SAYarts are pleased to announce the establishment of 10 full year scholarships for places in any of their theatre workshop programs for 5 Indigenous students and 5 new arrivals. The scholarships will be available from term 3, 2015.
Philanthropist and arts enthusiast Maureen Ritchie has provided the scholarships because she has a firm belief that the arts are important in the development of our national landscape, helping to engage the disengaged, explore and deepen cultural connections and affirm the young. Artistic Director Sean Riley and Managing Director Rebecca Pannell have been working towards broadening the cultural base of the company since they established it in September 2014, strongly believing in the need for cultural diversification.
Sean Riley says that the company is delighted about the opportunity this brings for their current students to expand their thinking and to explore new stories and beliefs. “At SAYarts our focus is on creating new works inspired by the stories and experiences that our students share within our workshops. These scholarships will enable a new generation of performers’ voices to be heard”.
Bec Pannell says that the securing of this sponsorship arrangement is a major coup for SAYarts.
“We are so delighted to have found an ideological and financial partner in Maureen, and are very grateful for the support she is providing young people” says Pannell. “We are also keen to hear from Drama/English and home room teachers who know of children who would benefit from classes for social, developmental and creative reasons.”
Ritchie is known for her generous support of Indigenous cultural projects, namely through the University of Adelaide’s CASM program, as well as Tjanpi Weavers and Better World Arts via Womadelaide. Riley is a well-known Adelaide playwright and director whose play about language, new arrivals, refugees and war -Beautiful Words- is on the SACE curriculum. SAYarts will re-mount Beautiful Words for the Adelaide Fringe in 2016 as part of their commitment to telling stories of inter-cultural depth and relevance.
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