DIGITAL THEATRE FESTIVAL AUGUST 2020 nida.edu.au/digital-theatre-festival
WELCOME DIGITAL THEATRE FESTIVAL AUGUST 2020
I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the many lands on which we perform and present these projects. Here at NIDA, in Kensington NSW, we learn and tell stories on Bidjigal and Gadigal land and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and emerging. I am very excited to welcome you to NIDA’s Digital Theatre Festival. Neither streamed theatre, nor film, this festival is unlike any other: the six projects have been created entirely from the ground up, specifically for audiences in the digital space, resulting in uniquely immersive, interactive and unusual experiences. Collaborating with an exciting line up of directors, NIDA’s actors, designers, stage managers, theatre technicians, costumiers, props-makers and scenery-makers – among some of Australia’s brightest young imaginations – have applied incredible innovation and out-of-thebox thinking at every moment to create six rich and complex shows. They have bravely pushed the boundaries of storytelling and learnt to make the most of the whole gamut of online platforms to engage audiences. Along the way, they have further developed their creative and agile thinking; attributes that I know our industry will be hungry for once they graduate from NIDA. Thank you for joining us on this ambitious journey. Together we might just be witnessing the invention of another future for the performing arts. I would like to thank David Berthold, NIDA’s Director Centre for Creative Practices and Curator of the Digital Theatre Festival, for all his work and creative inspiration. To finish, allow me to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly thank all our sponsors and donors, as well as the Australian Government via the Office for the Arts, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, for their continuing support of NIDA and excellence in performing arts education. Happy Digital Theatre Festival to all!
– Liz Hughes, CEO
Trailer
Written and directed by Sean Stewart 4, 5, 8 August 8pm AEST 7–9 August 11am AEST Indicative running time 100 minutes including three intervals Roundabout is an attempt to make a funny, good-natured play that feels native to our era – A Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Importance of Being Earnest for the 21st century. This century, I believe, will be defined by the sharing of power between artist and audience. From video games to fan fiction, the audience increasingly delights in becoming part of the action. With that in mind, Roundabout has characters and a story like any other play; but here the audience is a character, too, with its own motives and ability to affect the plot. In our play, there is a struggle between virtual humans and those ‘made out of meat’ – but aren’t we all amphibious these days, moving between both the physical and digital worlds? Roundabout has been one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever been part of, mostly because of the ferociously smart, creative, and good-natured cast and crew of NIDA students who have worked so hard to bring it to life. The future belongs to them, and I for one feel it is in excellent hands. The thing they don’t tell you about the future is how much it changes the past. As the merrygo-round spins, we get a different view of the world we grew up in, from its assumptions about gender to its ideas of history’s heroes and villains. You can’t really get off the merrygo-round (at least, I’m not going until I’m pushed) but maybe it’s a little comforting to look at the person next to you – whether actor or audience, the lines are so blurry these days – and laugh, and know they feel that dizziness, too.
– Sean Stewart, Director & Writer
Lynsey Brown Presented by NIDA BFA Costume, BFA Properties and Objects, BFA Scenic Construction and Technologies, BFA Technical Theatre and Stage Management, BFA and MFA Design for Performance, MFA Writing and final year BFA Acting students.
Company
Kit Sam Pat Omega/Soccer Fan
Anna Clark Rebecca Attanasio Leinad Walker Rudy Hendrikx*
Writer/Director Sean Stewart** Set/Costume Designer Angus Konsti Project Manager/Lead Programmer Thomas Bensley Audio-Visual Designer/Technical Supervisor Daniel Herten Lighting Designer/Social Media Sybilla Wajon Systems Technician/Broadcast Programmer Zachary Saric Technical Assistant/Twitch Technician Chloe Langdon Stage Manager Nikki Jones Assistant Stage Manager Jessica Pizzinga Props Supervisor Lucas Guillemin Voice Coach Gavin Leahy** Voice Support Rudy Hendrikx Construction Supervisor Lynsey Brown*** Costume Supervisor Alloquois Callaway Costume Maker Oliver Hall Costume Assistant Lucy Francis Props Assistants Connor McCool Maddison Williams Design Assistant Lachlan Odgers Construction Assistant Maxime Armand
*MFA (Voice) student **Guest artist ***NIDA staff
Special thanks to Susie Henderson, Leanne Langdon, and all guest artists who participated in our ‘Special Guest’ Series: Chris Weitz, Steve Boyle, Robin McNicholas, Pippa Hill, Stephen Brimson-Lewis, Jason Brown, Ryan Stayton, Lou Doye, Jordan Weisman, Sarah Ellis and Andy Lanning.
