2023 Winter lab
19 June - 1 July
ATC’s fourth annual Winter Lab for bold work and new ideas features eight projects ranging from physical theatre and devised work to comedy and musicals. In addition to in-person development sessions for each project, the sixty-three participants took part in a variety of workshops, forums and panel discussions including:
MEET & GREET
WORKSHOP: “Brave Spaces for Creative Practice: Developing a Culture of Consent and Care in our Work” with MARGOT FENLEY (she/her)
PANEL DISCUSSION: “Accessibility & Inclusion in the Arts” with MAUDE DAVEY (she/her), MARGOT MORALES (she/they) & TOM MIDDLEDITCH (he/him)
WORKSHOP: “Getting Your Work Seen in Independent Theatre” with LAURA MILKE GARNER (she/her)
PANEL DISCUSSION: “The State of the Arts in Australia” with MARGOT FENLEY (she/her), JONATHAN HOMSEY (he/him).
OPEN SESSIONS
RETROSPECTIVE
2023 LEAD ARTISTS & PROJECTS
DEATH TO A BUTTERFLY by ANDY FREEBORN (they/them) & JESS RAMSEY (they/she)
DRISCOLL by ALEX DUNCAN (he/him) & DOMENICA GARRETT (she/they)
THE FACES OF KALI (WT) by KALIYA ARUMUGAM (she/they)
PERFORMATIVE ALLIES (WT) by AKANSHA HUNGENAHALLY (she/her), RUWANTHI WIJETUNGA (she/her) & MALITH (he/they)
TYPICAL (WT) by SOPHIE SMYTH (she/her)
UNNATURAL by HOLLAND BROOKS (she/they)
VIEWS AND VISIONS (WT) by TOMAS PARRISH (they/them)
THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER by ABIGAIL BANISTER-JONES (she/her)
DEATH TO A BUTTERFLY
by Andy Freeborn (they/them) & Jess Ramsey (they/she)
A story of queer identity and queer erasure, inspired by the extravagant and indulgent life of Henry Cyril Paget, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey. In an estate in 1890’s Wales, Henry, Lilian and Fleur break the boundaries of gender identity, what it means to be passionate, and what it means to love.
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Andy Freeborn (they/them), is a writer, composer, performer, and pianist. Since completing a Bachelor of Music (Music Theatre) at the Australian Institute of Music (2018), some of Andy's credits are: ‘Spiegelesque’ (Kermond Creative), ‘Miracle City’, ‘Eireborne’ (AUS Tour 2022), ‘100 Years of Magic’ (Disney), ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, ‘The Decay of Lying’ (Jess Ramsey - NIDA), and original works, 'Alice', 'Death to a Butterfly', 'Brand New Dress'. Andy's autobiographical cabaret was awarded Best Emerging Talent and nominated for Artistic Merit in the Newcastle Fringe Festival 2023, and is set to tour throughout 2023-24.
Photo by Blake Condon.
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Jess (they/she) is a multi-disciplinary artist who directs, writes, performs, and practices dramaturgy through a neurodivergent and queer lens. Their work involves creating new works, blending artistic forms, and blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Jess is completing an MFA in Directing at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, where they wrote and directed The Decay of Lying, an interdisciplinary piece based on Oscar Wilde's essay. Jess also directed the music video The Job I Took, which premiered live on Rage; A short play by Caryl Churchill, and assistant directed a live cinema adaptation of Chekhov's The Seagull.
Photo by Minzoet.
COLLABORATORS
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DRISCOLL
by Alex Duncan (he/him) & Domenica Garrett (she/they)
This absurd comedy interrogates one woman's psyche and her relationship with her home, her friends and her sense of self worth after she brings home her new emotional support animal – a monkey named Driscoll. Originally conceived for Antipodes’ ‘Play in a Day’ event.
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Alex (he/him) grew up in Tasmania, where he worked as an actor and writer for 'is theatre' and the Tasmanian Theatre Company, as well as The Village and ATYP interstate. He moved to Melbourne to study acting at VCA from 2009 to 2011, and since then has performed, mainly as a theatre actor, across children's theatre, contemporary and classical text. He was nominated for best supporting actor in a musical for his role in The Legend of King O'Malley at the Seymour Centre in Sydney. He studied screenwriting at RMIT and gained the Film Victoria award for Highest Graded Student. He currently works as script coordinator and in writer's rooms for Netflix.
