The first ever Digi Youth Theatre production will be held at Powerhouse Brisbane on Thursday 13th June. As a heritage listed, not-for-profit venue with passionate and friendly people working there, Digi Youth Theatre has found a supportive, creative backdrop to what is going to be an empowering show for indigenous youth. Read more to find out what turns us on about the venue and what it means for us to perform in this electric space.
Watts it all about?
The idea for Digi Youth Theatre came about when Alethea attended the 2010 performance of ‘Advanced Screening’ by Markwell Presents. “My mentor and dear friend Susie Lawson has a strong connection with the cinematic theatre company and I had the privilege of being a part of one of their productions at Villanova College. Steve and Brad (Markwell Presents) share the stories of young people in innovative, meaningful and accessible ways and I was inspired to by their vision. “
From these inspired beginnings, we’re now getting stuck in, spreading the word and talking to the community about their experiences moving away from country to get an education in Brisbane. We’re plugging the amps into our social media, our website and our indigenous and non-indigenous networks to produce a piece of theatre that will spark your plugs and help share the stories of indigenous boarding school students living in Brisbane.
Why Brisbane Powerhouse?
Because it’s a shockingly good venue. And in the words of Alethea Beetson, Director and Producer of DYT, “Kids are great performers so they deserve a great facility to have their voice heard.”
Brisbane Powerhouse also has an important history in Brisbane. Originally a power station that supplied electricity to Brisbane suburbs and trams, it was then home to homeless people and graffiti artists who saw it as a refuge and something of a living canvas and finally taken over by Brisbane City Council. The Council has since transformed the space into a living, breathing, working artistic and cultural hub, with incredible performance rooms, some great tucker and a beautiful view of the Brisbane River.
The Lord Mayor of Brisbane Graham Quirk calls it “ A unique gathering place for our local community to come together and celebrate the arts” and if he digs it, we’re not going to argue with him.
Power to the people
In much the same way as Brisbane Powerhouse used to generate electricity for the people of Brisbane, now it generates ideas, artistic practice and creativity for performers and audience alike. In our production we’ll be asking some tough questions and exploring themes of education, family, country, community and how indigenous kids from rural and isolated areas are living these experiences and challenges every day.
Thanks to the funding from Fair Go Australia the dream to present DYT13 at Brisbane Powerhouse became a reality for Digi Youth Theatre at the end of 2012. We look forward to seeing you there.