Advance aaustralia

hello!! Citing the Malthouse in the last post was just that. We still in this country have no theatre company playing "all australian" plays with a focus on new work. Does that matter? Perhaps Black Swan may be the last? The point is yes we have spoken about this with colleagues, peers, friends and artists forever and yes funding is a problem and subsidies and support for new writers etc- however if we are going to be finanically constrained in the arts then how to we move past this to a better cultural future? Does it matter how we chose to express ourselves? - linear or arty plays, any type of visual performance, puppetry, film, radio?. The point is this is our expression for the moment in this country. Thank god for places like La mama who will take a risk and perform a new Oz work regardless of format. So how do all of us together unite and try to support ourselves and advance australia artistically, because obviously we are cultural future.

Why did you start a new thread and not continue with the old one. Newtown Honey @ La Mama. Look, the question in my opinion lays largely with the admin people and pollies who run the Arts Departments of the various states. Knowing nothing practical about theatre they fund ART. Art which the public do not want to see. We go and see it and the chattering classes go and see it but the genaeral public go and see farces and musicals and the occasional mystery. OK simplistic and I apologise but as a general rule its true. Write a play about real people in a real situation that doesn't have arty fantasy sequences containing much navel gazing and you won't get a subsidy. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

I think you'll find that even La Mama are fairly conservative in what they choose to present (yes, they present new works, yes they are usually a bit 'out there' and fringe-y, but no, they are not all risk. They have budgets to meet, sponsorship and funding guidelines to meet, and are already overwhelmed with submissions. They can't produce everything.) I agree with Tony. Look at all the people on the board of Aus Council - many have 'arts' involvement, but as an advisor on boards, or as someone who gets businesses involved (as sponsors), or who are 'arts'/business advocates. Many of them only really have business experience, being CEOs or other things. The Council only seems to really appoint people who are good with money, and not good with arts. PS. I write absurdist type stuff. Have been rejected by a number of playwrights competitions, venues (including La Mama), and other such organisations. I have only ever had success by producing my own work, and that is exactly what the situation is about - it's up to us to do it, not rely on these organisations. Yes, they are good. But not good enough to make some money out of, or to become the 'next big thing' in theatre. Perfect example is Red Stitch - a group of actors who formed a company/venue, because they weren't getting enough work, and weren't getting work that interested them or challenged them. The Prompt Copy Store www.store.thepromptcopy.com Sticky Apple Legs www.freewebs.com/stickyapplelegs Puppets in Melbourne www.freewebs.com/puppetsinmelbourne Treading the Boards www.treadingtheboards.thepromptcopy.com

My long plays (full length) tend to be linear narrative works but I hope not old fashioned they are about people today and what concerns and affects them. My short plays range from slightly absurdist through neo gothic to linear. And yes I put my own work on. In fact I am currently raising the money to present my latest full length work at Holden Street Theatres here in Adelaide in September. So if there are any "angels" out there with a $1000.00 or so they don't mind losing... Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

With doing it yourself. As I am still a VCE student (not long to go now!) I have had limited experience outside of school for theatre. I didn't even really know about amateur theatre- and when I was in school 'drama' was a new concept to me. Since then I've thrived...and this year I'm going to go outside the school and get some experience in the real world... a few ways. Last year I stood up and put on a play at my school (they had recently cancelled the every year musical and replaced it with an every two year policy) I didn't like this and we found a little niche where as long as the play was not called a 'musical' we could put it on. If I wouldn't have stood up to do it, there would have been no play. It was also a big moment in my life where I realised you could put on your own shows! And the story was 'interesting' Chicken Pluckers from a chicken factory being fired and replaced by (dancing) machines is not a normal storyline for our school. Now that I'm about to move out into the real world so is my theatre- and my ideals that anything can be turned into entertainment whether it's a chicken factory, a possessed christmas tree badge or a metaphorical potato! Knowing these ideas would probably be rejected by a bigger company (etc) I am going to have to put a show like this on myself. Here's where my latest show Ultimate Broadway Musical fits in. It's improvising, audience participation, song and dance all rolled into one- a pretty big risk for a group opf students fresh onto the theatre turf. But I believe we can pull it off (belief! Key point) And so it will rely on 'me' to put it on. And then after however many plays it takes to show my 'stuff' works on stage maybe another company will take on my work. I figure you gotta get out there and try it...take new Australian theatre to the people! It is possibly the only way to get it out there. _____________________________________________________________ Currently working on: "The Ultimate Broadway Musical" The Three-Person, Audience Interactive, Little Bit Of Improv, Mini-Musical event of 2007.

Good for you - you've got the right attitude to make things happen in this world/industry. Keep trying and you'll be able to do everything you want to do! :) The Prompt Copy Store www.store.thepromptcopy.com Sticky Apple Legs www.freewebs.com/stickyapplelegs Puppets in Melbourne www.freewebs.com/puppetsinmelbourne Treading the Boards www.treadingtheboards.thepromptcopy.com