National Performance Conference

 

	What is it?	History	Key People
	Rave Reviews	Overview	Program
	Melbourne International Festival of the Arts	Dates & Venue Information	How do I register?
	Speakers	John Nicoll Media	VICNET

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The Second National Performance Conference is proudly sponsored by:

The Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council,
its arts funding and advisory body

Melbourne International Festival of the Arts,
Arts Victoria, Australian Film Commission,
Marriner Theatres and Staged Developments Australia,
National Nine Network, JUST SUPER, Film Finance Corporation,
Village Roadshow, VICNET, Liberty Films

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What is it?

A conference for actors and other performers.

The National Performance Conference is now a regular biennial event for Australian performing artists. For three days, performers from across the country get together to examine the current state of the performing arts industry and its future directions; to debate the issues, challenge perceptions and connect as a community.

At the Conference delegates:

• take masterclasses and workshops for professional development

• discuss and debate concerns affecting the industry

• and network with their peers.

Comments after the last conference ran along the lines of....

"An excellent program. Excellent value. Great opportunity to bitch, complain, reconnect with old friends, focus on the key issues, and to energise the damn lot of us!"

"My heartfelt thanks for an engaging, inspiring, rejuvenating, lively, well-organised, friendly, heated, controversial, social, boozy, talkative, ding-dong debate of a conference!!"

"A lot of learning, thinking and fun."

"Wonderful and affirming."

History of the Conference

The National Performance Conference was established in Australia in 1994 to address the needs of performers - workers in one of the most isolated and precarious of industries.

Despite the ongoing expansion of the industry in Australia over the past ten years, it was apparent there were few professional development opportunities for skilled performers, with the majority of training aimed at newcomers or the inexperienced. Nor were there any forums for professional performers to engage in cultural debate or dialogue with their own and other parts of the industry.

Following a series of meetings, prominent members of the Australian performing arts community developed the Conference as a much needed forum where artistic, cultural and political issues essential to the performance industry could be addressed.

The inaugural event in 1994 was highly successful, meeting with overwhelming support and enthusiasm from the 250 participants, industry bodies and sponsors. As well as exposing delegates to new ideas and issues, it became the springboard for a whole range of activities including Actors/Performers Forums being established in almost every state and the implementation of other projects such as the Melbourne Performers' Centre.

The results guaranteed the Conference's continuation as a biennial event. By continuing to meet in such a stimulating and productive way, performers can grow professionally in skills, confidence, status and creative power. The results can only benefit the entire performing arts industry.

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Conference Program

The following is an outline of the Conference Program as at August 1996. Please note, that this is a working document and the final program and content of sessions may vary slightly.

Strand: The Actor & The Director (in collaboration with ASDA)

The Creative Process of the Actor and the Director: This plenary session covers both screen and live performance mediums and will explore how actors and directors approach the process of rehearsal, the issues of time management, communication, meeting objectives and pressures.

The Casting Process: The casting process as a tool. How do casting agents and actors work together, identify problems and exchange information? What are the constraints operating on a casting agent and a producer? Who is the casting agent working for? This session will look the casting session from the viewpoint of both directors and actors, and will cover various issues including communication as well as factors which influence a director's choice. Specific scenarios will be used to illustrate the debate.

Screentesting or "You're not a failure if you didn't get the job": A practical masterclass examining the process of screentesting for the same script and director under different conditions. With a moderator to liaise between the director, casting agent, the actors and the audience, it is expected that this session will draw on issues arising from the Casting Process session. This session will have limited numbers and may be repeated.

Case Study 1: Blue Murder - a case study examining the collaborative process between actors and directors, using the television drama Blue Murder.

Case Study 2: Frontline - another case study using the television comedy series Frontline.

Casting Workshop: a workshop looking at a different casting process. Limited participants.

Approaches to Performance: This session will explore the different approaches to performance including the Stanislavsky method.

Rehearsal Workshop 1: This small workshop for a limited number of actors and directors will take the same director, script and actors used in the Screentesting session through to the rehearsal stage. This workshop may be repeated.

Rehearsal Workshop 2: Another small workshop for actors and directors will examine some of the specific practicalities of rehearsing such as finding the subtext, dealing with a typical scene, and interpreting the text.

