School of Visual and Performing Arts

Television production students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga have broken new ground in their on-going development of links with industry. The Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has agreed to the establishment of a CSU student chapter of the Society.

The Society's Board of Governors approved the move during a meeting in Atlanta in the United States on Thursday 4 June. The move is the inaugural student chapter in Australia. Formed in 1916, the SMPTE is regarded as the leading technical society for the motion imaging industry. "This new relationship will give CSU students access to conferences, papers, scholarships, guest lectures and of course international industry contacts," said television production course co-ordinator Mr Patrick Sproule. "I believe the approval to form the CSU student chapter shows an enormous respect for the course at Charles Sturt University as well as the Society's recognition of the importance of investment in education in the TV and film industries. A special thanks to past chairman of SMPTE Australian Section, Mr John Maizels, for recommending the formation of the student chapter and shepherding us through due process."

Meanwhile, the SMPTE Australian Section has donated $6 000 so 85 Bachelor of Arts (Television Production) students at CSU at Wagga Wagga can attend the SMPTE09 conference in Sydney in July.

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“BARD TO THE BONE”
OR
“Much Ado About Nothing when Macbeth and Julius Caesar meet
Romeo and Juliet in A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
By Bill Shakespeare
Directed by John Saunders & Kim Hardwick
Devised and put together by the Directors & the Cast of Second Year BA (Acting for Screen and Stage) Performers

Knock, knock. Who’s there? The Bard! The Bard who? The Bard of Stratford upon Avon Calling!

If Shakespeare was alive today he’d be over 440 years old. That’s pretty old, a bit smelly and on the nose, you’d think. But, today, the bard is still alive and very well – he is still the best! Shakespeare’s plays were written as popular entertainment, and his mass appeal still makes him the biggest and brightest mega-star ever. And what’s more – Shakespeare wasn’t meant to be nice! In fact he was BARD TO THE BONE.

What would happen if “Home and Away” hit Verona, that Little Italy town where those cute little kids Romeo and Juliet live? And remember murderous Macbeth? Those witches drove him crazy didn’t they? They certainly gave him a big dose of schizophrenia. Imagine if Burnam Wood doth come to Mirkwood Forrest in the “Lord of the Rings”? Precious Macbeth wouldn’t know whether he was Gollum or not, would he? Actually - did he kill Kenny? Or was it Duncan? Who cares? Because, back at The Forest you can hear the pastoral, comical, tragical, grunge band Bottom and The Mechanicals perform their latest hit, “I Kissed You through a Hole in the Wall”.

BARD TO THE BONE is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet all tossed up in a Julius Caesar Salad.

Shakespeare was born to be bard.  These performers are BARD TO THE BONE. This show goes from bard to verse. So, make sure you come to see BARD TO THE BONE, or we’ll send Macbeth’s witches, Hamlet’s ghost and Bottom’s ass to come get you.

We have developed this production mainly for a series of performances especially for schools however
BARD TO THE BONE willplay at the Riverina Playhouse on Sunday 14th June at 2pm, and Wednesday 17th June at 8pm.
Tickets will be available at the door for $5.

For further information please call John Saunders on 6933 2312 or John Jones on 6933 2313
 or e-mail ute@csu.edu.au

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Each Wednesday afternoon creative practitioners ranging from designers, curators and artists to performers, writers and directors, will be presenting a short seminar on their work and research followed by a Q&A session.

3.10 – 4.00pm in the SVPA Theatrette. All welcome. Free entry!
View the Short Seminar Series Programme and download podcasts of past seminars

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Now in our 6th year, the School of Visual and Performing Arts are proud to present the Australian International Animation Festival 2009.

The internationally renowned event has gone from strength to strength since its modest start in 2004 and become one of the largest festivals of its type in the world.

This year has secured amazing exclusives from more than 2,000 submissions from over 30 countries. The range of styles, genres and techniques is testament to the vibrancy and relevance of creative animation and the premiere screening of this highly acclaimed collection is happening right here in Wagga Wagga.

The International Competition programs are made up of an eclectic mix of films and will give audiences a complete, up-to-date snapshot of the international creative animation scene. In addition to these there are programs that focus on digital animating, puppet films and Australian made films. Rounding out the line-up are programs for Kids and High School aged audiences and even a “Late Night Bizarre” program for those whose tastes lurch to the truly odd and unfathomable.

