2021 Winter lab
16 - 27 June
ATC’s second annual Winter Lab for bold work and new ideas featured nine projects ranging from physical theatre and devised work to comedy and musicals. In addition to in-person development sessions for each project, the seventy participants took part in a variety of online workshops, forums and panel discussions including:
MEET & GREET
WORKSHOP: Mental Wellbeing for Artists, led by Will Centurion
FORUM: Crossing over into TV and Film with Tony Coombs
PANEL DISCUSSION: “The State of the Arts in Australia” with Jamie Lewis (Next Wave) and Veronica Pardo (Multicultural Arts Victoria), moderated by Brandon Pape
PANEL DISCUSSION: ‘‘Who Gets To Tell The Story?: Identity and Representation On Stage” with Dan Graham, Mama Alto, Sonya Suares and Nic Velissaris, moderated by Dean Drieberg
FORUM: Accessibility in the Arts with Dan Graham
OPEN SESSIONS
RETROSPECTIVE
107
by Michele Gould
107 is a musical comedy about going to highschool in Australia as a hormonal and bored teenage girl and how awkward, infuriating, alienating and hilariously bad that is. Set at the 107 bus stop, four girls in their senior year discuss social and world politics, why uniforms suck, how weird and gross boys are and why they shouldn’t bother having sex with them. Like, ever.
Michele Gould
Michele Gould (She/Her) is a performing artist, writer, activist, ukulele player and total dork who has trained in Musical Theatre at WAAPA and Principal Academy of Dance. Her debut musical, Passing, premiered at Fringe World 2021 and opened to sold out shows and rave reviews. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Science and, when not busy writing, is playing Dungeons and Dragons. Michele adores the creative arts industry and hopes to bring to it her passion for diversity, representation and also lots of fun!
Photo by Christophe Canato
107 COLLABORATORS
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residue
By william hinz
Residue follows three queer teenagers in a rural Australian town, forgotten by the rest of the country. Each independently brilliant, but stifled by the claustrophobia of their community and the archaic foundations of their education, they find refuge in entertaining notions of violence, sex, and death.
WILLIAM HINZ
William Hinz (They/Them) is an Australian playwright, lyricist and performer, with a Masters of Writing for Performance from VCA where they were a recipient of the Orloff Foundation Family Trust. Their body of lyrical work includes Allentown and Sincerely, Us, the latter of which was invited to NMA’s “First Look” program at Hayes Theatre. Short plays include F*^% Off Geraldine!, R I N N A, Remote, Dullahan and The Curators. Longer form works include Genesis (which is currently being studied as part of the Queensland State syllabus and is published with Australian Plays) and Guerilla Sabbath, which recently sold out its premiere season at La Mama as part of Midsumma.
Photo by Ruby Sam
RESIDUE COLLABORATORS
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regrowth
by Sam Hooper
Music by Vidya Makan
Co-Developed by Phoebe Panaretos &
Alex Gibson-Giorgio
Regrowth is a musical about Thea, who recently began to lose her hair from alopecia after her mother passed away, and her ensuing journey with her father, her support group, her love interest, and the loss of femininity in her life.
SAM HOOPER
Sam Hooper (He/Him) is a 2011 graduate of the VCA Bachelor of Music Theatre. Performing credits include King Kong Live Onstage (swing), Cats (swing), Funny Girl (ensemble), Cabaret (swing), and Mamma Mia (Pepper). As a director/choreographer Sam has worked on Catch Me If You Can (OCPAC), They’re Playing Our Song (Company 11), and 1&Only (Unlikely Productions). Sam has most recently been living in the UK where he has been assistant director on Lipstick: A Fairytale of Modern Iran (Omnibus Theatre), The Apologists (UK tour), as well as the librettist and performer of Death Suits You (Camden Fringe).
Photo by Marnya Rothe
VIDYA MAKAN
Vidya Makan (She/Her) is a critically acclaimed actor, singer and composer/lyricist, perhaps most well known for her performance as Catherine Parr in the original Australian cast of SIX (Louise Withers). She is currently working with Hayes Theatre to develop her original concept musical The Lucky Country. In 2020, Vidya directed, produced and wrote the viral sensation I NEED YOU TO SEE ME, taking a stand against racism in the entertainment industry. Vidya’s performance credits include Papa Ge in Once On This Island (Altitude Theatre) and Dot/Marie in Sunday In The Park With George (Watch This). Vidya endeavours to champion underrepresented voices in all of her work.
Photo by Andrew Raszevski
PHOEBE PANARETOS
Phoebe Panaretos (She/Her) made international headlines after being handpicked by Baz Lurhmann to play the lead role of Fran in the world premiere musical adaptation of Strictly Ballroom The Musical (Helpmann and Green Room Award Nominations for Best Female In A Musical). Phoebe’s theatre credits include Singing in the Rain (Production Company, dir. Gary Young), the world premiere of Dream Lover - The Bobby Darin Musical (GFO, dir. Simon Philips), American Idiot (Shake and Stir, dir. Craig Ilott, Helpmann nomination). Most recently, Phoebe returned to Production Company in the Australian premiere of David Bowie's Lazarus (dir. Michael Kantor) for which she received unanimous praise.
