ActNow Theatre Announces New Season Of Queer Youth Theatre Workshops

Adelaide company ActNow Theatre is delighted to announce the return of their Queer Youth Theatre Workshops, running Tuesday nights from February 5.

Led by local queer artist Teddy Dunn, Queer Youth Theatre Workshops are an amazing opportunity for LGBTIQ+ people aged 18-30 to work with professional artists, develop performance skills, meet like-minded people and build pathways into the arts industry.

Teddy and the group use this space to discover new ideas and, potentially, create a new work. We encourage participants to come along for the whole term, but workshops are run on a drop-in basis, so come by at any time!

In announcing the return of QYTW, Teddy Dunn said: ' QYTW are an important part of my practice - a cross-generational conversation between queer artists, and the sharing of insights, perspectives and resources is invaluable to me, and I suspect for the young people as well. The group is wise and talented, and their ability to speak about the culture around them and theatre, in particular, has developed over the time they have been attending the workshops.'

'Importantly, the workshops are also a place for young queer people to be able to use their bodies - which are often policed and politicised - to create artwork within which they are empowered. A heavy focus on how theatre works has equipped these young people to express their own stories clearly and effectively, which I am very much looking forward to encouraging further in the 2019 workshops.'

ActNow Theatre Artistic Director Edwin Kemp Artill said: ' Historically, the arts have benefited from strong participation of queer people as a safe space. However, there is still an underrepresentation of queer characters, with many LGBTIQ+ actors feeling they have to 'straightwash' themselves for heteronormative productions. We want to help develop the authentic voices of the next generation of queer artists.'