RoomWorks

SCRATCH nights are back and they’re moving online!

Brought to you by ATYP and Nightingale Content, RoomWorks is some sparkly sh*t from home.

RoomWorks will pay (yes, pay!) 10 young actors and 10 young writers $400 each to write and perform an original 1-2 minute monologue in teams of two, which will then be screened in a digital scratch night. With one week to complete the task, the 20 young artists chosen will attend online workshops and be given feedback by industry professionals throughout their process. The program will provide young artists with the opportunity to connect with others in the community, network with more experienced creators and practice their skills during this period apart.

Applications for RoomWorks will open on Monday June 8th and will close at midnight on Wednesday June 17th. Writers will be required to submit a sample of their work and actors a 1-minute self-tape. We encourage all artists age 18-26* to apply no matter where in the country you are or how much previous experience you have had!

The program will commence on Monday June 29th and all applicants must be available for workshops on the mornings of Monday June 29th, Wednesday July 1st and Friday July 3rd.

*All applicants must be between 18 and 26 years of age on the date the project commences. If you are not 18 before the start of the project or turn 27 during the week that it runs, you are not eligible to apply.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

RoomWorks ARTISTS

After receiving over 200 applications from eager young artists all around Australia, these final 20 artists were selected by a panel of industry professionals.
  • Lotte Beckett (20, VIC)

    Lotte is a 20-year-old acting student at 16th Street Actors Studio, and is also completing an Arts Degree at Melbourne University, majoring in Creative Writing and Theatre Studies.
    Originally from Sydney, Lotte has also studied at VCA and Howard Fine Acting Studio, and spent her childhood doing courses at ATYP and NIDA. She immersed herself in theatre throughout high school, finishing school as Drama Captain.

    It probably says a lot about me that in Year 11, she presented a TEDx talk about the importance of Shakespeare in early childhood education…
    So it’s true that she’s a Shakespeare geek, having assisted Sport For Jove
    in a number of their Shakespeare Carnivals. She has written and
    acted in several comedies and dramas at Melbourne University, and has
    had her writing performed at La Mama and Griffin Theatre.

    Lotte feels very lucky to be mentored by Suzie Miller in her writing, and
    Heather Mitchell in her acting. They have instilled the importance of
    responding to all opportunities, and showing up enthusiastically in
    moments that challenge her as an artist.

  • Toby Blome (23, NSW)

    Toby discovered his love for acting in Year 5. That initial passion to perform and make people laugh has swept him up on a trajectory that included
    constant performance at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts
    and the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) at NIDA.

    He has worked extensively in the professional and independent scene after graduating in 2017. Highlights include the role of Mark in Monkey Baa Theatre Company’s 2019 remount of Hitler’s Daughter that travelled up and down the east coast of Australia, in Red Line Production’s there will be a climax in 2018, Clarry/Tim in ATYP’s Intersection 2019: Arrival, PTE Yank Akell in director Kriv Stender’s Vietnam War film Danger Close: the Battle of Long Tan, and Eddie in Megan Wilding’s playwrighting debut A Little Piece of Ash at KXT.

    Toby is also one half of the clowning duo Rudy & Cuthbert, having created, written, and performed a number of shows at KXT, Old 505, and
    Melbourne’s Southbank Theatre, to critical acclaim.

  • An Dang (18, VIC)

    An is an 18-year-old artist with a love for acting. Born in Vietnam and raised in the UK, An moved to Australia in 2018, and since then she has continually explored the industry and seized every artistic opportunity.

    An has participated in work experience at Malthouse Theatre, received a NIDA Open Equity Scholarship, volunteered at Red Stitch PLAYlist, performed at Broadside Festival, and taken classes at establishment such as The Actors’ Lab, Melbourne Teen Actors, St Martins Youth Theatre, and more.

  • Peter Irankunda (QLD)

    Peter is a Brisbane-based artist who is currently studying Acting at Griffith University. In 2009, he came to Australia from Malawi and used to hate anything that involved
    standing in front of an audience. He discovered his passion for drama in high school and loved performing, writing and watching theatre performances during that time.

    Peter spent his first year out of school studying a Bachelor of Human Services and fantasising about a career in performance – telling stories, changing perspectives, challenging views, and using his voice to impact an audience. His passions, at current, lie on the theatre stage doing shows that are relevant, important and influential, and on the open mic every now and then voicing his opinion and story through poetry.

  • Mabel Li (22, NSW)

    Mabel is the daughter of two first-generation Canton-Chinese parents, and this has greatly influenced the actor and creative she wants to be. Born in Auckland and growing up in Sydney, it
    was rare to see an East or South-East Asian face in the Australian media.

