UTP 2019 PROGRAM MOMENTUM in Blak Box, 2019 Photography: Teresa Tan WELCOME TO UTP 2019 This year has been a big one, we have seen two major presentations of Blak Box UTP’s First Nations deep listening experience; Eric Avery and Yo-Yo Ma played to an ecstatic audience in the cavernous Cutaway underneath the Sydney Harbour foreshore; we had 100 people to dinner in Burnie, Tasmania, to begin our three year relationship with Ten Days on the Island; and hosted 27 kids in an exploration of art and language with Arab Theatre Studio for Bilingual Kids’ Art Lab, at our home in Bankstown. To top this off I have taken over from the incredible Rosie Denis, as the Artistic Director of Urban Theatre Projects (UTP). I am honoured to take up the post as Artistic Director and look forward to continuing to develop UTP’s unique brand of contemporary performance as we lead the discussion on the intersection of art and community engagement, and we are ready to take this to the world. I would like to acknowledge our multi-year supporters, without whom we could not exist. Art is not a luxury, and your support makes this statement a reality; UTP Producers’ Circle, the Australia Council for the Arts, Create NSW, Crown Resorts Foundation and the Packer Family Foundation, Western Sydney University, Infrastructure NSW, Bankstown Art Centre, Nelson Meers Foundation and the Saturday Paper. I would like to thank the UTP team, in particular, Adam McGowan, Frank Mainoo, Lukas Bliekendaal, Anna McMahon, Bronwyn Papantonio, Sue Spence, Daniel Browning, Travis De Vries and Company Prophets. Well done on such an epic year. We hope you enjoy remembering the significant achievements of 2019, see you in 2020. MOMENTUM, 2019 Dr Jessica Olivieri Photography: Teresa Tan CEO/Artistic Director 2 PRESENTATION FOUR WINDS Four Winds was curated by Daniel Browning Producer - Andrea James PRESENTED IN BLAK BOX with elders, young people and musicians Cultural Consultant - Lily Shearer CURATED BY DANIEL BROWNING from Blacktown, Australia’s most populous Key Artists - Uncle Wes Marne, Auntie Edna First Peoples community. Four Winds drew Watson, Savarna Russell, Shaun Millwood BLACKTOWN on the oral history and speculative future Composition - Eric Avery 9 JANUARY - 2 FEBRUARY of Blacktown and Greater Western Sydney Songwoman - Emma Donovan from the perspective of Blacktown Elders Architect - Kevin O’Brien and teenagers. It explored the need for Lighting Design - Karen Norris Urban Theatre Projects (UTP) was delighted greater dialogue between younger and older Sound Technician - Troy Russell to install its surround-sound pavilion, BLAK Aboriginal people – both of whose voices can BOX at Blacktown Showground Precinct in go unheard in the national conversation. Four Partners - Blacktown Arts, Sydney Festival, the heart of Western Sydney in partnership Winds was both a remembering of the past Nelson Meers Foundation, DanpalPhotography: Australia, Anna McMahon with Blacktown Arts and Sydney Festival. and a collective vision for the future. Resolution X, Loud and Clear. 3 DEVELOPMENT THE QUIET DISCOMFORT BANKSTOWN AND BLACKTOWN THROUGHOUT 2019 UTP is creating a new virtual reality (VR) experience called The Quiet Discomfort, which grapples with the complex social issue of emotional violence towards women and children. Over the past year UTP has created a prototype and tested the ‘experience’ with various focus groups including counsellors, women with lived experience, high school students and friends of UTP. The response has been positive so we are taking the work into full production. The Quiet Discomfort, In development Photography: Joshua Morris Partners - Creative Partnerships Australia 4 SHOREWELL PRESENTS, 2019 Photography: Sonja Ambrose PRESENTATION SHOREWELL PRESENTS: DINNER UNDER THE STARS BURNIE, TASMANIA 8 MARCH Our three-year partnership with Ten Days by Hilltop Catering in collaboration with Mark Director - Rosie Dennis on the Island began with a one-night only Gluyas from Hellyer’s Distillery. The night Site Designer - Roz Wren celebration under the stars at Shorewell Park included special guests, live performance, Lighting Designer - Nicholas Higgins for 100 lucky locals. intimate conversations with new friends and Commissioned Artist - Wayne Lowery a sharing of stories that surprised, delighted Food - Hilltop Catering in collaboration with Part dinner party, part blind date, part outdoor and revealed new perspectives on life in the Mark Gluyas celebration, Shorewell Presents was an ‘hood, the history and the future of Shorewell evening of rich experiences and a killer three Park. Partners - Ten Days on the Island, Burnie course menu featuring local produce prepared Community House 5 DEVELOPMENT/ PRESENTATION UTP ENSEMBLE BANKSTOWN AND BLACKTOWN 3 AUGUST - 4 OCTOBER We are excited to