Australian Theatre Forum
ABOUT TIME – LISTEN, EXAMINE, SPEAK, CELEBRATE
Wow! We think you’ll agree that a lot has happened since we last gathered.
Back in 2009 the first Australian Theatre Forum grew out of the passion of practitioners and industry leaders to explore the urgent issues of the time and to imagine possible futures for the Australian theatre sector. Eight years down the track those possible futures are NOW…it looks a little different to what we envisaged doesn’t it? And so…just where are we now since we last met in January 2015?
Set against the backdrop of the OzAsia Festival, ATF 2017 will be an opportunity for us all to be present to collect our ideas, thoughts, plans, and visions in order to…understand our current landscape; bring our challenges and failures to the table; map the existing; find ourselves again; get back on track; set our sights on new horizons; discuss and make new opportunities and look after ourselves.
We will do this in four distinct ways and in this order.
DAY 1: LISTEN
DAYS 2 & 3: EXAMINE, SPEAK
DAYS 1, 2 & 3: CELEBRATE
Who’s invited? Delegates from major performing arts organisations, major festivals and venues, independent makers, producers and project-funded companies are all invited to be present. We welcome colleagues working in government roles, universities and in the media. Put simply, the ecology is not one without you, and ‘evolution rather than revolution offers us the capacity to build trust, insight and innovation in the sector and to carry forward our organisations, artists, audiences and supporters.’ *
We are up for it and would love to see you there as we hope you’d agree, it’s about time.
Alexis West & Steve Mayhew
Co-Curators
*with acknowledgement to John Irving, Daily Review, December 2016