FESTIVAL OF EMERGING ARTISTS 2022
22–26 FEBRUARY NIDA THEATRES
WELCOME I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we learn and tell stories, the Bidjigal and Gadigal people, and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and emerging. Welcome to the Festival of Emerging Artists, the culmination of practical training for NIDA’s Directing and Bachelor of Fine Arts (Design for Performance) students, who have completed their degrees during a tumultuous time. For each production, a director and designer work in collaboration with creative leaders from every discipline at NIDA and through our extensive industry networks, to bring the wonder and awe of these productions to life. This year, the Festival celebrates the work of six MFA Directing students and nine BFA designers, presenting six plays, including four new Australian works, an installation piece and a collaborative digital work. It features four world premieres of new Australian plays truly showcasing the collaborative efforts of NIDA’s writing and directing students. In addition to the dazzling contributions of NIDA’s design students, these works also bring you the artistry of NIDA’s current cohort of lighting designers, sound designers, video designers, costume supervisors, props makers, stage managers, make-up artists, production coordinators, props supervisors, voice coaches, construction managers, costume assistants, head electricians, technical assistants, video systems managers and design assistants The festive spirit of this season is also fuelled by external collaborations. The Directing students draw upon their extended networks to bring in actors, writers and other collaborators from the wider community. This shows just how much NIDA is a rich and potent, industry-connected creative hub in which emerging artists can bring to life truly meaningful, exciting new work. NIDA prides itself on being a training ground for many of the most successful arts practitioners working in Australia and internationally. This Festival introduces the new generation of Australia’s leading directors and designers to watch. NIDA alumni immediately find employment across the entertainment industry, highly sought-after talent in theatre, screen and new media. We are confident, in presenting these creatives to you, that you will be seeing their work in the wider world very soon. We couldn’t bring you the Festival of Emerging Artists without the support of the Federal Government and our wonderful donors, including our First Nations Program Principal Patron The Balnaves Foundation and Principal Partner for Property Services ARA group. I would also like to thank our Major Partners Technical Direction Company, our Corporate Partner YouTube, as well as UNSW and Tempus Two Wines. NIDA is hugely appreciative of the support of various trusts and foundations and the generous individuals supporting the Behind the Scenes Program, including our student scholarship supporters.
2
Liz Hughes CEO
CONTENTS MFA Directing – Welcome by Dr Benjamin Schostakowski
4
BFA Design for Performance – Welcome by Bob Cousins
5
STUDIO THEATRE 6 The Life That I Gave You Too Human
REG GRUNDY STUDIO 8 HYDRARCHOS BETH
SPACE 10
Hotel Burning
PARADE THEATRE 12 Apocalyptic Hours
DIGITAL
The Space Between 13
GRADUATING DIRECTORS
GRADUATING DESIGNERS
Eve Beck 14 Madeleine Diggins 15 Sammy Jing 18 Rikiah Lizarraga 19 Amy Sole 20 Alexei Ymer-Welsby 21
Soham Apte Blake Hedley Amy Jackson Phoenix McKay Angelina Meany Hayden Relf Bella Rose Saltearn Hannah Tayler Hannah Yardley
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 3
DIRECTING Master of Fine Arts (Directing)
2022 marks the 50th anniversary year of NIDA’s Directing course, and we are thrilled to kick off our golden year by presenting six live performances across three venues led by Master of Fine Arts Directing students. MFA Directing students work closely with artists across all courses and disciplines. Many of their practice-led learning experiences also connect with external colleagues and industry partners such as the Actors Centre Australia, NAISDA dance college, triple j Unearthed, and ABC’s rage. Through live performances and multimedia projects, the directors spend the 15-month long course honing their craft, creativity, and collaboration skills. This festival stands as the culmination of the practical component of training for the directors, a place to connect with contemporary audiences and express their unique directorial potential as they transition into the industry. The Space houses Caryl Churchill’s mesmeric Hotel, a fascinating text which sees the lives of 10 seemingly ordinary humans unfold simultaneously in the one space to thrilling effect. Hotel is followed by Burning, written and directed by Amy Sole – the premiere of a poetic and vital First Nations work about the impact of colonial violence on this land and this soul. In the Studio Theatre, Sammy Jing directs the debut of Australian play Too Human, co-written with MFA Writing for Performance student Michael McStay – an outrageous and irreverent farce on the politics of mixed-race identity. Alexei Ymer-Welsby then presents a fresh interpretation of Prinadello’s The Life That I Gave You, a deeply moving and melancholic parable on the power of will against the forces of grief. And finally, The Reg Grundy Studio is home to another two premiere Australian works, Hydrarchos a spectacular mytho-political fable on legacy and science denial by Grace Davidson-Lynch, directed by Rikiah Lizarraga. And Beth, a campy, razor-sharp riff on Shakespeare’s Macbeth rounds out this venue’s program. Directed by Maddie Diggins and adapted alongside Barbara Taylor and Sophie Davis, Beth conjures a world of corrupted power in the deceptively low-key suburban RSL. A special thank you to the generous industry mentors who helped guide the directing students with their productions. Following the order of productions above, they are Imara Savage, Shari Sebbens, Courtney Stewart, Kenneth Moraleda, and Alex Berlage. Tasnim Hossain worked closely alongside all directors throughout rehearsals providing invaluable creative support and insight. These productions stand as a testament to the ambitious creative artists moving into a radically changing and evolving Arts climate. We’re thrilled to welcome you to the festival and thank you for playing a crucial role: the audience.
