Vision
Contents
Polyglot Puppet Theatre is a vital centre of artistic opportunity, creating original theatrical adventures for children, nationally and internationally.
Vision, Mission, Goals & Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Company History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Mission
Chair’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Inspired by children and their play, artwork and ideas, Polyglot explores the boundless possibilities of puppetry and the different ways we engage with live performance.
CEOs’ Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Annual Report 2008
Board, Staff & Statistical Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Generate
Organisational Goals 2008
The Big Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Hissy Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Generate – To create new works of high quality original puppetry theatre for children Artlink – To use puppetry to create performances by, with and for marginalized communities On The Road – To develop our audience and extend the life of our work
Artlink The Impossible Zoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 On The Road Headhunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Check Out! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Connect – To support and contribute to artist, artform and industry development
We Built This City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Muckheap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Operate – To be an energetic, strategic and financially sustainable organisation
Roving Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Partners
Connect Feed the Art & Connect Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
In 2008, Polyglot Puppet Theatre was assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria, and by the City of Stonnington.
Tap Puppetry Residency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Life and Art of Francis Carrot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Polyglot in Indonesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Cambodian Artist Residency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Operate
Polyglot thanks its private donors for their generosity and for their contribution to the creation of quality, imaginative, accessible children’s theatre: Betty Amsden OAM, Kim Couper-Johnson, Miriam Faine, Julian Pocock, Anne Myers, Naomi Nicholson and Greg Shalit. Polyglot’s internet solutions partner is Web Prophets. Polyglot received pro bono legal advice from Allens Arthur Robinson. i • Polgot Annual Report 2008
Cromwell Road Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Polyglot and ‘Prophets’ Partner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 30th Birthday Party. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Financial Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Past Polyglot Productions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 1
Company History
Chair’s Report
In 2008, Polyglot Puppet Theatre celebrated its 30th birthday. Between 1978 and 2008, Polyglot has presented over 55 original Australian works of theatre nationally and internationally. Polyglot has come a long way since its first production: an in-schools puppetry performance which worked with pre-recorded multi-lingual texts with the aim of increasing understanding of different cultures amongst school children.
What an extraordinary team of people it is that make Polyglot. There is an energy and spirit in the organisation that is demonstrated by the passion, artistic endeavour, focus on children and community and the response of those communities to our work. Sue Giles (Artistic Director) and Simon Abrahams (General Manager) have together led the company through an extraordinary year.
To date Polyglot has seen five Artistic Directors who have each made significant contributions to the reputation and reach of the company, developing the techniques around new work, increasing repertoire, touring far and wide and performing at some of the world’s most prestigious festivals and venues. The company has won many awards for its professional and community work. Polyglot now performs to over 60,000 children annually with a program that embraces schools touring, large-scale public interactive works, roving street puppetry, theatre performances, site-specific work, community participation performance, workshops for kids and training and network opportunities for emerging and independent artists. The company has maintained a strong social philosophy since the beginning, working for access to the arts for all children and continuing as one of Australia’s leading children’s performance companies. For more information, including a list of all of Polyglot’s previous productions, visit www.polyglotpuppets.com.au/history
The Big Game developed with the children and community of the Carlton high rise, and presented in partnership with the Melbourne International Arts Festival continued to raise the profile of the company’s work and to build networks with existing and potential presenting partners. Polyglot is unique in its capacity to make relevant work for children that continues to be in the company’s repertoire for many years. It is a significant sign of health that the work stays alive and is experienced by young people and their families. There continues to be demand for the company’s work as demonstrated in the level of touring interest for Check Out! and the continuing life for Muckheap and the ever growing demand for the inventive We Built This City.
the Theatre Board. This presents significant challenges for the organisation into the future. In 2009 the board and the staff of Polyglot will be grappling with how to find an alternate model or resources to sustain the company. The company continues to be extremely vibrant increasing international and local demand for its work and artistic and organisational vitality. Thank you to the staff and artists of Polyglot, you are the company and we delight in the experiences you make for us and the inspiration you bring to children and their families.
