Four emerging artists have been selected for the 2023 Propel Projects Emerging Performers Residency.
Residents will access professional space to create, rehearse and perform as well as connect with mentors and additional support to help them hone their craft and propel their art practice to the next level.
The four residents are:
Mx Robert Frost | Resonant Frequency Scanning
Robert is an improvisational noise musician who will develop a new piece called Resonant Frequency Scanning. Using sound, noise and play, they hope their work will examine the incorporation of speakers, space and most importantly the ear and mind of the listener.
Shana O’Brien | Invisible Strings
Shana is a First Nations dancer, choreographer and visual artist interested in the intersections of movement and visual arts, particularly when it comes to storytelling. She will work with DUST Youth Dance Company on a project about the ways we attach to things, people and places.
Cecilia Morrow | Cow
Cecilia is a screen and theatre actor and writer. She will be further developing a one woman play that explores a woman’s relationship with femininity, loss and grief as well as personal and societal expectations.
Old Folk
Old Folk are Madison Rolland-Evans, John Paul Healy, Sophia Fleming and Izzy Faz (Isabelle Farragher). They are an Old-timey group that play an Appalachian style of American folk, mixed with their own original songs and tunes. They plan to use the residency to fine tune their musical set so they can launch an album.
Katrina Noorbergen, Acting Manager Cultural Services for Blue Mountains City Council said: “We are thrilled to introduce our second cohort of Propel residents. We are excited by the breadth of artforms and the artists’ aspirations for their projects, and hope they find the rehearsal space, professional support and creative freedom beneficial to their performance practice.”
Coordinated by the Blue Mountains City Council’s Cultural Development department in partnership with the Blue Mountains Theatre and MTNS MADE, Propel is an initiative created to help support emerging performing artists in the region.
The residencies will occur over the next 12 months and take place within Council performing venues such as the Wentworth Falls School of Arts and the Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub. Residents will access time and space within Council facilities to develop new work or rehearse existing works, alongside a suite of additional support and networking opportunities such as an artist stipend, industry mentorships, technical and production support, and the opportunity to perform a showcase at the end of their residency.
Critical to the residency will be the mentorship offered to residents. Residents will be matched with industry professionals depending on their art form, professional needs and goals for the residency and together they will map out goals, exchange feedback and ideas.
Details for the Performance Showcase will be announced at the end of 2023.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON RESIDENTS
Mx Robert Frost | Resonant Frequency Scanning
Robert makes predominantly improvisational noise music, mostly using modular electronic instruments. Increasingly they produce using their own instruments in order to more fully express ideas. They explore mindfulness and impermanence, seeking to produce work that resonates in each moment.
When told about their residency offer, Robert shared that, “I’m super excited for the residency! I was unwilling to resist the urge to dance enthusiastically after being told I’d been accepted. I’m really looking forward to developing my ideas and practice through the program and so grateful for the opportunity! *enthusiastic dancing*!”
Robert will use their residency to develop and rehearse Resonant Frequency Scanning. The piece will use sound, noise and play to examine the incorporation of speakers, space, and most importantly the ear and mind of the listener as integral components of the instrument. Robert is eager to work with a mentor, and practise and perform in different environments.
Shana O’Brien | Invisible Strings
Shana is a First Nations dancer, choreographer and visual artist. She is interested in the intersections of movement and visual arts, particularly when it comes to storytelling. Her work is inspired by the land, the ways that we connect to the land and to each other.
During the residency, Shana will work with DUST Youth Dance Company on a project about the ways we attach to things, people and places, the way that effects how we relate to the world, the way we behave and how we connect to the earth. DUST is a collective of young people directed by Jo Clancy. Shana is a former performer, and now mentors the group.
“The residency will allow me to progress my choreographic skills from one body onto a group work. It will also keep me grounded in community which is very important to me,” Shana said.
Cecilia Morrow | Cow
Since graduating from the Actors Centre Australia in 2012, Cecilia has been actively involved in the Sydney Independent theatre scene as an actor and writer, as well as screen-based work. Her writing explores mental health, grief, womanhood and femininity through a comedic lens.
“I am feeling very fortunate to be part of PROPEL Projects for 2023 and to be supported in a new creative endeavour. I’m looking forward to the process and excited to see how my project develops and grows within this space,” said Cecilia.
Over the course of her residency, Ceclia will further develop Cow, a one woman play following Daisy, who has recently moved away from her city life to a remote house in the bush. The piece explores a woman’s relationship with femininity, loss and grief as well as personal and societal expectations. She is eager to use a dedicated performance space and schedule to help her focus on the piece, and to work with a dramaturg or director as a mentor.
Old Folk
Old folk are Madison Rolland-Evans, John Paul Healy, Sophia Fleming and Izzy Faz (Isabelle Farragher), an Old-timey group that play an Appalachian style of American folk, mixed with their own original songs and tunes.
“We are so excited to be a part of PROPEL. The residency is just the energy lift we need to develop our new creative band project. We so look forward to working with the Blue Mountains City Council and the Blue Mountains Theatre to develop our work and showcase our performance,” they said.
Old Folk hope the residency will help them with focused rehearsals so they can improve their musical ability and stage performance, fine tune their musical set and launch an album at the Performance Showcase. They are interested in a wide range of professional development.
Photo: Mx Robert Frost, Shana O’Brien, Cecilia Morrow, and Old Folk have been selected for the 2023 Propel Projects Emerging Performers Residency.
