SAVE HAYMAN THEATRE!
Fri, 19 May 2006, 12:36 pmangelicus6 posts in thread
SAVE HAYMAN THEATRE!
Fri, 19 May 2006, 12:36 pmIf you are unaware The Hayman Theatre at Curtin University has been closed. It has been closed on the grounds that it is a "fire hazard." After having a fire and safety audit done on the Theatre space, conducted by an independent company hired by the University, Hayman was deemed a risk to it's potential audience. To make the space safe, a $1.1 million sprinkler system must be installed. By current legal standards this is unnecessary. There is no theatre in W.A. aside from the brand-spankin-new Northbridge Arts Centre- that has this gardening implement! This seems like a childish response to the situation, ie, "If they don't have it why should We?" however this is not what the fight is actually about. It is not about a university that doesn't want to fork out an unnecessary amount of money. It is about a University that has no space to hold the students it has enrolled.
Curtin is one of the biggest International Universities in W.A. This has all resulted as a massive Administration cock-up! Essentially this university -being a business focussed, money hungry institution- has enrolled way too many international, and business students than it can hold. Therefore those departments that do not house hoards of international students, loses out. Not only has the Humanities Department lost the Hayman Theatre, it has also lost areas of visual Arts. When will we recognise the Arts and its importance in our society.
Curtin is the only University in Australia that offers a non-audition based entry into its Performing Arts course. It has the highest percentage of any performace course into NIDA- National Institute of Dramatic Art. If you look closer to home, in the Arts Circle of Perth, what is showing currently, "Falling Petals" for example houses at least two ex-Hayman students: Adam Mitchell - director and Bryn Coldrick- who stars in the show. In destroying this course, the university does not only succeed in destroying many students studies, it also affects the wider art community.Courses such as this are the bed from which actors are offered a taste of the industry- with such a wide range of choices. Offering not only Performance Studies, but scriptwriting, directing, technical theatre and the sorts also.
This is a problem. I am concerned. If you are concerned, voice it. The Vice Chancellor of Curtin University doesn’t particularly want to hear from people like myself, but she needs to. Email her at this address vc@curtin.edu.au
If you have any ideas on how to help please contact me via email under the subject "UP IN SMOKE"
Cheers Angelique Or post reply on here!
angelicusjorayus@hotmail.com
Hayman drama continues Arts
Mon, 22 May 2006, 03:51 pmWalter Plinge
Hayman drama continues
Arts Hub Australia
Monday, May 22, 2006
The controversy surrounding the closure of Curtin University's Hayman Theatre continues, with one performer suggesting that administrators are playing favourites.
Until this year, the theatre presented around 30 productions a year by students studying Performance Studies at Curtin. Then in February, administrators declared the premises a fire hazard and closed its doors for safety reasons.
Last year, the venue was threatened with closure due to budget cuts, but it survived thanks to strong public support.
After news of the latest closure, the University allegedly commited $100,000 toward renovations, but theatre representatives said a further $1.2 million was needed to permit reopening.
Productions have since been moved to alternative venues for safety reasons.
Student Amy Welsh claims the new venues are proof that Hayman was on a hit list.
"Early this year, Curtin University's administration ordered the Hayman Theatre to cease all public performances due to a failure to meet Fire Health and Safety regulations," she says. "Curtin University claims they cannot afford the $400,000 to install the sprinkler system that would supposedly rectify the problem. But the venues they have sent us to are even less safe than the Hayman. Apparently, these venues do not need sprinkler systems to conform to Fire Health and Safety standards."
Welsh adds that the Hayman passed a Fire Health and Safety inspection two years ago.
"We do not believe that fire safety is Curtin's primary concern," the actress says. "Lecture space is at a premium and we believe the university sees the Hayman as a solution. Already Fine Arts students have had studio spaces taken away to cater for other students' needs.
The question we ask is this: what about our needs as BA (Performance Studies) students? Upon enrolment, Curtin promised us first class performance facilities. Curtin promised that we could participate in the 26 productions held at the Hayman each year. Without the Hayman, essential components of our degree cannot be run. Furthermore, why can't the university afford to pay $400,000 considering we each pay up to $4000 a year in fees?"
Curtin's Performance Studies course is the only non-audition tertiary performance major and the longest established tertiary theatre course in WA. Welsh says the treatment of the Hayman is endangering its future.
"Without this course, only WAAPA is available to students as a place for world-renowned performance training," says Welsh. "The destruction of the Hayman Theatre severely limits our options for hands on theatre experience and training."
If you'd like to have your say on Hayman, you can email the Curtin Vice Chancellor at: vc@curtin.edu.au