museum theatre: access all areas

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www.imtal2011.org


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DRAFT

IMTAL 2011 Handbook

Printed copies of the handbook will be available to delegates at the conference.

The program remains subject to change.

www.imtal2011.org

CommitteeCindy Thomas, Bethany Leong, Jo Clyne, Diane Gardiner, Diane Hilyear, Rachel Morrison,Patrick Watt, Chris Krishna-Pillay, Michelle Sanders, Lauren Bartlett, Jody Kingston,

Kimberley Moulton, Anthony Balla, Bernard Caleo, Lyn Beasley, Nadya Tkachenko, MargaretGriffith, Barry Kay

IMTAL 7 th Biennial International ConferenceMuseum Theatre: Access All AreasMelbourne, Australia16 20 October 2011

Sunday 16 October

BMW Edge , Federation Square 3.30 - 5.00 Conference Registration

Old Treasury Building , Spring Street6.00 7.30 Official welcome, drinks and canaps

Monday 17 October

BMW Edge , Federation Square8.30 - 9.15 Registration9.30 Welcome from Cindy Thomas, Fed Ed, Federation Square

Welcome from IMTALAP President: Barry Kay9.35 Welcome to Country9.45 Welcome from Laura Miles, Executive Director, Museums Australia (Victoria)10.00 Keynote Address: William McInnes. Actor, author and patron of Museum of

Democracy, Old Parliament House, Canberra.William McInnes is here through the kind support of the Museum of Democracy,Old Parliament House, Canberra.Introduced by Greg Lissaman, Museum of Democracy, Old Parliament House.

10.45 Morning Tea (Supplied)11.15 Performance: Sharing our Land and our Country

Fed Ed Program, Federation Square.11.45 Plenary Session: Panel Discussion

Global Perspectives. The state of museums and museum theatre around theworld.Chair: Michael Mills, South Australia; Mark Wallis, England; S. Xavier Carnegie,USA; Jenny Wake, New Zealand, Sue Atkinson, Tasmania.


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12.30 Lunch (Get your own as you make your way to Melbourne Museum) Travel viafoot, Bike Share, City Circle Tram.Lunchtime suggestions: Laneways near the Block Arcade, Brunetti, SwanstonStreet.

Melbourne Museum , Carlton Gardens

2.00 Parallel Session 1.1Lyn Beasley, PeterWilkins. NationalMuseum of Australia,Canberra.Come Alive AStudent Festival ofMuseum Theatre.

Parallel Session 1.2Dr Margaret Zeegers,University of Ballarat,& Michael Ward,Sovereign Hill.

A Pedagogy of Affective Learning:Sovereign HillMuseum School

Parallel Session 1.3Dr Ricci-Jane Adams & DrChristine Sinclair: University ofMelbourne:

Accessing the CulturalConversation: Youth Cultureand Receptive TheatreParticipation.

3.00 Parallel Session 2.1Meg Upton and

Daniel Betty. DramaVictoria.Footprints

Aestheticexperiences,performativeadventures.

Parallel Session 2.2Scott Wright. Erth

theatre company. A work in progress.

Parallel Session 2.3Jade Erikssen, Teina Moetara,

Heather Timms of Toi Whakaari:New Zealand Drama School.:Tatou: Maori frameworks ofencounter in development ofperformance grown fromartefact.

4.00 Explore Melbourne Museum5.00 Meet in Bunjilaka (TBC)5.30 Performance in Milari gardens (TBC)6.30 Wrap from Lauren Bartlett with reminder about buses for Tuesday.

Pumphouse Hotel in Nicholson Street, CarltonThe Patrick Parkinson Show

Finger food provided. Drinks at bar prices.(TBC)


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Tuesday 18 October

Sovereign Hill , Ballarat

8.30 Buses depart Melbourne from back of Federation Square. Russell Street and

Flinders StreetIf you are running late: ring 0417 034 116If you miss the bus which must leave on time, go to Southern Cross Station andget train (one way) to Ballarat (times: depart 9.07 & 10.07) and then get taxi (5minutes) to Sovereign Hill.Meet Bethany or Patrick to have name ticked.

10.00 Welcome and Morning TeaTim Sullivan, Director of Museums and Deputy CEO, Sovereign Hill Museums

Association.

10.30 Keynote Address: Towards a centre of excellence in Museum Theatre

collaboration/partnership between University of Ballarat and Sovereign Hill.Victoria Theatre

11.30 Performance: Chris Krishna-Pillay, Bernard Caleo. CSIROFaradays Candle

12.30 Lunch (Get your own) and have time to explore Sovereign Hill.

2.00 Parallel Session 3.1S. Xavier Carnegie,SmithsonianInstitution: NationalMuseum of American

History.The Time Trial ofJohn Brown:Evocative Theatre

Parallel Session 3.2Maryanne Hyde,Kelly Clifford & GailFrost. GeelongRegional Libraries.

Windows to theWorld Geelongscultural precinctscross-curricularexperience.

Parallel Session 3.3Michael Mills. HeapsgoodProductions, Adelaide.Beyond the glass case: takingmuseum theatre on the road.

3.00 Parallel Session 4.1Stephanie Rosestone10 museum-theatre-related-things I learnton my trip

Parallel Session 4.2Janice Haynes. CapeOtway Lightstationand Royal HistoricalSociety of Victoria.Characters of theLady of History.

Parallel Session 4.3 Alaine Beek. Essence FoodStudio and Werribee Park.Things that go bump in thenight!

4.00 Afternoon Tea

4.30 Performance followed by discussion: Anti-Chinese League

6.00 Pre-dinner drinks: United States Hotel

6.30 Dinner and Theatre Restaurant. Victoria Theatre An Evening with Lola Montez

9.30 11.00

Return to Melbourne. Arriving Federation Square


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Wednesday 19 October

National Gallery of Victoria (NGV International) St Kilda Road, Southbank

9.15 Welcome to NGV. Di Hilyear and Gina PanebiancoPecha Kucha #1

1. Circus Solarus2. Sandra Earle (Tocal Homestead)3. Two Friends productions

9.30 Keynote Address: Nigel Sutton

10.30 Morning Tea

11.00 Parallel Session 5.1Robert Bunzli.Questacon,Canberra.The Virtual Stage a

backstage pass intoclassrooms across

Australia.

Parallel Session 5.2Emma Cox. NationalGallery of Victoria.From string quartet to24 hour Dali: the rise

and rise of art afterdark at NGV.

Parallel Session 5.3Simone Mortan. Monterey Bay

Aquarium. California. FrameYour Story for Success.

12.00 Parallel Session 6.1Michael Van Tiel.PowerhouseMuseum, Sydney.Is the lastperformance reallythe end?

Parallel Session 6.2Jo Clyne. HistoryTeachers

Association ofVictoria.Museum Theatre inVirtual Museums?

Parallel Session 6.3Jo Henwood, AustralianStorytelling Guild. Sydney.Ears to hear and otherwise:communicating for disabilitiesand modalities.

1.00 Lunch in Great Hall and Performance

Performance: The Memorandium . Written specifically for International MuseumsDay.Penelope BartlauBarking Spider Theatre

2.00 5.00 Outcursion: Visits to choice of Immigration Museum, Scienceworks, PollyWoodside, National Sports Museum, National Gallery of Victoria

6.30 Conference Dinner: Queens Hall, State Library of Victoria


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William McInnes appears courtesy of the support of the Museum of Democracy, OldParliament House, Canberra.

McInnes has won:2002 Most Outstanding Actor at the Logie Awards, for My Brother Jack2008 Most Outstanding Actor at the Logie Awards, for East West 101

2008 Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 50th Australian Film Institute Awards forUnfinished

Nigel Sutton Nigel has worked as a professional performer, writer and creative consultant for over twentyyears in theatre, film, television and corporate education. His work has taken him across theglobe and it was in London that Nigel did his first work as a museum performer with the highlyawarded, Museum of the Moving Image Actors Company (MOMI).Nigel returned to Australia in the early 90s and after touring the country with childrenstheatre and innovative improvised education shows, he began pursuing his passion forperforming in museums and cultural institutions.In 1996 Nigel formed his company NDS Productions in response to the demand for his workin museum theatre and his expertise in using performance as an interpretive method to

engage audiences. His extensive work in this field includes performances and creativeconsulting for over 50 major museum exhibitions and arts festivals, the development of tourproducts for conservation organisations, as well as touring outreach performance basedprograms for cultural institutions.Nigel was lead consultant for the National Museum of Australia in the development anddelivery of the first National Forum on Performance in Cultural Institutions, Raising TheCurtain, held in Canberra 2002, the second National Forum on Performance in CulturalInstitutions, Spotlight on Performance, held in Canberra 2003 and the Fourth BiennialInternational Museum Theatre Alliance Conference, Extending our Reach, held in Canberra