Kirsty Ellem, Chair
Amongst this busy year, the company also did an intensive piece of work with Coburn Primary School in Melton, developing significant community and school outcomes. 2009 saw significant changes in the board and governance process for the organisation, with the implementation of Feed the Art, a process that invests in critical feedback and quality into our artistic and management processes. In line with the business plan, the organisational structure was realigned and reporting adjusted to reflect the company’s strategy. There has been the addition of new board members Andrew Gun, David Hanrahan, and Johanna Platt and we farewelled, after significant contribution, Ally Catterick and Damien Hodgkinson. Our heartfelt thank you to you both. Unfortunately, with the change in direction in the Australia Council’s funding priorities, from 2010 Polyglot will no longer receive core funding through
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Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 3
CEOs’ Report 2008 was an extraordinary year for Polyglot Puppet Theatre: high profile, broad reaching, ambitious, artistically satisfying, exhausting. This rear-view mirror moment allows us to consider just what an extensive body of work was created, presented and toured in 2008 – the company’s watershed 30th birthday year in which Polyglot was placed at the fore of the country’s premier festivals and venues as well as scoring ourselves a place on the international landscape. Polyglot’s major new work, The Big Game, was presented at the Melbourne International Arts Festival, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Awesome Arts Festival in Perth, following an extensive creative development process in collaboration with children from the Carlton Housing Estate. This hybrid interactive game and theatre performance also merged Polyglot’s community and professional work streams and had a number of funding and creative partners on the project and will tour internationally from 2009. A new small-scale work, Hissy Fit, premiered at the Victorian Arts Centre’s Chookahs Festival, while Polyglot’s ever-popular repertoire piece We Built This City completed its eighth year of touring in five locations including a spectacular season in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. Polyglot’s award-winning collaboration with Ilbijerri Theatre, Headhunter, was presented in elite international company at the 20th UNIMA congress and world puppetry festival in Perth and at the 16th ASSITEJ world congress and performing arts festival for young people in Adelaide, giving it international attention in Polyglot’s dual artforms of puppetry and children’s theatre. Meanwhile, an enormous program bubbled away in metropolitan and regional Australia, with five schools tours nationally, a further two theatre tours, an exhibition of children’s artwork, a funded creative development for the independent sector, an extended schools residency, 46 performances of our roving works and 140 puppetry workshops across the country all while we operated a venue for hire, launched a new 4 • Polgot Annual Report 2008
Board of Directors website, had a massive birthday party, undertook an international development in Cambodia and professional development in Indonesia... not bad for a small company on a shoestring budget! Polyglot’s partnership with internet solutions company Web Prophets has been quite extraordinary. We have both enjoyed the benefits of a genuinely collaborative relationship delivering a new website and e-news system for Polyglot, and a number of innovative benefits for Web Prophets centred on extending the creative capacity of that organisation.
Kirsty Ellem
Chair
Andrew Gun
General Secretary
Johanna Platt
Treasurer (from Apr)
Ally Catterick
(to July)
David Hanrahan Sarah Kriegler
(on leave Sep to Dec)
Keira Lyons
(Sep to Dec)
Richard Roberts
During 2008 we farewelled Linda Hum, Tirese Ballard and Tom Godley – we thank them all for their absolute dedication to the company. We also thank Robina Burton, who operated as an independent consultant, working with us on an international market development strategy and our four-year business plan. We could not have operated without the ongoing support of our board led by our active, rigorous and most importantly humane Chair, Kirsty Ellem.
Staff
Linda Hum
Venue Coordinator (to Feb)
We are proud of the extraordinary end-of-year financial result of $55,967, significantly larger than planned, but ultimately needed to reduce the risk we will feel for years to come as Polyglot’s long-standing core funding relationship with the Australia Council finished at the end of the year.
Bindi Green
Venue and Production Manager (from Feb)
Tirese Ballard
Community Arts Coordinator (to May)
Mandy Field
Workshops and Roving Coordinator (to May)
Mandy Field
Artlink Manager (from May)
Zita Pixon
Bookkeeper (BACS Bookkeeping)
2008 was a year of extremes for Polyglot Puppet Theatre. With The Big Game as a centrepiece of the company’s artistic program for the year, BIG became a running theme: big thinking, big tours, big cultural changes, big ambitions and, we hope, solid foundations laid to make us bigger and better than ever in the years to come.
Doreen Farrugia
Bookkeeper (BACS Bookkeeping)
Simon Abrahams
General Manager/co-CEO
Sue Giles
Artistic Director/co-CEO
Tom Godley
Administrator (to Nov)
Anna Schoo
Administration and Marketing Coordinator (from Dec)
Statistical Overview 2008 In 2008, Polyglot Puppet Theatre: • Performed a total of 341 performances across Australia for 58,383 children • Undertook 35 tours including nine interstate tours and 26 Victorian tours • Created two new professional theatre works: The Big Game and Hissy Fit, a community development work The Impossible Zoo and an exhibition of children’s artwork
Simon Abrahams, General Manager/co-CEO
• Ran 110 puppetry workshops for 3,350 children in regional and metropolitan Victoria.
Sue Giles, Artistic Director/co-CEO Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 5
The Big Game Premiere: 10 October 2008 Melbourne International Arts Festival The Big Game is a gigantic, fun, interactive performance and play space for families. In The Big Game, kids participate as pieces in a huge board game, rolling enormous dice, stepping on game tiles and meeting larger-than-life characters that take them from start to finish. Each player faces an interactive terrain of sculptures, puppets, tasks, hazards and rewards, guided by Game Masters and fuelled by music; they strive to reach the finish first. The Big Game was made in collaboration with children from the Carlton Housing Estate, drawing on their interpretations of the collection at the National Gallery of Victoria and on their own stories and cultural influences.