ALEX GIBSON-GIORGIO
Alex Gibson-Giorgio (He/Him) graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre), where he performed in Oklahoma!, Summer Rain, A Little Touch of Chaos (dir. Iain Sinclair) and Lil’ Abner (dir. Martin Croft). Alex is also a graduate of the NIDA Diploma of Music Theatre course and recipient of the Ron and Margaret Dobell Award. Other credits include Anything Goes (Opera Australia), Georgy Girl – The Seekers Musical, Disney’s Aladdin (Jafar cover), Mamma Mia, Yank! (Brisbane Powerhouse), and Everything’s Coming Up Sondheim (Chapel Off Chapel). Alex is currently in the UK, where he recently appeared in Rags The Musical (Park Theatre).
Photo by Evan Lever
REGROWTH COLLABORATORS
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WILT
By REUBEN JAMES
Dance, circus, spoken word and live music will mingle on stage in this exploration of physical and auditory communication and its influence on our senses of comfort and seclusion as a society. What are the patterns we use to communicate? What happens when they’re disrupted? And what are the barriers that these patterns inevitably create?
REUBEN JAMES
Reuben James (He/Him) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Naarm / Melbourne. Beginning his career at 17, Reuben was a founding member of The Adelaide Independent Theatre Collective (2016), where he wrote and directed his first work All Things Unsaid (2017). Since, he has performed in Zebastian Hunter’s Dispersion (2019) and joined Origins Dance Company to perform in their 2021 season. Additionally, Reuben formed the multi-disciplinary company Variation Three (2020), where he strives to explore queer stories in new lights and break down the barriers between art fields. In their first year, they curated a series of dance films exploring queer isolation, and debuted their first work Bent at Midsumma Festival.
Photo by Ken Crundall
WILT COLLABORATORS
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Astitva/Identity
by Alison Murphy and R. Johns
Astitva/Identity is a new work that focuses on Alison's epic and transformative journey culturally, geographically and mentally while battling confusion and harassment concerning religion, gender transformation, cultural norms, colonial and post-colonial tropes, sexism, and discrimination…all whilst remaining true to herself.
alison murphy
Alison Murphy (She/Her) was born in Karachi Pakistan, as a student Ali performed as a solo singer. Alison migrated to Australia and completed a textiles diploma at RMIT and has just completed a diploma in Makeup and Media. Alison was makeup artist on Miss Blossom Callahan at La Mama (2017) and was the makeup artist on Tchekov at the House of Special Purpose (2019); assistant makeup artist on the photoshoot for GMAR magazine, 2019 and assisted with makeup on the photoshoot for LGBTQI immigrants – Queer Refugees at Docklands Cotton Mills for gallery exhibition in 2020.
Photo by Alison Murphy
r. johns
R. Johns (She/Her) Born in South Wales, Rosemary graduated from Manchester University (Drama, First Class Honours). She is the current Vice-President of Women Playwrights International, WPI values cultural exchange and diversity as its heart and inspiration. Published six times by Currency Press, her writing career has been nurtured by La Mama Theatre. Internationally work has been presented in Athens and Cape Town (as co-writer), Stockholm and Mumbai. Her play Black Box 149 was programmed in repertoire at the Staatstheater Nürnberg in Germany in 2017, the first time this German State Theatre company has produced work by an Australian playwright.
Photo by Jodie Hutchinson
ASTITVA/IDENTITY COLLABORATORS
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Tinder cindy
By jacinda patty
Through storytelling, dance and rollerskating, Cindy struggles with dating while living with her grandmother after returning from a two-year adventure with her “safety banana” (yes, the banana speaks). This follow-up to Safety Banana takes a step back in time to the late 1940's with insights into dating both then and now.
Jacinda Patty
Jacinda Patty (She/Her) is a multi-talented artist who has lived around the world. Her passion for performing began as a dancer, with a repertoire of styles including hip hop, tap, contemporary, salsa and everything in between. Jacinda went on to further her skills at Screenwise TV and Film School and National Institute of Circus Arts. She started her company Pattycakes Productions with the desire to bring to life a fusion of art forms on stage. Jacinda’s love for travel allowed her to gather skills from around the globe and become the producer and performer that she is today, which is evident in her works Boxed In Sideways and Safety Banana.
