Hello!
Despite the rainy weather, we at JUTE have been bringing little rays of sunlight to our audience and project participants.
Right now we are gearing up for our major Queensland tour of From Campfire to Stage Light heading to 10 performing arts centres. There will be a short season in Cairns before heading off on tour, so don’t miss this opportunity to see this groundbreaking work while you can.
Earlier this year, we collaborated with Shoba Sadler on the Creative Development of her latest work, “The Accidental Bride.” Shoba, a talented writer, journalist, and emerging playwright of Indian heritage from the Far North, is a proud graduate of JUTE’s Write Sparks script development program in 2022. Together with a fantastic group of local actors and chorus members, predominantly of Indian heritage, they spent several weekends with dramaturg Kathryn Ash refining the work towards a public showcase on the final weekend. They also had the pleasure of working with Julia Allman, Actor and Director of Full Out Dance Crowd, on incorporating ‘Bollywood’ style dance moves into the production. While the script is still in its early stages, Shoba will continue to work dramaturgically with Kathryn through JUTE’s Writers-in-residence program.
We’re thrilled to share that participants from the creative development have formed their own Indian Bollywood dance troupe, now gracing events around town—an inspiring legacy of the project!
I recently had the pleasure of presenting awards at The Matildas, Queensland’s theatre awards in Brisbane, where I was delighted to witness numerous regional theatre makers not only nominated but also receiving major awards. Crossroad Arts from Mackay secured the Best New Australian Work, while Timothy Wynn of That Production Company in Ipswich earned Best Director—truly a triumphant night for regional talent. To my surprise and honour, I was awarded the Gold Matilda, chosen by the Matildas committee, in recognition of my contributions to the industry—a humbling acknowledgement of the incredible work happening in our regions.
On the topic of regional theatre, we’re excited to announce the continuation of our Build Back Better regional theatre development program (2021-2024) with the newly secured 3-year funding for the DARTS (Driving and Activating the Regional Theatre Sector) program. To kickstart this initiative, we convened key leaders in Queensland’s regional theatre sector for a ‘Planning Jam’, to shape the program and foster cross-sector relationships. We were overwhelmed by the response, with 40 Queensland regional theatre practitioners registering to attend—the largest gathering of its kind in the history of Queensland theatre. We also welcomed our metropolitan peers from companies like the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Queensland Theatre, La Boite Theatre, NIDA, and Shake & Stir. The presence of federal, state, local, and philanthropic arts investors on the final day underscored the significance of this gathering and the vibrant future of regional theatre.
The season of GRIT by Perseverance Street Theatre Company from Gympie took place during the DARTS Planning Jam. GRIT is a captivating piece of theatre, filled with songs and stories about regional towns. It received standing ovations from the Cairns audience. GRIT toured to Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton and Bundaberg before returning to Gympie for a triumphant second season.
Last month, JUTE Theatre Company and Central Queensland University celebrated a new partnership with the signing of an MoU. Together, we’re collaborating on the development of Microcredentials for the Theatre Sector, particularly to build the capacity of First Nations artists in the regions. We have plans to collaborate on other programs as soon as we get the Microcredentials underway.
With the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games just 8 years away, and while most eyes are on the sports talent of the future, JUTE is committed to developing young regional theatre professionals for delivery of the Cultural Olympiad in the lead-up to the games. Let’s shine a spotlight on our regional cultural prowess!
Monica assembled a great crew for the first of two Dare to Dream tours and with the suppport of funders Westpac and St George Foundation and our long-term sponsor Ergon, we are be taking this tour across the Cape and over to the Gulf. Before heading off, the team performed the play I Gut This Feeling by Isaac Drandic at Bulmba-ja to an enthusiastic audience of young people and the young at heart. The response was overwhelmingly positive and we can’t wait for the more than 2000 people in remote centres and schools to experience the work.
That’s the tip of the iceberg of what has been going on at JUTE. See more information below about the Write Sparks program, our online skills development programs and our JUTE Actors Studio – register now for Term 3 starting on the 10 July.
Until next time,
Suellen