Graduating students 2020 Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
Reb e cc a At t ana sio
Ayla B eaufils
A nna Clark
Leinad C oulthur s t
Philip D’A mbrosio
Mic aela Ellis
Charlot te G rimmer
T hom a s Hughe s
Ja s on Jef ferie s
L achlan Kent
Nathaniel L angwor thy
T hom a s Loveluck
Patrick Mandziy
Brodie Ma sini
A lb er t Mwangi
R yan Paniz za
Zo e Re snick
B randon S c ane
A lexandra St amell
A lana Stewar t
L uke V is entin
A lan Zhu
Je s sic a S pie s
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Costume)
G e orgia At tewell-Mo ore
Av ril B radbur yHoath
A llo quois C allaway
Te s s Healy
S arah Murdo ch
Emily Pire s
Iz Sperling
S idney Tulau
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Design for Performance)
Meret te B ou tros
Te s s B urg
O liv ia Hu tley
Jordan Leah
Ruru Zhu
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Properties and Objects)
A lexandra A llans on
Daniel D ruer y
L uc a s G uillemin
A m anda Torrisi
Bachelor of Fine Arts ( Technical Theatre and Stage Management)
T hom a s B ensley
T hom a s Houghton
Mali Tauro Cesca
A mellia B ruderlin
K hyam C ox
Je s s e G reig
L ucia Haddad
Fiona Harding
Daniel Her ten
Jennifer Jackson
Morgan Moroney
A na s t a sia Mowen
Ros e Mulc are
C ameron S mith
L achlan Ste el
Monique L angford
Rit a Naidu
Ella Van Dam
Mellit a Ver tigan
Master of Fine Arts (Design for Performance)
Adrienne A ndrews
S om a G arner
A ngus Kons ti
Claudia K r ys zk iew ic z
LEADERSHIP TEAM Chief Executive Officer Liz Hughes General Manager Alistair Graham Chief Financial Officer Sujeet Jena Executive Director Pathways and Partnerships Mark Gaal Head of Business Transformation Priscilla Hunt Director Student Engagement, Learning and Quality Assurance Kylie Black Director Centre for Acting John Bashford Director Centre for Technology, Production and Management Graham Henstock Director Centre for Creative Practices David Berthold Director Centre for Design Practices Dr Julie Lynch Director Public Programs Tricia Ryan Director NIDA Corporate Vanessa White Head of Development and Alumni Lisa Hamilton Head of Marketing and Communications Laetitia Shepherd Company Secretary Julia Mant ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF Producer Diane Misirdjieff Operations Manager Charlene Griffiths → CENTRE FOR ACTING Head of Movement, Senior Lecturer Gavin Robins
Property Services Principal Partner
Head of Music, Senior Lecturer Andrew Ross Head of Voice, Course Leader (MFA Voice) Katerina Moraitis Project and Administration Coordinator Mahsa Foroughi → CENTRE FOR CREATIVE PRACTICES Senior Lecturer and Course Leader Common Subjects Dr Suzanne Osmond Lecturer Common Subjects Priscilla Jackman Lecturer Common Subjects Pierce Wilcox Lecturer Design and Common Subjects Tobhiyah Stone-Feller Course Leader Cultural Leadership Karilyn Brown Head of Directing, Course Leader Dr Benjamin Schostakowski Head of Writing for Performance, Course Leader Dr Stephen Sewell Project and Administration Coordinator Elizabeth Shearer → CENTRE FOR DESIGN PRACTICES Costume Head of Costume, Course Leader Annette Ribbons Lecturer Costume Marcia Lidden Associate Lecturer Costume Daniela Viola Costume and Props Store Manager Costume and Props Store Robin Monkhouse
Major Partners
Design Senior Lecturer Design Stephen Curtis Lecturer Design Jeremy Allen Lecturer Design Isabel Hudson Lecturer Design and Common Subjects Tobhiyah Stone-Feller Lecturer Scenic Art and Art Finishing Karen Scribbins Production and Administration Coordinator Rebecca Paling
Head of Sound Design, Lecturer Paul Prestipino Head of Stage Management, Senior Lecturer Melanie Dyer Technical Manager Chris Dickey AV Support Technician Benjamin Nicholson PATHWAYS AND PARTNERSHIPS
Manager Vocational Studies Marnie Campbell Librarian Ross Bruzzese Assistant Librarian Properties and Objects Liana Piccoli Head of Properties and Objects, Administration Coordinator Course Leader Hannah McBride Marcelo Zavala-Baeza Associate Lecturer Properties OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR and Objects/Workshop STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, Coordinator LEARNING AND QUALITY Majella Beck ASSURANCE Associate Lecturer Properties E-Learning Technologist and Objects/Workshop Andrew Gates Coordinator Administration Coordinator Alexander Creecy Naomi Lennox Student Engagement Scenic Construction and Administrator Technologies Barbara Taylor Production Manager, Course Leader Scenic Construction and Technologies Nicholas Day Assistant – Scenery Workshop Ian Turland Lecturer Scenic Construction and Technologies Lynsey Brown Associate Lecturer Scenic Construction and Technologies Florian Simonin → CENTRE FOR TECHNOLOGY, PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT Senior Lecturer Technology and Production Peter Savage
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NIDA employs a wide range of industry professionals on both a part-time and casual basis who teach students across all the courses. NIDA would like to acknowledge and thank all members of staff who have shared their expertise with the 2020 students.
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The National Institute of Dramatic Art is supported by the Australian Government
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