WA companies to take centre stage

Articled Sourced from Department of Culture and Arts WA - DISCLAIMER - as this covered WA and SA, I left the location as Australia ;-)

Western Australian performers will be strutting their stuff to a national and international audience at the prestigious Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) in Adelaide at the end of February.

APAM showcases the very best in new performing arts from the Australian region to more than 400 presenters and producers from around the world looking for touring and development opportunities.

Tim Watts with Weeping Spoon Productions, in conjunction with Perth Theatre Company and James Berlyn, in conjunction with Performing Lines WA, have been invited to participate in the Spotlight program, where participants pitch their projects and showcase their work in a 20 minute excerpt from their production.

Indigenous theatre company Yirra Yaakin and experimental group PVI Collective will take part in the Searchlight program, where they will be able to pitch projects in development to potential development partners to encourage  financial support.

Department of Culture and the Arts’ Director General Allanah Lucas said the results were outstanding.

“To have four WA presenters represented at APAM is a significant achievement and demonstrates the quality and diversity of productions in this State,” Ms Lucas said.

“James Berlyn and Tim Watts applied to present in the Searchlight program, but were elevated into the Spotlight program after the APAM selection panel was so impressed by their intimate works.

“Being invited to participate at APAM opens the door to the possibility of productions touring around the country and even the world, showcasing our talent beyond our border.”

West Australian performers invited to attend other key market events include Tetrafide Percussion, choreographer Alice Lee Holland, Hold Your Horses theatre company and theatre director Zoe Pepper.

APAM is on from 22-26 February 2010 and coincides with the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Adelaide Festival. The Department of Culture and the Arts has provided $30,000 to support WA participants and delegates in attending APAM.

For more information please contact Corporate Affairs on 61 8 9224 7448