YCulture Metro 2019 Projects

 Drug Aware: Ceilings. by Not Sold Separately 

Olivia Hendry & Briannah Davis | $3000

Ceilings was a dance theatre project presenting two short dance works, created by emerging female independent dancers and choreographers, Olivia Hendry and Brianna Davis, focusing on the female experience and the human condition of today. The first work, entitled “No Mandarin’s An Island” focused on the female experience and psyche interpreting the world around them, through humour, abstraction and symbolism. The other work, “Bloom”, was a female quartet which explored femininity and identity, and the power of female relationships, through humour and despair, food and flowers. The project was performed in April 2019, at the Huzzard Studios in the Perth CBD.

Auspice Organisation: Ausdance

The Colour of Earth Presented by Drug Aware 

Natasha Tong & Pia Fruin | $3000

The Colour of Earth, presented at Paper Mountain in Northbridge, as part of the Peaks 2019 program that ran during Fringe World Perth 2019, was a photographic exhibition featuring woman or femme people of colour based in WA, accompanied by a piece of writing by each person on their unique experience and identity growing up in WA. This project was born out of the need for connection and solidarity, to share stories, and a reminder of our resilience. The images were created through the collaboration of the photographer and subject, each portrait as distinct as the person. 

Auspice Organisation: Paper Mountain

LGBTIQI+ All Ages Gig - Presented by Drug Aware 

Charlotte Glance & Sadie Ward | $3000

The LGBTQI+ All Ages Gig was a music and creative artist event in the Perth Metropolitan area targeting young members of the LGBTIQI+ community aged between 12 and 25. Young musicians and drag artists participated in composition and performance workshops led by Cecelia Brandolini and Veronica Jean Jones, where they were also provided the opportunity to network and learn about the Perth industry. These workshops culminated in a final performance where all participants were able to perform alongside established music acts. The performance provided a space for individuals who may not have been able to access LGBTIQI+ spaces previously, by being all ages, drug and alcohol free, and incorporating Auslan interpreters and a wheelchair accessible venue.

Auspice Organisation: YACWA

Sugar Babies Presented by Drug Aware 

Michelle Vuaillat & Ksenia Svistounova | $3000

An original scripted short film, filmed and produced in Perth by a crew of aspiring young filmmakers recently graduated from Screen Arts at Curtin, ‘Sugarbabies’ both celebrates millennial culture and also points out the issues that may arise from it. In a lighthearted, quirky manner, the film analyses the popular romantisation of sugarbaby culture, resonating with a young, millennial audience. ‘Sugarbabies’ initiated the professional careers of the filmmakers involved, while also providing these filmmakers the mentorship and support to create their first independent work. 

Auspice Organisation: Revelation Perth International Film Festival

The Reinvention Room presented by Drug Aware 

Anastasia Beasley & Zoë Sydney | $3000

The Reinvention Room was a STEAM exhibition held at Scitech, revealing the difficulties of dealing with waste and over-consuming energy in electricity and fuel, while searching for creative solutions. Playfully redefining waste as a resource and exploring the notion of "saving the environment" with creativity and optimism, the project was an interactive art installation of weird and wonderful machines made from salvaged materials and powered by lemon batteries, human effort, the sun - anything but the grid. The project also involved engaging people with the exhibition through two workshops, Dystopian Skills and Improvised Recycling, helping people change their attitudes, to see waste as an infinite resource, and energy as something scarce and extremely valuable.

Auspice Organisation: Perth Artifactory

Writers Corner Supported by Drug Aware 

Samantha Nerida & Caitlin McFeat | $3000

Writers Corner was a series of professional development activities and creative writing skills development opportunities with three local high schools. Sam Nerida, an emerging young Perth writer and producer, ran weekly and fortnightly workshops with students over the course of two months, as well as some one-on-one engagement, and led these students through their writing processes, helping them to choose a story they wanted to tell and to write it down. At the culmination of the project, a final reading was organised to great success, employing four young local performers, where the students could present their works to their peers and families.

Auspice Organisation: Blue Room Theatre 

Drug Aware Torchlight Youth Film Festival 

Amberley Bradley & Caitlin Stanley | $3000

Torchlight Youth Film Festival was a short film project and screening, run by Youth Action Kalamunda (YAK), which consisted of multiple workshops throughout the filming period to improve and develop skills and a virtual screening session concluding the festival. Workshops included storyline and plot development, sound and lighting, camera techniques, costume design, and editing, and through these workshops, participants gained vital skills important to succeed within the film industry. This film project allowed young filmmakers to explore and develop their skills in an inclusive, accessible, and supportive environment.

Auspice Organisation: City of Kalamunda

Church of the Anthropocene presented by Drug Aware 

Zachary Sheridan & Erin Lockyer | $3000

The Church of the Anthropocene was an ongoing artistic project by emerging WA performance collective public service announcement. Under the guidance of Noongar Elder Shaun Nannup, a group of young creatives discussed and devised artistic solutions to the most pressing climate issues, to engage with a myriad of young people. Just as a regular church has its sacraments, missions and community engagements, the Church of the Anthropocene also had its prayers, confessional services, holiday observations and so forth. In this project, hymns were written, church aesthetics designed, and three "church" happenings were carried out: a vigil for the earth, a pilgrimage, and a manifesto (in zine form) distributed to the masses.