Dr Benjamin Schostakowski Head of Directing, Course Leader 4
DESIGN Bachelor of Fine Arts (Design for Performance) At its core, theatre is radically optimistic. Every production is made with the hope and expectation that a connection will be made between the makers and their audience and that some necessary story or knowledge is shared. In the best theatre this sharing works like a feedback loop, and the makers and performers stand to learn as much from this shared experience as the audience. It would be understandable if NIDA’s creative artists had yielded to the bleak pessimism of the past two years. Instead, The Festival of Emerging Artists rises as an act of resistance. It is a celebration of the collaborative resilience of all involved; an optimistic assertion of the crucial role that performance can play in building an empathetic understanding of the world and our place within it. This year’s ambitious designs present the distinct visions of the nine BFA Design for Performance graduates across four NIDA venues and beyond into the virtual. For BETH, Amy Jackson transforms the Reg Grundy Studio into the familiar surrounds of an RSL where amidst the chicken parmies and meat raffle, power and ambition stalk each other on the dance floor. Also in the Reg Grundy, Blake Hedley unearths one of palaeontology’s great hoaxes and creates a spectacular kinetic installation and the beating heart of HYDRARCHOS. In the Space Theatre, for Burning, Angelina Meaney brings great sensitivity and a distinctive sense of place to the scorched landscape of Australia’s relationship with its past, present and future. Whilst Hayden Relf, distils every hotel room you have ever washed up in, into an iconic space for Hotel’s delicate choreography of human relationships. In the Studio Theatre, Bella Rose Saltern finds a poetic expression for the absence that sits at the centre of The Life That I Gave You and Hannah Tayler brings great inventiveness and theatrical wit to the highly energetic pubescent comedy – Too Human. Perhaps the work that most directly speaks to the idea of creative optimism is Phoenix McKay’s installation Apocalyptic Hours in the Parade Theatre which provides insight and hope to artists everywhere forced to find ways to continue their practice in isolation. Finally, working beyond physical space Soham Apte and Hannah Yardley are collaborating with partners New Canvas and director Leticia Cáceres on a Virtual Reality project. Still in the making, The Space Between questions the role of gender in opera and explores a series of extraordinary theatrical landscapes. Miles Davis said that you need to play a long time to sound like yourself but with this festival nine new unique and confident design voices emerge and insist on being heard.
Bob Cousins Course Leader Design for Performance 5
STUDIO THEATRE The Life That I Gave You 22–26 Feb, 6.45pm 26 Feb, 12pm Written By Luigi Pirandello Directed by Alexei Ymer-Welsby Set and costume design by Bella Rose Saltearn The Life That I Gave You is Pirandello’s magical and melancholic story of a grieving mother and her attempts to keep her dead son alive, here reimagined by director Alexei Ymer-Welsby and designer Bella Rose Saltearn.