Australia 2005.Nigel runs specialised training workshops for guides, educators and interpretation staff inmuseums, art galleries, historic sites, cultural centres, zoos and conservation parks. Nigel isrecognised as an innovator in the field of live interpretation and is currently delivering skills

based master classes to cultural institutions across Australia.Nigel is a professional actor and writer working in Corporate Entertainment, Television, Filmand Theatre. His comedic talents are well known in Sydney from his involvement withTheatresports as a player and popular host.Nigels credits include, Celebrity Sydney Comedy Festival (actor/writer). Gods Day Off ,Parramatta Riverside Theatre (actor/writer) The K-Way show , Sydney Design Festival(actor/writer) and 15 years of improvised comedy shows at Belvoir Street Theatre withSydney TheatresportsTelevision credits include: Joker poker, The Big Question, The Election Chaser, TheCameraa Trap, The Variety Show at the end of the World and host of TV1s the SCI-FILES .Nigels recent credits include, Getting away with Murder , Sydney Observatory (actor/writer).Krispin K Ornament is Crime , Sydney Design Festival (actor/Writer). PULP , Factory TheatreSydney (actor). The 2009 Canberra Impro Theatre Challenge (Host). The Dora Fay DavenportShow , NSW Seniors Week 2009 (actor/writer). Cogs and the Dragon , Power House Museum,Sydney (Director).

Performance Sharing our Land and our Country Fed Ed Program, Federation Square.Sharing our Land and Country

To explore aspects of the settlement of Melbourne and Australia, and thedevelopment of a multicultural nation.

This fun and experiential workshop will allow students to explore the idea of sharingtheir community with other people and cultures, through costume role play andcharacterisation. Drama educators will lead students through scenes from AustralianHistory, from the settlement of Melbourne to Federation.

This program is managed by IMTAL 2011 committee representative Cindy Thomas.Cindy is a teacher, musician and manager of education for the Fed Ed program atFederation Square.


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Parallel Session 1.1

Lyn Beasley, Peter Wilkins. National Museum of Australia, Canberra.Come Alive A Student Festival of Museum Theatre.

Presentation DescriptionThis presentation outlines how engaging students with Museum Theatre can providemuseums with a wonderful avenue of interpreting their collections in a new and fresh way. Italso emphasises how fully engaging students with the content of the museum can provide thebest kind of learning experience.Over the last ten years Lyn Beasley and Peter Wilkins have spent many hours discussing theadvantages of engaging students with history through the medium of performance. Throughdrama, the past can come alive and students can take a journey of discovery as they relatethe experiences of people in the past to their own lives today. For several years Petersdrama students at Narrabundah College validated this belief through productions such asStranded, Exiled and Miss Australia The Musical. For each of the productions studentsbegan with almost no knowledge and even less interest in the subject matter. But during the

process of researching the time, the events and the characters, students became intriguedand enthused as they confronted events and attitudes at once removed and yet surprisinglyresonant with their own lives.Talking to the students after each production it became apparent that they had learnt a lotabout an historical event which previously they had no interest in. They had not only learnt alot but had found that learning fascinating. Eager to involve more students with the storiescontained within the collection of the National Museum the Come Alive student festival ofmuseum theatre was conceived.The inaugural festival was held in the Visions Theatre at the National Museum of Australiabetween the 3 rd and the 6 th of November 2010. Eight schools and over 100 studentsparticipated in performing ten pieces of theatre over four days. Each piece was performedtwice at either a matinee or evening performance. Each piece was based on an exhibit at theMuseum and students researched and created their own pieces. Students who participated in

the Come Alive Festival constructed a bridge of understanding between the study of historyand the practice of theatre.This paper will detail the procedure followed by Peter and Lyn is setting up this first festival. Itwill explore the difficulties and the benefits from the perspective of the schools involved andfrom the perspective of the Museum. It is a warts and all look at a process which can be timeconsuming and frustrating but the benefits of which, in terms of a fulfilling educationalexperience, far outweigh all other considerations and allow the Museum to fulfill its mandateas an exceptional place of learning.

BiographyBetween them Peter Wilkins and Lyn Beasley have almost 50 years experience in MuseumEducation and Museum Theatre. They have used this experience and a fierce commitment tomuseum theatre to develop a program which enthuses and engages students and givesmuseums a unique method of interpreting their content. In 2010 the first full student festivalof museum theatre Come Alive! was presented at the National Museum of Australia


Dr Margaret Zeegers, University of Ballarat, & Michael Ward, Sovereign Hill. A Pedagogy of Affective Learning: Sovereign Hill Museum School

BiographyDr Margaret Zeegers is Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University ofBallarat. Majoring in History in her Bachelor of Arts degree, she taught Australian History andEnglish and English Literature in Victorian state secondary schools before turning to primaryteaching and teacher education in her graduate, postgraduate and academic work. Shecoordinates the English and Literacy courses in the Bachelor Education (P-10)


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and supervises a number of PhD students at the University of Ballarat. She has written andresearched extensively on various topics in Education, Literacy and History.

Michael Ward is Principal of the Sovereign Hill School, a Department of Education and EarlyChildhood Development school in Victoria.He has taught for 41 years in many types of school such as rural schools, large primary and

special schools. Michael has served as Principal in The Ewing House School for DeafChildren and mainstream schools. Six years ago he was appointed as Principal of theSovereign Hill School, a truly unique school within the education world


Dr Ricci-Jane Adams & Dr Christine Sinclair: University of Melbourne:

Accessing the Cultural Conversation: Youth Culture and Receptive Theatre Participation.

For many young people, the significance of going to the theatre is social rather than cultural,while for some young people - self-confessed theatre nerds - going to the theatre is an

opportunity to mingle with their people the theatre community. For others, going to thetheatre is not on their radar.

This presentation proposes exploring issues of inclusion and exclusion for young peopleattending mainstream theatre in Australia. It considers the significance of educators, theatreproducers and other gatekeepers who facilitate a young persons access to theatre events,the mediation of meaning and the development of theatre literacy. It considers how theexperience of belonging or not belonging impacts on their access to the cultural conversation(Myers, 2004).

The panel draws on emerging findings and key literature from a major Australian researchproject TheatreSpace: Accessing the Cultural Conversation designed to investigate theresponses of young people to mainstream theatre in three Australian states over four years.

In addition to academics from the University of Melbourne, this panel will bring togetherindustry partners from Melbourne Theatre Company, the Arts Centre, Malthouse Theatre and

Arena Theatre to contribute to the discussion around existing strategies for attracting youngaudiences, and exploration of the emerging data from the TheatreSpace project.

The presentation will consider the perspective of artists, educators and industry professionals,to some of the key issues that have informed the TheatreSpace project. These include: areassumptions about young peoples attendance being met or challenged through the emergentresearch? Does youth culture benefit from being categorised as a discreet audience? Whatdo we understand about young people, about young audiences and their motivations toattend theatre (and possibly other cultural events)? What are the practices and assumptionsthat inform cultural providers such as theatre companies and major venues, with respect toyoung audiences? Who are the gatekeepers to attendance and what is their role? How doyoung people experience theatre when they do attend and how can this be supported througheducation? What are young people responding to in the theatre? How can academic findingssupport theatre companies practically? What is measurable in understanding young peoplesengagement? When does engagement begin and what factors sustain attendance?

This presentation will consist of:Dr Christine Sinclair University of MelbourneDr Ricci-Jane Adams University of MelbourneDr Ricci-Jane Adams is the senior research coordinator for TheatreSpace: Accessing theCultural Conversation , a large-scale Australian Research Council study into young peoplesattendance at mainstream theatre, hosted by the University of Melbourne. Ricci-Jane is anevaluator and researcher for Polyglot Theatre, a company specialising in collaborative andinteractive performance for young people under the age of 12.


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Dr Christine Sinclair co-ordinates Drama Education at the University of Melbourne. She hasbeen a lecturer in drama education, theatre production, community arts practices and creativewriting over many years. Christine is also a freelance community artist and has writtenextensively on reflective practitioner research and other arts based research methodologiesand is currently Director of Publications for Drama Australia. Christine is a Chief investigatoron the ARC study TheatreSpace : Accessing the Cultural Conversation, a large-scale

longitudinal study into young peoples attendance at mainstream theatre.


Meg Upton and Daniel Betty. Drama Victoria.Footprints Aesthetic experiences, performative adventures.

This presentation will focus on the Drama Victoria initiative , Footprints , a project that bringstogether cultural institutions, teachers and students in a collaborative enterprise engagingyoung people in the creation of a performative response to exhibitions and cultural spaces.Piloted in 2009 at the Drama Australian Conference in Melbourne, Footprints has become amodel for developing ongoing relationships between the collaborative partners and for youngpeople to use drama and performance to respond in new ways to exhibitions and cultural

spaces.

