A smoking ceremony conducted by Boon Wurrung Senior Elder Arweet Carolyn Briggs and Jaden Williams at MTC headquarters today launched Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2017 Indigenous Scholarship Program.
Nine young people from Victoria and Western Australia have been selected to take part in this one-of-a-kind learning opportunity for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people interested in the performing arts.
The 2017 intake will visit MTC each school holiday for week-long intensive sessions to experience first-hand how a theatre production comes together from the initial concept to performance.
Seven of the participants come from across regional Victoria including Swan Hill, Shepparton, Traralgon and Cape Woolamai and also around Melbourne, while two of the scholarship recipients will be travelling the huge distance from the Kimberley region in Western Australia to take part in the program.
Over the course of the program the participants will work with dedicated facilitators and experienced performers, Sermsah Bin Saad and Lenka Vanderboom, to devise their own unique group performance that they will present to an audience at the end of the year.
To support this project, the group will take part in workshops run by experts and professionals in different fields to explore key aspects of theatre production, from writing and performing skills through to how design and marketing can impact a production.
MTC Executive Director Virginia Lovett said, ‘Our Indigenous Scholarship Program aims to give those interested in a career in the creative industries an insight into the many different roles and potential career pathways available to them. The 2017 group have already shown a range of interests and experience and we’re thrilled to be able to support each of them on their journey to pursuing their career aspirations and telling their own stories.’
Supported by the Crown Resorts and Packer Family Foundations, MTC’s Indigenous Scholarship Program is offered in partnership with the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the Victorian College of the Arts.
Participants will be supported by the Wilin Centre with the ability to use it as a ‘home base’, receive cultural support and be offered assistance in making an application to the Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne, if they wish.
All participants will also have the opportunity to see MTC productions as well as other performances and exhibitions during their time in Melbourne.
MTC’s Indigenous Scholarship Program is part of the Company’s Sharing the Light initiative, designed to reduce barriers some young people face in accessing arts education and learning opportunities. For more information about Sharing the Light visit mtc.com.au/sharingthelight.
Indigenous Scholarship Program Dates
Week 1 Monday 3 to Friday 7 April
Week 2 Monday 3 to Friday 7 July
Week 3 Monday 25 to Friday 29 September
Week 4 Monday 4 to Friday 8 December
Published on 3 April 2017