Director
Sue Giles
Community artist and designer
Geoff Kennedy
Created in collaboration with
Children who live at the Carlton Public Housing Estate
Composer
Ania Reynolds
Costume design
Rebecca Clark and Ella Misso
Lighting design
Richard Vabre
Puppet design
Graeme Davis
Volcano design & build Felipe Reynolds Performers
David Pidd, Rebecca Rutter, Colin Sneesby
Musicians
Renato Vacirca, Justin Marshall, Josh Hogan, Steve Richter
Additional performers
Simon Abrahams, Tiffany Chimirri, Denis Coshen, Julie Dickson, Mandy Field, Tom Godley, Conor Fox, Sian Francis, Vanessa Franz, Jess Keepence, Michael McMahon, Victoria Osbourne, Ian Pidd, Rosie Pidd, Zak Pidd, Will Robertson, Kirsty Russell, Amy Stephenson, Justine Warner, Libby Werteim, Rachael Whitworth, Maurice Wilson
Set Construction
Sophie Buttner, Jenny Ellis, Ella Misso
Production Manager
Michael Carr for Traffliclight
Project Manager
Mandy Field
Feed the Art consultants Richard Roberts, Jessica Wilson, Jennie Swain, Ian Pidd, Penny Baron, Sarah Kriegler, David Pidd
Creative Process Workshops at the Carlton Housing Estate began in July 2007, included visits to the NGV and resulted in a prototype of the game made out of cardboard played by the workshop group in conjunction with Harmony Day on 21 March 2008. In May and July 2008, Polyglot undertook residencies at Carlton Primary School to develop the work while after-school workshops continued. A community day was held to show how the children had contributed to the creative process in August, while a Kids Creative Committee provided feedback on the work before its premiere in October. Community Outcomes January to September: 70 workshops KCC Showing: 1 October Community Day: 23 August Community Preview Performance: 4 October Melbourne International Arts Festival Arts House Meat Market, North Melbourne, 9–12 October Total number of performances: 7 Total audience numbers: 1,398 National Gallery of Victoria The Great Hall, 20, 26 & 27 October Total number of performances: 4 Total audience numbers: 871 Awesome Festival Forest Place, Perth, 17 to 23 November Total number of performances: 18 Total audience numbers: 1153 Funding Partners: Angior Trust, Besen Family Foundation, City of Melbourne, Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, Ian Potter Foundation, VicHealth.
‘The Princess in the play was a drawing I did when I was bored. I didn’t really think it would actually happen and I didn’t really like the drawings I did but obviously people did. I really like the puppet in the end and I’m really happy that I drew that drawing.’ —Courtney, age 12 ‘The Big Game is about (to me) a place where people from different countries can come and make things happen with others. The Big Game is just like a board game But! With lots of games mixed together and it is huge. The best thing is you are the game piece! Everyone has a lot of fun and we are all very creative.’ —Sally, age 11 ‘I enjoyed The Big Game because it was something I’ve never done before and it was really fun and exciting. I’ll never forget it.’ Creative Partners: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Awesome Arts Perth
Polyglot thanks and acknowledges the many volunteers, community members and partner organisations who contributed to the development of The Big Game.
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Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 7
Hissy Fit
The Impossible Zoo
Premiere: 29 October 2008, Chookahs! Festival, the Arts Centre, Melbourne
Polyglot Puppet Theatre worked with the students of Coburn Primary School, Melton, as the designers, builders and creators of a puppetry and song performance and installation work of an Impossible Zoo.
Hissy Fit is a puppetry and slapstick comedic performance which gives young audiences a real taste of street corner Vaudeville. Alphonse is a hectoring bully with two bumbling menials to assist him in his world famous snake act. Both Rennie, the mute musician and Patti, the one who carries everything, are in trembling awe of their boss but desperate to be part of the act on the Grand Stage. When the snake disappears from the act, all three performers are thrown into confusion. Director
Colin Sneesby
Performers/devisers
Tirese Ballard, Renato Vacirca, Jacob Williams
Puppet maker
Katrina Gaskell
Props maker
Danielle Poidomani
Set
Darryl Cordell
Costume
Vanessa Beck and Tirese Ballard
Kids Creative Committee Preview 25 October 2008 Chookahs Festival The Arts Centre 29 October to 2 November Total number of performances: 17 Total audience numbers: 1,554 ‘Funny, clever, intelligent, very professional’ ‘[My child] laughed and laughed’ Creative Partners: The Arts Centre
The audience met ticket sellers, waterbirds, meerkats, lions, walking rubbish bins, animal poo collectors, butterflies, spiders in a toilet, and legs of a gigantic dragon. The whole school sang in a choir featuring three major songs and puppets. The students worked with a team of professional artists to develop skills in music making and choral singing, puppet and mask construction, writing through devising processes and performance techniques. Designers, builders, painters, puppeteers
Children of Coburn Primary School
Director/Dramaturg
Merophie Carr
Designers/Builders
Mischa Long and Sophie Buttner
Composer/ Musical Director
Karen Kyriakou
Project Manager
Mandy Field
Teacher Coordinator – Coburn Primary
Kathy Burquest
Evaluation team
TRAX Arts (Brian Cohen & Tara Prowse) with children from Coburn Primary School
Workshop Process Total number of workshops: 257 Total number of children participating: 346 Performance Coburn Primary School, Melton Sunday 7 December. Total audience numbers: 500 Funding Partners: Department of Education and Training, Arts Victoria and Shire of Melton
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‘One girl at lunchtime said to me, “This is the best thing we have ever done at school”. It was said so sincerely. That’s what it’s all about. The kids loved it and really found out a lot about themselves through this process.’ —Sophie Buttner, Puppet Maker/Designer
Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 9
Headhunter
Check Out!
Created in collaboration with Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-operative.