Cast
6
Artistic and Production Team Director
Alexei Ymer-Welsby
Set/Costume Designer
Bella Rose Saltearn
Lighting Designer
Ethan Hamill
Sound Designer
Keelan Ellis
Costume Supervisor
Tamsyn Balogh-Caristo
Production Manager
Chloe Adele Langdon
Stage Manager
Chris Milburn
Head Electrician
Amy Norton
Head Make-up Artist
Polly Cooper
Donn'Anna Luna
Dina Panozzo
Make-up Artist
Ahdinda Ley
Fiorina/Francesca
Odile LeClezio
Production Coordinator
Amina Osman
Lucia Maubel
Ebony Nave
Props Makers
Don Giorgio
Peter Donnelly
Sophie Howard Jemina Snars
Technical Assistants
Lida
Alyona Popova
Flavio
Alfred Kouris
Cameron Bartie Mitchell Purdie Sylvie Huxley Kalum McMurray
Too Human 22–26 Feb, 8pm 26 Feb, 1.15pm Written by graduating NIDA MFA Writing student Michael McStay Directed by Sammy Jing Set and costume design by Hannah Tayler Too Human is the story of Monty, born of mermaid and minotaur. Written by graduating NIDA MFA Writing for Performance student Michael McStay, with design by Hannah Tayler, this world premiere is a farcical physical comedy inspired by the John Hughes teen movies of the eighties.
Cast
Artistic and Production Team Director
Sammy Jing
Set/Costume Designer
Hannah Tayler
Lighting Designer
Ethan Hamill
Sound Designer
Maddison Craven
Costume Supervisor
Oliver Hall
Production Manager
Chloe Adele Langdon
Stage Manager
Jessie McGuigan
Head Electrician
Amy Norton
Head Make-up Artist
Melanie Gjura
Make-up Artist
Jessica Tatchell
Costume Maker
Beth Hewitt
Costume Crew
Tamsyn Balogh-Caristo
Props Makers
Sophie Howard Jemina Snars
Monty The Bullfish/ Danielle
Rhiaan Marquez
Harry The Sphinx
Lachie Pringle
Andy the Crocodile
Charlie Potter
Production Coordinator
Amina Osman
Lewis The Satyr
Rachel Seeto
Technical Assistants
Beverley The Mermaid
Luisa Galloway
Merv The Minotaur
Nicolas Hiatt
Cameron Bartie Mitchell Purdie Sylvie Huxley Kalum McMurray
Thanks to The Strike for the use of their songs in this production: Nothing New Miles ahead Overtime The World Keeps Turning And to JET Management for Selfish High Heels by Cotton Dallas Michael
7
REG GRUNDY STUDIO HYDRARCHOS 22–26 Feb, 8pm 26 Feb, 1.15pm
Artistic and Production Team Director
Rikiah Lizarraga
By Grace Davidson-Lynch Directed By Rikiah Lizarraga Set and costume design by Blake Hedley
Set/Costume Designer
Blake Hedley
Lighting Designer
Jordan Jeckells
Sound Designer
Daniel Story
HYDRARCHOS, a story of dinosaur bones, science denial and community meltdown from Grace Davidson-Lynch, is a world premiere. Director Rikiah Lizarraga and designer Blake Hedley bring the work to vivid life.
Production Stage Manager
Bernadett Lorincz
Deputy Stage Manager
Isobel Morrissey
Head Electrician
Ryan McDonald*
Voice Coach
Raechyl French
Costume Supervisor
Lucy Francis
Cast Hydrarchos
Sarah Greenwood
Head Make-up Artist
Lachlan Masters
Albert Koch
Flynn Barnard
Make-up Artist
Ella Colhoun
Ben Silliman
Barret Griffin
Technical Crew
Natalie Cook
Freya Moore
John Ryden
Blake Kovac
Corey Blunden Julian Dunne Ashleigh Elms Alice Lloyd Declan Lodge
* Guest artist
8
BETH 22–26 Feb, 9.15pm 26 Feb, 2.30pm
Artistic and Production Team Director/Writer
Madeleine Diggins
Written By Sophie Davis, Madeleine Diggins, and Barbara Taylor Directed by Madeleine Diggins Set and costume design by Amy Jackson
Writer
Sophie Davis
Dramaturg/Writer
Barbara Taylor
Designer
Amy Jackson
BETH is a camp and murderous comedy adapted from Shakespeare’s Macbeth by NIDA Writing alumna Sophie Davis, with Madeleine Diggins, and Barbara Taylor. This world premiere is directed by Madeleine Diggins with designs by Amy Jackson.
