Hay – OUTBACK THEATRE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

‘The Agitators’ is coming to Hay these school holidays

July 9, 2018/in Hay, News /by darryl-otyp

OUTBACK THEATRE RETURNS TO HAY

During the second week of the school holidays (16-20 July), artists from Outback Theatre will be back in town to develop a new piece of theatre with local young creatives.

The last time artists from Outback Theatre for Young People (OTYP) spent time in Hay, the result was the roving performance of The Echo in Our Walls at Bishops Lodge, which transformed the historic building and celebrated the stories of our community with three performances in April of 2016.

Now it is time to commence work on another large-scale creative project – however this time things are slightly different! OTYP is engaging well-known theatre and technological wizards Transience Theatre (Dave Jones and Greg Prichard) who are exploring techniques of combining live performance and real-time mapped projections. Basically, it’s like being in the movies and being in real life at the same time.

The week of workshops will be spent diving into ideas about our current society – who has the control, how do we interact with technology and what happens when you start resisting the status quo? We’re going to be inspired by our social media feeds, the protests of the Parkland teenagers, complicating and resisting, your own experiences of finding your place in the world around you, online friends versus IRL friends, the Anonymous hackers, and glimmers of hope.

We are calling for a wide variety of young people to work with us this time: not just artists and performers, but musicians, creative thinkers, self-confessed geeks and nerds. We are also calling on young people with big ideas. We want to form a troupe of guerrilla creative do-ers and big-picture young thinkers who will transform the Plains around Hay into a digital wonderland with us.

This project is called THE AGITATORS – are you ready to join to revolution?

When: Monday 16 – Friday 20 July, 11am – 4pm each day

Where: Community Building, near the Oval

To Register: Email sarah@outbacktheatre.com

Ages: 12 – 17 years

Cost: Free

Bring: Own lunch and water bottle

Any questions, please text/call Sarah Parsons (OTYP Creative Producer) on 0417 164 641.

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]

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.

Outback Story Generator

February 26, 2014/in Deniliquin, Griffith, Hay, Past Projects, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People

Outback Story Generator is an online story-sharing project that engaged young people from the small towns of Hay, Griffith and Deniliquin in southwest NSW. This project reached over 200 young people across 300 kilometres and ran from the 3rd March to the 17th April 2014.

Playwright Jessica Bellamy worked with young people to develop their unique ‘Outback’ stories. The stories were developed in a variety of forms such as monologues, scripts, short stories, radio plays, poems, and songs. We then shared them on the Outback Story Hub. In addition to showcasing student work, the site has created connections between young people to other young people in similar communities who have shared experiences.

Jessica Bellamy spent two full weeks in Griffith; facilitating playwriting workshops and creative writing opportunities for young people in year 10 at Griffith High School. At the end of her residency, a presentation of the works were streamed live to classrooms in Hay and Deniliquin. Then she spent two weeks in Hay and Deniliquin, following the same process. During the process, Jessica identified two exceptional young people from each town who demonstrated high-level writing skills and they took part in a one-week holiday intensive from 14-17 April 2014 in Deniliquin (a writing Boot-camp!). They were given the opportunity to take their work a step further and formulate their pitch to the Emerge: Riverina Playwright Project commission.

Check out the OUTBACK STORY HUB HERE

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXC4U4P6s1U[/youtube]

WHAT WE ACHIEVED:

Reached over 200 young people from three different communities spanning 300kms; giving a large amount of young people the opportunity to engage with the project and explore their creative voice
Identified strong, stand-out young artists from each town and further their skills through creative literacy development workshops with Jessica Bellamy
Created a dedicated website which will invite a global audience to these local stories and will also serve as a resource for young writers
Linked participants to like-minded young people in their region

EMERGE: Riverina Playwright Commission

February 25, 2014/in Deniliquin, Griffith, Hay, News, Past Projects, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People

Sharing Regional Stories with the World: Submissions Now Closed

ABOUT THE COMMISSION

Outback Theatre for Young People is offering a $10,000 playwriting commission and mentorship for a young regional playwright to create a work (50 Minutes to and hour, one act) that brings regional voices and stories to the stage.

The EMERGE Commission will nurture an emerging Playwright’s professional growth through a mentoring process in 2014, resulting in a play that shares an authentic regional voice and the potential for it to be staged as part of OTYP’s 2015 season.

The commission and mentorship includes:

· $10,000 Commission fee

· A three month mentorship with Sydney playwright, Jessica Bellamy to assist in the development of the work

· 2 week-long residencies in regional NSW to workshop the script with Jessica Bellamy and OTYP

· A place at Australian Theatre for Young People’s National Studio in 2014 held from the 28^th August to the 6^th September

· The opportunity to spend two separate one-week residencies working with young people aged between 14-18 to see how the dialogue works on stage and to get feedback on how the piece is being received by young people.