Check Out! is a wickedly funny work of theatre about the child consumer bonanza. Fast paced and physical, Check Out! is a very funny and ever-so-scathing take on parent/child relationships and the market power invested in children. Premiere: August 2007
Headhunter is a new Indigenous story, contemporary and fun, told with puppetry, music and a gorgeous red car. With a puppet world stashed under the dash, Headhunter is fast, funny and moving in more ways than one. Premiere: 22 August 2005 Sue Giles and Wesley Enoch
Designer
Darryl Cordell
Katrina Gaskell
Composer
Ania Reynolds
Composer
Lou Bennett
Puppet designer
Graeme Davis
Shadow design
Jacob Wiliams
Set images
Locke Morley
Performers
Jacob Boheme, Megan Cameron, LeRoy Parsons, Melodie Reynolds
Lighting designer
Richard Vabre
Original co-devisors
Krisztian Bagin and Keira Lyons
Shadow puppeteers
Mary French and Abdul Hakim
Performers
Mischa Long, Keira Lyons, Heath McIvor, Bruce Paterson
Puppet makers
Katrina Gaskell, Tim Wells and Sophie Buttner
Sound design
Tim Prince
Stage managers
Sarah Avery, Bindi Green
Frankston Arts Centre, 1-2 May 20th UNIMA Congress and World Puppetry Festival, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, Freemantle WA, 3–5 May
‘The storyline was very funny, clever and moving’ ‘[The kids] loved it, the year 5 girls were very moved and cried during the performance!’
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Julianne O’Brien & Sue Giles
Designer
Portland Arts Centre, 16 January
—Adelaide Advertiser, 10 May 2008
Sue Giles
Writers Directors
Performance Seasons
‘Melodie Reynolds and LeRoy Parsons make a lively and entertaining duo, playing straight to the audience, while Megan Cameron provides much of the puppetry work, particularly in the form of a punk-looking crow. The puppetry is carefully artless and infuses the show...’
Director
16th ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Young People, the Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, SA, 8–10 May Total number of performances: 19 Total audience numbers: 3,111 Creative Partners Ilbijerri, UNIMA, ASSITEJ
Queensland Arts Council schools tour Term 1 tour throughout north-west Queensland and Term 2 tour in Brisbane West and Brisbane North. Total number of performances: 88 Total audience numbers: 11,686 Regional Arts Victoria Arts2Go schools tour One three week tour in Term 3 throughout regional and metropolitan Victoria Total number of performances: 19 Total audience numbers: 2,571 Phoenix Park Library 29 June for The City of Stonnington Total number of performances: 3 Total audience numbers: 270 ‘Their slapstick tickles the children’s funny bone, making them squeal with laughter as the actors fall over or puppets fly through the air. Check Out! is a portable and engaging play for primary schools.’
Check Out! On The Wall Visual Arts Exhibition Polyglot undertook a residency at the Currajong School to create a visual arts exhibition created by the children which explored the themes of Check Out!, led by Designer, Mischa Long. Malvern Town Hall Exhibition June 12 to 27 June, Total exhibition numbers: 450 Phoenix Park Library Exhibition 28 June to 27 July Total exhibition numbers: 700 Creative Partners Regional Arts Victoria Queensland Arts Council
Funding Partner City of Stonnington
—Herald Sun, 10 September 2008
Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 11
We Built This City
Muckheap
A huge cardboard box construction site where children and families are the architects and play is the order of the day. Premiere: 27 October 2001
Funny, fast and fantastically messy, Muckheap is a tale of two people trying to clean out their shed for hard rubbish day. When memories and characters take over, the audience is swept up with the junk into a fabulous storytelling frenzy. Premiere: 2001
Concept Director Performers
Sue Giles Simon Abrahams, Jacob Boehme, Megan Cameron, Beck Clark, Mandy Field, Sue Giles, Bindi Green, Mischa Long, Keira Lyons, Heath McIvor, Lachlan MacLeod, Victoria Osborne, Jacob Williams, Jo Zealand
Midsumma Festival Artplay, Birrarung Marr, Melbourne, 26 January Ballarat Begonia Festival Ballarat Botanical Gardens, March 8 to 10 Fun4Kids Festival, Warrnambool Cnr Timor & Liebig St, Warrnambool, 29 June to 6 July Sydney Opera House Steps of the Sydney Opera House, 4 to 7 October The Village Festival Edinburgh Gardens, North Fitzroy, 10 November Total number of sessions: 31 Total participant numbers: 12,860 ‘An excellent community activity promoting recycling’
Writers
Sue Giles with Megan Cameron and Sarah Kriegler
Director
Sue Giles
Original designer
Paul Newcombe
Puppet and set doctor Graeme Davis Music
Cosmo Cosmolino
Remount directors
Keira Lyons, Sarah Kriegler
Performers
Dave Sleswick, Dan Goronszy, Justin Warner, Janine Watson
Queensland Arts Council schools tour Term 3 and Term 4 tours in regional and metropolitan schools in areas around Bundaberg and Toowoomba. Number of Performances: 86 Total audience numbers: 9,382 ‘A very entertaining and worthwhile performance for all ages.’ Creative Partner: Queensland Arts Council
‘It was awesome. Whole family loved it!’ ‘[What I liked best was] that you could have fun. Freedom to be a kid! My Mum (73) had a ball and loved it Thankyou!’ ‘It was a joint effort and brought people together like a community should be.’ Creative Partners: Artplay, Midsumma Festival, Begonia Festival, Fun4Kids, Sydney Opera House, The Village Funding Partners: Boxes provided in-kind by VISY. Masking tape provided in-kind by St Gobain.
