Hothouse Theatre residency program calls for applications
24 January 2006
HotHouse Theatre’s A Month in the Country Residency Program is a national arts resource to facilitate the creation of new Australian performing arts work. The initiative involves an on-going residential program that brings creative teams of writers, actors, directors, designers and other performing artists from across the country to Albury Wodonga during the creative development stage of projects.
Funded through the New South Wales Ministry for the Arts and AlburyCity, this much sought after program’s next closing date is February 15, 2006.
Since it’s inception in early 2004 numerous groups of artists have been supported to live and work in the large farmhouse just outside Albury for periods of one to five weeks. The use of the farmhouse is free and financial support for transport and living allowances is available. During 2004 a large Studio was added to provide further rehearsal space. Information on the residency program, and application forms, can be downloaded from the 'A Month In The Country' section of the HotHouse Theatre website.
CATEGORY 1 RESIDENCIES (free use of residential property, vehicle assistance where requested, travel assistance, living allowance)
CATEGORY 2 RESIDENCIES (free use of residential property)
Background
HotHouse Theatre, one of Australia's largest and most successful regional theatre companies, welcomes applications for AMITC residencies from projects which will benefit from an intense period of creative development in this quintessential rural Australian setting.
HotHouse Theatre's General Manager Bernadette Haldane said: "We have created A Month in the Country as part of HotHouse Theatre's philosophy of supporting independent artists with good ideas to move those ideas closer to a public outcome. Freelance theatre artists who do not have access to a company infrastructure or support often struggle in the early stages of project development. They meet in loungerooms and cafes while trying to distil vision and harness artistic passion. Even funded companies often have no space resources allocated to developmental stages of projects. The work that results will be completely independent from the HotHouse program ".
In describing the rural location of A Month in the Country Haldane said, "What creative artists need in order to produce new work is inspiration. While the kernel of their ideas are clearly generated from an artist's unique perception of the world, this perception is influenced by their physical surroundings. This facility is in a beautiful part of the world. It is universally accepted that visual artists benefit from their physical surroundings - it must also be acknowledged that the same is true of performing artists".
"Being taken out of their natural environment challenges artists and can lead to a change in both practice and philosophy" says HotHouse's Artistic Manager Charles Parkinson. "The close working environment also bonds a group of artists - whether it is over the washing up or the third bottle of red under the gum tree".
For further information please contact Heather Broadfoot, Marketing Co-Ordinator, HotHouse Theatre.
Ph: 02 6021 7433 Fax: 02 6023 2201
Email: heather@hothousetheatre.com.au
Website: http://www.hothousetheatre.com.au