Photo by Peter Georges
TINDER CINDY COLLABORATORS
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A Place For Dogs
by Ebony Rattle
Compositions by Casey Rice
Created in response to the collective trauma felt throughout the trans/gender diverse community in 2020, this devised work will blend contemporary writing and experimental composition to create an unapologetic exploration into what it means to be transgender in the contemporary landscape.
ebony rattle
Ebony Rattle (They/Them) is a sound/vision technician, sound designer and writer/director living on Wurundjeri land. They have toured as a sound and/or vision technician with Opera Australia, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Theatre Company, Australian Ballet, Ilbijerri Theatre Company, Melbourne International Arts Festival and Melbourne Fringe Festival, among others. Previously, they graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Media/Cinema) (Distinction) from Swinburne University. In 2019, Ebony received the City of Port Philip’s Melbourne Fringe Grant and presented their first written/directed show BLITZ at Alex Theatre as part of Melbourne Fringe. In 2021, they presented Ring, Ring!, a collaboration with Ellen Wiltshire, at TheatreWorks.
casey rice
Casey Rice (They/Them) is an audio engineer/producer with thirty years international experience in the fields of music and technology-based interactive art installation. In the 1980s they performed, recorded and toured as an instrumentalist in bands as part of the Midwestern punk rock movement before working as a recording engineer in Chicago in the early 90s. In the mid 90s they set up a computer music studio for the development and execution of their own electronic music which became the first Classix studio. Casey continues to work as a record producer in Melbourne, and does programming for art/dance/performance and music applications.
A PLACE FOR DOGS COLLABORATORS
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Are You Better Yet?
by Sarah-Jayde Tracey, with Jamila Main
Directed by Mary Angley
Get more rest. Drink more water. It's all in your head. Are you better yet? Sarah-Jayde Tracey and Jamila Main, two disabled and chronically ill actors, will explore themes of disability, medical gaslighting, unsolicited advice and navigating life and relationships, knowing they will never get better. As they try every unsolicited, unhelpful, and often ridiculous piece of advice in real time in front of the audience, they unpack what it means to be disabled and chronically ill in a world that is not set up for them.
sarah-jayde tracey
Sarah-Jayde Tracey (She/Her) is a theatre maker/performer living and working on Wurundjeri land. They have an intense interest in works centring class politics, feminist analysis, and queer performance. Sarah-Jayde’s most recent collaboration, Hedda GablerGablerGabler, with Paper Mouth Theatre, is an experimental, devised piece of theatre that uses competitive gameplay to interrogate and disrupt the themes of the iconic play. This work will be presented at La Mama Theatre in 2021. Other notable works and collaborations include: Red Ink by Duncan Graham, Class Act Roundtable (Mish Grigor presented by Aphids), and Second Hand Emotions with Mish Grigor, SJ Norman and Sarah Rodigari presented by Vitalstatistix.
Photo by Lauren Connelly
Mary Angley
Mary Angley (She/They) is an emerging director and a recent Masters graduate from the VCA, currently working on Kaurna land. She received First Class Honours from Flinders University for her practice-led research project: an immersive adaptation of Timon of Athens. For her Masters Showcase, she developed a new work, Hedda GablerGablerGabler, exploring gender biases in the theatrical canon. In her most recent work, LEAR: A Livestream, she created a durational, digital performance exploring artistry, privilege, and productivity in the age of COVID-19. In 2019, she created Paper Mouth Theatre as a forum for bringing together emerging creatives within a Queer, Feminist framework.
Photo by Ren Williams
jamila main
Jamila Main (They/Them) is an actor, playwright, and queer disability activist living and working on unceded Peramangk and Kaurna land. A graduate of the Adelaide College of the Arts, Jamila performs across stage and screen. Their debut professional stage role was in ActNow Theatre’s Zero Feet Away. One of Jamila’s most notable stage roles was in the acclaimed Aleppo. A Portrait of Absence (Adelaide Festival, 2020). Jamila is currently a Carclew Fellow and Artist in Residence, a Midsumma Pathways Participant, a founding member of RUMPUS Theatre, sitting on the National Advisory Panel for Australian Plays and Playwriting Australia, a teaching artist with True Ability, writing for stage and screen under mentorship by Kate Mulvany, the Co-Chair of the Equity Diversity Committee, and advocating for queer and disability inclusion and representation.
Photo by Pamela Boutros
ARE YOU BETTER YET? COLLABORATORS
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You Can’t Get There From Here
by Francesca Waters
A personal account of a ridiculously varied life that explores how we are connected by language, culture and music in order to question perceptions of “Us and Them” that are dividing our world. This piece will reflect on how our ethnocentric views of the world adhere to this way of being and how it impacts our lives.
Francesca Waters
Francesca Waters (She/Her) is an internationally successful actor, having worked in Europe, United States, Australia and New Zealand. Stage credits: Bed (Winner Best Supporting Actor-Equity Guild Awards 2004), Hotel Sorrento (Nominated Best Actor-Equity Guild Awards 2005), Some Girls, Hamlet (NZ Tour), Richard III (Athenaeum), Medea (Complete Works Theatre Company) and Calendar Girls (Athenaeum). Television and Screen highlights: Preacher, 5 Bedrooms, The Leftovers, Barracuda, Newton’s Law, and the title role in Emily (MIFF 2016, St. Kilda Film Festival 2017). She plays Prue in Paper Champions which screened at MIFF 2020. She is a proud member of MEAA and is represented by Ian White Management.
Photo by Alex Vaughn
YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE COLLABORATORS
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