St Martins, the leading theatre company in Australia creating and producing theatre by young people for adult audiences, is celebrating its 40th birthday in 2020 by telling soulful, funny and disruptive stories with its alumni and young people.
St Martins has a long, rich history and has sparked the careers of artists across film, television, music, theatre and design. As homage to the thousands of young people who have been walking through its doors since 1980, St Martins has featured the stories of 40 alumni on our social media through our 40:40 Online campaign.
Together the stories create a kaleidoscope of the creativity, culture and connection within the walls of the theatre. Featured alumni include: television presenter Julia Zemiro, writer Michele Lee, comedian Tanya Lacy, director Petra Kalive, actor Robert Meldrum along with stories from our current young people.
The year of celebration culminates in an online performance, 40:40 Live on Saturday 12 December – 4.00pm featuring more than 60 young people who have continued to perform, script and create during lockdown.
The work will include a combination of live and prerecorded segments that weave together stories of past alumni and present young people, highlighting connections through time and place.
A chorus of teens reimagine Lally Katz’ surprising adventure into theatre, a young person pays tribute to the start of Wesley Enoch’s career and a gaggle of 8 year olds follow in Tariro Mavondo’s footsteps on the long weekly journey to the library where her love of storytelling began.
St Martins’ Artistic Director, Nadja Kostich, acknowledges the importance of connection and celebration during one of the most testing times in the arts as an occasion for the community to proudly celebrate its value and impact.
“The beautiful stories shared by our alumni reveal a matrix of connections between people, projects, and arts practice, all lit up with the love of theatre. This place is a living album of history that we open up to the audience. The young people offer an ode to St Martins,” said Kostich.
Jackson Reid (12), has participated in St Martins’ programs and performances for four years: “I’m super grateful to St Martins for giving me a chance! I feel like I’m a part of something and I’ve grown as a person,” he said.
Celebrating four decades of bold, artistically vibrant theatre making with young people, 40:40 Live is an invitation to the curious, the arts lovers and all those who have been through the doors of St Martins to reconnect, re-enter and re-discover on Saturday 12 December – 4.00pm. Tickets for the event are free and can be registered via: www.stmartinyouth.com.au
Image: Eve Feng (12), a student from St Martins – photo by Laura Du Ve