Footprints – The Drama Australia Conference 26-28 November 2009
Make Tracks to Melbourne
Drama Victoria is proud to host the Drama Australia Conference in Melbourne in November, 2009. We invite all those interested in drama and theatre with and for young people including drama educators, researchers, planners and theatre practitioners to come together for three days in November to share ideas and enrich their practice and understandings.
The conference will provide opportunities for delegates to experience illuminating, informative and practically based keynotes, workshops, keyholes, papers and presentations that allow participants to directly work with the key themes. The conference is relevant to those working across all levels and sectors – in Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary education as well as within community groups and organisations. Through industry partnerships, a vibrant performance program will be integral to the conference as well as informative industry and trade displays. The University of Melbourne in Parkville, close to Melbourne’s CBD, will be the main conference venue.
The theme for the 2009 Drama Australia National Conference, “Footprints”, considers our impacts as drama educators in all senses of the word. Reflecting on the drama footprints that we follow in, the theme also invites participants to consider how we can continue to create vibrant and sustainable drama and education practice as we step into the future. Through the conference themes we ask:
- What impacts do we make as drama and theatre practitioners and educators?
- Whose footsteps do we follow in?
- How do we sustain good drama and theatre practice for the long term?
- What are the environmental impacts of our work as drama and theatre educators?
- What kind of future are we stepping into for drama?
The conference sub-themes include:
Making Footprints: examining the impacts of drama and theatre in education
Following Tracks: valuing indigenous heritage and perspectives in drama education
Unique Creative Footprints: celebrating diversity in drama and theatre education
Treading Lightly: developing an awareness of environmentally sustainable drama and theatre practices and reducing our carbon footprint
Stepping in the Future: Creating vibrant and sustainable drama practice, partnerships and organisations for the long term
Our very exciting conference program is shaping up and as further details about our keynotes, performance and workshop program unfold they will become available on the conference web site. Partnerships are an important element of the conference program planning. An example of this is Drama Victoria’s partnership with the National Institute of Circus Arts, which will bring delegates an opportunity to learn about the programs at NICA and experience the exhilarating graduate performance.
The Footprints over Melbourne project also involves important partnerships and will form a special event as part of the Drama Australia Conference in 2009. This project brings together drama, theatre and learning within Melbourne’s rich and diverse cultural institutions such as museums and galleries. During one afternoon of the conference delegates will travel on foot and by tram to one of eight nearby cultural institutions for a workshop, presentation and/or performance of drama work involving drama educators, education professionals within the cultural institutions and the resulting project with young people. Following this, delegates will have a chance to meet together to share their experiences within the different locations around Melbourne at one of the many conference social and networking opportunities.
All of us at Drama Victoria look forward to welcoming you to Melbourne for the 2009 Drama Australia National Conference. Make tracks to Melbourne in November and join us for what promises to be a very dynamic, exciting and memorable three days.
Jo Raphael
On behalf of Drama Victoria and the National Conference organising committee
TITLE OF CONTRIBUTION: Offset Art; civic engagement and transformation through performance.
PRESENTERS: Daniel Last & Nathan Stoneham
PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION:
Offset Art aims to empower art to achieve positive global effects by contributing to sustainable development. The presentation will introduce Offset Art’s philosophy and discuss its application to educational and performance making contexts. A look at Offset Art’s performances will highlight art’s capability of having real, positive impacts on communities beyond the audience it is exposed to. A Theatre For Development senior drama unit incorporating Offset Art’s vision will be introduced (and available to take home). Once the key features of Offset Art have been unpacked, participants will have the opportunity to design and share their own piece of Offset Art in a casual workshop setting.
PRESENTERS BIOS:
Offset Art co-founders DANIEL LAST and NATHAN STONEHAM both graduated from QUT in 2008 with a Bachelor Of Creative Industries (Drama) and Bachelor Of Education (Secondary). Daniel is currently a first year drama and history teacher at Kirwin State High School in Townsville. Since graduating, Nathan has worked as a children’s theatre performer in South Korea and a sound designer for theatre while focusing on creating Offset Art’s latest production, ‘Nok Cha Cafe’, which is included in Brisbane Festival’s 2009 Under The Radar program.
