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In March 2010 I tackled another production of Opera in the Park with the WA Opera Company.  As one of the largest yearly free events in Perth, it’s always an exciting night under the stars!  This year I directed a semi-staged production of The Mikado, a Gilbert & Sullivan classic, to the delight of a music loving crowd.

The cast included a number of young artists from the company as well as a few seasoned professionals and the WASO orchestra was conducted by David Wickham.  Crowd favourites such as “Three Little Maids from School” and “Here’s a how-de-do” were highlights of the evening.

The event took place in Supreme Court Gardens in Perth’s CBD and was for a first time simulcast to Bunbury and Geraldton!  Check out the online review here.

As always it was a joy to work with the WA Opera Company and I look forward to our next project together.

2009 OPEN BOOK Creative Challenge – AWESOME Arts Australia

Photo courtesy of AWESOME Arts Australia

In 2009, I was lucky enough to chosen as the Lead Artist for AWESOME Arts 2009 Creative Challenge.  OPEN BOOK, the project concept I developed was based on creating a contemporary version of a book from a kids-eye-view.  Creative Challenge visited 10 communities throughout Western Australia and included an array of arts practices including photography, film, sound, theatre, visual arts, sculpture and even puppetry!  There were a total of 19 artists working on the project, we had teams of 2 artists collaborating on each residency.

I completed two of these residencies, the first of which being in Exmouth, WA.  Working together with Caroline Smith, a photographer from Margaret River we merged our art forms to create an interesting experience for the kids.  We focused on the way the body can be used in photos to tell a story based on the identity of Exmouth and the kids did some amazing work!

Photo courtesy of AWESOME Arts Australia

I also completed a residency in Mullewa, WA and was partnered with Clare Davies, a visual artist from Fremantle.  While Clare’s practice is based in visual arts she also had extensive experience with stop-motion animation.  We developed stories with the kids at two schools in Mullewa based on their identity within their community.  We told these stories using shadow puppetry as well as stop-motion animation.  This was an exciting fusion of art and storytelling and we had an amazing process of developing the work of the kids over the two weeks.

Photo courtesy of AWESOME Arts Australia

Photo courtesy of AWESOME Arts Australia

In November the project culminated in an exhibition as part of the AWESOME International Arts Festival for Bright Young Things!  I curated the exhibition and it included a compilation of art works from all 10 residencies.  Listening stations, DVD projection, a reading area and even a chalkboard storytelling station filled the space and invited guests to engage with the stories these amazing kids created during the project.

Our post-it feedback wall grew as the exhibition continued becoming a growing installation in itself!

Photo courtesy of AWESOME Arts Australia

Photo courtesy of AWESOME Arts Australia

Working on this project was one of the most rewarding experiences in my career as I felt it truly impacted the lives of all the kids involved.  I thank AWESOME Arts for all the support and for trusting me to lead the way throughout the year!

If you’d like to read more information about the project or see more of the photos from the residencies please visit the AWESOME website, www.awesomearts.com.