St Martins Youth Arts Centre Seeking Diverse Emerging Artists

Melbourne’s St Martins Youth Arts Centre is accepting applications for their 2012 Catapult development program for diverse emerging artists.

They are seeking eight diverse emerging artists in their first 1 – 2 years of arts practice. With a goal to change the face and future of Australian theatre, artists from all art-forms and backgrounds with an interest in contemporary performance are encouraged to apply.

The successful applicant team will have the opportunity to train with industry experts at Theatre Labs, curate the St Martins Emerging Artists Program, and receive mentoring to create original work at the HATCHED festival. They will develop skills in working collaboratively in diverse groups and help to raise the profile of youth theatre in Australia.

The inaugural Catapult program held in 2011 featured 12 diverse theatre-makers from a range of artforms and cultures from all over Victoria and all over the world. They included a classically trained opera singer from Bendigo, a theatre maker from Melbourne’s northern suburbs who is blind, a sculptor and an actor from Castlemaine, an author with cerebral palsy from Geelong, a circus performer from Ethiopia, and an improvising artist from Liberia. 50% of Catapult 2011 have gone on to paid opportunities and residencies with the company. Other participants are engaged with Rawcus, NICA, the Arts Centre Melbourne, MTC, and on residencies in New York.

Applications close Friday 24 February

For more information and to download an application pack visit www.stmartinsyouth.com.au

For any acess requirements please call 9867 2477. Auslan Interpretation is available upon request for the Catapult program.

Below you can download the “Postcard” Catapult member Joshua Lynzaat presented at the Australian Theatre Forum in Brisbane. The postcard was devised by St Martins Catapult team, inspired by conversations and topics explored by the young artists at TOTIPOTENT.

Watch Josh deliver the POSTCARD FROM TOTI at the Australian Theatre Forum.