Summer holiday creative arts program inspires regional youth
APRA AMCOS, Plug and Play at Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre, 2019. Photo: Jack of Hearts Photography.
This Summer, the Create NSW and Office of Regional Youth Holiday Break Program offers a range of free school holiday creative and cultural workshops and events for young people (12–24 years old) across regional NSW.
MUSIC AND SONGWRITING WORKSHOPS
APRA AMCOS SongMakers Sessions
The APRA AMCOS SongMakers Holiday Sessions program is a travelling song writing mentoring scheme, targeted at budding songwriters and music producers in regional NSW. Young people will write songs, record, and learn about music industry careers from some of Australia’s most exciting hitmakers over two days.
Dates and locations:
- 16 – 17 January Hume Conservatorium, Goulburn
- 16 – 17 January Mitchell Conservatorium, Lithgow
- 18 – 19 January Maker Space Parkes
- 23 – 24 January New England Conservatorium, Armidale
- 24 – 25 January Merimbula School of Music, Bega
For more information, click here.
WRITERS ON THE ROAD WORKSHOPS
WestWords
Over the school holidays from Winter 2022 to Summer 2023 we are providing young and emerging writers (12–24 years old) in Orange and Broken Hill with creative writing workshops. Further to theses series of workshops we are providing in term opportunities for these young writer’s access to our wider activities through our online Creative Kids eligible after-school writing classes, writing groups and online resources. Publications and podcasts will be developed out of the programs to showcase and share their work.
Dates and locations:
- 30 January – 1 February 2023, Broken Hill
For more information, click here.
Write On! Shoalhaven School Holiday Writing Program
The South Coast Writers Centre presents a program of author talks, writing workshops, and hands-on creative activities for Shoalhaven teens (ages 12-18) this Spring school holidays by award-winning and internationally published authors at Ulladulla and Nowra Library, and Shoalhaven Regional Gallery. All the events are free.
Dates and locations:
- 5 – 6 January 2023, Zine Art Collage Workshop, Shoalhaven and Ulladulla
- 11 – 12 January 2023, Script Writing Workshop, Nowra and Ulladulla
- 13 January 2023, Poetry Workshop, Sanctuary Point
- 17 – 19 January 2023, Short Story Creative Writing Workshop, Nowra and Ulladulla
For more information, click here.
Griffin Theatre Company Ltd
Unlocking the Local is a series of five-day writing workshops conducted by Griffin Theatre for young theatre makers in Lismore and Lake Macquarie. The workshops are an extension of Griffin’s highly successful and long-running Ambassadors program and aims to inspire young people to learn playwriting skills to tell their own local stories.
Dates and locations:
- 3 – 7 January 2023, Lake Macquarie
- 9 – 13 January 2023, Lismore
For more information regarding the Lake Macquarie workshop, click here.
For more information regarding the Lismore workshop, click here.
Phillip Gwynne
Providing creative writing workshops for 12 to 16 year-olds in partnership with Big Sky Libraries.
Dates and locations:
- 9 – 13 January, Moree
For more information, call +61 481531500.
Voices of Women Inc
A program of writing classes with young women (18 to 24 years old) focussing on monologue as genre and writing for experimental performance outcomes. Workshops held in informal and casual learning spaces where young people gather. Program employs local First Nations and diverse tutors to encourage young diverse attendees and is open to everyone.
Dates and locations:
- 18 – 20 January, Nambucca
For more information, click here.
Wagga Wagga City Libraries
A program of Zine making workshops across the suburbs and surrounding villages of Wagga Wagga across Summer and Autumn 2023 with works by participants featured at the Halfway Print Fest, an annual celebration that brings together zine-makers for a weekend of immersive DIY culture.
Dates and locations:
- 11 – 18 January, Wagga Wagga
For more information, click here.
PERFORMING ARTS CAMPS
Tantrum Youth Arts
Workshops and masterclasses in physical theatre, lighting/AV and sound design. Engaging young participants in exploring themes and ideas authentic to their identities. Collaboratively devise a unique, immersive performance
Dates and locations:
- 9 – 13 January 2023, Singleton
For more information on Kariong workshops, click here.
