Arts Centre Melbourne’s Gallery 1 will be transformed into The Kiln, a space for artists and arts workers to gather for a program of discussions, masterclasses, networking events, residencies, readings, forums and training this winter from June to August.
The expansive program offers exciting professional development opportunities for independent artists and workshops delivered by Melbourne’s leading performance makers including Little Ones Theatre, Rawcus, Polyglot Theatre, Arena Theatre Company, Jane Bodie, Susie Dee, Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphreys and Candy Bowers.
Workshop topics include decolonising theatre, making work for young audiences, playwriting structure, sound art and queering the classics. Multi-award winning director Susie Dee will deliver a unique lecture discussing the process of making her visceral feminist works Shit, Animal and This is Eden. Rawcus will present an inclusive, participatory workshop offering an insight into the creative development process and methodology undertaken when creating new work with a diverse ensemble.
During The Kiln season UK artist and maverick Bryony Kimmings will develop a new solo work and teach other artists as part of an Arts Centre Melbourne artist-in-residence program. The new work is co-commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne and Battersea Arts Centre. Kimmings is best known to Melbourne audiences for her works Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model, Sex Idiot and Fake it ‘til you Make it.
Arts Centre Melbourne will also bring together the team behind the seminal Who’s Afraid of the Working Class in July to start work on a new play inspired by their original questions and ideas. It will be 20 years since the groundbreaking work of Andrew Bovell, Patricia Cornelius, Christos Tsiolkas, Melissa Reeves and Irine Vela premiered.
Free mindfulness classes will also be on offer throughout winter for artists and arts workers as part of Arts Centre Melbourne’s ongoing Arts Wellbeing Collective. The Arts Wellbeing Collective will also offer two workshops at The Kiln – Creative People Management Masterclass and Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training.
“We hope that many new ideas are born from this program and that the accessibility of the program will enable more independent artists to engage with our program,’’ says Arts Centre Melbourne Performing Arts Programmer Daniel Clarke. “The whole programming team; Participation, Arts Learning and Performing Arts have pulled together an exciting program that we hope will be an enriching experience for participants this winter in Melbourne.’’
Other artists and organisations involved include Tim Roseman, Jane Bodie, Arts Access Victoria, Nite Art, The Other Film Festival, Sisters on the Mic, Discordia, Small and Loud, Girls Write Up, Cory Henry, Deafferent Theatre, Mark Wilson, New Working Group, Zo Damage, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Poppy Seed Festival, Nat Cursio, Anouk van Dijk, Wet Lips, CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Larissa MacFarlane, Olivia Satchell and Sandra Chui.
The Kiln will take place in Arts Centre Melbourne’s Gallery 1 from June to August. For more information, visit: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au for details.
Image: Bryony Kimmings (supplied)