hart by she said theatre · 2017-11-12 · hart by she said theatre page 4 of 13 black (the arts...

HART By She Said Theatre

Image credit: Gabi Briggs

HART by She Said Theatre of 13

Contents COMPANY PROFILE ....................................................................................... 3ABOUT THE SHOW ......................................................................................... 3PERFORMANCE SPECIFICS ........................................................................... 7AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ............................................................................. 8MARKETING .................................................................................................... 8PRODUCTION DETAILS ................................................................................ 10CONTACTS .................................................................................................... 12


COMPANY PROFILE She Said Theatre uses performance to explore alternative histories, re-imagine forgotten stories, and encourage a theatrical dialogue with the unheard voices in Australian society. Since its award-winning premiere at Melbourne Fringe 2015, HART has performed in seasons across Australia. We believe that touring HART regionally is the next step in ensuring that these important stories are delivered to communities where the show can have a significant social impact. ABOUT THE SHOW SHOW SYNOPSIS She Said Theatre's HART is a one-man verbatim theatre performance based on testimonials and interviews recorded with four Noongar men who identify as survivors of the Stolen Generations, including creator/performer Ian Michael himself. HART weaves together these four men’s stories, jumping back and forth in time, illustrating that the impacts of the Stolen Generations are ongoing, part of an inter-generational cycle of trauma and loss that continue to affect Indigenous communities today. CREDITS Concept & Performed by Ian Michael Text by Ian Michael and Seanna van Helten Directed by Penny Harpham Composition & Sound Design by Raya Slavin Set & Costume Design by Chloe Greaves Lighting Design by Katie Sfetkidis Video Design by Michael Carmody Production & Stage Management by Kate Brennan Promotional Photography by Gabi Briggs ADDITIONAL CREDITS Based on testimonies told to The Stolen Generations’ Testimonies Foundation and to the authors. Images featured in this production were sourced from National Library Australia, State Library of Victoria, and State Library of Western Australia. Video sourced from Couldn’t Be Fairer by Dennis O’Rourke, with permission from Tracey Spring. BIOGRAPHIES Ian Michael (Performer/Co-Writer)

Ian Michael is a graduate from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. As an actor, Ian’s theatre and creative development credits include HART (She Said Theatre), Flashblacks, Northwest of Nowhere, Big Day Out, Black Writers Lab (Ilbijerri Theatre Company); Blak Cabaret (Malthouse Theatre); The Kid (MTC/ Melbourne Ring Cycle); Laika and Wills (She Said Theatre/Melbourne Fringe); The New


Black (The Arts Centre-Carnegie 18 series); Jandamarra (Bunuba Films). Film credits include Where are the Warriors (Wirrim Films); Needle (Nexus 6 Films). Ian was the Assistant Director of Casting Doubts at WAAPA in 2010. While at WAAPA, Ian played lead roles in Blackrock, Gunjies and In Our Town, as well as the short film Project Petey DNA which had success at the Toronto imagineNATIVE Festival, St Kilda Film Festival, Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival and Dungog Film Festival. He is a proud Noongar man from Western Australia. In 2013 and 2015 Ian was awarded the Outstanding Indigenous Artist/Best Emerging Indigenous Artist award for Laika and Wills and HART respectively. In 2015, HART won two awards to tour New Zealand and Adelaide Fringe, where Ian won Best Emerging Artist. In 2016, HART was nominated for Best Independent Theatre Production at the Green Room Awards.

Penny Harpham (Director)

Penny Harpham is the co-founder and Co-Artistic Director of She Said Theatre. She is a Directing graduate from the VCA where she was awarded the Barbara Manning Scholarship for Excellence and the Global Atelier Scholarship for Overseas Travel. She won a Green Room Award for The Stream/ The Boat/ The Shore/ The Bridge (Next Wave Festival 2012) and received an Ian Potter Cultural Trust Award (2015) to complete residencies at the ZK/U in Berlin, Mullae Arts Space in Seoul, and intern with TheaterRampe in Stuttgart. Her directing credits include The Way Out (Red Stitch Actors Ensemble), Salt (La Mama Theatre and She Said Theatre), Fallen (She Said Theatre and Sport for Jove Theatre at the Seymour Centre), Bock Kills Her Father (She Said Theatre at La Mama), Laika and Wills, Breaking (She Said Theatre at Melbourne Fringe) and Slut (VCA). She has performed with theatre companies and artists across Australia, Germany and South Korea, including Red Stitch Actors Ensemble, Elbow Room, Plathoon Kunsthalle, Brisbane Powerhouse and Motherboard Productions. Penny is a teaching artist for Western Edge Youth Arts and a youth workshop facilitator with Footscray Community Arts Centre.

