theatre, dance and cultural sharing project which will build leadership, capacity and cohesion within the community of African migrants. DENILIQUIN - Little Movers and Makers In partnership with Intereach, OTYP will work with parents and their young children under 5, from the Aboriginal Jyldamenk Playgroup and the Young Parents Group, in a creative program Little Movers and Makers culminating in a community performance. DENILIQUIN - 25-year historical exhibition at Deniliquin Peppin Centre In celebration of our rich history we will present an eclectic, multi media presentation of our past, present and future for the community.

WHAT’S COMING UP IN 2014


Outback Theatre for Young People could not do the great work we do in our communities without funding and support. Our 2013 program was proudly supported by


Corner Cressy and Wellington Streets, Deniliquin, NSW, 2710 P: 03 5881 6260 E: admin@outbacktheatre.com W: www.outbacktheatre.com


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