SAVE THE HAYMAN THEATRE

If 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

The Hayman is an integral part of the Curtin University Performance Studies course, and many established and well-reknowned Western Australian professionals have their roots here. We've bucked, we've kicked, we've put out point of view to 'The University' but ultimately, we are 'just students' and the intellectuals who are making the decisions don't truly realise the importance of the hayman in the development of a successful career in this industry. So much so, they are discussing 'alternative uses for the space'. Doesn't this suggest that they really don't care, and this places the future of the Hayman under threat. If you started your career at the Hayman, or realise its value for the artistic community, please let the University know, and get the word out there that the Hayman is under threat. Your voices are possibly the most influential - universities like their successful students, so if they start to realise that the effects of the closure of the Hayman goes beyond just current student (which, honestly, should be enough to sway them), perhaps there will be a chance of the Hayman remaining a public theatre. To quote Angelique, we don't want to see the Hayman go "up in smoke" Emma Ramsden

Western Australian Arts Scene Under Threat - SAVE THE HAYMAN!!

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