Seanna van Helten (Co-Writer/Dramaturg)

Seanna van Helten is a writer and co-Artistic Director of She Said Theatre. Other works include: Salt (She Said Theatre/La Mama Theatre 2017), Fallen (She Said Theatre/Sport for Jove Theatre Company 2017); Laika and Wills (She Said Theatre/Melbourne Fringe 2013); and Breaking (co-authored and co-directed with Penny Harpham, Melbourne Fringe 2012). Seanna has also published writing in Griffith REVIEW, Voiceworks, Milk Bar Mag, and is the former Arts Editor of Brisbane’s Rave Magazine. She is a graduate of the University of Queensland and of the University of Melbourne, where she received the Percival Serle Prize. In 2014, Seanna completed the Master of Writing for Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts. In 2016-2017, she was selected by Playwriting Australia for the National Script


Workshop, invited to be a writer-in-resident with Lonely Company, and was a recipient of the Australia Council ArtStart grant.

Raya Slavin (Sound Designer/Composer)

Raya Slavin is a Melbourne-based composer and sound designer working across multidisciplinary art practices, a resident artist with She Said Theatre, and a member of synth-punk outfit Primitive Calculators. Raya’s credits for She Said Theatre include Fallen (She Said Theatre/Sport For Jove, 2017), The Quiet Bite (Melbourne Fringe, 2016), HART (Melbourne Fringe, 2015), Bock Kills Her Father (Melbourne Fringe, 2015) and Laika and Wills (Melbourne Fringe, 2013). Other recent work includes Wild Bore (Malthouse Theatre, 2017), F. (Riot Stage Youth Theatre/Poppy Seed Theatre Festival, 2016), The Messenger Podcast – theme music (Behind The Wire/The Wheeler Centre, 2016), Akai Ito and the Forest (Melbourne Fringe, 2016), Redemption (La Mama Courthouse, 2015), Ryan (La Mama Courthouse, 2015), Birdcage Thursdays (La Mama/Big West Festival, 2015), Myth Project – Twin (with Kelly Ryall, Arthur/MTC Neon, 2014), Angry SEXX (Melbourne Fringe, 2014), Savages (sound associate with Kelly Ryall, fortyfivedownstairs, 2013) and MKA Group Show (Northcote Town Hall, 2013). In 2015, Raya was nominated for a Green Room award for her sound design for Ryan.

Chloe Greaves (Set & Costume Designer)

Chloe Greaves is a stylist and costume designer. For She Said Theatre, she has also designed Fallen and The Quiet Bite. Other recent costume designs include Rule of Thirds and Lucid (Chunky Move),The Bacchae (Fraught Outfit/Melbourne Festival), The Grumpiest Boy in the World (Victorian Opera), They Saw A Thylacine (Malthouse Theatre), The Waiting Room (Melbourne Theatre Company), Blak Cabaret (Sydney Festival/ Malthouse Theatre), The Magic Pudding (Victorian Opera), On the bodily Education... (Fraught Outfit / MTC Neon), Le Donna Curiose (The Juliard School, New York), Project Hysteria (Poppy Seed festival) Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Nights Dream (Essential Theatre), and Pacific Overtures (Watch This Productions). Chloe also works in film and television. She recently designed the feature film Living Space and has styled music videos for artists including Guy Sebastian, San Cisco, Montaigne, Dz Deathrays and Alison Wonderland. Chloe received the 2014 Independent Theatre Green Room Award for her body of work, and has been nominated on five other occasions.