Sydney Dance Company
Sydney Dance Company’s Teaching Artists and young dancers will explore their own creativity through contemporary dance techniques and creative movement and choreographic tasks. Working with NORPA and the Northern Rivers community, this one-week program will guide participants to develop their artistry and confidence in a collaborative and supportive environment.
Dates and locations:
- 16 – 20 January 2023, Lismore
For more information, click here.
Outback Theatre for Young People
Monsters Have Feelings Too is a workshop series where participants will navigate their reactions to current events alongside professional arts facilitators and local mental health practitioners. Through the lens of art, Outback Theatre for Young People will investigate with participants what ‘our monsters’ are, while creating imaginative non-traditional artworks during a fun and cathartic process of making and inventing.
Dates and locations:
- 9 – 10 January, Deniliquin
For more information, click here.
Create Hub Riverina
A creative engagement program of playwriting, theatre making, sharing culture, and skills building for young people aged 14 to 18 years old from refugee, migrant, and First Nations backgrounds. The program will culminate in a performance at Wagga Wagga’s outdoor Amphitheatre.
Dates and locations:
- 9 – 14 January 2023, Wagga Wagga
For more information, click here.
Nic Nac Theatre Company
Led by trained industry professionals, participants collaborate through improvisation, movement, voice, song writing, music, script composition, and visual arts to produce a youth focused contemporary devised piece. The workshop is held in a working theatre, culminating in a performance for family and friends.
Dates and locations:
- 16 – 20 January 2023, Nowra
For more information, click here.
Little Eggs Collective
A program for young people based on ensemble building and multidisciplinary devising practices. Five Little Eggs artists and two regional arts practitioners will work with 20 young people to devise an ensemble piece to be performed to friends and family in the final week of the summer holidays.
Dates and locations:
- 16 – 20 January 2023, Maitland
For more information, click here.
Orana Arts
A partnership with Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) and Orana Arts to reignite and reconnect regional youth aged 12 to 18 through the performing arts. The camp will be delivered as a 5-day residential theatre camp at Burrendong Sport & Recreation Centre in the Central West.
Dates and locations:
- 9 – 13 January 2023, Dubbo
For more information, click here.
Dance Makers Collective Inc
A choreographic intensive that enables young people to learn practical skills in composition, in a collaborative environment with other young people, working towards a dance theatre work about their lived experience.
Dates and locations:
- 16 – 20 January 2023, Port Macquarie
For more information, click here.
FILM FESTIVALS AND WORKSHOPS
Bus Stop Films
An inclusive smartphone filmmaking program for teenagers and community screening event including the best inclusively made films by Bus Stop Films, SF3 SmartFone Flick Fest and Screenworks. Celebrating creativity, technology, and inclusion and of course the resilient, diverse, and dynamic Northern Rivers community.
Dates and locations:
- 16 – 20 January 2023, Byron Bay
For more information, click here.
Maitland Regional Art Gallery
In the summer school holidays, young creatives will take part in animation and filmmaking intensives with moving image artists at Maitland Regional Art Gallery (MRAG). Participant’s work will be shared in a family friendly film screening at MRAG and on display alongside exhibition Deborah Kelly’s Gods of Tiny Things.
Dates and locations:
- 19 January 2023, Film Making Workshop, Maitland
- 20 January 2023, Short Film Festival, Maitland
For more information, click here.
FIRST NATIONS MARKING COUNTRY PROJECT
An intergenerational art and cultural program that responds to the ongoing need to strengthen deep cultural connections between Aboriginal young people and their Elders and cultural Knowledge Holders. The program is designed to invest in the strengthening of Aboriginal young people’s cultural identity. Workshops and public art activations will be led by First Nations mentors working with regional artists, Elders, and students. It will respond to Aboriginal communities’ aspirations to keep culture strong through connections between community, Country and culture.
2023 Summer Holidays Programs include:
- Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance, Coffs Harbour (Gumbaynggirr), Bowraville (Gumbaynggirr) and Kempsey (Dunghutti)
- South East Arts, Narooma (Yuin)