Co-Adaptor
Sophie Davis
Fight Choreographer
Gavin Robbins
Lighting Designer
Jordan Jeckells
Sound Desginer
Joel Montgomery
Production Stage Manager
Bernadett Lorincz
Julie Bettens
Deputy Stage Manager
India Lively
Hannah Stewart
Costume Supervisor
Lily Mateljan
Raechyl French
Props Supervisor
Amy Jackson
Banquo
Dominique Purdue
Props Maker
Sophie Howard
Duncan
Madeleine Wighton
Head Electrician
Ryan McDonald*
DJ porter
Eamon Connolly
Head of Hair & Make-up
Joshan Ramadani
Angela Johnston
Makeup Artist
Ella Colhoun
Sayuri Narroway
Makeup Artist
Lachlan Masters
Harry Winsome
Makeup Artist
Eliza Young
Technical Crew
Corey Blunden Julian Dunne Ashleigh Elms Alice Lloyd Declan Lodge
Cast Beth Beth understudy Lady Em
Hospo Worker/Witch 1 Hospo worker/Witch 2 Hospo worker/Witch 3
* Guest artist
9
SPACE Hotel 22–26 Feb, 6.45pm 26 Feb, 12pm By Caryl Churchill Directed by Eve Beck Set and costume design by Hayden Relf Hotel, from the great British playwright Caryl Churchill, is a voyeuristic collage of ten different characters and their lives playing out simultaneously in a single hotel room. Directed by Eve Beck with design by Hayden Relf, this ingenious piece looks at our relationship to loneliness, love, dissatisfaction and one woman’s desire to disappear.
Cast Birdbook Woman
Eliane Morel
Businessman
Badaidilaga MaftuhFlynn
Queer Person 2
Emma Kew
Queer Person 1
LJ Wilson
US Man
Kevin T. S. Vun
US Woman
Jess Paterson
Affair Woman
Lucinda Howes
Affair Man
Tom Matthews
French Man
Alex Sideratos
French Woman
Elizabeth Newman
10
Artistic and Production Team Director
Eve Beck
Set/Costume Designer
Hayden Relf
Lighting/Video Designer
Pip Morey
Sound Designer
Jessica Pizzinga
Dramaturg
Ang Collins
Costume Supervisor
Esther Zhong
Head Electrician
Cameron Russell
Production Stage Manager
Madeleine Picard
Deputy Stage Manager
Zoe Davis
Head Make-up Artist
Amy Dillon
Show Crew
Oliver Bryson Siena Head Ugochi Okorie Joshua Watts
Burning 22–26 Feb, 9.15pm 26 Feb, 2.30pm
Artistic and Production Team Director
Amy Sole
By Amy Sole Directed by Amy Sole Set and costume design by Angelina Meany Cultural Consulting by Dr Nerida Blair
Set/Costume Designer
Angelina Meany
Lighting/Video Designer
Pip Morey
Sound Designer
Jordan Magnus-McCarthy
Burning is a world premiere and vital First Nations work written and directed by Amy Sole. This theatrical epic, designed by Angelina Meany, confronts the pain afflicted on these lands and this soul.
Costume Supervisor
Jasmin Gray
Head Electrician
Cameron Russell
Production Stage Manager
Madeleine Picard
Deputy Stage Manager
Grace Sackman
Cast
Head Make-up Artist
Teagan Hay
Woman
Shakira Clanton
Make-up Artist
Anthony Bonfanti
SaltWater Woman
Dalara Williams
Show Crew
Lonely Girl
Remi Ferguson
Man
Shaw Cameron
Oliver Bryson Siena Head Ugochi Okorie Joshua Watts
11
PARADE THEATRE Apocalyptic Hours 22–24 Feb, viewing between 6-10pm 24 Feb, viewing between 12.30-1.30pm
Artistic and Production Team Director
Phoenix McKay
Installation piece developed by Phoenix McKay
Designer
Phoenix McKay
Pandemics indicate the fragility of life, chaos, and create paralysing anxiety that the world is dissolving.
Lighting Designer
Eleanor Weller-Brown
Sound Designer
Kaitlyn Crocker
Apocalyptic Hours is an installation peeking into the creators life during lockdown and seeking comfort that came in the form of seeing other artists persevere.
Video Designer
McLane Catterall
12
DIGITAL The Space Between Written by Steve Viazerd Composed by Paul Grabowsky Directed by Leticia Cáceres* Design by Hannah Yardley and Soham Apte The Space Between is a special collaboration with New Canvas, a leading XR studio for immersive narrative media, directed by Leticia Cáceres. The creative work of BFA Design for Performance students Hannah Yardley and Soham Apte makes a key contribution to the development of an eventual VR experience, based on a contemporary opera by Paul Grabowsky and Steve Vizard.