Katie Sfetkidis (Lighting Designer) Katie Sfetkidis is a Melbourne-based lighting designer and member of Little Ones Theatre. She won a Green Room Award for Best Lighting Design - Companies in 2015 and has 5 other nominations. HART is her first show with She Said Theatre. Credits include: Malthouse Theatre: Meme Girls, Calpurnia Descending (Sisters Grimm /Sydney


Theatre Company), Tame; Belvoir Theatre: Kill the Messenger; Little Ones Theatre: Dracula; Dangerous Liaisons; The House of Yes; Salomé; Pyscho Beach Party, Home Economics; Aphids: A Singular Phenomenon; Field Theory: Mass (Zoe Scoglio); Sisters Grimm: Summertime in the Garden of Eden, The Sovereign Wife, Little Mercy; Dirty Pretty Theatre: The Lonely Wolf, Thérèse Raquin, The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant, Acts of Deceit, Something Natural but Very Childish; Sydney Chamber Opera: O Mensch!; Exil; Fraught Outfit: Elektra; Melbourne Theatre Company: Happy Ending. As an installation artist she has presented work at FOLA, Underbelly Arts Festival, Brisbane Festival, Lab 14 - Carlton Connect Initiative, Newport Substation, and Blindside Gallery. Katie is currently undertaking a Master in Contemporary Art at the Victorian College of the Arts, Art School.

Michael Carmody (Video Designer)

Michael Carmody (www.vimeo/carmody) has designed video for productions that include Fallen (She Said Theatre/Sport for Jove), Julia Morris’ Lift and Separate (Live Nation), Through Younger Eyes (Russell Goldsmith/Geelong After Dark), Gonzo (St Martins Youth Arts/Malthouse Theatre), Bare Witness (Nadja Kostich), I Call My Brothers (MTC), The Waiting Room (MTC), I Saw The Second One Hit (St Martins) Detroit (Red Stitch) and Chapters From The Pandemic (Angus Cerini) for which he received a Green Room nomination. His short films include Debutantes which screened at MIFF 2005 and Carpark which was a finalist at the 2000 National Student Film and Video Festival. In 2013 and 2014 he was filmmaker and video artist on the public art installations Spinning Yarns and The Locker Room, both for the City of Knox. He was also a collaborating artist with Nadja Kostich on the Monash University - Bachelor of Performing Arts: Third Year Production Raid. In 2015 his collaboration with Elissa Goodrich Dusk To Dawn: Devolving screened at the 18th Traverse Video Festival in Toulouse, France and his short film Drowning World screened as part of La Trobe University’s Centre for Creative Arts Nature in the Dark II project.

Kate Brennan (Production & Stage Management)

Kate Brennan is an Australian stage manager, production manager, and choreographer. Most recently she began collaborating with She Said Theatre as the touring stage manager for their award-winning production HART, and prior to that was venue manager for Perth's Fringe World Festival. As well as her theatrical endeavours, Kate was the 2016 company production manager for live games company Pop Up Playground, the 2015 operations assistant for Aphids, and has had an essay published in the textbook Community Cultural Development: Challenges and Connections. She holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts and a Masters of Arts Management. Stage management credits include: F. (Poppyseed Festival, 2016), Conviction (Darebin


Speakeasy, 2016), Triumph (fortyfive downstairs, 2016), The Motion of Light in Water (La Boite, 2015), Richard II (Brisbane Festival, 2015), Virgins and Cowboys (Theatreworks, 2015), MKA's Double Feature (MTC, 2015).

PERFORMANCE SPECIFICS DURATION 50 mins, no interval SUITABLE VENUES Black box or similar (raised stage unsuitable) Min. stage width: 4.5m Min. stage depth: 4.5m Min. stage height: 4m Min. wing space: N/A MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES PER WEEK 6 performances MINIMUM BREAK BETWEEN PERFORMANCES 300 minutes TOURING PERSONNEL The touring party consists of 2 people: Name Role Ian Michael Performer Kate Brennan PM/SM/Operator

