JUTE Conference 2012

24 August 2012 - 26 August 2012

The JUTE National Regional Playwrights & Theatre Makers Conference 2012. Bringing together isolated regional theatre practitioners and connecting them into the national theatre sector, building networks, developing skills and undertaking creative developments of new work.
The JUTE conference is a key event on the annual calendar for regional theatre makers. It is a rich bubbling pot of ideas, information, deep discussion, skills development and a good deal of fun and inspiration. The 2012 JUTE National Regional Playwrights and Theatre Makers Conference will be held from Friday 24 - Sunday 26 August at the Centre of Contemporary Arts, Cairns.

As part of Cairns Festival 2012, the JUTE Conference will also include public play readings of new scripts in development. More details to be released soon.

Conference intro from JUTE's Artistic Director/CEO Suellen Maunder:

The 2012 Conference is a mix of workshops, masterclasses, play readings, information and strategic discussions about the regional theatre sector.

The question being posed by the conference is
What is the role of the artist in relationship to the community?

We have two fantastic visiting artists from the UK, Ola Animashawun and Justine Themen who will bring another perspective to the conference and who I am sure will make great connections and relationships with our regional artists – and who knows where that can lead?

The workshops and masterclasses will cover performance writing, acting and directing with opportunities for people not in the masterclasses to learn from observing the process.

The strategic discussions about the regional sector will focus on skills training and development needs and how we work together to develop a vibrant future for our sector.

I am looking forward to another friendly, vibrant, exhausting but energising weekend of talking theatre!
Suellen




DATES

Friday 24 - Sunday 26 August, 2012

TIMES

When to arrive / leave
The conference will commence on Friday 24 August at approx. 2pm and will finish at approx. 5pm on Sunday 26 August.

You can choose to depart on the last night of the conference but there will be an after conference group dinner and drinks (own cost) for those who are able to stay.

A full agenda will be released closer to the conference.

VENUE

Centre of Contemporary Arts
96 Abbott St, Cairns, QLD 4870

PARKING

Off street parking is available at the rear of the Centre of Contemporary Arts building; access is via the driveway. Free on street parking is available on Abbott Street in front of the building.


Conference history & purpose

JUTE has produced very successful conferences from 2001 - 2011 and the demand for the conference of this nature has not abated over those years.  With significant structures in place to produce a highly professional but friendly conference, the quality of this event is assured.

The JUTE National Regional Playwrights & Theatre Makers Conference is about developing regional theatre artists and the sector, it is therefore not targeted to general public.  At a local level, it is targetted to a range of established and emerging practitioners, JCU Creative Industry students, drama teachers, JUTE’s young ambassadors and their peers and amateur theatre makers keen to develop their practice and their engagement with the industry.  There has been a strong demand for the conference over 10 years with the feedback from previous conferences and the outcomes towards the development of the regional theatre sector speaking for themselves.

Regional Artists often feel the effects of geographic isolation. They can feel disconnected and undervalued outside of their regional centres.  Having chosen to pursue their practice in regional centres, they lack the funds to gain access to skills development opportunities.  The JUTE conference has proven over the years that it can reignite the passion for theatre making by providing the space and the opportunity to connect and take part in discourse about the sector that can lead to breaking down that isolation.  In a practical way, it can connect them with other theatre makers who might want to collaborate and produce and tour their work.  At the very least it provides some new skills for regional practitioners to take back to their own community of artists and can contribute directly to the quality of work being produced in regional centres.  The conference also plays a role in regional theatre makers having a voice to advocate for the needs of regional theatre.



SPEAKERS


International Keynote Speakers

Ola Animashawun
Creative Director of Euphoric Ink playwriting consultancy; Associate Director, Royal Court Theatre; Freelance Presenter, Script Editor / Dramaturg and Outdoor Theatre Producer.

As a producer, dramaturg, director and youth drama worker for the Royal Court Theatre, Ola has inspired, tutored, cajoled, created, made and influenced the young, the not so young, the black, the white, the other, the bi-lingual, the multi-lingual, the visiting, the seekers, the leaving, the homeless, the disabled, the NEET, the tidy, those living with HIV, those living in cyberspace, in Poland, in Hungary, in Australia, in New Zealand, in South Africa – on the stages of the Royal Court Theatre, The Belgrade Theatre, The Dundee Rep, on national radio, in community centres, in schools, in hospitals, in colleges, in youth centres, under railway arches, in dilapidated buildings, under Hammersmith Bridge – since 1994.  In 2004 he created the UK's first playwriting programme exclusively for Black & Minority Ethnic writers – Critical Mass – launching the careers of Bola Agbaje; Levi David Addai; Alia Bano and many others besides.  He has gone on to repeat the programme in Birmingham; Coventry and Brighton to critical acclaim.

Justine Themen
Associate Director, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.