Rehearsal Workshop 3: Looking at improvisation to explore the text.

Strand: Fundamentals in Performance

Actors who Devise their Own Work: A selection of performers will discuss the reasons behind and the process involved in devising their own works.

The Actor and the Screenwriter: In another session linking up with a different art form, the process of screenwriting will be looked at in relation to performance. Screenwriters will discuss how they work with actors in rehearsal and during a shoot.

Representation: Does the agent get you the job? Who employs who? What are the different requirements or services needed by a performer, director or producer of an agent? In a wide ranging discussion, this session will look at many different aspects to representation including self-representation, entrepreneurial agents, creative packages and agents as a lobby group for performers. The future of MEAA will also be examined.

Voice: Voice has always been regarded as one of the most basic of an actor's skills. Is this still the case? This session will explore what skills an actor needs and covers all areas including live performance, sound recording, voice-over and screen.

Strand: New Media

For many working in the performing arts industry, “new media” is just another fashionable term, providing few practical work opportunities. This conference strand aims to explore how the new mediums affect performers and the industry, and will be developed in conjunction with MEAA and the AFTRS.

New Media - An Actor's Guide: An examination of the forms and parameters of the new technologies and the ways in which performers can take a creative role. What new skills are required to work in the medium? How is the integrity of the performer's work protected in a world of digital manipulation? What changes to the industry will the new technologies bring?

Digital Special Effects in Film: Cutting-edge digital special effects in film will be examined to illustrate the future directions of the work of performers in relation to digital technology.

Real-Time Animation - Puppetry & Motion Capture: Sue Wallace from the Sydney Puppet Theatre Company will illustrate this innovative process, followed by discussion in a combined practical and Q&A format.

New Technology: Practical sessions are being developed in conjunction with MEAA and the AFTRS on performers working with the new technologies.

The Creative Relationship: Jo Lane, director of The Dame Was Loaded, will talk about the relationship between actors and directors in the creation of CDRom projects.

Authoring: A look at some of the authoring software currently available, such as Director.

Strand: Australia in Asia

The Asian Connection: A major plenary examining the topical issue of Australian performers working in Asia. Local performers and companies will discuss the opportunities for work in Asia. Participants will give an overview of the performing arts industry in selected Asian countries, and will undertake an analysis of the opportunities that exist for Australian performers in Asia in film, television and theatre.

Focus on China: Zhang Yimou, one of the most revered of the 'Fifth Generation' Chinese filmmakers, has been invited to discuss his working process. Zhang (Raise The Red Lantern) is renowned amongst performers for the close collaborative team method he employs when working on productions.

Suzuki Training: A demonstration by Frank Productions (Brisbane). Frank Productions is the only Australian company employing these methods in the country. The principal of Frank Productions was specially selected to travel to Japan for training and is one of only two Westerners invited to do so.

Public Access

In an initiative for the Second National Performance Conference, two public forums will be held, opening up the debate to the public. The first of these The Art of the State will be held at the ABC's Iwaki Auditorium, and the second is planned to be held at the Lower Melbourne Town Hall.

The Art of the State: In what appears to be a highly topical issue, the notion of a flagship/State theatre company will be hotly debated. Who or what is such a company responsible to: the public, funding bodies, creative artists? What responsibility do State companies have to local artists and local audiences? Why should flagship companies be funded by government, the corporate sector and the public? Moderated by Louise Adler, this session will be broadcast by Radio National.

Visions: Key influential figures in the performing arts industry will outline their personal vision of the future of the performing arts in Australia. The different performance forms including live theatre, film and television will be covered.

Hypothetical

The Big Picture: A hypothetical examining the process of producing a film - from the germination of an idea through to distribution, highlighting the relationship between the creative and financial sides of the project. Panellists will include performers, writer/script editors, funding bodies, sponsors, producers, directors, MEAA, talent and casting agents, publicists and distributors.

Masterclasses

Voice: A series of practical workshops devoted to voice techniques:

• Vocal Techniques
  
• Accent & Dialects
  
• Voice-over & Radio Work
  
• A Capella
  
• Voice & Shakespeare
  

The first Conference attracted over 250 people from all areas of the performance industry including individual performers and representatives of theatrical, film and television companies, government bodies, union representatives and others. It is anticipated that the forthcoming event will attract a greater number of delegates, given the positive acclaim received by the first conference, and the degree of interest that has already been shown for the second one.