The school of the future will, perhaps, not be a school as we understand it with benches,blackboards, and a teachers platform it may be a theatre, a library, a museum, or aconversation Leo Tolstoy

Footprints: Aesthetic Experiences, Performative Adventures presents an overview of a seriesof eight smaller projects that were born out of the Drama Australia Conference hosted inMelbourne in 2009. Early in 2009, Drama Victoria invited drama teachers and their studentsto work collaboratively with a cultural institution using drama and theatre within or in relationto a visit to that cultural institution. Teachers and students could respond to the space, anexhibition or other real or imagined world. A key aspect of the project was that young peoplewere able to make work to be performed in situ, in the spaces and places of the exhibitions

themselves. The eight cultural institutions that came on board as cultural partners were: TheNational Sports Museum, The Melbourne Museum, The Aquarium, The Immigration Museum,The Ian Potter Gallery NGV, The Victorian College of the Arts, the Old Melbourne Gaol Crimeand Justice Experience, and The Melbourne Zoo. The presentation will briefly outline theindividual projects and provide an overview of the future for the project that Drama Victoriaenvisages.

Footprints addresses the notion of access in an exciting and innovative way. When youngpeople had the opportunity to devise and perform work in exhibition and gallery spaces toconference delegates and in some instances to members of the general public, the impactwas profound. They had in effect, gained access in a physical, creative and aesthetic way.

The project called for a spirit of adventure for all stakeholders; drama teachers, their students,and the partner institutions, as well as the conference delegates who attended. Thepresentation aims to give voice to these stakeholders and to highlight the powerful learningthat occurs through young people being empowered to endow spaces with their ownunderstandings and meanings. Finally, the presentation will address how it has adapted fromthe 2009 Drama Australia conference into a workable product partnering Drama Victoria withcultural institutions, schools, teachers and students and the wider drama community throughonline resources and professional learning events.

Biography

Daniel Betty is an actor, director, musician and writer. He has a Bachelor of Performing andScreen Arts from Unitec Auckland and a Post Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching fromMassey University, New Zealand.

He has worked as an actor for a number of years and focused on the development of the


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individual through the exploration of acting techniques. Daniel has also worked as asecondary teacher, with his major disciplines being English and drama. He ran workshops inacting technique for 5 years at NYDS (National Youth Drama School) and worked closely withHaBYT (Hawkes Bay Youth Theatre) in devising theatre for youth by youth. He was thefounder of TeENZ (Theatre Education New Zealand), which ran workshops for secondary,tertiary and community organisations.

Daniel utilised his skills in developing New Zealand's sTAgE (Theatre Arts Education), aprofessional independent theatre company with an educational unit. He has been on theexecutive for Drama New Zealand as the Massey University representative and providedworkshops and resources for teachers throughout Australia and New Zealand. He haspublished articles in academic journals with a particular focus on acting technique and is anaccomplished scriptwriter.

Daniel currently splits his time as the Artistic Director for Daniel Ryan Productions and as theDirector of Programs for Drama Victoria. In these roles he provides professional developmentfor drama educators, teachers and students.

Meg Upton is a member of Drama Victoria and is the Project Officer for Drama Australias

Acting Green , a guideline document for sustainable drama teaching and sustainable theatremaking. She lectures in drama education at Deakin University and works as an arts educationconsultant with theatre companies such as Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse, RealTV, and Arena Theatre. Meg is the education board member for Platform Youth Arts. Megwas facilitator / co-ordinator for the Melbourne Museum Wild Things! Footprints project in2009 and regularly presents at conferences in Australia in the fields of drama and theatreeducation. She has written for a range of publications including NJ, Mask, and Lowdown . Sheis currently completing a PhD at the University of Melbourne in Arts Education


Scott Wright. Erth theatre company.

Cultural insight and retrieval or ( the fear of getting it wrong )

Erth are a company well known within the museum industry, both nationally andinternationally for their forays into natural history, producing amazing dinosaur puppets anddesigning shows that engage and inspire with theatrical innovation and integrity by thebucket loads. For the past 4 years , the company have been turning their attention toindigenous folklore, Artistic Director Scott Wright has traveled to, and spent time in numerouscommunities around Australia learning stories and working with elders and artists to explorenew concepts for the use of puppetry and performance with folklore and cultural practise.

A conversation about these experiences, warts and all about how fear has been the drivingforce of this investigation.

Biography

Scott Wright - Artistic DirectorScott is the Artistic Director and co-founder of Erth-Visual and Physical Inc since 1990.Having trained as a dancer and choreographer in Victoria, Scott is a multi-skilled artistincorporating puppetry (one of his greatest loves), movement, acting, aerial, stilts andpyrotechnics. Scott has directed most of Erths successful touring shows to dateincluding Dinosaur Petting Zoo , Garden , Gargoyles , various Museum projects around theworld and most recently, I,Bunyip as part of the Sydney Childrens Festival 2011.


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Tatou - Maori frameworks of encounter in development of performance grown from artefact.

Jade Eriksen, Teina Moetara, Heather TimmsToi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School.

A practical exploration of collaboration through historical object in the building ofcontemporary performance.

Objects are regarded not only as archive but also as catalyst for dynamic relationships withhistory, revealing our contemporary experience of difference. Participants will engage increative processes and be directed toward questions of translation, adaption and innovationthrough cultural and historical example.

In the workshop the ritual ceremony of encounter powhiri is used as a frame for developingperformance potential and group culture through an exploration of object - p o-whiri - weavewhiri, the unknown po. The process is an immersion into wananga, a form of learning thatbuilds through the distinct differences of participants, space and place.

Through the workshop participants will gain knowledge of the nature of Maori frameworks ofwananga , powhiri and pepeha , developing understanding of the value and potential ofworking with and transposing indigenous knowledge to encourage a live relationship withhistory. In so doing participants will experience a specific approach to creating performancethat works with place, artefact and history.

This workshop challenges static notions of culture, identity and history offering a dynamicapproach to Museum Theatre.

At Waitangi on 6 February 1840....Lieutenant- Governor Hobson said to each rangatira who signed theTreaty: He iwi tahi tatou. Presumably he was coached by somebody, probably Henry Williams.Colenso translated this into English as We are now one people. In doing so, he overlooked three

subtle points. First, the word iwi means nation as well as people. Secondly, if Hobson meant one(unified) people he should have said he iwi kotahi; tahi without the prefix ko means together. Thirdly,the last word, tatou, certainly means the first person plural we/us, but it is a special form, one without anequivalent in English. Use of tatou signals the fact that the we in question comprises two or moredistinct groups, which are and remain distinct within the unity.This succinct Maori sentence is incrediblydifficult to translate into English in a way that does it justice... Perhaps it would be good strategy to leavethe saying in Maori, untranslated, while all of us- old New Zealanders, young New Zealanders and newNew Zealanders- continue to debate and work out how to relate to each other, with the Treaty as ourguide.

Dame Joan Metge He taura whiri: The Treaty Our Guide, Tuamaka: The Challenge ofDifference in Aotearoa New Zealand, Auckland University Press, Auckland, 2010, p 27

Workshop Leaders

Jade Eriksen, Teina Moetara and Heather Timms are practicing artists and senior tutors atToi Whakaari: NZ Drama School. They have developed and teach an innovative newcurriculum and performance models that teach principles of contemporary performancepractice through investigating and making overt the purpose and function of frameworks ofengagement within Te Ao Maori.

Jade EriksenJade grew up in Gisborne, Tairawhiti, New Zealand; of Greek, Irish, Scottish and Danishdescent. Since completing a Master of Theatre Arts - Directing from Toi Whakaari/VictoriaUniversity, New Zealand, her interest in the area of intercultural politics, identity andcomposition have led her to work mainly within the devised theatrical form. Jade has directedand devised award winning collaborative works including Playing the Archive- with theTairawhiti Museum, Yatra with The Untouchable Collective- a NZ South Asian theatre

company, Stamping Grounds with TALKBACK Collective- refugee and migrant youth theatregroup , Migrant Nation , Pakiwaitara- with the Museum of Wellington, arcane and Auckland


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festival work Penumbra as well as leading and directing several seasons of the Toi Whakaari:New Zealand Drama School: Go Solo project.

She is a Senior Tutor in Context and Practice at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama Schooland also teaches and mentors within the Masters of Theatre Arts and Performance Designdegrees.

Teina MoetaraBorn and bred in the world of Maori Performing Arts, Teina hails from Manutuke, Gisborne,New Zealand. Having been a performing member of the internationally recognized WaihirereMaori Club for over 20 years, many of them as a core composer, Teina has since become co-founder and co-director of Te Manawa Maurea Kapa Haka based directly out of Manutuke.Trained as a primary school teacher, Teina was assistant principal and head of the Te ReoMaori total immersion unit at Manutuke Primary School before joining the cast of the DisneyTheatrical Production of The Lion King Sydney, Melbourne and Shanghai.

