Creative Agenda
Our Artistic Director's Creative Agenda
I am acutely aware of the expectations being placed on the company as it takes up residence in what is shaping up to be one of the finest, if not the finest, theatre complex in Australia.
For me, it represents a special and precious challenge. We have to significantly build our audience and this means ensuring that our artistic standards are exceptional. In doing so, we have to present works that we know our audience has an appetite for, while also introducing new work that provides an intoxicating journey into unexplored territory.
Our Creatives
At the top of my Creative Agenda are our ‘creatives’ – our writers, actors, directors, designers, composers – whose artistry will collectively shape the product that will, in the coming years, place Black Swan at the forefront of Australian theatre.
We will bring together a dynamic mix of outstanding professionals and exciting young artists. They will come from within WA, elsewhere in Australia and, where the opportunity presents, from overseas.
Perth is fortunate to be home to one of the world’s leading performing arts training institutions and it is my personal imperative to ensure that Black Swan’s relationship with WAAPA and its graduates is richly textured and mutually rewarding.
In 2011, our Season Underground of two productions will replace Black Swan’s current smaller scale productions branded under the Hotbed Ensemble banner. Black Swan’s new development program for emerging WA theatre professionals will involve artists across both its mainstage and studio productions and will include a number of Associate Artists who will be involved with Black Swan and its work over a twelve month period.
Our Stories
Black Swan has an admirable tradition in bringing our Western Australian stories to the stage. I intend to continue (and revitalise) this tradition through an expansive, long-range commissioning program designed to deliver at least one new work every year as part of our Season.
This commissioning program will bring together a ‘family’ of highly credentialed professional playwrights, and a select number of promising new writers, under the Black Swan umbrella. Individually and collectively (through peer review and shared dramaturgical feedback) they will work towards a ‘suite’ of new plays that, while speaking directly to audiences here in Western Australia, have a powerful resonance for audiences everywhere. The established playwrights who are on my commissioning agenda include Hilary Bell, Andrew Upton, Aidan Fennessey, Matt Dyktynski, Hannie Rayson, Kate Mulvany, Hellie Turner and Reg Cribb.
In bringing new works to maturity, each will be rigorously ‘tested’, utilising the R&D environment of the Season Underground. I envisage that the average period a new work will be in development will be two years, and I personally guarantee that no work will be allowed to enter production prematurely.
Our Repertoire
Putting together the annual programme is every theatre company’s greatest challenge, the programming mix being vital to box office success. My imperative is to engage with our audience at a profound level, offering a vibrant mix of new Australian work, new works from overseas, bold new interpretations of extant works (with a focus on the ‘classics’) and, where possible, a work of musical theatre.
Our Collaborators
Black Swan will actively collaborate with our ‘flagship’ counterparts elsewhere in Australia, building upon my existing close professional relationships with each of their artistic directors. Where there are exciting opportunities, we will enter into co-productions, and actively work towards the sharing of certain productions. This will contribute to Black Swan’s national profile, and serve to further enhance showcasing opportunities for our ‘creatives’ and artists.
Within WA, Black Swan will actively explore opportunities for cross-artform collaborations with our fellow flagship companies, while continuing to collaborate with the Perth International Arts Festival on the presentation of world premiere productions.
Our Presence
My agenda is for Black Swan’s presence to extend beyond WA to festivals and touring circuits nationally and internationally. I am particularly keen to see our finest work regularly finding its way into North America, Europe and Asia. To this end, I will use my quite extensive overseas network to forge opportunities for the company.
Our Leadership
Black Swan will only be valued and respected by the arts community if it accepts and performs a leadership role. I am determined to ensure that we deeply engage with our many colleagues within the arts sector, and act in ways that lead us all towards secure and vibrant horizons.
Our Values
In moving towards the realisation of my Creative Agenda, I am committed to three principal values: quality, diversity, and community. Adherence to these values will serve to make Black Swan a truly ‘flagship’ company, providing productions, programs and services that will enhance the quality of life of those with whom we engage.
KATE CHERRY, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
