The Demise of Hayman Theatre at Curtin Uni
Wed, 22 June 2005, 12:17 pmCrispian42 posts in thread
The Demise of Hayman Theatre at Curtin Uni
Wed, 22 June 2005, 12:17 pmHi Peoples,
With the recent announcement that Curtin Uni will be cutting the number of courses it will run by over 300, it seems the Hayman Theatre is about to be a casualty.
The following was posted by Tony Nicholls on an online forum run by Hayman students:
***************************
IÂ’m sorry to say that this course is now under serious threat of closure.
Curtin recently changed the way funding is distributed to the various Divisions. Teaching areas are now expected to pay for the space they use. In most cases this makes little difference but the Hayman Theatre is a large space to which we have exclusive access. The annual ‘rent’ has been calculated by the university as about $200,000 per year.
The Division of Humanities and our Faculty of MSC are both considerably in deficit already. Closing the Hayman, as you can see, is from that point, an attractive and some would say, necessary choice.
My view is that without a theatre there can be no worthwhile theatre course.
We shall obviously be making every effort to find an alternative solution but as high school students will very soon be making their applications to university courses a final decision must be made within a very few weeks about the continuance of Performance Studies.
The Guild has been informed of the situation.
I believe the university has an obligation to allow students currently enrolled to complete their course.
There is considerable goodwill towards PS within the Division for many reasons not least of which is the contribution theatre students have made to the cultural life of the campus. However we now appear to have moved to a rather less than brave new world in which our leaders cannot distinguish between value and price.
TONY NICHOLLS
22/6/05
*********************************************
Would love to hear the thoughts of any ex-Haymanites out there or from any patrons who have come to a Hayman performance, on the demise of this course.
Perth's theatrical and cultural landscape will suffer as a result of the closure of this course. Hayman Theatre has been a testing ground for new writers, directors, performers and tehcnical crews who have gone on to successful careers in the local, national and international theatre industry.
Without the Hayman Theatre, the ladder to a professional career in theatre arts has just become longer.
Crispy.
With the recent announcement that Curtin Uni will be cutting the number of courses it will run by over 300, it seems the Hayman Theatre is about to be a casualty.
The following was posted by Tony Nicholls on an online forum run by Hayman students:
***************************
IÂ’m sorry to say that this course is now under serious threat of closure.
Curtin recently changed the way funding is distributed to the various Divisions. Teaching areas are now expected to pay for the space they use. In most cases this makes little difference but the Hayman Theatre is a large space to which we have exclusive access. The annual ‘rent’ has been calculated by the university as about $200,000 per year.
The Division of Humanities and our Faculty of MSC are both considerably in deficit already. Closing the Hayman, as you can see, is from that point, an attractive and some would say, necessary choice.
My view is that without a theatre there can be no worthwhile theatre course.
We shall obviously be making every effort to find an alternative solution but as high school students will very soon be making their applications to university courses a final decision must be made within a very few weeks about the continuance of Performance Studies.
The Guild has been informed of the situation.
I believe the university has an obligation to allow students currently enrolled to complete their course.
There is considerable goodwill towards PS within the Division for many reasons not least of which is the contribution theatre students have made to the cultural life of the campus. However we now appear to have moved to a rather less than brave new world in which our leaders cannot distinguish between value and price.
TONY NICHOLLS
22/6/05
*********************************************
Would love to hear the thoughts of any ex-Haymanites out there or from any patrons who have come to a Hayman performance, on the demise of this course.
Perth's theatrical and cultural landscape will suffer as a result of the closure of this course. Hayman Theatre has been a testing ground for new writers, directors, performers and tehcnical crews who have gone on to successful careers in the local, national and international theatre industry.
Without the Hayman Theatre, the ladder to a professional career in theatre arts has just become longer.
Crispy.
Re: The Demise of Hayman Theatre at Curtin Uni
Wed, 6 July 2005, 03:19 pmWalter Plinge
All this talk of the Hayman closing is terrible. I spent two and a half years there and learned many valuable skills whilst working with some amazing people.
The most tragic of all is that this is happening to artisitc communities all over Australia. Artisitc diversity is not being celebrated or valued by those in positions of power, who wield the cash flow. Support for music, theatre, film and visual arts is not just waning but on a sharp decline as our focus shifts further away from people towards "what is good for the economy".
Now that the liberal government has control of both houses of parliament it is their intention to push through legislation that will render student unions virtually powerless- Voluntary Student Unionism. The demise of the Hayman Theatre is another symptom of the governments push to turn students into customers and universities into factories spitting out individualistic workers who aren't trained to think beyond the box.
I would urge all those interested in saving arts courses like the course at Curtin to support their student unions, find out about anti VSU rallys and actions and fight for what you want to learn.
Students united, like workers, will never be defeated.
The most tragic of all is that this is happening to artisitc communities all over Australia. Artisitc diversity is not being celebrated or valued by those in positions of power, who wield the cash flow. Support for music, theatre, film and visual arts is not just waning but on a sharp decline as our focus shifts further away from people towards "what is good for the economy".
Now that the liberal government has control of both houses of parliament it is their intention to push through legislation that will render student unions virtually powerless- Voluntary Student Unionism. The demise of the Hayman Theatre is another symptom of the governments push to turn students into customers and universities into factories spitting out individualistic workers who aren't trained to think beyond the box.
I would urge all those interested in saving arts courses like the course at Curtin to support their student unions, find out about anti VSU rallys and actions and fight for what you want to learn.
Students united, like workers, will never be defeated.
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