Artistic and Production Team Director
Leticia Cáceres*
Set/Costume Designer
Hannah Yardley Soham Apte
Lighting Designer
Saint Clair
Sound Designer
Zac Saric Kaitlyn Crocker
Video Designer
Sophia Wallace
Production Stage Manager
Saint Clair
We are hoping to provide a sneak peek of the work as part of the Festival of Emerging Artists, with details yet to be confirmed.
* Guest artist
13
DIRECTOR
EVE BECK
Eve Beck is a director and creative producer for theatre and screen, and a founding member of Theatre Company Bite Productions. She seeks to present work that explores contemporary feminism, politics and challenging class structures in Australia and is continually looking to experiment with form. Eve has been working in the independent theatre sector across Australia for the last five years directing works at venues including; Theatre Works (Melbourne), Kings X Theatre, The Old 505 Theatre, The Giant Dwarf, Perth and Sydney Fringe Festivals. Eve has also worked as a creative producer with immersive events company Beyond Cinema directing and producing installations across Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. Eve has studied at the Atlantic Acting School NYC (summer program), and holds a Bachelor of Communications (Theatre/Media) from Charles Sturt University where she was awarded the Blair Milan Touring Scholarship for the direction her graduating production INJEST by Georgie Adamson. She is furthermore a tutor at The Australian Theatre for Young People and was shortlisted for the Rose Byrne Female Leadership Scholarship in 2020. Highlights at NIDA include; No Weapon music video direction for IJALE’s No Weapon with ABC’s Rage x NIDA, assistant director to Kate Champion on Hilary Bell’s Perfect Stranger and the direction of Henric Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler with ACA x NIDA. evebeck.com
14
DIRECTOR
MADELEINE DIGGINS
Madeleine Diggins is a director who is passionate about collaborating with other artists to create bold works with humour and heart. While living in New York, she completed the Stella Adler Studio of Acting Professional Conservatory and studied at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. Madeleine holds a Bachelor of Arts (Theatre and Performance) with Distinction from UNSW, including a research internship with Sydney Theatre Company. As artistic director of Swag Theatre Company, New York, Madeleine directed numerous contemporary Australian plays, including Ladies Day by Alana Valentine. Madeleine also worked alongside The New Georges, a company that supports and provides opportunities for female and LGBTQIA artists. In Australia, Madeleine worked under the guidance of Fiona Finley at The Drama Studio for five years, teaching and assistant directing over thirty classical and new Australian works in the following programs, Final Draft, Young Playwrights Project, and the National Theatre London’s ‘Connections’ Festival. Directing credits include, Cyrano De Bergerac (NIDA/ACA), ‘Hate Goodbyes’ (triple j Unearthed), Much ado about nothing (Streamed Shakespeare), Ladies Day (NYC Premiere, Stella Adler), Death and Botany (Stella Adler), Lockout (Off-Off Broadway), Assistant Director: Perfect Stranger (NIDA), A Bright Room Called Day (Stella Adler). Edelweiss Pirates and Tuesday (Dramastudio/National Theatre) madeleinediggins.com
15
A truly collaborative project, The Festival of Emerging Artists showcases the work of MFA Directing and BFA Design for Performance students in collaboration with students from BFA Costume, Technical Theatre and Stage Management, Scenic Construction and Technologies, MFA Design for Performance, Voice, Writing for Performance, Diploma of Live Productions and Technical Services, Diploma of Screen and Media (Specialist Makeup Services), working with casts of students and guest performers.
TEAM
STUDIO THEATRE
16
REG GRUND
TEAM
DY STUDIO
T EAM
SPACE
17
DIRECTOR
SAMMY JING
Sammy is an emerging Asian director, screenwriter, producer, and researcher from Hong Kong. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in Canada with a Bachelor of Arts (honours) in Theatre Studies, and was the inaugural recipient of the Jerry Wasserman Scholarship. His honours thesis focussed on Classical Greek Comedy and how play texts can be used as historical sources to understand the experience of fifth-century Athenian legal system and courtroom practice. Sammy strives to create work that explores intercultural theatre, heartfelt stories, and a postmodern approach to art. He has worked in the Vancouver independent theatre scene, and was fortunate enough to travel to Greece in 2018 in collaboration with Barefaced Greek to star in a short film. Notable credits include: assistant directing and stage managing the award winning internationally toured Fringe Festival show Artisanal Intelligence (2019); assistant director on the NIDAxSTC collaboration Eat Me (2021); directed Ūla’s music video “Conversations With The Dead” for the NIDAxtriple j Unearthed to premiere on ABC’s rage. Instagram: @jingstasam
18
DIRECTOR
RIKIAH LIZARRAGA
Rikiah Lizarraga is a director, deviser and driven creative. She is a proud queer, disabled Latina actively making work which reflects the diverse beauty of Australia. Having grown up on sets and stages as a child actor, she then went on to deeply explore image composition though the selective arts stream at Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design. A Graduate of The University of Wollongong’s Bachelor of Performance, that is where her debut play as a director and playwright As Above So Below was selected to represent UOW at The Asian Pacific Bureau of Theatre Schools Festival in Indonesia in 2018. She’s since been an inaugural member of Merrigong playwrights’ program during 2019. While at NIDA she directed Beckah Amani’s triple j Unearthed Music Video Smoke and Mirrors to premiere on Rage (ABC). This video done in strong collaboration with design by Hannah Tayler and Angelina Meany.
