There’s a lot of doom and gloom surrounding the arts right now, with venues crawling towards re-opening and many also facing down funding cuts. But even though Australian Theatre for Young People is affected by both, the legends there are STILL championing new theatre by young up-and-comers by moving their beloved scratch night series Sparkly Sh*t online
RoomWorks – dubbed ‘some Sparkly Sh*t from home’ – is a collab with Nightingale Content. Ten young writers will be paid $400 each (yep, you read that right, newbies getting what they actually deserve) to team up and create a two-minutes tops monologue.
Successful applicants will have one week to pull it together, aided along the way by industry professionals via three days of online workshops. Once the new works are good to go, each will be screened on a digital scratch night everyone can enjoy.
Nightingale Content co-founder Alexandra Punch says she’s excited to see what the young creatives come up with. “It’s difficult enough as it is for young artists to get their work seen and find collaborators from backgrounds other than their own, and these last few months have only further solidified this truth. Our hope is that this program encourages emerging creators to not only connect with more experienced mentors in Australia, but with each other, establishing lasting relationships that may lead to exciting projects in the future.”
Applications for RoomWorks close at midnight on Wednesday, June 17, so get in quick if you want to be in with a shot. They’re looking for creative individuals ages 18-26 from diverse backgrounds, geographies and levels of experience. Writers are required to submit a sample of their work, and actors a one-minute self-tape. Applicants must be available for workshops on the mornings of Monday, June 29, Wednesday, July 1, and Friday, July 3.
You can try your luck here. Go sparkle, sh*t stirrers…
This article is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