· All travel and accommodation paid for during the week long residencies and the National Studio

EMERGE COMMISSION DETAILS AND HOW TO ENTER

You can DOWNLOAD an application pack HERE or else read below.

CRITERIA

– Writer must be aged between 16-26

– Writer must either:

Currently living in the Riverina, NSW
If living elsewhere, can demonstrate a strong connection to the Riverina. (please include details of this in your submission)

– The play should be able to be performed by actors aged 14-26

– The central driver of this commission is to create an authentically Australian work, which offers people an alternative perspective about life in regional Australia. This should be considered, and evident in your submission.

EMERGE HOTLINE

We understand that developing a submission, as a new writer can be an overwhelming process. We encourage you to call and talk to us and we can help guide you through the process. Call Creative Producer Claire Harris on 0417 164 641 for further information.

WHAT TO SUBMIT

– Your full contact details

– Pitch for your proposed play/synopsis

– Examples of written work (up to four pages)

– A writer’s statement (what inspired the work? why this story? why now?)

– If not currently living in the Riverina, a brief explanation of your connection to the area.

– Proposed cast size/technical requirement/specific staging ideas

NB: Please compile your submission into one document for easy distribution to our judging panel.

Please email your submission to claire@outbacktheatre.com

SHORTLISTING

We have appointed an expert panel of judges to review all submissions. If you’re shortlisted we will call on you to meet with us, and/or to provide us with more information about your proposal in order for us to make a final decision.

We may call on the shortlisted participants to join us for a one-day writing intensive to further explore the themes of your proposed work and assess writing ability.

IF YOU ARE AWARDED THE COMMISSION WHAT HAPPENS?

You will be named the inaugural winner of the EMERGE: Riverina Playwright Award!

OTYP have developed a strategy so that the winner of the EMERGE commission is offered various professional development opportunities as part of the mentoring and play writing process. These include:

– Inclusion in the Australian Theatre for Young People’s National Playwriting Studio

– A three-month mentoring program with Jessica Bellamy between June and August 2014. It is not expected that this will be full time but rather at times negotiated with Jessica. This will be through skype, telephone and email contact and face-to-face meetings.

– 2 week-long residencies in the Riverina. These dates will be finalised to suit the Playwright and Playwriting Mentor and will include the opportunity to access a cast and a director.

NB: It is an expectation that if you are awarded the commission that you will be available to partake in all of the above. OTYP will endeavour to schedule the residencies at a time suitable for the playwright.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: I don’t live in the Riverina, am I eligible?

A: We are looking to share regional stories from a Riverina perspective. If you have a connection to the area and can demonstrate that, please apply. We would love to hear your idea.

Q: When will I receive the commissioning fee?

A: The commissioning fee will be paid in instalments.

$2,000 on signing contract. $2,500 on completion of first draft. $2,500 on completion of second draft (after in-schools workshop process) $3,000 on final draft.

Q: Will the play be staged?

A: There is the potential to stage the production as part of Outback Theatre for Young People’s 2015 season. With all our programs, this will be dependent upon funding and resources.

Q: Where do I send my submission?

A: Please email your submission in one PDF document to Claire@outbacktheatre.com by no later than the Wednesday 23 April 2014. Any submissions after this date may not be considered.

Q: I have a question about the commission, who can I talk to?

A: You can call OTYP’s Creative Producer Claire Harris on 0417 164 641. She will be happy to answer any of your questions. Or email Claire@outbacktheatre.com

The commission would not be possible without the support of our supporters at Arts NSW, The Australia Council and the Ian Potter Foundation.

Dreamings film

February 27, 2013/in Alive and Kicking, Hay, Past Projects, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People

DREAMINGS

Outback Theatre for Young People’s, Alive and Kicking 2011, presents ‘Dreamings’, made in collaboration with young people from Hay, NSW.

dreamings upload from Outback Theatre for Young People on Vimeo.

Junkyard Hustle

February 27, 2013/in Alive and Kicking, Hay, Past Projects, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People

Junkyard Hustle

Junkyard Hustle is a short silent film shot at the Hay Gaol Museum, NSW, in collaboration with Year 9/10 students of Hay War Memorial High School. This film was one of many outcomes of Outback Theatre for Young People’s ‘Alive and Kicking’ Project.

Junkyard from Outback Theatre for Young People on Vimeo.

OTYP in Hay

October 31, 2012/in Alive and Kicking, Hay, Past Projects, Uncategorized /by Outback Theatre For Young People

Hay is situated in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales, Australia, and has a population of 2,636 (2006 Census). It is one of the country’s leading wool growing and sheep meat producing areas and has irrigated crops such as watermelon, broccoli and lettuce. In October 2012, the young people of Hay showed off their extraordinary talents with the final performance of Outback Theatre for Young People’s Alive and Kicking project.