Press Release
8 October, 2015
JUTE Wins Major Funds for Touring
JUTE Theatre Company has won major funding to tour its 2014 hit play Proper Solid, by Steven Oliver, to regional and remote schools in Queensland thanks to the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation.
“This is a huge win for this region,” says Suellen Maunder, Artistic Director of JUTE Theatre Company. “It proves that our long-term strategy to tour work generated from this region is paying off. Proper Solid is a relevant, diverse, Indigenous comedy that deserves to tour throughout regional and remote Queensland schools and communities and further afield. This grant makes all the hard work worthwhile because we are bringing a positive Indigenous story to young people in remote communities, instead of them having to travel to a major regional centre.
“The most exciting thing about the project is that we will have three Indigenous professional actors performing the show who then spend the rest of the week working with the young people in each community to develop their own aspirational stories. The youngsters then perform their own personal story as part of their curriculum assessment. Its all about providing strong Indigenous role models, developing skills, generating confidence and team building – as well as developing their storytelling,” said Suellen.
The Proper Solid tour will begin in June 2016 and take in 16 schools from as far afield as Mt Isa, Weipa, Pompuraaaw, Lockhart River, Cairns, Kuranda and Bwgcolman before continuing throughout South East Queensland later in the year.
Nadine McDonald-Dowd, who directed the play in 2014, and was part of the creative team that worked it up to production stage, says it’s exciting to see Proper Solid being so embraced.
“Taking Steven’s work into community gives another dimension to the story. Being able to make an audience laugh and enjoy themselves is always fantastic to achieve but at the heart of this story is a message about success. Being black and being successful is achievable and being able to show this, through theatre to our community and especially young people is ensuring that our leaders of tomorrow are supported and inspired,” she says.
The tour is made possible through funding assistance from Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Department of Education and Training and Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Partnerships and ArTour.
ENDS
For more information:
Trisha Fox
- 0404 483828
- trisha@jute.com.au
Leave a Reply