He is currently Head of Context & Practice at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School. He hasworked on a number of collaborative theatre projects investigating frameworks from the Maoriworld view as ways of making, including Pakiwaitara, with the Museum of Wellington. He is

also interested in scriptwriting, capturing Maori stories and values, and retelling them acrossdifferent performance mediums.

Heather TimmsHeather, an Australian of Welsh, English & Dutch decent, was born in Malaysia and grew upin Hong Kong. Her particular interest in intercultural politics and socially engaged arts practicehas led her to build and direct work with diverse communities in Australia, UK, India, Africaand now New Zealand. Heather has directed award winning projects including Face-Off , TheCockburn Performance Project Cockburn Aboriginal community, Spin , with the WA Ministryof Justice, her adaptation of Arundhati Roys the God of Small Things , Memory AnIntangible Map, with the Museum of Wellington, Manawa Po, Atamira & TakuRua - urbanhistoric site and community collaborations, Southern Corridor Project with Eko Theatre - along term inter-arts project within the Wellington Maori, Somali and Arts communities and

performed and toured The Battalion , with Te Rakau Hua a Maori theatre for changecompany. She has a Masters in socially engaged arts practice from Edith Cowan University,Western Australia and a strong commitment to questions of education, learning and teaching.

Heather is a Senior Tutor in Context and Practice at Toi Whakaari New Zealand DramaSchool , teaching across the Acting, Performance Design and Arts Technology andManagement degrees.

Performance: Chris Krishna-Pillay, Bernard Caleo. CSIROFaradays Candle

An illuminating one-man show which brings Michael Faraday and his candles to life."There is no better, there is no more open door by which you can enter into the study ofnatural philosophy than by considering the physical phenomena of a candle." MichaelFaraday

Biography

Chris Krishna-Pillay has performance experience in a wide range of genres, includingcabaret, drama, radio, rock music and comedy.His writing and performance credits include Howard Florey - a Tale of TallPoppies, Pre-Coital, Somnium, Great Big Science Gig and Dante's Laboratory. Chris is also theVictorian Manager of CSIRO Education and has performed across Australia, as well as in theUS, the UK, South Africa and New Zealand, as well as in Japan where he was one of six

Australian representatives at the Japan-Australia Science Performers Exchange in 2009.

Biography


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Bernard Caleo makes theatre and comic books, often at the same time. He has been writingfor and performing in museums and cultural places since 1995. He has worked part time inPublic Programs at Melbourne Museum since 2002. Since discovering kamishibai , aJapanese form of storytelling, in 2010, he has been experimenting with it and developing astyle of performance which he calls Paper Theatre. He writes about all of this stuff atwww.anislandart.blogspot.com

Tuesday 18 October


S. Xavier Carnegie, Smithsonian Institution: National Museum of American History.The Time Trial of John Brown: Evocative Theatre

With the expanding role of museums in society, how can Theatre be used evoke, and fosterdialogue about controversial, but relevant, issues? S. Xavier Carnegie, Creative Director atthe Smithsonians National Museum of American History, explores the relationship betweenmuseum and audience, and how the Smithsonians Theatre Program, The Time Trial of JohnBrown, bridges the gap. Participants will also be invited to weigh in on the conversation inparticipatory discussion during the session.

Time Trial of John Brown is a new theatre program by the Smithsonians NationalMuseum of American History. It is part of a series that puts figures in American history ontrial, and the audience becomes the jury, deliberating the historical legacy of the figure inquestion. The Time Trial of John Brown focuses on the famous abolitionist whose raid on aFederal Armory plotted to destroy American slavery. John Brown and his followers usedviolence to further the cause of emancipation leaving a complicated legacy. How shouldhistory remember a man who used violent means for a just end result?

Evocative Theatre is a lecture that explores the role of Theatre in provokingdiscussion, even on difficult issues. The lecturer, S. Xavier Carnegie, Creative Director ofTheatre Programs at the National Museum of American History, challenges his audience todebate these issues in a forum, and to contemplate the importance of Museum Theatre inevoking emotional and rational response to controversial but relevant issues. In keeping withthe Access All Areas theme of the IMTAL International Conference 2011, this 45 minuteseminar gives a behind the scenes look at developing theatre programs for the purpose ofinciting feelings and thoughts, their expression, and their examination using good scholarship,theatre technique, and constant reevaluation.


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IntroductionHow can a story evoke response in the audience? The lecturer begins with current events,inviting debate and discussion from the audience about controversial issues, and how theseissues can spark dialogue and close examination of the individual and of society. Thelecturer then introduces the objectives of the session: To highlight the use of theatre arts topromote self-reflection, open dialogue on important issues, and individual and societal

change, and encourage evocative examination among the Lecture Audience throughconversation and interactivity.

Time Trial of John BrownThe Lecturer gives an overview of the life of John Brown, and then introduces the programusing video clips and pictures. The big idea of Getting People Talking About History isexplored, as is the program format, which allows its sections to be delivered via the internet,and in a public forum via video media.

ScholarshipEducation can often spark Evocation. The lecturer discusses the role of scholarship in aninteractive theatre piece, and its challenges. The scholarly influence on societys pre-conceived notions of issues is also explored through researched writings and pictures.

Theatre ProgramHere the format is discussed in detail, as is the artistic process from inception, preparation,rehearsal, and performance. Audience responses are also highlighted.

EvocationUsing information on John Brown, the audience is invited to discuss his place history, andhow that history related to his legacy and our shared memory of his actions. The lecturerinvites all sides of the issue to be presented, and interjects with research, short stories, orexamples. The session ends with an exploration of the many issues the subject speaks to,and encourages the audience to continue to evaluate their opinions and feelings, and tochallenge their own audiences to do the same.

BiographySamuel Xavier Carnegie is the Creative Director for Theatre Programs at the SmithsoniansNational Museum of American History. He is a nine year museum theatre veteran, havingperformed for the Louisiana Childrens Museum, the National Museum of American History,The Smithsonian Associates, and Discovery Theatre. Xavier is the original actor of the awardwinning museum theatre production Join The Student Sit-Ins, and has since written anddirected several shows, including Sing Out, a theatrical exploration of the 1961 FreedomRides, The Time Trial of Benedict Arnold, and The Time Trial of John Brown. Upcomingprojects include Pirates and Privateers On the Water (working title), and a characterizationof Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution


Maryanne Hyde. Geelong Regional Libraries.Windows to the World Geelongs cultural precincts cross-curricular experience.

In 2011 a unique cross-curricular program focusing on visual arts, performing arts andliterature and language, was launched for schools in the Geelong region as a co-operativepartnership between Geelong Gallery, Geelong Performing Arts Centre and GeelongRegional Libraries.

The first program in the Windows to the World series was based on Sidney Nolans Gallipoliseries and explored the themes of this unique exhibition that constitute both a personal andpublic lament for a campaign that lost so many Australian lives.

The presentation aims to recreate the experience of the students who attended the Gallipoliseries program. Images from the exhibition will be displayed to initiate discussion, a


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performance piece will be outlined and an investigation of the letters, poems and songswritten in and around the time of the events of Gallipoli will be undertaken, with participantsbeing asked to create a piece of writing that explored their reaction to the themes of war andpeace and Nolans powerful images.

At the conclusion of the overview of the program, the outcomes for the students and teacherinvolved will be presented, together with a discussion about the collaborative partnership andfuture planned activities and events for the Geelong cultural precinct partners.

BiographyMaryanne Hyde is the Coordinator, Childrens and Youth Services for Geelong RegionalLibraries.

Kelly Clifford is Kelly Clifford is the Youth and Education Program Coordinator for GeelongPerforming Arts Centre.

Gail Frost is the Gallery Educator at Geelong Gallery.

All three presenters have education qualifications and are experienced presenters andteachers. They are passionate about bringing unique and engaging education experiences tostudents across a range of arts and cultural venues.


Michael Mills. Heapsgood Productions, Adelaide.Beyond the glass case: taking museum theatre on the road.Practitioners of Museum Theatre ought not be restricted to producing theatre within the wallsof a Museum. Indeed, its the artefacts that really matter, and the stories they reveal, not thewalls that surround them. Taking the artefacts, and their stories, to where the people are,though, has unique challenges, when the people are living in Australias most remotecommunities. What are these challenges? What are the solutions? And what are thetremendous benefits to both the Museum, and the community when the show goes on theroad?Through a wide range of on the road experiences, including involvement with the awardwinning South Australian Museum Roadshows to the remote Aboriginal communities of the

APY Lands, this paper will discuss how and why Museums need to spend more time takingtheir stuff, and their performances beyond the walls of the Museum. A Museum without wallsis a Museum that is relevant to not just a local community, but to an entire state. A Museumwithout walls has its challenges, but taking the show on the road, can give access tocommunities and groups who might otherwise never get an opportunity to walk amongst theamazing artefacts and stories we have to share.