As Associate Director, Justine holds responsibility for delivering to and shaping the artistic vision for the Belgrade’s progressive and wide-reaching Community & Education Programme, which includes a year-round programme of productions, a new writing programme, and a commitment to high quality work by and for the local community.  She has worked as a freelance Theatre Practitioner, Writer, Director and Consultant for a range of organisations internationally, and as Culture Officer for the Ministry of Education & Community Development in Suriname.  Her work is wide-reaching and innovative, from using theatre as a Development tool in the rainforests of South America & forging new dance-drama on the beaches of Senegal, to bringing interactive performance to thousands of school children across Coventry.

WORKSHOP FACILITATORS


Peter Matheson
Peter Matheson is a freelance dramaturg. Before this, he was a playwright (14 plays produced) and worked in theatre: working backstage, front of house, and on stage. He spent 13 years as the Melbourne Theatre Company dramaturg, reading thousands of scripts before leaving in 2002 to develop his writing but he developed his dramaturgy instead. He now works with hundreds of writers in all parts of Australia (and a couple overseas) expanding his dramaturgical base and developing their playscripts and skills; with some of the most exciting theatre companies developing a strong regional voice. JUTE is one of these. Recently he was a recipient of an Australia Council Fellowship and part of a Cultural Leadership program, developing cultural leaders’ dramaturgical skills.

More panel members, speakers and workshop facilitators will be announced as we approach the 2012 conference.




Ola Animashawun


Write like a demon – but what is in your heart?
Developing your voice as a writer

So many people have a burning desire to write, but how do you ensure your voice is heard above the chorus, stands out from the crowd and rings true with clarity and originality?   Match your passion to your vision and write about what you fight about.

This workshop will encourage you to engage with your beliefs and what you really care about, using these important and powerful sentiments to drive your writing, shape your core characters and refine the narrative. Whether you are in the process of drafting and re-drafting, or simply about to take the first exciting steps in getting your initial thoughts and words on the page, for your latest venture, this workshop will help you unlock, unravel, pin down and articulate the premise at the beating heart of your play.  Write it as you see it, and see it all for what it is.

Justine Themen


DIRECT ACTION - a Masterclass for Actors & Directors:  this workshop will focus on uniting and actioning as the foundations for telling a story that is clear, resonant and immediate.  Whether you are an actor or a director, uniting and actioning are fundamental tools for pre-rehearsal and rehearsal room preparation.  This masterclass seeks to lay bare my process for preparing to direct everything from new work to classics, providing an opportunity to explore what may be familiar tools and push them to the limits of their capabilities.  The workshop will also give writers insight into the essential building blocks of contemporary theatre practise.  The workshop will use the first scene of Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind as its focus.

FROM TESTIMONY TO THE STAGE - a Masterclass for Theatre Makers (Actors, Directors & Writers):  inspired by the ethos that it is an artist's responsibility to bear witness to the experiences of his or her community, this Masterclass will explore the process of creating theatre from real-life experiences, raising key questions around the balance between fact and fiction and the distinction between what actually happened and dramatic truth.



This year, we have uploaded the schedule online using the SCHED website which will allow you to explore the detailed agenda with the description of the sessions as well as a quick biog of the speakers. For the Smart phone owners, you will be able to easily check the schedule from your phone. It will also allow us to easily update the schedule when necessary and most importantly, gather expressions of interests for those sessions that are optional.

Please note that it is intended that all participants attend all the sessions except where they are identified as "Optional".  The style of the conference is very much about taking part in all of the sessions, immersing yourself so that playwrights understand how directors and actors approach their work, actors and directors understand the craft of the playwright, etc.  We trust you will enter into the spirit of the conference.  To see the optional sessions, please click here. You are required to express your interest to attend to those sessions, to do so you need to join SCHED by signing up. (SCHED will invite you to sign up when you click on a session) Please note that it is very important that you let us know your interest to attend the optional sessions.

If you require assistance with the online schedule please feel free to email or call us.




The JUTE conference is a key event on the annual calendar for regional theatre makers. It is a rich bubbling pot of ideas, information, deep discussion, skills development and a good deal of fun and inspiration.

The 2012 JUTE National Regional Playwrights and Theatre Makers Conference will be held from Friday 24 - Sunday 26 August at the Centre of Contemporary Arts, Cairns.

While the JUTE Conference is only open to professional Theatre makers,  the event will also include public play readings of new scripts in development.

PUBLIC PLAY READINGS:

WHEN:           Saturday 25 August
TIME:             6.00pm
WHERE:        The Space, Centre of Contemporary Arts, 96 Abbott St, Cairns.

TICKETS:      $5 per person (cash only)
BOOKING:    Email info@jute.com.au or call us on 07 4050 9444

The schedule for the readings will include two 40 minute readings and a 20 minute interval.