Eventide Conversations: Adapting to Engage Young Audiences

Tue 28 Sept 2021

In partnership with Hong Kong Arts Administrators Association, the third of our Eventide Conversations takes place on Tue 28 September. Curated by independent director and producer Ching Ching Ho and Executive Director of the Hong Kong Ballet Heidi Lee, this program provides opportunities for engagement and knowledge exchange between arts and cultural leaders in Hong Kong and Australia.

The Theatre for Young Audiences and Youth Arts sector plays a vital role in the arts and society more broadly. In the current precarious nature of COVID restrictions, this sector’s ongoing discussion and actions inspire the community to move towards regenerating a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive future. In this talk, our speakers will share what they have reinvented and adapted to engage artists and audiences, how the sector connects with technology, and what is required to connect with and support young people as we grow through the pandemic.

Hosted by Tamara Harrison (Head of Children, Families and Creative Learning of Sydney Opera House), joined by speakers Lynn Yau (CEO of The Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection) and Sasha Zahra (Associate Director, Windmill Theatre).

The project is supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations.

The conversation will be captioned. AUSLAN interpretation can be provided on request; please contact us at hello@apam.org.au.

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Links to works and projects discussed during the conversation:

AFTEC Young Theatre Makers 2021

AFTEC Bravo! Hong Kong Youth Theatre Awards Scheme

AFTEC Medical Humanities (Performance Arts)

digiAFTEC

Windmill at Home

Sun Runners

    MEET THE PANELLISTS

    Tamara Harrison – Host
    Tamara is the Head of Children, Families and Creative Learning at Sydney Opera House. Her annual program delivers performances, creative play and workshops for children and families, in school residencies and professional development for teachers, and with the soon to be opened Centre for Creativity, workshops and experiences for lifelong learners. As Executive Producer of internationally renowned children’s theatre company Polyglot Theatre, she led the development of the company’s first international co-developments and directed an international touring program across Asia, Europe and North America, working with international program partners, DFAT and other funders. As Director of International Projects at Australia Council for the Arts, she oversaw an annual program of market development activity for Australian artists, as well as delivering the 2017 Venice Biennale with Tracey Moffat. Before joining Sydney Opera House she led international programming for Circus Oz and taught at University of NSW, in the Art and Design department on Cultural Leadership.

    Lynn Yau
    Lynn is the Chief Executive Officer of the Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection (AFTEC). In developing an enabling environment, Lynn and her team have shaped a teaching and learning system which is meaningful and practical. It guides and facilitates participants to realise ideas through introspection and questioning as opposed to factual rote and mechanistic learning. An award-winning charity, AFTEC has won the Arts Education award from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2014, 2017 and 2020. Aside from creating a performing arts module for medical undergraduates (now in its 10th year), AFTEC likewise pioneered Relaxed Theatre for young people with Autism spectrum disorders and learning challenges. Under Lynn’s leadership, AFTEC has been recognised locally and overseas for its work in arts-in-education, including a ‘Top 10 High Impact NGO’ from PwC for its Social Impact Mentoring programme, and a ‘Best Practice Model’ from the Korean Arts and Cultural Education Services. Lynn straddles the arts and education fields. She is a Hong Kong Scholar to the Clore Leadership Programme 2010-2011, and was commended by the Government in 2012 for her outstanding contribution in arts education.

    Sasha Zahra
    Sasha has worked in numerous areas across the performing arts industry in Australia and overseas in the past 25 years, with roles including director, creative producer, programmer, festival producer and theatre maker. Sasha has been the Artistic Director of D’Faces of Youth Arts, Kurrruru Youth Performing Arts and the Associate Artistic Director of the Come Out Festival. She was the Creative Producer of Adelaide Fringe (2009-2014), the co-program director for the Royal Croquet Club in Adelaide (2015-2018) and a producer for Briefs Factory and Hot Brown Honey (2014 & 2015). Sasha has worked extensively with Vanuatu’s Wan Smolbag Theatre, producing three international theatre festivals for the company in 2009, 2014 and 2019, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities and as a producer with independent artists and companies across Australia and internationally. Sasha was the Creative Producer, Performance and Events at Tandanya National Cultural Institute (2019-2021), and she was a producer of the Remote Indigenous Media Festival and Torres Strait Performing Arts Festival on Thursday Island (Sep 2019). She commenced her position as the Associate Director for Windmill Theatre Company in April 2021.