Photo by Ciaran Sullivan.
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Domenica (she/they) is an actor, director and musician based in Naarm. An acting graduate from both the VCA and Sydney Theatre School, Domenica has trained across Australia & UK. Domenica’s credits include pool (no water) (dir. Leticia Cáceres), Elizabeth in Guerilla Sabbath (dir. George Lazaris), Carter in Earthquakes in London (dir. Sarah Goodes) and Mia in Snore (dir. John Kachoyan). They made their directing debut at Midsumma 2023 with Protein. Domenica’s film credits include Uncanny Fantasies (dir. Ada Tzinis) which screened at MIFF in 2022, and independent feature film In The Meantime (dir. Nicholas Anthony), currently in post-production.
Photo by Cameron Grant.
COLLABORATORS
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THE FACES OF KALI (working title)
by Kaliya Arumugam (she/they)
A collection of monologues, poetry and movement, this piece is a meditation on home, heritage and history. A young woman channels her namesake - Kali, the fearsome Divine Mother - and the many forms she takes, reckoning with her place in the world & discovering those that carved it out for her.
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(she/they) Growing up as a mixed race child in a newly post-apartheid South Africa, Kali’s approach to art making is influenced by her ever-evolving understanding of her own identity. With a background in theatre, music and classical dance, Kali made her Australian theatre debut in the two-hand musical comedy ‘Wanda & Mel’ in the Melbourne Fringe Festvial (2017) & the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (2018). Her recent credits include working with Frenzy Theatre Co. on their ensemble devised work ‘PIPER’ (2022), and playing Fanny Price in ‘Lovers Vows at Mansfield Park’ with 24Carrot Productions directed by Sharmini Kumar (2023).
COLLABORATORS
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PERFORMATIVE ALLIES (working title)
by Akansha Hungenahally (she/her), Ruwanthi Wijetunga (she/her) & Malith (he/they)
Performative Allies follows three actors of colour, living in the absurdly racist landscape of the Australian performing arts industry. By reimagining racialised experiences as fantastical, vaudevillian, comedic skits, this celebration of IBPOC resilience explores the absurdity of racial microaggressions, and how to survive them.
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Akansha Hungenahally (she/her) is a performer, activist, and song-writer with a passion for diverse storytelling in Australian theatre. Since completing a Bachelor of Music Theatre in 2019, Akansha has performed in Be You Productions' 'Ordinary Days (Claire), Victorian Opera's 'A Christmas Carol' (Fan, Belle, Martha), and Australian Shakespeare Company's 'Romeo and Juliet' (Juliet U/S). She is proud to have also featured in the 2020 video phenomenon ‘I Need You To See Me’ by Vidya Makan, the 2021 MICF production ‘Sri Lankan Fire Team’, and participated in Antipodes Theatre’s 2021 Winter Lab with a phenomenal team of IBPOC creatives.
Photo by Andrew Raszevski.
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Rue (she/her) is a Melbourne-based writer, performer, and journalist. She's had experience writing and developing scripts for both the stage and screen. Most recently, Rue served as the co-writer of the MICF2021 show 'Sri Lankan Fireteam: The Power of Song'. She also served as a writer and correspondent on Channel 31's 'The Leak', and wrote and performed in 'The Melanin Monologues' in the Melbourne International Fringe Festival in 2019. Currently, Rue is working as a digital content specialist. She's passionate about promoting diversity in the arts and strives to continue producing inclusive creative projects.
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Malith (he/they) is a first-generation Australian-born actor of Sinhalese descent. He has worked extensively in the performing arts industry, both on stage and for the screen – as well as being an experienced improviser and comedian. Most recently, Malith has begun his foray into creating his own work, through independent theatre productions including Fifi’s Fifth! and Sri Lankan Fireteam: The Power of Song. As an actor, some of Malith’s credits include Jacques in As You Like It, nomnomnom (Melbourne Fringe), Jack Irish (ABC TV), Why Are You Like This (ABC TV), Slant (Exile Entertainment) and Summer Love (Gristmill).
