What happens when you put Australia’s next wave of young creatives and award-winning theatre directors in a rehearsal space together at one of the nation’s most innovative cultural organisations?
What happens when you put Australia’s next wave of young creatives and award-winning theatre directors in a rehearsal space together at one of the nation’s most innovative cultural organisations? You generate the kind of work Sydney audiences can be passionate about: energetic productions created by the nation’s most promising students, presented in a leading theatre venue and guided by prominent directors from Australia and around the world. The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and Carriageworks have announced a new Contemporary Performance Partnership which will see the two organisations work closely together to present exciting new work to audiences and contribute to the development of arts and culture. NIDA is Australia’s national education and training institution for the dramatic arts discovering and nurturing creative professionals and dynamic arts practice and its graduates become leaders and innovators within the arts and entertainment industry, enabling Australia to develop its cultural identity both at home and on the international stage. Carriageworks is a contemporary art institution located at the Eveleigh Railway Yards in Sydney, Australia and its primary focus is to continue to strengthen its commitment to urban Aboriginal arts practice and to engage artists on a local and international level with contemporary ideas and issues Both NIDA and Carriageworks share a commitment to increasing audience engagement with the dramatic arts, and producing and promoting contemporary work through the ongoing support of talented young artists and practitioners. This new relationship with the two institutions will not only bring a wealth of opportunities for NIDA students and for theatre-goers it will bring more innovative and exciting theatre to Sydney audiences also. “Carriageworks is excited to be working with the National Institute of Dramatic Art. We look forward to working together to build new audiences for contemporary performance practise,” says Lisa Havilah, Director of Carriageworks, of the creative partnership. NIDA will also host Carriageworks’ artists as guests and panellists at range of public and industry forums and events at its site in nearby Kensington. “Together, the two organisations are hoping to attract and build local participation and audiences for the performing arts,” adds Lynne Williams, Director and CEO of NIDA. “We are delighted to be reaching out and making a contribution to the communities which surround us”.
Idiot will be the first NIDA work to be presented at Carriageworks. Featuring NIDA’s second year Actors and graduating Costume, Design, Production, Properties and Scenery Construction students, and written and directed by NIDA’s 2011 Seaborn, Broughton and Walford Foundation Artist-In- Residence Max Lyandvert, the production is a contemporary take on Dostoyevsky’s famous 1868 novel, The Idiot. Idiot will open at Bay 20 at Carriageworks on October 22, 2011, and will mark the beginning of the Contemporary Performance Partnership. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.