A series of free talks and workshops given by filmmakers from all over Australia will provide those with questioning minds a chance to learn more about how and why these films get made. We can also reveal that if you purchase a Full Festival Pass you’ll be eligible to attend additional film premieres not advertised in the official program.

• Venue: Forum 6 Cinema
• Date: Friday 15th – Sunday 17th May 2009
• Cost: $10 Single Session or $30 Full Festival Pass
  Only $5 for Kids Program

For more Information visit: http://www.aiaf.com.au/

Tickets are now on sale

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30 June – 1 July

15 – 16 September

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Thursday 6 and Friday 7 August

www.symposia.com.au

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Saturday 29 August, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
Visit the iDAY 2009 web site…

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The University Theatre Ensemble blasts in to 2009 with a bold and provocative production of Martin Crimp’s Attempts on Her Life; Opening at the Playhouse next week.  Join us on a rollercoaster ride through the major obsessions of the late twentieth century – terrorism, celebrity, pornography, ethnic violence, sex and ... new cars?  In seventeen episodes the ensemble interrogates Crimp’s script through all it’s dark humour, irony, cynicisim, beauty and cruelty.

Who is Anne?  A terrorist, a victim, a femme fatale, an artist?  Is she dead or is she alive?  And who is Annie and who is Anya?

Attempts On Her Life will turn your expectations of what a play can be on its head.  Don’t miss this exciting new production featuring the entire final year of students in the BA(Acting for Screen and Stage) and BA(Design for Theatre and Television) at Charles Sturt University.  The ensemble has worked in collaboration with the artistic team from Gearstick Theatre, Ashleigh Haynes Holyoake, Craig Higgs and Kevin Poynter to bring to the stage one of the boldest scripts of the last twenty five years.

The Riverina Playhouse
Cross Street
Wagga Wagga
June 6.11.12.13.18.19.20 @ 8pm
Matinee June 20 @ 2pm
$23.00 Adults
$11.50 Children
$18.00 Concession
$11.50 Students
$20.00 Groups 5+
Bookings:
Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre Booking Office
Phone: (02) - 6926 9688
Online: www.civictheatre.com.au

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Rohan Nicol is a research scholar working towards his PhD “Crafting designs on Wealth”, in the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga. His research interest involves identifying a financially sustainable model of studio based craft and design practice through collaborative engagements with the Australian manufacturing industry.

He has recently received funding from the Australia Council for the Arts to extend research he has undertaken during the course of his scholarship. Funding of $30 000 will enable him to undertake a Connections Residency Program, with which he has proposed to complete a residency with regional manufacturer Precision Signs to develop three new lighting design products.

The initial outcome of his collaborative work with Precision Signs will be launched at the design made trade exhibition staged in the Royal Exhibition hall during the State of Design Festival in Melbourne on the 15th July 2009

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Missy Dempsey’s work was shortlisted in the agIdeas 2009 NewStar competition. The competition was held last week in Melbourne as part of International Design Week. 65 students were shortlisted from hundreds of entries from tertiary institutions all over Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia.

Unlike previous years where students had to respond to a specific theme and/or brief this year’s competition was wide open. Students could submit any work either 2D or 3D - the only restriction was that they couldn’t submit more than 3 pieces. This made the competition very difficult for both the students and judges. Hundreds of submissions were culled down to 65. All speakers at agIDEAS participated in the judging.

Ken Cato the chairman of AgIDEAS described this years submissions as "some of the best he had ever seen" and congratulated all who entered especially those who had been shortlisted.

As in previous years the first prize was two weeks work experience in Italy with one of the worlds leading studios and research centres - Fabrica.

An exhibition of the shortlisted works is now on at the Melbourne Museum and will continue till June.

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The photography skills of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students are on national exhibition in Canberra. Two Bachelor of Arts (Photography) students had works selected in 2008 to hang in the National Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. The students, Ms Kate Lewis, who is now studying a Masters of Arts Practice at CSU, and Mr Matt Regan joined staffed from the CSU School of Visual and Performing Arts http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/vpa/ in Wagga Wagga at the exhibition’s opening in Canberra on Thursday 19 March. “While awards are always celebrated and welcomed, for our students’ work to be selected alongside photographers with much longer professional careers is a significant achievement both for Kate and Matt, but also for our photography staff,” said Head of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, Associate Professor Margaret Woodward. Read more about the students’ portraits here. http://news.csu.edu.au/director/regionalnews.cfm?itemID=F5D94F76A34C41A9D7C5D01E80EABF9E&printtemplate=release

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