(A ha! How the tables turn! Wesley Enoch late to his own session! And who can blame him – it was nearly impossible in our punch drunk state to come inside away from the river and re-engage yet again with the issues facing our sector.)

In the final session of the Australian Theatre Forum it was time to descend into the VISY for the summing up of the findings hosted by Anni Davey and Wesley Enoch to reveal the democratically decided issues considered by the delegates to be most pressing. Read more

It’s been an intense few days – and I think I am hitting a saturation point. It is a magnificent form of torture being surrounded by 260 odd (and I mean odd) people, having confronting conversations and asking provocative questions. It has been great. Huge. Challenging. Great. It’s been great. Read more

Emerging from the Open Space discussions, key priority areas will be discussed in further detail with breakout groups devising a series of strategies and actions. FACILITATOR: Wesley Enoch

Post coffee and a biscuit (well two biscuits… I needed them…) we now confront the tough work of the Forum… detail around the key topic areas.

Yesterday’s discussions have been distilled down to ten key focus points. And we have been asked to choose one topic to contribute 5 action points (recommendations) for these topics: Read more

“Lenine Bourke (Contact Inc.) and Darren O’Donnell (Mammalian Diving Reflex, Canada) compare their respective companies’ models and processes and freewheel their way through the principles underpinning their work – social practice, working with non-artists and international collaboration.”

With the assistance of Skype a huge face patiently stares at us on the stage from the Powerhouse. We have been a bit slow and meandering this morning and it seems like it’s all running 15 minutes late. Read more

Last day of the Australian Theatre Forum – and as promised, Jane Howard and I are having a frock off… She’s in yellow and I’m in blue… It’s a lovely Brisbane day and it’s a big day ahead. Read more

OK. Upfront I am going to declare that I am a pretty terrible note taker. Always have been. Uni? Terrible. Look at those notes and you’ll find pictures and coffee smudges and lines of dialogue for potential new plays. And I think it’s because I am often distracted by new ideas that crowd like excited seagulls as soon as someone says anything. And also because I start thinking about more questions and answers… and unfortunately – due to the clumsy virtue of having my computer on my lap at most times, the default position of scribe fell on my fingers… and all I can say is sorry… I wish I was a stenographer. Read more

Shouldn’t work for a young audience which is their first theatre experience, be better resourced – at the scale of Opera?
What if in 10 years children’s theatre was given the level of support that mainstage/commercial musicals are? Would that be a wonderful investment in the future of theatre? It would surely entice the younger audiences to attend.

Or would it? Read more

The second morning took me by surprise. A 9 o’clock scheduled start surprised me at about 8:34 as I was mid-breakfast and lazily checking the ATF schedule for Thursday. The plan was supposed to be – breakfast, then write up the official ATF 2011 welcome I missed writing electronically (it’s in the form of pen and paper in my bag) …then coffee and then a casual walk to the Powerhouse.

It wasn’t to be. Read more