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Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 13
Roving Acts
Workshops
Polyglot’s Roving Acts are:
Polyglot’s workshop program takes place in schools and at public festivals, encouraging creativity without fear of assessment, in the confidence that there is no right or wrong. Polyglot offers workshops in rod puppetry, shadow puppetry, marionettes, and drop-in puppet-making workshops.
Madame Bustle and Lily An enormous frock billowing in the breeze and a small girl who scurries around her playing hide and seek. The Piles An illusionary act where piles of clothes are not inanimate objects but instead move, whirl and start to dance in a wild display of colour. Tooth and Claw A couple of very funny dinosaurs causing mayhem in any crowd. Wild Things Gentle, beautiful animal puppets which roam the streets searching for their homelands and have many stories to tell on the way. Puppet designers
Graeme Davis, Katrina Gaskell, Philip Millar
Performers:
Nick Barlow, Jacob Boehme, Megan Cameron, Vanessa Ellis, Danielle Goronszy, Justin Holland, Sarah Kriegler, Mischa Long, Keira Lyons, Lachlan MacLeod, Heath McIvor, Bruce Paterson, KT Prescott, Jacob Williams, Justine Warner.
Workshop highlights of 2008 included rod puppet workshops in the Puppets @ Fed Square program in July, and contributing to the Vision 2020 local government strategy Creating Child Friendly Communities through workshops at the Shire of Yarra Ranges in October. Tutors
Louise Angrilli, Tirese Ballard, Jacob Boehme, Megan Cameron, Merophie Carr, Rebecca Clark, Verena Curr, Mandy Field, Tom Godley, Nathan Gurney, Danielle Goronszy, Sam Hoffmann, Sarah Kriegler, Mischa Long, Heath McIvor, Keira Lyons, Elena Misso, Ania Reynolds, Kirsty Russell, Helen Sandercoe, Anna Schoo, Leonie Van Eyk, Jacob Williams
Number of workshops: 140 Total participation numbers: 3,972 In-kind corporate partners: Gabbin Paper Tubes Additional donation of product: Colorific Australia
Performance Outcomes Number of performances: 46 Total audience numbers: approximately 11,210 Tooth and Claw Show In 2008, two 20-minute narrative-based works for Tooth and Claw were devised: The Classic Farce and The Jurassic Gift. The shows can be performed in any roving context. Co-devisors
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Nick Barlow, Megan Cameron, Sarah Kriegler, Jacob Williams
Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 15
Feed The Art
Tap Puppetry Residency
Feed The Art is Polyglot’s approach to appraising, critiquing and valuing our work, creating and fostering a holistic culture of outstanding theatre making.
Polyglot’s new initiative, Tap residencies, is designed to ‘tap into’ new ideas and artists in the industry by facilitating the development of new work by a range of puppetry and visual theatre artists and companies. Independent artist Jacob Boehme was provided with a small production budget, two weeks of venue hire, professional documentation, critical appraisal, and advice and assistance from Polyglot’s staff, in the creation of a new work for adults, The Life and Art of Francis Carrot.
Artistic conversations are invited and embraced, a puppetry catalyst opens up exploration of our art form and critical evaluation from outside eyes add provocation to our theatre making. Throughout the process, groups of children provide feedback, ideas and new perspectives into the making of all our work. Feed The Art supports the need for replenishment within arts practice, stimulus at every stage of project development and connection within the arts community and it provides a wide range of ways of achieving this.
Connect Polyglot supports and contributes to artist, artform and industry development through its Connect program. Connect recognises the important role Polyglot plays within the arts industry, as a resource, a space for supported exploration, a creator of links between artists, and a contributor to artform development in puppetry and children’s theatre. Polyglot supports the puppetry, children’s theatre and small-to-medium arts industries in many ways. In 2008, this included coordination of the small-to-medium arts industry’s AD/GM Network, loans of puppets, equipment and materials, donating props, use of venue space, artistic feedback, e-mail networks and script assessments.
The Life and Art of Francis Carrot An exploration of Australian Indigenous history through eyes of a most unlikely hero; a fair skinned Aboriginal gay man with a passion for hats: “he doesn’t want to claim his land, he just wants to decorate it.” Concept/Director
Jacob Boheme
Milliner
Peter Jago
Writer
Finnegan Krukemeyer
Designer
Margie Mackay
Puppet maker
Jenny Ellis
Performers
Leonie Van Eyck, Conor Fox
Cromwell Road Theatre, 30 June–11 July ‘The team that gathered for the creative development were utterly inspired and inspiring, taking the work down new paths.’ ‘The initiative is genius! It gives us independents an opportunity to explore/create/play with new and fresh ideas without the pressure of outcomes...especially in its baby stages.’ —Jacob Boehme
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Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 17
Polyglot in Indonesia
Cromwell Road Theatre
Abdul Hakim, an artist and teacher from South Suluwesi, Indonesia, spent a month with Polyglot through an Asialink residency. Abdul operated shadow puppets for Headhunter and was able to take his learning back to his children’s performance company in Indonesia.
