JUTE’s Ubuntu Theatre Project commenced its 40-week training program on Saturday, 28 September, with the first of its weekly three-hour class for participants.
JUTE Theatre Company, in partnership with Centacare FNQ and Cairns African Association, is harnessing the positive power of theatre with the launch of Ubuntu Theatre Project, a groundbreaking new training program for up to 20 young people with African heritage, migrant, or refugee backgrounds.
The 40-week training program commenced on Saturday, 28 September, with the first of its weekly three-hour class for participants, culminating in a performance at the end of June 2025.
According to JUTE Theatre Company’s Ubuntu Theatre Project Manager Grace Edward, a public audition held at Bulmba-ja Arts Centre on Saturday (14 September) attracted a large group of prospective participants, all vying for a coveted spot in the innovative theatre program designed to increase their creative skills, confidence, literacy and employment opportunities.
Ms Edward said The Ubuntu Theatre Project is a training program covering all aspects of theatre-making, from acting to writing and designing to stage and technical production management. It is built on the legacy from several years of JUTE delivering programs in Cairns for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, including a successful short-term workshop, Breaking Ground, offered by the project partners in 2022.
“Ubuntu offers many positive outcomes, from building self-confidence and identity to fostering empathy and inclusion in the broader community. It also includes a new theatrical work promoting cultural understanding through shared experiences.
“We also anticipate participants will benefit from improved language and communication skills while overcoming fear associated with public speaking,” Ms Edward said.
“The success of JUTE’s 2022 pilot program, Breaking Ground, has been crucial to the development of this latest project that, in a gradual year-long process, will enable participants to learn new skills, make new friends, and have fun – while culminating in a seminal performance that at its core will contribute something great to Cairns’ multicultural community,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of the city’s African community, Cairns African Association President Anna Jones said at its essence, the project will uplift and empower the young people in a new environment.
“The Ubuntu Project will give you that nudge, that opportunity, that door that will open to doing better and being the change you want to see.
“This project is about embracing the fun in theatre, sharing experiences and being the hero in your own story,” Ms Jones said.
Between 28 September and the end of June 2025, participants will undertake 40 weekly, three-hour classes covering all aspects of the theatre to culminate in a public performance at project completion.
The Ubuntu Theatre Project will be delivered in three stages:
Stage 1 (July – September 2024): Stakeholder consultations, program co-design workshops, and auditions for 20 participants.
Stage 2 (September – December 2024): Workshop series and script development.
Stage 3 (January – June 2025): Creative development, rehearsals, and final showcase.
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