PERFORMANCE HISTORY 18 Sept-3 Oct 2015 Melbourne Fringe, Melbourne VIC 16 January 2016 Wominjeka Festival/Footscray Community Arts Centre, Melbourne VIC 26 January 2016 Schoolhouse Studios, Melbourne VIC 2-6 February 2016 Basement Theatre, Auckland NZ 20-24 February 2016 BATS Theatre/NZ Fringe, Wellington NZ 2-13 March 2016 Tandanya Theatre/Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide SA 5 March 2016 Institute Theatre/Desert Fringe, Port Augusta SA24 May-11 June 2016 The Blue Room Theatre, Perth WA 13-17 September 2016 Brisbane Festival - Theatre Republic QLD 22 Sept-2 Oct 2016 Melbourne Fringe/La Mama Courthouse,

Melbourne VIC 15 Mar 2017 Monash University VIC 17 Mar 2017 Ararat Performing Arts Centre VIC


22 May 2017 DreamBIG Children’s Festival, Adelaide SA 26 May-3 June 2017 HotHouse Theatre, Wodonga VIC 14 Jun 2017 Stratford Courthouse VIC 16 Jun 2017 The Engine Room, Bendigo VIC 17 Jun 2017 Phee Broadway Theatre, Castlemaine VIC 15-20 Aug 2017 Darwin Festival, Darwin NT AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT OVERVIEW As well as the production itself, we can facilitate additional community engagement activities and help access local Aboriginal leaders and representatives. Prior seasons of HART have successfully the following community engagement opportunities, beyond the performance itself: – post-show Q&A with the performer/creator Ian Michael – workshops with Ian Michael (suitable for senior school-age students or young people) – schools performances – 'Community Night' performances encouraging low-priced or free ticket offers to local Indigenous communities – collaborations with local Indigenous communities (e.g. event package at Albury-Wodonga's HotHouse Theatre that billed HART alongside Indigneous musicians and a 'bush tucker' meal at the theatre) We look forward to discussing with potential presenters these or other opportunities on a case-by-case basis. MARKETING MARKETING COPY Short

Throughout Australia’s history, an unknown number of Indigenous children have been forcibly removed from their families. Parents driven mad, grandparents heartbroken, siblings torn apart, language lost, culture stripped away.

Using testimonials from the Stolen Generations, Noongar man Ian Michael invites you to listen in on the silenced stories of this country.

Extended

“I was always like, like a magnet with my Dad, like everywhere he went I was right next to him… He never got rid of me...”

Throughout Australia’s history, an unknown number of Indigenous children have been forcibly removed from their families. Parents driven mad, grandparents heartbroken, siblings torn apart, language lost, and culture stripped away.


Using testimonials from the Stolen Generations, Noongar man Ian Michael invites you to listen in on the silenced stories of this country. Winner of Best Emerging Artist (Adelaide Fringe 2016) Winner of Best Emerging Indigenous Artist (Melbourne Fringe 2015) Winner of SA Tour Ready Award (Melbourne Fringe 2015) Winner of Tiki Tour Ready Award (Melbourne Fringe 2015)

MEDIA QUOTES

"A brave and quietly devastating performance... Moving theatre that handles some emotionally harrowing material with dignity and grace." —The Age

AUDIENCE REVIEWS

"Your show had such a profound effect on me… I think you’ve changed my life. Thank-you so much." — Meg, 27, audience member

VIDEO LINKS https://vimeo.com/179765028 IMAGES https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzG5xF9Bn7PyTnNrT01pczV0eE0 The above link contains the following:

• Promotional images by Gabi Briggs (2015) • Production images by Julie Zhu (Basement Theatre, Auckland 2015) • Additional promotional/rehearsal images by Misho Baranovic (Arts

House, Melbourne 2015) • Photographs of individuals from the HART team • “Pull-quote” images for use on social media

Please note: All photos must be credited and reviewed by She Said Theatre prior to use. MARKETING MATERIALS WE CAN PROVIDE

• Promotional materials files (posters, flyers) • Sample media release • Video trailer • High quality images

CONTENT WARNING Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences are warned that the content in this production may contain images and references to deceased persons. SPONSOR OR OTHER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


Supported by Auspicious Arts TEACHER’S RESOURCES TBC – currently being developed by She Said Theatre for 2018 PRODUCTION DETAILS TECHNICAL SUMMARY THEATRE FORMAT Black box or similar (raised stage unsuitable) Min. stage width: 4.5m Min. stage depth: 4.5m Min. stage height: 4m Min. wing space: N/A

SEATING CONFIGURATION End-on seating preferred

STAGING AND SET The set consists of a single chair and a large ring of flour (3m diameter/5-6kg volume). It is preferable that the flour sits directly on the stage floor (if black), however, we can supply black yoga-mat flooring (4m x 4.5m) upon request (cost for transporting the flooring to be covered by presenter). The black chair (provided) sits in the middle of the circle. The circle edge is 1m from rear wall and is centred to the seating bank. We require access to a venue vacuum cleaner and mop for clean-up.