Polyglot manages the Cromwell Road Theatre, a professional, user-friendly venue available for creative developments, workshops, rehearsals or public performances. When not in use by Polyglot, we hire the space to other arts organisations.
Meanwhile Polyglot’s Artistic Director Sue Giles visited Papermoon, a puppet theatre company in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, creating work for adults and children and with communities. Sue worked with Papermoon observing the company’s process, and also took part in an international puppetry forum.
Cambodian Artist Residency Heath McIvor was artist in residence for a week at Epic Arts in Kampot, Cambodia, working with a group of Deaf children. Heath worked with former Polyglot puppeteer Jai Hartnell, now living and working in Cambodia, and made a number of important artistic discoveries. They began to lay foundations for further relationships to be developed between the two organisations in the coming years. Partners: Asialink, Epic Arts, Papermoon
In 2008, 16 companies hired the venue for 26 weeks for a total of 20 performance seasons.
Polyglot and ‘Prophets’ Partner In 2008, Polyglot and boutique web development company Web Prophets joined together for a unique business–arts partnership, which delivers creative benefits to both organizations, including the launch of a new website at www.polyglotpuppets.com.au. Included in the partnership are big thinking sessions, where the two companies get together to generate new ideas, areas of potential collaboration, throw an idea out there and bounce it around the room. 2008 Website statistics: 2,586,588 hits, and 85,185 unique visits. “We enjoy developing the Polyglot website. This site provides us with the opportunity to challenge our creative and technical skills, while contributing to an organisation that is truly original in its creative endeavours and plays such an important role in youth arts.” —Web Prophets Managing Director, Julia Topliss
30th Birthday Party Polyglot’s celebration of 30 years in the business was held at Dante’s, Fitzroy. A joyous occasion, the party was marked by the attendance of artists, staff from across the years, and a broad range of contributors from the industry and those variously connected to the company.
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Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 19
Polyglot Puppet Theatre Ltd. ACN:005 118 052
Polyglot Puppet Theatre Ltd. ACN:005 118 052
Statement of Income and Expenditure 31 December 2008
Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2008
2008 INCOME Earned Income Box Office Contract Fees Theatre Hire Income International Contract Fees Reimbursements Sundry Income Workshop Fees Royalties
0 325,414 37,487 0 9,216 2,538 52,141 5,015
162,778 127,875 41,000 59,000 22,720 1,500
252,144
LESS EXPENSES Administration Administrative Overheads Salaries, Fees and On costs UNIMA Auspice Other
3,000 53,742
TOTAL EXPENSES OPERATING SURPLUS ACCUMULATED INCOME & REVENUE STATEMENT AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2008 OPERATING PROFIT BEFORE INCOME TAX Retained profi ts at the beginning of the financial year RETAINED SURPLUS AT THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements
309,819
8,779
Plant & Equipment: Cost Accumulated Depreciation: Cost Plant & Equipment: Motor Vehicles Accumulated Amortisation: Motor Vehicles
21,998 140,000 0 301 4,304
$100,655
226,962 36,315 1,887 12,385
51,304
50,587
217,907
277,549
47,874 (45,003) 108,690 (108,690) 0 33,830 (33,830) 0 63,732 (54,096) 9,636
187,990
811,718
506,588
$55,877
$7,320
55,877 73,794
7,320 66,474 $73,794
LIABILITIES CURRENT LIABILITIES Short Term Creditors and Borrowings Accounts Payable Sundry Creditors & Accruals Income in Advance UNIMA Australia Grant Grants in Advance: Australia Council Goods and Service Tax Payable Pay as You Go Withholding Tax Payable Provisions Audit Fees Provision for Bad Debts Superannuation Long Service Leave Holiday Pay TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES
43,173 (41,733)
9,636 12,507
1,440 108,690 (99,589) 9,101 33,830 (31,687) 2,143 63,732 (48,115) 15,617
230,414
18,681 3,767 32,853 4,338 0 6,259 4,385 1,025 1,235 1,179 8,949 8,436
26,861
101,425 120,000 400 800 4,337
26,717 2,531 22,056
TOTAL ASSETS
384,309
NET ASSETS
20 • Polgot Annual Report 2008
9,636 $139,307
TOTAL NON CURRENT ASSETS
32,425 155,565
$129,671
99,589 34,197 4,984 43,131 181,901
2,871 Plant & Equipment: Capital Grants (Note 3c) Leasehold Improvements Accumulated Depreciation: Leasehold Improvements
2,585 6,194
92,935 291,374
108,690 36,340 4,984 49,112 199,126
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS NON CURRENT ASSETS Plant & Equipment (Note 3b) Plant & Equipment: Cost Accumulated Depreciation
82,460 224,002 2,000 1,357
56,742 Production Costs Production Costs Salaries, Fees and On costs
Prepayments and Short Term Loans Receivables Interest Receivable Prepayments
513,908
370,667 Marketing & Promotion Salaries, Fees and On costs Other Marketing and Promotion
73,794 144,000 30,000 26,582 8,180 208,762
17,258
867,595
94,157 276,510 0 0
129,671
166,603
9,386 5,872 0 2,000 20,911
ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash Cash at Bank Cash Management Fund Floats: Production Advance: Petty Cash UNIMA Australia Term Deposit
2007
144,000 30,000 26,582 8,180 208,762
MEMBERS FUNDS AS AT THE 31ST DECEMBER 2008
104,755 125,000 7,000 5,000 0 10,389
1,160 9,142 10,609 0
TOTAL INCOME
Amortisation Current Year Leasehold Improvements Plant & Equipment: Cost Van Plant & Equipment: Motor Vehicles
244,506
414,873 Other Income Donations Interest Earned Corporate Sponsorship UNIMA Auspice
MEMBERS FUNDS Accumulated Surplus Plus Capital Grants less Amortisation of Relating to Capital Grants (Note 3a) Capital Grant: Community Support Fund 1997 Capital Grant: Arts Victoria Housing the Arts Arts Victoria: Van Grant Capital Grant: Computer Equipment