Auspice Organisation: The Cutting Room Floor

Crookie! A Mystery Musical

Amber Kitney and Lachlan Obst | $3000

Crookie was an all-aged, murder-mystery-inspired comedic musical produced by WAAPA’s Diploma of Musical Theatre students, as part of Fringe World 2020, to introduce new audiences and young people to the theatre. The show revolved around five police officers trying to solve the case of the missing cookie…and the culprit is within their midst. Engaging the audience with suspense, Disney-esque comedic influences, and catchy original tunes, the musical was one for the whole family. The production was a fantastic opportunity for the young cast and production team to gain experience creating independent theatre.

Auspice Organisation: Sonlife Ministries

VAMP presented by Drug Aware

Jazmin Ealden and Sean Hayes | $3000

VAMP was a concert project that aimed to bridge the gap between musicians, musical genres and concert experiences by performing a mix of contemporary-classical, cross-genre and folk styles with an audience-focused concert format. The show was devised as part of a creative goal to open the door for audiences of classical music to experience music that falls into the medium they are familiar with, in a theatrical context that is more prevalent in other contemporary music genres. By creating performance and networking opportunities for young artists, this project served as a vehicle to encourage further collaboration between musical styles and instrumentations going forward.

Auspice Organisation: Western Australian Charity Orchestra

Breaking Point

Germaine Y Png and Georgia Siciliano | $3000

The concert project, Breaking Point, used a myriad of different art forms, such as interactive and visual art, poetry, spoken word, and even theatric percussion, accompanied by dancers, projected visuals and music, to raise awareness for sexual assault and the subtle ways it could manifest. Workshops were also provided for artists involved as a form of support and a safe space when sharing their personal stories. The aim of this project was to show support for those who have or know someone who has experienced such atrocities, letting them know that they are not alone in these situations.

Auspice Organisation: Tone List

Farag Studios – Art Workshop & Sketch Club 

Rebecca Farag & Rachel Farag | $3000

Farag Studios was a series of art workshops and a “sketch club” for artists to meet up regularly to sketch together, with the aim of raising the quality of fine art production in Western Australia by providing artists the opportunity to gain access to skills and techniques that they would otherwise have to travel outside of Perth to attain. Due to instructor Rebecca Farag’s specialised art training in New York City, Sydney and Italy, she has learned many techniques and training methods, and it was these techniques and methods she shared to other Perth artists in figure drawing and portraiture workshops. Farag Studios also organised weekly two-hour sketch club sessions to provide artists the opportunity to work on their skills and to connect over their love for art. This project gave Farag Studios the support to grow into a what is now a larger brand and business.

Auspice Organisation: Dalkeith Road School of Music

For the Love – Belief presented by Drug Aware and Almost

Isabella Boladeras & Lizbeth Ong | $3000

For the Love – Belief was a live theatre and workshop series, involving young Perth dancers, that brought together the art community and inspired people to create. The workshops provided opportunities for the community to try their hand at different foundational styles of dance, choreography and developing their performance skills. The main show was divided into two sections, the Creative Exhibition and the Dance Performance. In the Creative Exhibition, six selected artists were given a booth around the theatre to show their creative work, whether as a graffiti artist, a DJ, a fashion designer, a dance crew, photographer, or even a chef. In the Dance Performance, six young dancers showcased their own twelve-minute performance, creating a story out of a given word, showcasing what it means to them or a message they want to express with that word.

Auspice Organisation: The Blue Room Theatre

QUOKKA APOCALYPSE: Audience Engagement Project presented by Drug Aware

Grace Chow & Kaitlin Brindley | $3000

QUOKKA APOCALYPSE: Audience Engagement Project was a refreshing, youth-driven comedic initiative to recognize the urgent need for awareness and action of climate change’s alarming consequences in lead up to the QUOKKA APOCALPYSE Fringe Festival Season 2020. The ‘Quokka Chaos Room’, with activities such as an original board game, Detective Wall, dossiers, Quokka playing cards, an audience voting board and QUOKKA set/Perth iconography, as well as a later public interactive performance, featuring QUOKKA cast in costume and flyering, used strong eco-advocacy and a bold comedic approach to encourage engagement with young audiences with the work’s themes and issues beyond the traditional theatre space.

Auspice Organisation: The Blue Room Theatre

Uni Goonies Film Festival presented by Drug Aware

Sophia Witte & Blake Treharne | $3000

The Uni Goonies Film Festival is a yearly film festival run by students for students and youth aimed at giving more opportunities for students to explore and manage creative projects and encourage creative development, and foster networking and career opportunities. In 2019, students were able to submit their short films into a range of categories, encouraging the breaking of cinematic boundaries and the telling of marginalised and under-represented stories, including those of Aboriginal Australians. These films were judged by a group of talented professional filmmakers and producers. At the Festival, hosted at the State Library of WA in November, the films were showcased and the winners announced.

Auspice Organisation: Revelation Film Festival

The Lion Never Sleeps Presented by Drug Aware

Noemie Huttner-Koros & Goergia Ivers | $3000

The Lion Never Sleeps was a participatory walking performance through the streets of Northbridge uncovering and retracing queer history as a homage to our queer elders and an intergenerational conversation, produced as a part of FringeWorld 2020. Equipped with a listening device and headphones, three performers and an audience navigated their way through spaces where the queer community danced, made community and fought during the AIDS crisis in Perth in the 1980s. While walking, participants listened to stories and interviews, collected with members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Perth who were active in the 1980s and 90s. The Lion Never Sleeps was a riotous call for justice and joy, a celebration of resilience, resistance, and glitter.

Auspice Organisation: Tone List