Still reeling from the news that 62 companies and arts organisations have
lost their Australia Council funding, 7-ON looked back over our
collective history to see how many plays, performance texts (and other
writing-related employment) we had between us that had been commissioned,
developed and/or produced by those companies once funded by the OzCo, now critically
endangered and teetering on the brink of extinction.
Vanessa
Checklist for an Armed Robber was first produced by Vitalstatistix
in 2005. The play was nominated for a Victorian Premiers Award and won an
AWGIE. It went on to be published by Currency Press and produced by
theatre@risk, Belvoir B-Sharp, Deckchair Theatre, Stooged Theatre, ABC Radio
Airplay and has had countless schools productions.
Verity
Long Tan, Brink Productions. Long Tan received the largest grant possible from the SA Ministry
for the Arts. It also received a large grant via Catalyst funding. But the
company itself has been de-funded via the Australia Council. Go figure.
Carrying Light, co-production between Vitalstatistix and the State
Theatre Company of SA. The chopping of Brink and Vitals could mean—though of course everyone
hopes that other funding may be found—that potentially the ONLY professional
theatre company producing work for adults in the entire state of South
Australia—which includes Adelaide, a city of one million people!—would be the
State Theatre Company of SA. Another go figure. How many theatre companies,
opera companies, orchestras and so on in a German city of 1 million people?
Hmmm.
The Red Cross Letters. I’m working with Andy Packer of Slingsby
on another show scheduled for production this year, The Red Cross Letters.
This is in fact an add-on to the program of the STCSA, but Andy’s directing the
new version. Slingsby
survives on 1.4 people, makes new work, has an ongoing international touring
circuit of several repertoire plays, launched the career of Finnegan
Kruckemayer, I could go on. What more does a small company have to do to get a
nod, we wonder?
Noëlle
Madagascar Lily was commissioned and first produced by PACT.
It was also produced by St Martins Youth Theatre, and I adapted it for ABC
Radio National’s Summer Drama program. The radio adaptation was nominated for a
2008 AWGIE Award, and the stage play is published in a US anthology of plays
for young people. Madagascar Lily has also had in-school productions.
Jennifer in Security was commissioned, workshopped and produced
by Vitalstatistix.
Hilary
The Anatomy Lesson
of Dr Ruysch was commissioned,
workshopped and produced by Vitalstatistix,
winning the AWGIE for Music Theatre, published by the Australian Script Centre
and produced in the USA.
Memmie Le Blanc was co-produced by Vitalstatistix and Deckchair (defunded out of
existence a couple of years ago), giving it a life in both WA and SA. It won
the Inscription Award and was also produced in Melbourne.
Take Up Thy Bed And
Walk, a work I devised with
Gaelle Mellis and the performers, was supported and produced by Vitalstatistix.
Cutaway—A Ceremony, a theatrical event on which I worked, was
created and produced by Vitalstatistix.
The Bloody Bride was commissioned, workshopped and produced
by NORPA.
Milk Crate Theatre Company employed me as a dramaturg
on Fearless.
Donna
Quest. I lament the loss of operational funding to PACT Centre for
Emerging Artists where, as a young playwright, I held a
funded year long residency, wrote three shows, and had my first hit, Quest, which brought the likes
of Baz Luhrmann and David Williamson to the transformed warehouse in Erskineville,
and led to commissions with ATYP and Jigsaw Theatre Company.
I also am really saddened that Milk Crate is in the same boat. As an artistic associate with Milk Crate I have recently worked with refugees and people recovering from mental illness, as well as Milk Crate’s dedicated ensemble, to create space for their stories. It has been a pleasure to accompany Milk Crate as they evolve their inclusive theatre methodology, and it is a social sin that a company this unique and affective, and their vulnerable constituents, have been passed over.
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