Taking Museum Theatre on the road has a number of challenges from co-ordinating the tour,and linking to the particular communities. How do you bring the artefacts of a Museum to lifewhilst on the road? This, of course, depends on many things including the selection of theartefacts, and the nature of the theatrical experience that goes with them. Doing so canprovide an opportunity to rewrite existing work, or produce new and innovative theatre. It canprovide an opportunity to think outside the walls.

One of the most rewarding outcomes revealed during the APY Lands experiences has beenthe concept of Ngapartji Ngapartji: I give something to you you give something to me. Theexperience became one in which many of the communities would also share something withthe people of the Museum.

In looking at the issue of audience development, we need to ask how we reach the peoplethat dont come? How do we overcome the sometimes overwhelming geographical barriers?Or the socio-economic barriers that prevent people from experiencing the magic of MuseumTheatre? In taking Museum Theatre on the road, do we enhance the likelihood of future visitsfrom those remote communities, when those communities are in town. The evidence seemsto say yes.


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Janice Haynes. Cape Otway Lightstation and Royal Historical Society of Victoria.Characters of the Lady of History.

The Lady of History presents engaging, accurately researched theatrical characterisations ofreal life people from history adding a lively sense of the past to todays world. PerformerJanice Haynes presents some of her current suite of characters developed for the CapeOtway Lightstation and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and explains how she interactswith audiences of all ages. My mind enquiring is in tone and all its sparkles are my own Jessie Webb.

The Characters of the Lady of History presentation will demonstrate how the stories of reallife people from history have been researched, scripted and effectively prepared into theatricalpresentations designed to engage with audiences and invite their participation and learning.

A skilled performer, Janice Haynes has a lively and authentic performance style that clearlyshows her passion and interest in the past and social history. This presentation shows thepower of story-telling as an outreach, communication and education mechanism.

The Lady of History characters link to the overall conference theme of access, and thepresentation concentrates on the process of performance practice along with the capacity ofperformance to address participation barriers through the medium of a live performer.The objective of the presentation is to demonstrate how live performance can engageaudiences and create opportunities for quality interaction, and as a means of impartingknowledge in a quick and charming way.

In this presentation Janice Haynes explains how her current suite of characters developed andevolved for the Cape Otway Lightstation the oldest lightstation on Australias mainland built in1848 - the convict shipwreck survivor Rose Ann Hyland; Mary Ann Ford, wife of the LighthouseSuperintendent; Catherine Evans, whose two children died on Cape Otway; and The Lady inGrey, who became insane, and in her presentations as the Academic Jessie Webb, one of thefounding members of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.

Content themes include stories of the early settlement of Victoria, pioneering spirit and remoteliving for families, and maritime history. The characters of the Lady of History presentationcovers the following school curriculum History themes: Year 4 world history and themovement of peoples and migration; Year 5 colonial Australia in the 1900s, the founding of acolony and the history of the British colonies; Year 6 the development of the country as anation; and Year 7 Ancient cultures, as well as Victorian Education Learning Standards incommunication, technology, geography and thinking processes.

In this presentation Janice will present several characters in performance mode in costumewith the aid of computer visuals, and explain some of the engagement strategies she uses toencourage participation. She will be happy to answer questions from the floor and isparticularly interested in meeting the needs of conference participants in terms of impartingskill and knowledge.

BiographyJanice Haynes has more than 20 years experience in theatre performance including a careeras a dancer, as an arts administrator and tour presenter, and as a venue manager (Sir RobertHelpmann Theatre, Her Majestys Theatre - Ballarat and the Esso BHP Billiton WellingtonEntertainment Centre). She was the Co-ordinator of the Art Deco 2008 Regional Festival andis currently an independent theatre producer and the Tour consultant for HIT Productions.

At the Cape Otway Lightstation Janice presents historic re-enactment performances includingthe convict shipwreck survivor Rose Ann Hyland; Mary Ann Ford, wife of the LighthouseSuperintendent; Catherine Evans, whose two children died on Cape Otway; and The Lady inGrey, who became insane. For the Royal Historical Society of Victoria Janice performs as earlyfounding member and female Academic Jessie Webb and in 2012 the play Velvet Rebel willtour in Melbourne and to Performing Arts Centres across Victoria.


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Wednesday 19 October

Pecha Kucha #1

1. Circus Solarus

Circus SolarusCircus Solarus has over 2 decades of experience working with people to tell their storiesthrough costumed performance, large images, visual arts workshops and commissionedshows.In museums we bring exhibitions to life through engaging performances and activities, suchas tours in character followed by children's craft workshops on the exhibition theme,interactive performances to highlight parts of the museum or exhibition.For the Pecha Kucha we will highlight 2 examples - the Dinosaur Dig: children join our'archeological team' to unearth the bones of a new species hidden beneath the sand. Plus wewill show footage of a shadow puppet activity - children making puppets and using them in ashow. This could be developed with different historical or cultural themes animating exhibitionstories for younger visitors

2. Sandra Earle (Tocal Homestead)

Tales of Tocal was first devised to tell the story of Tocal Homestead heritage precinct to anew audience, with next to no budget. What resulted was an intimate theatre concept whichhas been flexible enough to build on. The 'show' has been a real audience winner, hasturned a modest profit and has subsequently brought a whole range of side benefits (and asome challenges). Using the features of the historic site and a large crew of volunteers, theaudience eavesdrop their way through the story, before enjoying dinner in the old hayshed.

Sandy Earle has now produced three seasons of Tales of Tocal for Tocal Homestead and isworking on a fourth. She currently manages the operations at Tocal Homestead heritageprecinct, located in the Hunter Valley of NSW, two hours north of Sydney. She has a longstanding interest in period clothing and has been wardrobe mistress for a number of local


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theatre productions. She wrote and produced ' A Century of Defence of Torres Strait' forThursday Island Historical Society in 1994. She was also a presenter at National Museum of

Australia (Yarramundi) for the 'Snugglepot and Cuddlepie' school holiday program, part of theMay Gibbs exhibition 1997/8.

3. Two Friends Productions

Chemistry is a subject many children (and adults, for that matter!) find daunting. This year -tocelebrate the Year of Chemistry- Two Friends Productions, alongside Sovereign Hill Museum,decided to bridge the gap and introduced students to the history of chemistry, the chemicalelements, and the invention of the periodic table. They set to work researching; siftingthrough masses of information to find a play structure that included not only the mostimportant facts but was accessible and interesting to children. The result was ElementallySpeaking, a highly comedic 40 minute play filled with heightened characters; including

Aristotle, Mendeleyev (accredited as the inventor of the modern periodic table) and many ofthe chemical elements who were brought to life through masks and physical comedy. Thispucha kucha presentation will explore how Two Friends Productions took an intimidatingsubject and made it accessible to young audiences at Sovereign Hill. .

Biography Amanda Pearce and Jade Thomson are Two Friends Productions, a theatre company thatcreates and performs educational comedies for children.Each play explores themes such as the worlds natural history, the lives of historical figures orscientific concepts, while also incorporating important messages of self-esteem, confidenceand following your dreams.

Amanda and Jade met whilst studying a Bachelor of Arts (Acting) at the University of Ballarat Arts Academy which they graduated from in 2009.Two Friends Productions was formed following the overwhelming positive response receivedfrom the childrens educational comedy they wrote about Charles Darwin during their finalyear at the Arts Academy. Titled Happy Darwin Day the play was produced by Sovereign Hillin affiliation with The University of Ballarat Arts Academy.They have since enjoyed creating new plays and working with various schools and museumsincluding Sovereign Hill, Narmbool Environmental Camps, The National Sports Museum andThe State Library of Victoria. They are excited to see what scientific adventures come next.


Robert Bunzli. Questacon, Canberra.The Virtual Stage a backstage pass into classrooms across Australia.

Australian schools are rapidly tooling up to engage with a digital world. Cultural institutionsare increasingly offering educational access to their collections and education programsthrough digital means.Questacon delivers two streams of video conference (VC) activity - one-on-one highlyinteractive science education sessions to schools, and larger scale events with multipleschools. Our challenge is to develop methods to engage interactively with multiple endpointsto deliver high impact sessions designed to inspire and engage students.This session looks at how institutions and museum theatre practitioners can digitally extendtheir footprint to schools and communities across Australia.

Aim/s of the presentationThis session explores how institutions, performers and presenters can use digitaltechnologies to more widely distribute cultural and educational programs.The session will attempt to dispel the artificial mental boundary that divides live performance

for a live and present audience in an institutional setting and live performance for a live butremote audience. Similar performance techniques can be used in each medium, includingnarrative, character, emotion, and general interactive engagement.


