Gasworks Theatre, Albert Park, Melbourne

June 10 - 19, 2004

Tim Newth creates a work for Victoria College of the Arts dance students performed within the seating bank of the Gas Works Theatre, Melbourne.Tim’s work is with 13 final year dance students and created and performed within the seating bank.

Victorian College of the Arts second and third-year students perform works by choreographers Neil Adams, Brett Daffy, Helen Herbertson, Tim Newth and Beth Shelton in the season of Dancescape, Feat of Flying.

In this project Tim first meets Jess Devereux who later become a Tracks Dance Animateur.

Director’s Notes

As I was flying from Darwin to make this work, I was considering what I could offer the students over the next three weeks. Tracks Inc, the company that I co-artistically direct, predominantly collaborates with dancers and communities to create new Australian dance in non-theatre settings.
With the dancers, we firstly shared life stories. From the stories we created movement. We played with the idea of utilising an audience within the movement and also placing the movement within particular spaces. Both added additional life to the movement created. After a week of play, we let go of the idea of creating a work in relationship to an audience that would share the same space as the dancers. Finding an audience each day to experiment with became a difficulty. We explored working outside the theatre. However the weather provided a challenge. Eventually we decided to confine the work to the seating bank. The work has become a play with this space combined with the idea of communicating stories.

Tim Newth

Creative Personnel

Director: Tim Newth
Assist to Director: Jess Devereux & members of cast
Choreography and stories: Cast
Music: Apex Twin, Evelyn Glennie, & Mouse on Mars
Lighting Design: Jared Lewis & Tristan Bourke

Performers

Merinda Bermingham, Fiona Bryant, Jess Devereux, Louise Devlin, Anthea Doropoulos, Mira Hassan, Jacqueline Ison, Danielle Jansen, Rebecca Magazzu, Amrei Model, Nikketa Palmer, Susan Van Den Ham, Andrew Watson.

Tracks 2004

Artistic Directors: David McMicken and Tim Newth
Company Manager: Sue Mornane
Dance Animateur: Julia Quinn
Youth Trainee: Marko Taopo
Bookkeeper: Heather Richards
Development Consultant: Suzanne Fermanis

Committee Members:  Jackie Wurm (Chair), David Taylor (Vice-Chair), Glenn Bernardin (Treasurer), Kyleigh Hindson (Secretary/Public Officer), Ken Conway, Donna Quong, Jill MacAndrew, Kay Brown (Ordinary Committee Members), David McMicken and Tim Newth (Ex-Officio Members)

Public Fund Trustees: Rev. Steve Orme, Dr Anita Toth, Paul Wan