Photo by Julian Dolman.
COLLABORATORS
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TYPICAL (working title)
by Sophie Smyth (she/her)
An AuDHD protagonist learns her life expectancy is 36 because of high suicide rates. Desperate to be in a musical before then, she must write herself into one before her diagnoses convince her to become a statistic. This self-referential meta-musical with embedded access dares to ask: what if disability was the typical in musical theatre?
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Sophie Smyth (she/her) is a neurodivergent writer, singer, actor, and sometimes dancer who is “funny as fuck” (Time Out Melbourne). She holds a BA in Music Theatre and eventually, a Tony Award. For now though, she’s happy with her Green Room Award for Best Writing in a Cabaret (for The Aspie Hour) and AWG’s Monte Miller Award (runner-up for Unloveable).
She creates autobiographical work balancing precariously on the twisted knife-edge of comedy/tragedy, while also debunking misconceptions and smashing stereotypes (yes, I am disabled AND hot, we do exist). She is passionate about disabled access and inclusion, authentic representation, making you laugh.
Photo by Andrew Raszevski.
COLLABORATORS
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UNNATURAL
by Holland Brooks (she/they)
This series of seven intersecting monologues channels contemporary supernatural and psychological horror motifs to diversify, queerify and contemporise the Gothic tradition of storytelling – championing those who have historically been villainised and shunned by the genre.
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Holland Brooks (she/they) is a multi-award-winning American-Australian writer, director and theatremaker with a “nasty streak”. She is a 2022 graduate of WAAPA’s Bachelor of Performing Arts (Performance Making) program and is currently undertaking her Honours developing an updated system of content warnings specific to abstraction in live performance. Most recently, she was spotted as the writer/director of Bad Feminist and director of The State for The Blue Room Theatre’s Summer Nights 2023 program. Holland is passionate about work that is queer, political, intersectional, and challenges theatrical convention and possibility.
Photo by Andrea Lim.
COLLABORATORS
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VIEWS AND VISIONS (working title)
by Tomas Parrish (they/them)
In a time where neo-Nazism and anti-transness are on the rise, this piece explores the lives, battles, and triumphs of two gender-nonconforming artists as they resist Nazi occupation of their home during World War Two. Even in 2023, Lucy and Suzanne’s story is more galvanising - and sadly more poignant - than ever.
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Tomas (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist born on Dharawal Country, Wollongong, and acknowledges the Dharawal People's sovereignty, and their continued connection to lands, skies, waterways and culture. Tomas is a graduate of the VCA, and since has worked in a range of capacities: from singing backup vocals for Patti Lupone at Hamer Hall, to leading the Green Room Award winning play When The Light Leaves as Dan (La Mama). Tomas is also a composer and writer, with their work having been performed for Aus Ballet with Orchestra Victoria, and The Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra for The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. They are currently workshopping their play threadbare, premiered on screen in the ABC/Hoodlum Productions series In Our Blood, and performed back-to-back seasons at the Hayes Theatre Company in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Hayes Theatre Co.) and Metropolis (Little Eggs Collective).
COLLABORATORS
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THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER
by Abigail Banister-Jones (she/her)
It’s 1816 and volcanic ash darkens the sky. This ghost-musical reaches back in time through shadows and music to capture the fear of the past – and the fear of the future – inspired by the origin stories of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Dr John Polidori's The Vampyre.
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Abigail (she/her) is an Australian actor, writer, composer and theatre maker. She specialises in queer theatre, environmentalism, feminism, comedy, music, and reinterpreting texts of antiquity. It is her mission to create and be a part of the telling of stories that champion justice and humanity. As of 2021 she is a graduate of the Victorian Collage of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre Making.
Photo by Lachie Woods.
COLLABORATORS
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DISCUSSION PANELISTS AND ADDITIONAL COLLABORATORS
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2023 SUBMISSION PANELISTS
Comprised of three guest panelists and the Winter Lab producers, all submissions were given the opportunity to have their work reviewed by prominent artists from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds.
Guest Submission Panelists
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PRODUCERS
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