welcome the UTP ENSEMBLE members – Harsh Yalam, Hope Lee, Shaan Palankar, Phoebe Birett, Aeron Vicente, Samuel Kanaan-Oringo and Miriam Mubayyid! As the next generation of young artists from Western Sydney, this group will form a new collaborative, multi-disciplinary ensemble. The UTP Ensemble worked with director Amy Hardingham throughout August – September with an intensive workshop in the Spring school holidays in October. This project will continue with the support of the Crown Resorts Foundation and Packer Family Foundation as UTP RISING in 2020- 2022 UTP ENSEMBLE, 2019 Photography: Kris Savic Partners - Crown Resorts Foundation and Packer Family Foundation 6 Feminist Killjoys Reading Group RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW., 2018 Photography: Joshua Morris DEVELOPMENT FEMINIST KILLJOYS READING GROUP BLACKTOWN THROUGHOUT 2019 This group is a growing community of people who identify as feminist Feminist Killjoys Reading Group - Cynthia Florek, Ellen O’Brien, killjoys, or who wish to learn more about the figure of the feminist Nujhat Ahmed, Rajni Shah, Rhayne Fountain, Sanki Tennakoon, killjoy in a respectful and inclusive setting. The project is inspired by Xiaoran Shi the work of Sara Ahmed, and her blog feministkilljoys.com. Partners - Western Sydney University, Crown Resorts Foundation and Public sessions run every last Saturday of the month on Darug land in Packer Family Foundation Blacktown, and are led by a core group of five young artists working in collaboration with mentor Rajni Shah, co-ordinator Sanki Tennakoon and creative facilitator Ellen O’Brien. 7 DEVELOPMENT/ PRESENTATION BILINGUAL KIDS’ ARTS LAB BANKSTOWN 25 AUGUST – 17 SEPTEMBER Five of Western Sydney’s most exciting artists, Alissar Chidiac (creative producer), Maissa Alameddine, Marian Abboud, Eddie Abd, Yamane Fayed and Bakri Mahmoud, worked with young people from Arabic speaking backgrounds during the October school holidays to experiment with new media and learn skills and language from each other. Lead Artists - Alissar Chidiac and Maissa Alameddine, Marian Abboud, Eddie Abd, Yamane Fayed, Bakri Mahmoud Bilingual Kids’ Arts Lab, 2019 Partners - Western Sydney University, Crown Resorts Foundation and Photography: Kris Savic Packer Family Foundation, Arab Theatre Studio, Bankstown Arts Centre 8 PRESENTATION AUSTRALIAN ARAB (WITH EACH) OTHER BANKSTOWN 27 SEPTEMBER 2019 UTP was delighted to collaborate with Arab Theatre Studio and Sweatshop to host and celebrate the Western Sydney launch of the anthology Arab, Australian, Other: Stories on Race and Identity. This special event includes performed readings from Rawah Arja, Ryan Al- Natour, Sarah Ayoub, Zainab Kadhim & Mohammad Awad. AUSTRALIAN ARAB (WITH EACH) OTHER, 2019 Partners – Arab Theatre Studio, Sweatshop, Bankstown Arts Centre Photography: Taysir Elnor 9 DEVELOPMENT/ PRESENTATION NANCY DENIS – IN RESIDENCE BANKSTOWN 8 – 19 APRIL 2019, 2 – 20 SEPTEMBER 2019 Nancy Denis was in residency at UTP in 2019 to develop her work as part of our year-long Young Residents Program. The work is largely based on the Krèole phrase ‘M’ap Boule’, which translated to English means ‘I’m on fire’. Nancy is collaborating with musician Carl St. Jacques, Hilton Dennis, Winnie Dunn and Dr Liza-Mare Syron. Nancy Denis is a Haitian-Australian actor who, at the age of three, began dance training and has since gone on to secure roles on stage and screen. Recently, she was a featured performer in UTP’s Home Country (2017) and RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW. (2018). Nancy Denis will be supported to create a new and exciting work with musician Carl St Jacques. Nancy Denis, 2019 Partners – Western Sydney University, Crown Resorts Foundation and Photography: Kris Savic Packer Family Foundation 10 MOMENTUM, 2019 Photography: Joshua Morris PRESENTATION MOMENTUM PRESENTED IN BLAK BOX CURATOR – DANIEL BROWNING BARANGAROO RESERVE 1 – 17 NOVEMBER The 1983 music video to David Bowie’s Let’s Featuring Eric Avery (Ngiyampaa/Yuin/ Dance was a first in its representation of this Gumbayngirr), Troy Russell (Birrpai/Kamilaroi), UTP announces a return to Barangaroo with country’s First Nations peoples in popular Ursula Yovich (An Barra Clan, Burarra/ the presentation of Momentum – a new deep culture. Bowie’s music video is partly set Serbian), Wesley Enoch (Nunukul/Ngugi), Joel listening experience presented in Blak Box. on Sydney Harbour, shot from the northern Davison (Gadigal/Dhunghutti), Vernon Ah Kee Curated by Daniel Browning (Bundjalung/ foreshore into the eye of the waterway around (Kuku Yalanji/Waanji/Yidinji/Gugu Yimithirr), Kullilli/South Sea Islander), this sound work what is now Barangaroo. Momentum draws Kirli Saunders (Gunai), Larissa Behrendt examines the impact of representations on this game-changing