19
DIRECTOR
AMY SOLE
Amy Sole is a proud Wiradjuri/Worimi person. Amy is a playwright, director, activist, actor, and producer. They completed their Master of Theatre (Playwriting) at VCA (Victorian College of the Arts) in 2020 and graduated from the acting program at AFTT (Academy of Film, Theatre and Television) in 2018. In 2020 Amy was Assistant Director for RENT at the Sydney Opera House and directed a reading of Dylan Van Den Berg’s way back when at Darlinghurst Theatre Company. As a playwright Amy is currently under commission with Ilbijerri Theatre Company’s Blackwrights program and Yardstick Theatre’s Covid response. In 2019 they wrote, directed and produced DOING at KXT (Kings Cross Theatre) and were a member of KXT’s Step Up program. As an activist Amy is primarily attracted to decolonising work in the industry and they are Equity Diversity Committee Co-Chair. They are the co-founder of Puddle or Pond Theatre Company and have vast production and rehearsal room associate experience with Yellamundie National First Peoples Playwriting Festival, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Green Door Theatre and bAKEHOUSE Theatre. Amy is a passionate performer and creator, who is devoted to creating theatre that is inclusive to all and full of magic.
20
DIRECTOR
ALEXEI YMER-WELSBY
Alexei Ymer-Welsby is director working across film and theatrical forms. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (honours) from the University of Melbourne with majors in English and Theatre Studies, and French. His honours research explored masculinity in Australian theatre, from the grassroots New Wave productions of the 70s, to contemporary mainstage shows in the 2000s. Alexei is passionate about visual storytelling and has worked on numerous film projects as a director, producer and cinematographer. His credits include The Big Game (writer/director) which was programmed in the Melbourne International Film Festival, Flickerfest & St Kilda Film Festival; Alice’s Baby (cinematographer), which screened at Tropfest; and Holy Spirit (co-producer). Alexei has worked in diverse fields including talent management, film production, in education policy in the Victorian public service. This year, Alexei directed The Flick by Annie Baker (Actors Centre Australia), the triple j Unearthed X Rage music video IDK for The Terrys and was the assistant director to Heather Fairbairn on Alice Birch’s Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (NIDA).
21
DESIGNER
SOHAM APTE
Soham Apte (he/him) is an Indian multi-disciplinary artist and designer creating work on unceded Gadigal land. After moving to Sydney from Dubai, Soham studied at a specialist visual arts and design school where his love for art history and design practices grew exponentially. He is passionate about designing for films, music videos, and theatre. Through his personal work, Soham is currently developing a visual language and aesthetic called Indo-futurism, inspired by Indian culture, religion, history, and philosophy. For the Season 1 productions at NIDA, he designed the set for a live-cinema adaptation of Frans Kafka’s Metamorphosis (dir. Ben Schostakowski), which opened in June 2021. In addition to theatre, Soham has also been production and costume designing for music videos and short films such as Kafana, (dir. Marko Cvijanovic), which was selected for Oz Film Festival 2021. In his most recent work, he did the production design for The End of Winter (dir. Kate Gaul), a new work that opened at Griffin Theatre Company this month. Currently, Soham is co-designing the virtual reality opera experience, The Space Between: XR (dir. Leticia Cáceres), with Hannah Yardley which is set to premiere early 2022. sohamapte.com
22
DESIGNER
BLAKE HEDLEY
Blake Hedley is Set and Costume Designer for live performance, based on Gadigal Land in Sydney. He enjoys a hands-on approach to his work, employing making skills to realise bold designs. His design credits include Costume Design for NIDA student production Metamorphosis, Set Design for Design Centre Enmore showcase KULT, and Creature Design for short film Shark-Man. Blake is currently in his final year of a BFA in Design for Performance at NIDA. Previously he completed a Dip. and Adv. Dip. from TAFE NSW Design Centre Enmore, where his set design was chosen for the end of year production, KULT. In 2021 Blake was awarded the William Fletcher Tertiary Grant for talented young artists.