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How does it link in with our theme and your chosen focus area Using VC and other digital technologies, Questacon performers can virtually access all areasof Australia every State and territory, each school system, pre-school, primary, secondaryand university students.

Objectives and expected participant outcomes i.e. knowledge, skill, attitudeParticipants will gain an understanding of: how digital delivery of educational content is rapidly increasing with the uptake of

video conferencing in schools; which state education departments have appropriate infrastructure; and what the future holds with the rollout of the National Broadband network. Performers will gain an understanding of how their skills and experience can be used

in interactive video links. Institutions will learn how various museums and organisations in Australia are facing

this challenge, how Australian developments sit in a global context, and most

importantly how to start exploring a foray into remote classrooms via videoconference and other digital delivery mechanisms.

Content to be presentedWith 3700 Victorian and NSW schools already connected to video conference (VC)equipment and the NBN being rolled out progressively, Australian cultural institutions have aready made market of schools wanting digital content delivered to their schools in real time.How do you start to engage with this market?This session will survey the field of existing content providers and the rapidly increasing levelof penetration of video conferencing into educational markets in USA, UK, NZ and Australia.Reference will be made to a Working Group of NSW and national institutions which has beenmeeting all year to collaboratively share their experiences and plan sector-wide strategiesand activities. The enthusiastic atmosphere reminds me of the momentum in cultural

institutions that led to the national museum theatre forums and conferences from 2002 andthe acceptance of performance as a legitimate medium for engaging with visitors.Two examples of uptake: the NSW Department of Education has the largest number of VCcameras in the world on one network. Last year DET delivered 5000 endpoint hours ofcontent to schools and can be considered a global leader in this field.In Victoria all 1500 public schools are currently being equipped with HD video conferencing.Other States are in varying stages of VC development. The digital future is almost upon us, and institutions need to prepare for an increase indemand from regional, remote and metropolitan schools.

The session will specifically address: The advantages to an institution of digital delivery of content, programs and

collections. Common institutional pitfalls when preparing to use video conferencing as a delivery

medium. Cutting edge developments in engaging with remote audiences either through

technology solutions (green screen, autocue, multiple cameras etc) or byperformance technique (interactive performance techniques, narrative, character,emotion).

The session will also address the issue of ubiquitous access how to cope with thetechnology access gap:

Access issues arise with digital media as there are many schools not equipped to participatein digital programs, either through lack of technology or because of lack of bandwidth inregional areas. One step Questacon has taken towards ubiquitous access is to stream ourevents live to the internet so that schools can view our sessions live and participate by


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sending questions by email which we endeavour to answer during the session.

What interactive strategies will you use to ensure participationThe presenter will use some of the interactive techniques developed specifically for videoconferencing to engage with the conference audience (including use of volunteers), and toillustrate the commonalities between live performance and video link presentation.

Depending on the A/V setup, I would also like to organise a live video link to QuestaconsDigital Studio for an interactive in-character science demonstration with high speed camerafootage to replay the live action in super slow motion while the performer talks the audiencethrough what is happening. I would also like to link to another institution eg. Historic HousesTrust of NSW, to showcase how a history-centric cultural organisation currently usesperformers to deliver in-character digital content to schools.I am able to facilitate discussions about how these links can be achieved.

Biography After an initial career as a theatre director and video producer, Robert Bunzli has specialisedin Science Communication across various Commonwealth portfolios. In the 1990s he wasProduction Manager for a range of external theatre productions at Questacon. In 2000 hefounded Questacons performance troupe The Excited Particles and was the manager and

director until 2005. He was on the organising committee for the first two National Forums onMuseum Theatre and the IMTAL conference 2005. He then managed Questacons Publicprograms before moving into educational video conferencing and the new Centre for DigitalCommunication in 2008 as Production Manager and Content Producer.


Emma Cox. National Gallery of Victoria.From string quartet to 24 hour Dali: the rise and rise of art after dark at NGV.

Since the first late night openings in 2004 in the newly refurbished museum, the art after darkprogram at NGV International has grown into a brand synonymous with the Melbourne WinterMasterpieces exhibition series, bringing record crowds to the gallery. With a themed musicand performance program developed by the public programs team in consultation withexhibition curators and the music and performance community, the program has been amajor force in audience development and increasing access and participation for the NGV.

This presentation will trace the evolution of the art after dark program at the NGV, from thefirst handful of late night openings in 2004, presented in association with the blockbusterexhibition The Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Muse dOrsay, to the phenomenal 24-Hour Dali, which attracted record crowds throughout one 24 hour period on the closingweekend of that exhibition.

Through the art after dark program, the NGV has sought to broaden audiences and increaseaccess and participation in a literal way through extending the hours the gallery is open butalso, through the accompanying music and performance program, in providing a particularway for audiences to engage with the NGV and its exhibitions. The art after darkprogramming provides and creates an environment that is welcoming, atmospheric,recreational, fun (and free) a space where you can talk, eat, drink, dance and be merry, aswell as look at art. With attendances steadily increasing since the beginning of the program, itis clearly one way that audiences want to engage with the museum.

Changing exhibitions provide rich material from which to develop a themed music andperformance program. From the highly polished production that is the art deco inspired Cairo

Club Orchestra to the rough and tumble Parisian flavoured bohemia of the Dali-esqueRapskallion, performers are selected according to who may best connect with the theme or


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spirit of the relevant exhibition. Through commissioning and often collaborating withperformers in the development of the program, a feeling of ownership of the museum for abroad range of artists and communities is enhanced - an important element in the process ofaudience development that occurs through the program.

The objectives of this presentation are for participants to gain knowledge of the currentpractices of Australias oldest art museum in music and performance programming for the artafter dark series, and to address the conference theme of Access and Participation. Thepresentation will be highly illustrated with examples of performances across the duration ofthe art after dark program and will be followed with an opportunity for discussion andquestions.

BiographyEmma is a qualified and experienced museum professional with expertise in culturalprogramming, interpretation, audience development and project management. Since joiningthe Public Programs team at the NGV in 2003, Emma has developed the public programs forover 30 exhibitions, including four Melbourne Winter Masterpieces shows, and has played acentral role in the development and delivery of the art after dark and the Late Night Thursdays@ NGV Australia programs. Emma has extensive experience in public speaking and haspresented lectures on numerous NGV exhibitions, particularly the Melbourne WinterMasterpieces series. Emma holds a BA with first class honours and postgraduatequalifications in Museum Studies from Deakin University.


Simone Mortan. Monterey Bay Aquarium. California. Frame Your Story for Success.Museums and cultural institutions are definitely stepping up to the bar when it comes topresenting programs that stimulate debate about social topics. Museum Theatre has providedaccess into the emotions of our visitors, and now learning more about cognition and howpeople approach new information about topics that affect society is giving us a new way toevaluate the messages in our theatrical programs so that we can improve the effectiveness ofour messages.Goal: To provide museum theatre professionals with a new way of looking at theatreproductions through the lens of framing so they can develop scripts that will make contentaccessible.Theme: Access all AreasImproved understanding about cognition and how people accessnew information can help us to frame our messages in ways that make the content moreunderstandable, providing us better access into the minds of our audience. Thisunderstanding of cognition and framing is giving us new ways to evaluate the effectiveness ofmessages in our theatrical programs.Objectives: In this session participants will learn about the process of framing and will havethe opportunity to apply the ideas of framing to the evaluation of one script and to brainstormwith colleagues about ways to approach one or two topics provided by participants.Content: In this workshop we will look at how framing using universal values, causal chains,and metaphors helps present the information in ways that can make new information moreaccessible and change how people view a topic. We will discuss how people approach newinformation and will discuss ways to avoid the pitfalls of miscommunicationYou said this,they thought that We will use universal values to connect the message to the audience andcausal chains and metaphor to make that content more easily understood.Interactive Strategies: With this understanding of framing we will take on the role as theatrecritics and examine a script from the Monterey Bay Aquarium that deals with the topic ofclimate change and see if the framing in the program is effective in delivering the message,

promoting understanding of the issue and prompting behavioral change. After theintroduction to framing and this exercise, we will choose one or two topics from the groupwhere an institution wants to address a complex or controversial subject and we will


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brainstorm ideas about how we would frame these topics in the context of a museum theatreproduction that would make the content more accessible to our audience and through the useof values, causal chains, and metaphors we can help the audience to understand theirrelationship to the issue and how they might take action that moves toward a solution.