2,391 145,521 39,749 7,900 0 3,982 42,019 2,944 431,811
Grants Australia Council Arts Victoria Local Government Grants Philanthropic Trusts Vic Health Other Grants
2008
2007
70,283
20,824 91,107 $139,307
26,861 28,301 305,850
16,804 4,500 10,062 4,337 132,750 14,738 4,377 1,000 0 1,969 8,000 6,658
187,568
17,627 205,195 $100,655
Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 21
Polyglot Puppet Theatre Ltd. ACN:005 118 052
Polyglot Puppet Theatre Ltd. ACN:005 118 052
Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 December 2008
Notes to and forming part of the financial statements
2008 Cash Flows from Operating Activities Cash receipts from Grants Cash receipts from Philanthropic Trusts Cash receipts from User Charges Cash from Donations Cash from Corporate Sponsorship Cash payments: Salaries and Salary On Costs Cash payments: Administration and other overhead costs
2007
397,760 59,000 411,136 1,160 10,609 (567,883) (385,339)
327,517 5,000 282,878 11,386 0 (372,152) (124,440)
(73,557)
130,189
Net cash provided by operating activities
Cash flows from Investing Activities Interest received Purchase of plant and equipment
8,498 4,700
4,776 0
Net cash used in investing activities
13,198
4,776
Net increase/(decrease) in cash held
(60,359)
134,965
Cash at beginning of the financial year
226,962
91,997
$166,603
$226,962
CASH AT THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR 31ST DECEMBER 2008
1
STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES SPECIAL PURPOSE FINANCIAL REPORT The financial statements being a special purpose financial report, have been prepared to meet the information need of the directors and other closely associated interested parties. The company has applied Accounting Standard AASB 1025 “Application of the Reporting Entity Concept and Other Amendments”. Since the directors consider the company is not a reporting entity as defined in AASB 1025, the company is not required to comply with other Accounting Standards. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accrual basis of accounting as defined in AASB 1001, applicable Accounting Standards and Urgent Issues Group Consensus View, except for: AASB 1005 AASB 1010 AASB 1017 AASB 1026 AASB 1028 The above Accounting Standards have not been complied with since the directors consider the cost of compliance would outweigh the benefi ts to members of the resulting information and that non-compliance with those standards does not affect the truth and fairness of the financial statements. The financial statements have been prepared on the basis of historical costs and do not take into account changing money values or, except where state, current valuations of non-current assets. The accounting policies have been consistently applied, unless stated otherwise. Sumarised below are the significant accounting policies and methods adopted which have been consistently applied by the company, unless otherwise stated.
2
PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES
3
a)
The company provides a childrens’ educational theatre. CAPITAL GRANTS
Director’s Declaration
The treatment of capital grants is to reflect the capital grant and the related assets that were acquired by the grant. The receipt of the grant has been treated as a capital receipt and has been brought to account as part of the Members Funds. The purchase of the related assetshas been provided separate treatment in the balance sheet so that the total grants and the total assets will equate with each other. As the grant was of a capital nature, and did not form part of the general income, the amortisation write off of the capital grant assets will be offset against the grant rather than be accounted for in the profi t and loss account.
The directors have determined that the company is not a reporting entity.
b)
The directors have determined that this special purpose financial report should be prepared in accordance with the accounting policies outlined in Note 1 to the financial statements.
Fixed assets are included at cost. All fi xed assets are depreciated over their estimated useful lives commencing from the time the assets were held ready for use.
The directors of the company declare that:
c)
1
the financial statements and notes, presents fairly the company’s financial position as at 31st DECEMBER 2008 with the accounting policies described in Note 1 to the financial statements.
Leasehold Improvements
2
in the directors’ opinion there are reasonable grounds to believe that the company will be able to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable.
This declaration is made in accordance with a resolution of the Board of Directors.
PLANT & EQUIPMENT
PLANT & EQUIPMENT: CAPITAL GRANTS
These assets relate to general assets that were acquired by the means of capital grants provided for the purpose of improving the premises which are currently leased. The Leasehold Assets are to be written off over the term of the lease plus the option of renewal of the lease. These assets have been included at cost. Plant & Equipment Theses assets relate to general assets that were aquired by the means of capital grants provided for the purpose of purchasing plant and equipment. These assets have been included at cost. As the assets are considered to be of a long wearing nature they are to be written off over the period of the lease of the premises. Vehicles
Kirsty Ellem, Chair
Johanna Platt, Treasurer
These assets relate to general assets that were acquired by the means of capital grants provided for the purpose of purchasing motor vehicles. Vehicles have been included at cost and are to be written off over the useful life of the motor vehicles. The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.
