MTC Emerging Artists Appointments Announced

MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: Melbourne Theatre Company

Melbourne Theatre Company is proud to announce this year’s Emerging Artists appointments - Natasha Jacobs, Michele Lee and David Mence have come on board as our emerging writers and Petra Kalive, Sarah McCusker and Anne-Louise Sarks have been appointed as our emerging directors / dramaturges.

Now in its second year, the program partner’s three emerging writers with three emerging directors; each partnership is provided with resources and support in order to create a project together from its inception. After five months in development each partnership will present their new work as part of MTC’s second round of Cybec Readings which will be held in MTC Theatre, Lawler Studio in November this year.

MTC Associate Director Aidan Fennessy designed the program and partnered artists who he thought would mutually benefit from the pairing: “This is a continuation of our highly successful 2009 Emerging Artists Development Program. What the program does is provide support for these artists to examine and challenge their existing artistic process whilst engaged in the development of a new script-based theatrical work. This year we received funding from the Australia Council as part of their young and Emerging Artists program specifically to develop Women Directors. This year’s teams were paired in some instances because of their sympathetic artistic perspectives but some were teamed for exactly the opposite reason. One wonderful commonality between all artists chosen for this year’s program is the diversity and individuality of their respective artistic voices” said Aidan Fennessy.

Director Petra Kalive and Writer Natasha Jacobs

Petra Kalive is a director, writer, dramaturg and actor. She is a graduate of WAPPA and the PlayWriting Australia Dramaturge Graduate Program. Her recent dramaturgical credits include Melissa Bubnic’s Stop. Rewind for Red Stitch. She has directed extensively for St Martins Youth Theatre and in 2009 her adaptation of the Peter Goldsworthy novel Three Dog Night was staged at the Adelaide Festival Centre.

Natasha Jacobs is a writer and performer. Her writing credits include Red, Fitter Patter and You’re Not The Boss Of Me which was produced at La Mama’s Carlton Courthouse in 2009. In 2010 she co-wrote and performed in Her Private Theatre directed by Laurence Strangio, also at La Mama.

Director Sarah McCusker and Writer Michele Lee

Sarah McCusker is a NIDA directing graduate with numerous credits to her name including One Cloud by Shannon Murdoch, The Bones Love Gringo by Tom McLachlan and A Glass of Twilight by Daniel Keene. She has worked with Company B Belvoir, St Martins Youth Theatre and is currently working on the development of a new project with Back to Back Theatre Company.

Michele Lee is a Melbourne based writer whose produced works include, Kiss Me Where You Punch Me, Oversexed, Sneakers, The Talking Vagina and Love. In 2009, she completed an Asialink Literature Program residency in Laos and developed the one-act plays Fall and The Watering Hole. In 2010 her play The Cellar Children received Arts Victoria funding to develop it into a full-length play called Apple.

Director Anne-Louise Sarks and Writer David Mence

Anne-Louise Sarks is a director, dramaturge and actor. She has studied at VCA and at Columbia University, New York and is the Associate Director of The Hayloft Project. In 2009 she won the Adelaide Fringe Festival Award for best direction and dramaturgy on Yuri Wells and is Assistant Director on Thyestes with The Hayloft Project as part of the Malthouse Theatre 2010 Season.

David Mence is a writer, director, dramturg and Artistic Director of White Whale Theatre. His plays include Macbeth Re-Arisen which has been performed in Melbourne, New Zealand and the 2008 Edinburgh Festival and Melbounalia and Melbournalia No 2. He was a Creative Fellow at the State Library of Victoria in 2008 to research his latest play Convincing Ground.

The Cybec Readings are proudly supported by the Cybec Foundation. These plays were developed with the assistance of the Australia Council as part of their Young and Emerging Artists Program.