Conference Patron - Sam Neill

Sam Neill

"I was delighted to become the Patron of the National Performance Conference in 1994 because I recognised the importance of the event for the performance industry. The inaugural Conference was a great success, as any of the 300 participants will tell you.

"The aims of the Conference - to provide an appropriate forum where issues crucial to the careers and working environment of actors and other performers could be discussed; to provide professional development opportunities that are rarely available to the trained performer; and to enable performers to establish contacts with each other and the rest of the industry - remain as valid and necessary today.

"This forthcoming Conference will build on these foundations, and extend them through an exciting, stimulating and fun three day program. The Conference is a unique opportunity for Australian performers to enhance their skills and play a part in shaping the future of the industry.

"If you were unable to attend the first Conference, make it a priority to attend this one... and if you did attend, we look forward to seeing you again."

Sam Neill

Founding Members

The following performers, producers and directors are the founding members of the National Performance Conference: Nadia Tass, Peter Carroll, Judi Connelli, Nick Enright, Robyn Nevin, George Ogilvie, Anne Phelan, Bruce Spence, Kerry Walker, George Whaley, Jocelyn Moorhouse, Lynda House, P.J. Hogan and Tim White.

Board of Management

Genevieve Picot

Genevieve Picot (Chair) Performer

Melanie Beddie: (Deputy Chair). Performer, dramaturg and Founder of the $5 Theatre Company

Karyn Kaminga: (Secretary). Performer and Conference Programmer

Howard Manley: (Treasurer).Victorian Branch Secretary of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance

Victoria Eagger: Performer and member of the $5 Theatre Company

Liz Jones: Performer, Artistic Director of La Mama Theatre

Susan Lyons: Performer and Deputy Federal President of MEAA

Victoria Marles: Solicitor (Communications Law Centre)

Nick Murray: CEO, The Comedy Channel

Robyn Nevin: Performer and Director. Artistic Director of Queensland Theatre Company

George Ogilvie: Director

Ailsa Piper: Performer

Nadia Tass: Producer and Director, Cascade Films

George Whaley: Performer, director and lecturer at AFTRS

Tim White: Film Producer, Meridian Films

John Wood: Performer.

The National Performance Conference Inc. has been an Incorporated Association since 1994 and operates on a not-for-profit basis.

Speakers and Guests

The Conference will bring together national and international speakers who represent different areas of the industry - film, television and theatre; different roles - performers, directors and writers; and different approaches - the mainstream and the fringe, the creative and interpretive, the traditionalists and the modernists.

Chosen to coincide with the last weekend of the 1996 Melbourne International Festival of the Arts (MIFA), this year the Second National Performance Conference will be an umbrella event of MIFA. The Conference Programmer will work closely with the Festival organisation to facilitate access to national and international guests. Delegates will have the opportunity to attend MIFA events through a special package offer, as well as talk directly with the Festival's guests through their participation on panels, appearances, masterclasses and so on.

Date and Venue

The Second National Performance Conference is on from 1-3 November 1996 at the CUB Malthouse Theatre complex in Melbourne, Australia.

The Malthouse Theatre Complex is home to the Playbox Theatre Company, and is located in the heart of Southbank, Melbourne's arts precinct. The Malthouse is a five minute walk to the Victorian Arts Centre and other major arts organisations and to Southgate, the riverside complex which is home to restaurants, bars, cafés, banks, bookshops and more. Walk for another ten minutes and you are in the city centre. The Malthouse is easily accessible by tram or train. Car parking is available.

Registration Information

Registration: $210 for MEAA members and $450 for all others. Registration includes all sessions, morning and afternoon tea, lunch and Conference kit. It does not include accommodation.

Closing date to register for the Conference is Monday 14 October. Places cannot be guaranteed after this date as numbers are limited.

If you would like to register or simply go on to our mailing list, please contact Sarah Bartak at the Conference office at John Nicoll Media by email at nicoll@werple.net.au or write to Level 2, 18 Kavanagh Street, Southbank Vic 3006, Australia. Tel + 61 3 9686 7166 or fax + 61 3 9686 7160.

Send us your name, postal address, phone, fax and email address and you'll get all the info!