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NATIONAL STUFF

Convictions + Connections: Australian Theatre Forum 2011 – Registrations Open June 15 The Australian Theatre Forum committee and team, Fiona Winning Curator, Diat Alferink Associate Curator and Rebecca Meston Project Manager, are pleased to announce that registrations for the 2011 Forum will open on Wednesday 15 June. Coinciding with Brisbane Festival, this forum will see cultural leaders and contemporary thinkers teasing out some of the big issues around theatre practice, infrastructure and sustainability. It’s an opportunity to collectively recognise the innovations that are taking place in the sector and sketch out the changes yet to be made. What needs to be held on to? What can be left behind? With vision and conviction, we will dream, assume responsibility and take action.

Prices: There is a sliding scale for delegates: $66 for independents; $275 for delegates from companies turning over up to 500K; $385 (turnover 500K-999K); and $715 (turnover over 1million). These figures include GST. Independent artists will register first with rebecca@metroarts.com.au (from 15 June) to ensure equitable state/territory representation. Company delegates can register directly on www.australiantheatreforum.com.au from 15 June.

See you there!

Adhocracy 2011, 11–13 June, SA Adhocracy is South Australia’s new annual make ‘n’ show hothouse, inviting interdisciplinary artists to converse, create and critique in one space. It comprises three days of interdisciplinary and live art works, open studios, artists’ talks, works-in-progress and audience experiments.

Applications open for APAM 2012 All Australian performing artists and companies can apply to showcase or pitch at APAM 2012 in two categories: Spotlight, for new works premiering in 2010 and 2011 that you plan to tour; or Searchlight, for current works in development that you’d like to ‘pitch’ to promote discussions around future touring and investment. Application deadline is 2pm Central Standard Time, Friday 22 July.www.performingartsmarket.com.au/apply.

Netherlands’ Lieven Bertels to take up AD role at Sydney Festival Sydney Festival has announced the appointment of their new Artistic Director, Lieven Bertels. Bertels is currently Artistic Coordinator for Holland Festival, the Netherlands’ oldest and largest annual arts festival. Bertels helped to re-establish the event as a leading presenter and producer of contemporary music, opera and non-western work. www.sydneyfestival.org.au.

AUSTRALIAN THEATRE NETWORK ESTABLISHMENT – STATE UPDATES

TNV is currently monitoring and supporting states in various ways to begin work towards a national network. Several meetings are planned and other work is underway as follows:

Western Australia There will be a meeting for the WA theatre sector in Perth on Tuesday 26 July, 9am – 12.30pm, at the Undercroft, Subiaco Theatre Centre. The meeting will look at the Theatre Network Victoria model and its outcomes, as well as doing a brief mapping of the WA theatre sector; thinking ahead to the Australia Theatre Forum in September, and looking at possibilities for an ongoing WA Theatre Network as a sub-group of the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA.

Tasmania The Theatre Council Tasmania has secured support from Arts Tasmania for a part-time Project Manager for the Council. Recruitment for the position will be undertaken over the next month. See below for more detail on the position.

South Australia The South Australian theatre sector has already undertaken two sector-wide forums, in 2009 and 2010. There is now discussion about whether an informal network would be a good next step for SA. The Arts Industry Council (SA) has offered to host a meeting to discuss the idea further. The meeting will be held in Adelaide on Wednesday 27 July.

New South Wales Kim Hanna has been engaged to undertake a scoping study involving whole-of-sector consultation to provide insight into (and recommendations on) what type of state-based theatre network model will best serve the sector. This stage has been funded by Arts NSW. A survey will soon be generated and anyone in NSW wishing to be included on the circulation list should contact (link removed).

Queensland The Australian Theatre Forum team is inviting all interested Queensland theatre workers to a meeting in Brisbane on Thursday 30 June, 6pm, at the Brisbane Powerhouse, to meet the team, get a briefing on the Forum and have a say about what’s important to them. This will also be an opportunity for the sector to get together and gauge the interest in an ongoing network.

Australian Capital Territory Canberra based theatre practitioners are invited to attend an information session to discuss the formation of a Canberra Theatre Network inline with discussions that are currently taking place in the national performing landscape ahead of the Australian Theatre Forum. The information session will be held on Saturday 2 July, 3pm at the Jigsaw Theatre Company Office, Griffin Centre, 20 Genge St, Canberra.

Northern Territory At this stage there are no plans for an ongoing network in the Northern Territory, but Angela O’Donnell from Artback NT has written an update for TNV subscribers:

“Things are bubbling away in the Northern Territory with the festival season upon us. The NT comes alive while the rest of the country is rugging up against the cold weather. Over 30 remote community festivals happen during the dry that showcase local Indigenous music and traditional dance. There are also larger festivals that bring our communities together to share unique territory and interstate and international talents. Darwin Festival Produced makes work throughout the year with local artists as does the Alice Desert Festival and all the festivals in between. To capitalise on this unique environment and time of year, Artback NT: Arts Development and Touring are planning to host Long Paddock 2012 in Darwin in August during the Darwin Festival.” – Angela O’Donnell, Performing Arts Touring Manager, Artback NT

Victoria – that’s us! Theatre Network Victoria has turned two and has now incorporated as an Association. Recent work includes advocating for continued funding for the small to medium sector in the recent State budget; working with VAPAC and RAV on a touring meeting for the sector to be held in July; a major communications push – now that we have a Communications Manager – through Twitter, Facebook and increasing our mailing list; and national work on the Forum and the new national Network. Check out our groovy new flip-page Annual Report here: (link removed).

VICTORIAN STUFF

Guest editorial on Independent Theatre by Robert Reid Though it’s only become a buzz word in the last decade or so, Independent Theatre has a long and illustrious history in Victoria, stretching back at least as far as Louis Esson’s Pioneer Players close to a hundred years ago. The commonality which unites them all is the sense of a community of theatre makers, supporting each other and their work, exploring and experimenting in the theatre, advancing the art form and promoting the work of local artists. If you’d like your work to be part of a guest column looking at the work of individual contemporary independent theatre companies and artists, email me at burst.signal.symphony@gmail.com.

Lucy Guerin Studio Hire – Winter Special Lucy Guerin Inc Studio has space available over the winter months at a discounted rate – and bookings made within 24 hours notice are free. The space can be used for rehearsals, dance classes, open rehearsals, showings of works-in-progress and forums.

Courthouse Arts announces appointment of new Artistic DirectorCourthouse Arts has announced the appointment of Ross Mueller as its new Artistic Director. He takes over from Ben Laden on July 1. Mueller has a history of working with small-to-medium companies, such as St Martins Youth Arts Centre, Canberra Youth Theatre and Back to Back Theatre.

(Jobs removed).

INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITY

9th Women Playwrights International Conference 
Stockholm – Sweden 15–21 August 2012
 Expressions of interest open the Conference, (themed ‘The Democratic Stage’), which is an opportunity to meet, build networks and create genuine, lasting contacts between women playwrights and theatre professionals. Applications due 1 October 2012.