23
DESIGNER
AMY JACKSON
Amy is a multi-disciplinary designer who has a passion for collaborative work and aspires to create beauty in the everyday. She aims to have fun, and this can be seen in her uniquely stylised, whimsical work. Originally from regional Western Australia, Amy is now Sydney based and she brings her knowledge of Interior Decoration to her design work having attained a Cert IV in Interior Decoration from Bunbury Regional TAFE (2016). Throughout her life Amy has been a creative and curious individual. She has found that this has only been enhanced through her educational learning. During her time at NIDA, Amy was the Co-costume Designer for the NIDA/STC Collaboration, Eat Me as well as working with Hope D to create her new music video. She has enjoyed making new connections and collaborators, over the last three years and is looking forward to what the future holds. amyrosejackson.com
24
DESIGNER
PHOENIX MCKAY
Phoenix is an interdisciplinary designer/artist working across stage, screen, and installation. Originally from Canberra, she studied Textile Arts at ANU School of Art & Design (2016-2018) and participated in the Disney International Exchange Program, where she worked in Entertainment Costuming (2017) She was brought into the arts through a menagerie of ideas: fashion, theme parks, horror houses, exhibitions and more. Collectively this defined her fixation on unique and visceral forms of storytelling. Phoenix wants to be creating exciting, unconventional pieces that allow the audience to transcend our known world. Highlights while studying at NIDA include The Entomologist, a microfilm she codesigned and was able to explore the field of practical affects. Being part of the NIDA Festival of Emerging Artists, Phoenix directed/designed installation piece Apocalyptic Hours, focusing on the artists experience during lockdown. In her graduating year, Phoenix was the costume designer for Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. The modern feminist piece by Alice Birch allowed her to play with the absurdity of being a woman and creating a feisty revolution for something she’s passionate about. Phoenix is excited to continue expressing this absurd disruption to the system in her future work and exploring the theatre experience through design. Phoenixmae.com
25
DESIGNER
ANGELINA MEANY
Angelina is a set and costume designer for live performance and screen. Her interest in design developed throughout her Steiner School education in Canberra and Sydney, providing her with foundational skills and experience in fine arts, illustration and textiles. She has a keen interest in visual storytelling that aims to reach wide ranging audiences and is passionate about collaborating with other artists in a hands-on making approach. While at NIDA, Angelina was the set designer of Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. (dir. Heather Fairbairn) for the June Production season. Angelina co-designed triple j’s Unearthed music video Smoke and Mirrors performed by singer Beckah Amani (dir. Rikiah Lizarraga), and was writer, director and co-production designer for the microfilm The Entomologist. She was a recipient of the William Fletcher Foundation Award for Emerging Artists in 2021. Angelina is the set and costume designer for Burning (written & dir. Amy Sole), a new First Nations stage production for NIDA’s Festival of Emerging Artists. angelinameany.com
26
DESIGNER
HAYDEN RELF
Hayden Relf is a Sydney based, multi-disciplined artist and designer. His artistic practice extends into mixed media, time-based and performance art. He is primarily working as a production and costume designer across both film and live performances and is a member of the Australian Production Design Guild. During his first year at NIDA he worked as a design assistant in; Twelfth Night, NIDA Production, directed: Jim Sharman. Amelie, directed by: Miranda Middleton and Roberto Zucco, directed by Rober Schuster. In 2021, as part of NIDA’s June season, he was the set designer for Hilary Bell’s Perfect Stanger. directed by Kate Champion. He has also worked in art departments on short films, and in 2020 work on Pinchgut Opera’s film A delicate fire. Hayden is the set and costume designer for Hotel directed by Eve Beck part of NIDA’s Festival of Emerging Artists, 2022. Hayden’s experience is primarily within art direction for live events and music festivals, prior to coming to Nida, he worked as creative director for Mountain Sounds Music and Arts Festival (2016-18). He is currently finishing his final year of a BFA (Design for Performance) at NIDA.