22 • Polgot Annual Report 2008
Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 23
Polyglot Puppet Theatre Ltd. ACN:005 118 052
Auditor’s Report to the members
Past Polyglot Productions
SCOPE
1978 The Good Friend by Dorothy Rickards
2000 Sunflowers by Gilly McInnes
We have audited the attached financial statements and the Statement by Directors for the financial year ended 31st December 2008.
1980 Circus Star by Dorothy Rickards
2001 The Mighty How by Sue Giles
The company’s directors are responsible for the preparation and presentation of the financial statements and the information they contain. We have conducted an independent audit of these financial statements in order to express an opinion on them to the members of the company.
1982 Star Child Goes Bush by Dorothy Rickards
2001 Fin by Megan Cameron
1983 Save the Erg Gas & Fuel Corp. by Dorothy Rickards
2001 Muckheap by Sue Giles with Sarah Kriegler and Megan Cameron
1983 Helping Hands by Dorothy Rickards
2001 High Rise by Sue Giles with the Carlton Housing Estate community
Our audit has been conducted in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards to provide reasonable assurance as to whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. Our procedures included examination, on a test basis, of evidence supporting the amounts and other disclosures in the financial statements, and the evaluation of accounting policies and significant accounting estimates. These procedures have been undertaken to form an opinion as to whether, in all material respects, the financial statements are presented fairly in accordance with Australian accounting concepts and standards and statutory requirements, so as to present a view which is consistent with our understanding of the company’s financial position and the results of their operations. The audit opinion expressed in this report has been formed on the above basis.
1985 We’re Here 150th Celebrations by Dorothy Rickards
2001 We Built This City Concept by Sue Giles
AUDIT OPINION
1985 Ergs in Space 2nd Gas & Fuel Corp. by Dorothy Rickards
2002 The Noise Factory by Sarah Kriegler and the Mallacoota kids
In our opinion, the financial statements of
1985 Who Stole the Rainbow by Dorothy Rickards
2002 Rising Higher by Sue Giles with the community of Carlton and Kensington Housing Estates
POLYGLOT PUPPET THEATRE LTD are properly drawn up: (a) so as to give a true and fair view of: (i)
the state of affairs and the profi t of the company for the financial year ended 31ST DECEMBER 2008
(ii) the other matters required by Divisions 4,4A, and 4B of Part 3.6 of the Corporations Law to be dealt with in the financial accounts (b) in accordance with the provisions of the Corporations Law; and (c)
in accordance with the Statements of Accounting Concepts and applicable Accounting Standards.
Ivan Cline BCom(Hons), GDip(Sec). MTax, FCA, ACIS Chartered Accountant 99 Canterbury Road, Blackburn
1986 A Clown for the Circus by Dorothy Rickards 1987 Our Street by Helen Lunn and Phillip Millar 1988 Tadpole by Helen Lunn and Phillip Millar 1988 Almost a Dinosaur by Jill Morris 1989 Waste of Space by Helen Lunn and Phillip Millar
2003 Studio Polyglot new works by independent artists with Polyglot artistic and financial support
1989 Swallow Chick and a Dairy Mouse by Jill Morris
2003 Dry Water & Shopping Babies Sue Giles with the children of Footscray City Primary School and Dinjerra Primary School
1990 A Matter of Life and Death by Helen Lunn, devised by Ariette Taylor
2004 Trek - Community Project directed by Merophie Carr
1990 Widarti by Jack Davis
2004 Stop That House by Ian Pidd
1991 Digger’s Mate by Helen Lunn
2004 Baggy Pants by Sue Giles
1992 Oddsocks and Snores by Helen Lunn
2004 Undercover community project directed by Keira Lyons
1992 Star Monster by Julianne O’Brien 1993 The Nimbin by Jenny Wagner 1994 Not the End of the World by Victoria Osborne 1995 The Flying Emu by Sally Morgan, co-produced with Mary Sutherland 1996 Little Moments by Helen Lunn 1997 The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, adapted for puppetry by Chris Dickins
2005 Hissy Fit community project directed by Sarah Kriegler. 2005 Headhunter created in partnership with Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre Cooperative, by Wesley Enoch and Sue Giles. 2005 Echo creative development by Sue Giles 2006 Johnny Grimm by Ian Pidd
1997 Esme Duck Day co-produced with PuppetScope
2006 Me and My Shadow community project
1998 Granny & the Sea Monster by Gilly McInnes
2007 Check Out! by Julianne O’Brien and Sue Giles
1998 Timebender by Gilly McInnes
2008 The Big Game by Sue Giles, Geoff Kennedy and the children of the Carlton Housing Estate
1998 Letters to an Egg co-produced with PuppetScope 1999 The Black Light House by Richard Tulloch 24 • Polgot Annual Report 2008
2003 Wrapped created by Polywork workshops by professional artists
2008 Hissy Fit by Colin Sneesby 2008 The Impossible Zoo by Merophie Carr with the students of Coburn Primary School Polgot Annual Report 2008 • 25