The curtains open for East Timor’s young theatre performers

Union Aid Abroad–APHEDA, in cooperation with AusAID’s East Timor Community Assistance Scheme and UNICEF, is proud to have supported East Timor’s inaugural retreat for young East Timorese theatre performers, ‘Opening the Curtains to Theatre in East Timor’, August 22 – 28, 2005 in Maubara on Timor’s north coast.

'Opening the Curtains to Theatre in East Timor' is a significant step in creating a collective strategy for the development of the performing arts sector in East Timor.

Robyn Waite and Annie Sloman, theatre teacher of the renowned theatre group Bibi-Bulak, established the retreat after concerns from theatre groups across East Timor about the lack of networking and skills development opportunities available to them.

The retreat aimed to provide a forum for the East Timorese theatre groups to share their skills, stories and cultures with one another, and to create strong local and international networks.

Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA's executive officer, Peter Jennings said, "the East Timor performing arts scene is still in the early stages of development, so this retreat will be a unique opportunity for these theatre performers to shape the future of creative arts in their country".

Five visiting Australian artists led a series of skills workshops, discussions, film screenings and work-in-progress performances over the week.

On August 28, 2005 the participants of the retreat held a public performance of their final creative works at the Maubara marketplace. The Bibi-Bulak theatre group also performed a theatre piece called Ikan Boot.

Media enquiries contact Candice Feuerring, Marketing and Fundraising Officer, Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA (Ph) 9264 9343 (Mob) 0404 347 165 (e-mail) cfeuerring@apheda.org.au

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 16:05:18 EST
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