27
DESIGNER
BELLA ROSE SALTEARN
Bella is a multidisciplinary artist and designer for film and theatre. Bella’s passion for honest storytelling and creating emotive experiences led her to designing for the performing arts. Bella has always been curious and passionate about theatre, film and the performing arts. Her goal is to create visceral, poetic experiences that invite, or lure, audiences deep into the work, where they can engage intellectually, conceptually and emotionally. Community is a key part of Bella’s practice, and she strives to create through all her work, and with her collaborators, environments where artists, audiences and performers can continue to grow and create. Bella has worked on theatre shows including Venus in Fur (directed by Kate Cherry) and The Way of the World (directed by John Bashford) in 2018, The Recidivists in 2019 and EAT ME, a collaboration between NIDA and the Sydney Theatre Company. In 2019 she was a member of the student team representing Australia at the Prague International Design Quadrennial. She also has a keen interest in Screen, and has worked has worked as a Production designer, Costume designer and Art director in TV, Film and music videos.
28
DESIGNER
HANNAH TAYLER
Hannah Tayler is a Sydney-based multidisciplinary artist and designer with a focus on production and costume design for both stage and screen. Her design process is driven by the aspiration to bring a thoughtful, engaging and unique visual language to life and engage in meaningful storytelling adventures. With a background in traditional and contemporary visual arts, experience in textiles and stop-motion animation, Hannah has thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the physical and performative elements of design during her time at NIDA. While at NIDA, Hannah has enjoyed being design assistant on Love (Written by Patricia Cornelius & Directed by Susanna Dowling), Marat/Sade (Written by Peter Weiss, translated by Geoffrey Skelton & Directed by John Bashford & Gavin Robins). In NIDA’s June Production season, Hannah was costume designer on Perfect Stranger, (Written by Hilary Bell & Directed by Kate Champion). She was co-designer on the triple j Unearthed music video, Smoke and Mirrors by Beckah Amani, (Directed by Rikiah Lizarraga) as well as co-designer on The Entomologist microfilm, (Written & Directed by Angelina Meany). For NIDA’s Festival of Emerging Artists season, Hannah is the set & costume designer for the premiering stage production, Too Human, (Written by Michael McStay & Directed by Sammy Jing). Hannah is looking forward to joining the industry and collaborating with like-minded people both in and outside of Australia. hannahtayler.squarespace.com
29
DESIGNER
HANNAH YARDLEY
Hannah is a multidisciplinary designer deeply passionate about collaborating on new works that elevate unique and emerging voices across theatre, film, and television. Her design process is driven by a desire to create intimate and visceral experiences for audiences through complex worldbuilding, earnest dramaturgical interrogation and a respectful creative practice. Hannah spent several years living and travelling in both Europe and Asia fuelling her fascination for diverse and complex stories of the human experiences. This time abroad guided Hannah towards NIDA in order to develop a strong visual language to support the telling of these diverse stories. It is Hannah’s goal to work both Domestically and Internationally in the future, actively pursuing exhilarating opportunities wherever they may take her. At NIDA Hannah has been thrilled to work with many wonderful emerging artists and mentors, using every opportunity as a learning experience. Highlights for Hannah have included Set Designing for the NIDA/STC Collaboration Eat Me (2021) and CoDesigning for the Virtual Reality Opera The Space Between (2021). These projects diversified and challenged Hannah as a designer, confirming her ongoing desire to embrace bold and diverse work throughout her career. Hannahyardleydesign.com
30
STUDENTS’ MENTORS Thank you to the following artists who acted as mentors for the students on these productions: Directing: Jessica Arthur, Elsie Edgerton-Till, Harriet Gillies, Sarah Goodes, Paige Rattray, Courtney Stewart, Gideon Obarzanek, Imara Savage, Kenneth Moraleda, Shari Sebbens, Alex Berlage Design: Stephen Curtis, Sabina Myers, Ella Butler and Laura Turner Technical Theatre and Stage and Management: Veronique Benett, Mary Benn, Phil Downing, Monica Girard, Andree Greenwell, Sian James-Holland, Kingsley Reeve, Minka Stevens, Trent Suidgeest
NIDA is grateful for the support of our corporate partners, trusts and foundations, supporters and donors. Principal Partner for Property Services
Principal Patron First Nations Program
Major Partner
Corporate Partner
Supporters
31
We acknowledge the Bidjigal and Gadigal people on whose traditional land we present these productions.
NIDA
Contact
NIDAcommunity
215 Anzac Parade Kensington NSW 2033 Australia
1300 450 417 info@nida.edu.au nida.edu.au
Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube
ABN 99 00 257 741 Higher Education Provider ID: PRV12052 CRICOS Provider Code: 00756M RTO Code: 90349