Biography

Simone Mortan is the past president of IMTAL-Americas. She has been involved in twofederally funded grants in the U.S. to work on how aquariums can effectively message aboutthe topic of climate change. Through those two grants she has participated in workshopsdeveloped by Frameworks Institute, a think tank that works specifically with non-profitorganizations about communication strategies that change the public conversation aboutsocial problems. Simone is now looking at ways to use these strategies as tools to improvethe script development for museum theatre productions that address the topic of climatechange. Simone chaired the 2009, 6 th Biennial conference of IMTAL held in Monterey. Shehas worked with Kinan Valdez and El Teatro Campesino to develop two mission driventheatre productions at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She manages the volunteer program andcontinues to act in an advisory capacity about the theatre programs at the aquarium

Session 6.1

Michael Van Tiel. Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.Is the last performance really the end?The curtain has fallen on the last performance, but is this really the end? In this presentationwe look at how the Powerhouse Museum is attempting to repurpose its live school holidaystage performances for a new education audience via Connected Classrooms. Through amotive of self-preservation we also look at the how such a strategy reaches audiences thatmay not be able to afford to visit the Museum to attend a physical performance.

The aim of this presentation is to give an overview on the how the Powerhouse Museum isadapting its large scale school holiday performances to be reused in alternative formats. Itwill also be a stimulus for other participants to think about the life that their performancescould potentially have via the internet and other means.

This presentation bridges two of the main focus areas. Access and Participation in that it isdeliberately targeting school audiences who cannot attend a physical performance at theMuseum due to either cost, distance, timing or the restrictions of organising an excursion.Innovation and technology is covered in that the Museum is embracing ConnectedClassrooms which is now available in NSW Government Schools.

The case study that will be presented is Cogs Chemistry Show a show that especiallydeveloped for the International Year of Chemistry but due to budget cutbacks further schoolperformances were cut. The development of repurposing it for Connected Classrooms is acurrent work in progress. Hopefully it will be at a stage where we will actually be able to run asession as if we were a classroom and participate in part of the program. Thus internetaccess will be required.

Opportunities will also be given for the audience to think about performances that they havedone and how they too could also have a potential life.

BiographyMichael Van Tiel is a Producer in the Family and Community Experiences Department at thePowerhouse Museum, Sydney. In this role he has the unique opportunity of creatingmemorable experiences for the family audience that engage them with the collecting fields ofthe Museum. He is currently working on creating a performance for XXX: the exhibition. Heworks collaboratively with some of Australias top youth theatre companies including

Australian Theatre for Young People, Kim Carpenters Theatre of Image and Zeal Theatre.The latter collaboration involved an adaption of The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.Michael takes a strong interest in the way in which mascots can be used by a culturalinstitutions as an effective communication tool. This interest has led to the production of six


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stage performances starring the Powerhouse Museum mascots Zoe & Cogs. Michael iscurrently treasurer of IMTALAP.

Ali Gordon is a museum professional, arts manager, teacher, theatre director and actor. Hercreative work includes: Co-devisor and performer, The Magic Hat Drop BearTheatre; Director, Aleksander and the Robot Maid Drop Bear Theatre/Seymour Centre;

Associate director Brundibar Windmill Performing Arts (Director Nigel Jamieson, ConductorRichard Gill); Associate Artist Emily Loves to Bounce Patch Theatre Company (Director DaveBrown); Assistant Director Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge Windmill Performing

Arts (Director Neill Gladwinn, Puppetry director Peter Wilson); Assistant Director Proof StateTheatre Company of South Australia. Ali has worked as Marketing Manager at Belvoir StTheatre and Higher Ground Multidisciplinary Arts Space and Marketing Services Manager atthe Australian National Maritime Museum. She has taught Year 12 Drama at Scotch Collegein Adelaide, facilitated countless workshops for and with young people and founded her owntouring children's theatre company. Ali trained with honours as a director and actor at FlindersUniversity Drama Centre and in Arts Management at the University of South Australia. She iscurrently Creative Director of Drop Bear Theatre and an Education Officer at the PowerhouseMuseum. At the Powerhouse Museum, Ali is thrilled to be finding ways to interpret museumcollections and concepts using theatrical techniques.


Jo Clyne. History Teachers Association of Victoria.Museum Theatre in Virtual Museums?

Many cultural institutions have created an online presence by replicating their collections invirtual environments. In this session Jo will demonstrate the potential for museum theatre toexist in a virtual environment through the development of scripts for avatars and virtualobjects. Participants will be introduced to virtual museums and heritage sites such as theVirtual Quarantine Station, a FUSE funded collaboration between the History Teachers

Association of Victoria, The State Library of Victoria and the Public Records Office of Victoria.

BiographyJo Clyne is a History Education Consultant for the History Teachers Association of Victoria.She is a member of the IMTALAP committee and currently completing a PhD in MuseumTheatre. Jo is a professional part-time magician and tutors The Secret Life of Things at theUniversity of Melbourne.


Jo Henwood, Australian Storytelling Guild. Sydney.Ears to hear and otherwise: communicating for disabilities and modalities.

Nobody is perfect - we all have strengths and weaknesses, from vision or hearing or cognitivefunctioning, to our preferred modality within the Multiple Intelligences, and it all influences ourworld view.

So for everyone to varying degrees we need to supplement the words we use with a range ofother communicative techniques. We can use visual, tactile, and auditory props to adapt wellknown stories for audiences with particular needs.

To explore methods of communicating stories to people with visual or auditory impairments,intellectual disabilities and to a range of modalities

How does it link in with our theme and your chosen focus area


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Access for people with disabilities Accessing a range of strategies to use with a broad range of audiences

Objectives and expected participant outcomes i.e. knowledge, skill, attitude

Knowledge Different modalities (Multiple Intelligences) Features of different disabilities: visual, auditory, intellectual

Skills Telling stories Using a variety of communication techniques and props Adapting plots for performance with different audiences

Affect appreciation of diversity of needs in potential audiences confidence in having an enriched repertoire of communication techniques

Outcomes At the conclusion of the workshop participants will be able to:

discuss some needs of people with visual, auditory or intellectual disabilities identify their own preferred modality name seven modalities select appropriate resources to enhance communication to particular audiences choose language, body language and participative techniques as appropriate to a

particular audience choose and adapt a story for a particular audience have an enriched repertoire of techniques to use with different audiences perform a story for a particular audience

Content to be presented

1) features of various disabilities2) needs of people who have those disabilities3) communication techniques which can be used with people with disabilities4) Multiple Intelligences: definitions and applications5) communication needs of people with different modalities in language, body language andprops6) participative storytelling techniques7) telling a story : traditional, historic or environmental for a particular audience8) creating a program for a particular audience

What interactive strategies will you use to ensure participation

complete brief test identifying Multiple Intelligences adapt an existing story to to suit a different audience perform a participative story use props VISUAL drawing, signing, signs

AUDITORY instruments, sound effectsTACTILE fabric, clay, objects choose an audience (including general audiences, such as choirs or preschoolers

which involves predicting what their preferred modality might be) choose a storychoose props, techniques and enhancements


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perform the story in a small group

BiographyJo Henwood is a Storyteller, Guide and Education Officer, currently working with the RoyalBotanic Gardens Sydney and Historic Houses Trust of NSW. She has also worked in specialeducation, gifted education, out of school hours centres, preschools, as a massage therapist

for people living with AIDS, with volunteers and as a children's librarian.

THE MEMORANDIUMMemory is the cabinet of imagination, the treasury of reason, the registry of conscience andthe council-chamber of thought.Giambattista Basile

The Memorandium is a theatrical exploration of our memories - the stories, feelings, thoughtsand impressions that reside within us all. Hiding in old post-office pigeon-holes are a number of parcels and packages - abandoned,lost, forgotten or perhaps never delivered. In The Memorandium, these parcels areunwrapped and passed around and shared with the audience. Together we then create a

story, formed and inspired from a collection of memories aroused from the sensation of theseold or forgotten objects. Puppets emerge from the pigeon-holes - as breathtaking as ourshared memories and stories.

BiographyPenelope Bartlau (Barking Spider Visual Theatre)I am the current Producer and Artistic Director of Barking Spider Visual Theatre (BSVT). Iwrite, direct, dramaturge and perform for puppetry and visual theatre for our company andwith other companies and institutions.Education: Master of Puppetry, Victorian College of the Arts (2007); ProfessionalScreenwriting, RMIT (01); Commedia DellArte, Antonio Fava, Italy; Lee Strasberg Institute,New York City; New York University, 20th Century American Fine Art and Design , (withHarold Jaffy) (95-96); Bachelor of Arts, Monash University, Politics and English LiteratureMajors (1989). Singing training (1986-89) with Loris Synan & Graham Clarke. I completed a two-month intensive workshop and performance, Landscapes Within withPhilippe Genty and Mary Underwood in 2006. I have also trained with a number ofinternational master puppeteers, including Ronnie Burkett (Canada), Peter Schumann (Breadand Puppet Theatre, USA), Petr Matasek (Czech Republic) and Kazunori Watanabe/MiyakoKurotani (Japan). I took part in a two-week collaboration with students from the DAMU ArtCollege in Prague, culminating in a performance at the Prague Quadrennial 07.