LIGHTING LAMPS: 12 x Profile 24-44 (wide) 6 x Profile 18-24 (narrow) 9 x Fresnels *Plus 2 x extra Fresnels for house lights where required

RIGGING: 2 x 1.5 - 2m booms and baseplates

POWER & CONTROL: 24 dimmers 24 channel lighting console *An ETC show file can be provided on request

COLOUR: 6 X L201 FOR Profile 1 x L201 Fresnel 1 x L106 Fresnel *Colour can be provided by company if required


AUDIO SPEAKERS: FOH 2 x JBL Control 30 (L&R) or similar

REAR 2 x JBL Control 30 set of Speakers or similar

CONTROL & AMPLIFICATION: Soundcraft SI Expression 1 mixing desk or similar EQ Klark-Teknik DN360 or similar Aux cable - 2 x RCA to 3.5mm jack MacBook Pro with QLab (for audio and AV operation)

MICROPHONES: Shure ULX Body Pack Wireless (662-698MHz) or similar (for venues with audience capacity >85)

AUDIO VISUAL PROJECTOR: Sony VPL-FH500L (WUXGA 1920 x 1200) or similar

SCREENS: N/A – Images to be projected onto rear wall of theatre (if blank and black) CONTROL & CABLING: 30m VGA cable or equivalent Mac adapter (to VGA cable) MacBook Pro with QLab (see Audio)

RIGGING & FOCUS NOTES: Projector to be hung from grid 5-6m downstage from back wall in line with centre of the circle/seating bank. The bottom edge of the image needs to clear the chair CS and meet the intersection of the floor and back wall. The top edge needs to reach the grid or an approximate height of 3-4m. Overall width should be approx. 4-5m. It is desirable to have a douser to remotely cover/uncover lens.

OPERATOR We will provide our own SM/Operator to operate lights from venue console and Audio Visual cues from laptop simultaneously. CREW REQUIRED FROM VENUE

Two multi-skilled venue technicians required to assist touring PM/SM/Op with bump-in, particularly programming lighting cues.

Bump In: Two venue technician plus touring SM/Op for 5 hours (for pre-rigged venues only)

Performance: Touring SM/Op only with venue tech on standby for 1 hour


Bump Out: One venue technician for 1 hour

Total Crew Hours: 12 hours

She Said Theatre to supply MacBook Pro Venue to supply Everything else listed above WARDROBE Performer requires access to a green room/dressing room with kettle and mug, and to washing facilities post-show. If the venue has a washing machine for laundering the costume, that is a bonus but not essential. FREIGHT NOTES All touring elements can be packed into touring car with performers. No loading dock required. CRITICAL ISSUES Audio-visual projection is a core element of the production design: the venue projector must be able to produce an image on the full rear wall of the stage that is appropriate to the scale of the venue and to the ring of flour. Ability for total black out is preferred. Venues are requested to provide images of the rear wall of the stage to the Production Manager ahead of bump-in. CONTACTS Production Manager Kate Brennan Stage Manager/Operator [email protected]

0401 298 703 Lighting Designer Katie Sfetkidis [email protected] +61 405 626 629 Set/Costume Designer Chloe Greaves [email protected] +61 403 912 532 Sound Designer Raya Slavin [email protected] +61 403 413 437 Video Designer Michael Carmody [email protected] +61 400 513 271


Director Penny Harpham [email protected] +61 415 257 563 Producers (for She Said Theatre) Penny Harpham / Publicity Contact [email protected] +61 415 257 563 Seanna van Helten [email protected] +61 417 053 389 Producer (for Auspicious Arts) Megan Williams [email protected]

hart by she said theatre · 2017-11-12 · hart by she said theatre page 4 of 13 black (the arts...

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