    Mabel has just graduated from the BFA Fine Arts Acting course at NIDA (2019). With theatre credits including Delilah by the Hour directed by Claudia Osbourne at Brand X, Goldilocks written and directed by Michael Gow, Pool (no water) directed by Benjamin Schostakowski, Ah, Tuzenbach: A Melancholic Cabaret directed by Oleg Glushkov, Lulu: A Modern Sex
    Tragedy directed by Claudia Osborne and The Bacchae directed by Shannan Ely.

    In high school, Mabel was involved in the NSW State Drama Ensemble and Company where she performed at the State Drama Festival and in D.N.A at the Seymour Centre.

    In addition to acting, Mabel is a theatre-maker. During her time at NIDA, she created two pieces of verbatim work under her chosen elective, Applied Theatre, called “Tea Time” and “Before Us”. Both these works were created from interviews conducted with young Asian Australians living in the Inner-West and Western Sydney. She is also the recipient of the 2019-2020 BBM Youth Award Scholarship.

  • Teresa Li (NSW)

    Teresa is relatively new to acting – primarily because it’s not something that’s typically encouraged in an Asian household – but is something she has always wanted to try.

    She has been conducting individual practise and learning as much as possible independently, with the mindset of growth and improvement.

    RoomWorks is Teresa’s first acting project, and she is incredibly excited to participate and put her skills into practice. As an Asian-Australian, she believes it is important to contribute to the industry and add to Asian representation in the media as much as possible to reflect the multicultural Australian population.

  • Susanna Pang (19, NSW)

    Susanna is a proud Australian-born Chinese actor. She comes from a family that has a profound appreciation for the arts — her sister, who is one of her greatest inspirations, is a
    professional pianist. From her first drama lesson in year 8, her love for performing and storytelling only quadrupled.

    Susanna was a member of school performance ensembles as well as the State Drama Ensemble and in Year 11, her self-written HSC monologue was selected for OnStage. Titled Tiger Mum, she sought to dismantle the stigma surrounding tiger parenting through an 8-minute satirical piece which she performed for a week at the Seymour Centre. She was the Creative and Performing
    Arts Prefect at Sydney Girls High School where she worked to co-ordinate and organise large scale events such as concerts, open nights, musicals, and showcases. Whilst balancing her HSC studies that year, her musicology essay was included in Encore and her performance was
    nominated as well.

    Susanna is currently studying an Arts/Law degree at the University of Sydney majoring in Media and Communications along with Film Studies and she has worked as a crew member for OnScreen.

  • Sophie Strykowski (23, NSW)

    Sophie is a 23-year-old queer, and half Ashkenazi Jewish actor and creative. She graduated with a BA from UNSW (majoring in Theatre and Performance and minoring in English). She graduated with first-class honours in Theatre and Performance where she specialised in stand-up comedy.

    Since graduating University in 2019, Sophie has performed with ATYP in Intersection 2019: Arrival, as well as several other Independent theatre companies in Sydney. Some credits
    include performing in the ensemble piece Hairworm (2019) with Eye Contact Theatre Company, Van De Maar Papers (2019) with Ratcatch at the Old 505 and Love and Information (2016) with the Creative Practice Lab, directed by Tessa Leong. Most recently she performed with Theatre Travels in Girl Shut Your Mouth at the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2020. She
    has also performed in multiple SUDS and NUTS performances, as well as USYD revues (including the University of Sydney Revue 2019 directed by Kate Walder).

    Along with acting, Sophie has also worked collaboratively on developing new pieces of theatre and comedy. She is most passionate about queer emerging works. She assisted in the development of and performed in Kasia Vickery’s 2019 NIDA MFA Graduate Performance
    Play On. Sophie’s own comedy group, The Lazy Susans, debuted at the 2019 Sydney Fringe Festival, with a collaborative work that she both wrote and performed in, The Day that Changed Potato Bay.

  • Renae Valastro (NSW)

    Renae hails from a predominantly Italian town in rural Northern Queensland. She has an Advanced Diploma in stage and screen acting and experience in TVC, short films, theatre and
    web series ranging from extra, support and to lead roles.
  • Georgia Willson (NSW)

    Georgia is an Indigenous artist, with a creative background that began from studying drama throughout high school. She then continued to develop her craft at Screenwise, receiving a Diploma in Screen Acting.

    She has most recently worked as Production Runner on an upcoming Australian film and has begun to explore the realm of scriptwriting.

SUPPORTED BY

Justin Punch and Patty Akopiantz

Rob Thomas AO

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