With Barking Spider Visual Theatre (BSVT) founded in September 2006, I have created inexcess of 16 original works. These have been for children, for young adults and adultaudiences. Five shows have toured nationally and one internationally. Two works werecreated for the Immigration Museum on specific cultural themes. Our April 11 show Thats

My Turf, created for Scienceworks, was based on bugs in the backyard, with giant bugpuppets. I have been strategic in diversifying BSVTs work, moving into realms of visual arts,working specifically to collaborate with galleries, museums and other institutions to developand present visual theatre and visual art in new ways theatrical interactivity with visual art.In 2010 I worked at Heide Gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria, Hawthorn Art Gallery, and

Albury City Library-Museum and Art Gallery. In 2010 I toured shows to South Australia, NewSouth Wales, Tasmania and in regional Victoria, as well as presenting works in Melbourne.

In the past 3 years I have collaborated with a number of other companies, businesses andinstitutions. I was director of Signet Bureaus theatre-inspired fashion parade for MelbourneInternational Fashion Festival. I worked as puppetry director on Hoa Phams Silence , which Ire-directed for a remount/second season at the Carlton Courthouse and short Victorian tour inMay-June 10. I also worked with New York based company Phantom Limb, on a

development of a work 69

South, about the life of explorer Ernest Shackelton. In 10 I workeda with a Tokyo theatre company (in Tokyo), creating bilingual work for children. I helped


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develop object puppetry techniques in preparation for a work they were creating. Last year Icollaborated with Melbourne Workers Theatre in the production of a TV Pilot, which I alsodirected. In 07 I directed puppetry for White Whales production Melburnia.

I work as a stable puppeteer for the Melbourne Museum and I also work with Polyglotpresenting roving puppets at festivals and events and puppet workshops. I presentedworkshops in puppetry in Japan, in Itoigawa, Nigata Prefecture and in Aomori. Otherworkshops I have generated & present through BSVT include Object Theatre, BunrakuPuppetry and How to Make a Piece of Theatre from Scratch . I have taught at Monash UnIStudent Theatre, Melbourne Uni Student Theatre, Gearstick Theatre Company (WaggaWagga), Theatre Works and for other theatre companies/groups both regionally and withinMelbourne.

I am an Artistic Associate of Melbourne Workers Theatre, part of the Kew Courthouse ArtsReference Group, and a member of YPAA, AWDA, Theatre Network Victoria and UNIMA

Australia. I regularly write articles and reviews for the UNIMA Australia magazine. I am also amember of Museums Australia, and I delivered an abstract at the September 2010 Museums

Australia conference on the use of the theatre in a museums and gallery context. I will speakon the same topic at a symposium at the National Sports Museum in November this year.

With the company, BSVT, I am developing a slate of new works this year: Talking Head - Atravelling carnival-style, interactive story-telling machine with shadow puppetry for which inMay we completed a two-week intensive creative development at Arts House, including aday-long Master class with Master Shadow Puppeteer Richard Bradshaw. The Memorandium - interactive story telling with puppetry performance for adults; After Dark site-specific,storytelling through puppetry based on the history and local area of City of Brimbank; A BigHand For Big West A large-scale community-based puppetry project for the opening nightof Big West Festival in November. Heide 30 th Birthday Celebration Weekend I am directingand designing the event entertainment spots, around celebration themes Art, Architecture &Landscape; and If Walls Could Talk an Arts Victoria residency at Preshil Primary School,creating art installations and puppetry works with the children, based on the schools history.

Finally, this year I have launched one of our shows, The Biscuit Readings Online . Over thepast 6 months I have been developing the project, as an experiment in using socialnetworking media as both a performance and publicity platform.

You can view my work at:Barking Spider Visual Theatre Website: http://www.barkingspidertheatre.com.au You Tube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/barkingspidertheatre

The Biscuit Readings Website: http://www.thebiscuitreadings.comYou Tube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/thebiscuitreadings


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Thursday 20 October

Plenary Session: Performance.Jade Thomson & Amanda Pearce. Two Friends Theatre Company.For the love of Becker.

Synopsis: This performance has been included in the State Library of Victoria's regionaltouring program 'Travelling Treasures' for 2011-12. The program focuses on the ill-fatedBurke and Wills expedition of 186061, and takes collection items from the Library to schoolsand public libraries across the state. The performance is based on the life of expedition artistLudwig Becker, whose sketches and paintings recorded expedition conditions and thelandscapes and creatures encountered by the explorers. The items toured with the programwill be on display after the performance for conference delegates to view.

Biography Amanda Pearce and Jade Thomson are Two Friends Productions, a theatre company thatcreates and performs educational comedies for children.Each play explores themes such as the worlds natural history, the lives of historical figures orscientific concepts, while also incorporating important messages of self-esteem, confidenceand following your dreams.

Amanda and Jade met whilst studying a Bachelor of Arts (Acting) at the University of Ballarat Arts Academy which they graduated from in 2009.Two Friends Productions was formed following the overwhelming positive response receivedfrom the childrens educational comedy they wrote about Charles Darwin during their finalyear at the Arts Academy. Titled Happy Darwin Day the play was produced by Sovereign Hillin affiliation with The University of Ballarat Arts Academy.They have since enjoyed creating new plays and working with various schools and museumsincluding Sovereign Hill, Narmbool Environmental Camps, The National Sports Museum andThe State Library of Victoria. They are excited to see what scientific adventures come next.


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Plenary Session: Panel Discussion. Adrienne Leith, Bernard Caleo & David Perkins, andinvitees. Melbourne Museum. The future of Museum Theatrical Presentations on-line.

Museums are successfully bringing theatrical presentations to live audiences using a varietyof media and stages. Museums are also engaging with on-line audiences. How are the tworelated? Is it possible for live museum theatrical presentations have a life on-line? If so thenwho is the audience? And what forms have been explored already/are they successful? Whatmight the future bring?

To facilitate a forum exploring the current and future on-line developments in relation tomuseum theatrical presentations. The conference provides a unique opportunity to exchangeideas and stories of success with other industry professionals. We hope this panel will lead toan ongoing discussion of ideas about online presence as we approach the rollout of theNational Broadband Network. The Internet is no longer a new or scary place but the approachto online programs and presentation is still in its infancy within the museum context. We aimto discuss initiatives that have or have not worked and determine a best practice for the

future.

We hope to provide people with an overview of current practice in this area by commencingthe panel discussion with a 10 minute presentation on whats being used around the world inmuseums. Panel members will be chosen who have some expertise in this area to augmentthis information. Some blue sky discussion about possibilities for future developments andwhat philosophies would underpin these ideas would be an outcome for the group discussionpart of the forum. Attitudes may change and be expanded from theatre should be live and infront of an audiences to an open consideration of new possibilities for the on-line life oftheatrical presentations.

A 10 minute overview of online applications from museums around the world. The panel willthen each present a 10 minute discussion each. The forum will then be open to group

participation. People in the audience will firstly be asked to contribute their own successstories then the group discussion will be moved by the facilitator to discuss the pros, consand direction of museum theatrical presentations online.

BiographyDavid Perkins, Adrienne Leith and Bernard Caleo work at Melbourne Museum in thedevelopment of public programs and theatrical performances. All arts graduates but with awide diversity of experiences and skills, they bring together fifty years of experience inmuseum programming and theatrical development.

Pecha Kucha # 2David Cannell Questacon

Reactions

At Questacon we are tasked with presenting up to date science and technology concepts andthusly like to react to current events around the world. We have tried creating showsspecifically around current events such as the Mars rover landings, moon landing anniversaryand the Bird and Swine Flu outbreaks. Some shows are updated daily with breaking newsregarding dinosaur discoveries or NASA findings which can give shows a fresh feel. Themain part of this session however is the massive changes that have affected our poor NaturalDisaster Show which has been totally revamped several times in response to inconvenientglobal disasters. We impart some nuggets of wisdom in responding and reacting to currentaffairs and their incorporation into daily presentations.

BiographyDavid Cannell has a long history of science communication and performance around theCanberra region. With degrees in Zoology, Molecular Biology and a Graduate Diploma in


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Science Communication and a theatrical pedigree as long as the Winter of Discontent he runsthe daily operations of Questacons Excited Particles performance team where he has beenoperating for the last eleven years. Amongst the myriad of sciences he immerses himself inregularly he is a keen amateur palaeontologist and has a great love of hurting small childrenwith theatrical makeup. He has been part of IMTAL for the last decade and is alwaysintrigued by the buffet of ideas and personalities one discovers each conference

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museum theatre: access all areas

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