LEGENDS Longhouse

Based on the Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP) model which fosters a dedicated space for the discussion and sharing of Asian-Australian-led stories and projects, this event took place on Sunday 23 February alongside the LEGENDS of the Golden Arches premiere season at Perth Festival. Hosted by Tessa Leong, with speakers Merlynn Tong, Joe Paradise Lui and Cezera Critti-Schnaars, this event was co-presented by CAAP, Perth Festival and Performing Lines WA.

Hotdesk Fellowship & Paid Artist Mentoring

Building on the success of our 2024 pilot, we are proud to partner with the Centre for Stories and The Blue Room Theatre in supporting one Hotdesk Fellowship in 2025 for an emerging writer developing performance-based work and expand on a model of paid Artist Mentor sessions designed to support past recipients and new performance practitioners seeking showcase opportunities. More details will be shared mid-year.

Paid Producer Placement

As a partner with Encounter, who runs the ThisGen Fellowship, Performing Lines WA is excited to support the 2025 cohort. This includes a keynote presentation featuring Jeremy Smith, Joe Paradise Lui (LEGENDS (of the Golden Arches)), and the producer and director fellows. Following the keynote, Performing Lines WA will offer a paid, part-time producer placement for one (1) Producer Fellow at the Performing Lines WA office in May–June, providing hands-on industry experience.

Studio Boosters

After a very successful pilot round of Booster Grants in 2024, we have upscaled in 2025 – joining forces with the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) to provide up to four (4) auspiced grants of $5,000 each, supplemented with Studio space at PICA.

We called for expressions of interest from independent artists and groups seeking time, space and funds to ‘boost’ a creative idea or project. In response, we received thirty-three (33) incredible proposals demonstrating the need and urgency opportunities like this provides. After a thorough assessment, the panel selected the first recipients, whose projects span various artforms, from emerging to mid-career, and cover all stages of performance making – from early development to post-premiere remounts and refinement.

The first three recipients and projects are:

• From 7-20 April: Shaun Johnston for The Scramble
• From 14-27 July: Naoko Uemoto for Recaptcha
• From 12-26 October: Barbara Hostalek for ASK: Creative Development #2

You can find out more about Shaun, Barbara and Naoko’s projects in our 2025 Kolyang Studio Boosters artist profile.

Congratulations Shaun, Naoko and Barbara, and to all the applicants for proposals which provided such a brilliant insight to the breadth of WA performance works and ideas in genesis that are ready for a boost to the next level!

Thank you again to our partner in crime, PICA!

Indi’s In Residence

A bold concept we’re launching in 2025!

We recognise the critical role independent artists and arts workers have played to make Kolyang the success that it is. These people are our ‘community’. Somewhat returning to the origins of the program, we’re bringing our ‘community’ back to the table for blue sky dreaming and co-conspiring. We will be seeking expressions of interest mid-year.

Kolyang is looking for Indi’s In Residence to help plan, co-design, and shape an Artist Hub, Lab and/or Sector Intensive model in 2026. Building on the Artist Advisory models supporting the Kolyang Hubs of 2021 and 2022, we’ve set aside $6,000 to bring on board a group or individual to consult, listen and respond to the question of whether the WA sector wants to continue with the Kolyang Hub and Lab models next year, and how they should evolve to remain relevant, supportive and reciprocal. This fee could cover for one artist for 4 weeks at $1,500 per week, or a group proposal. More details and guidelines will be released mid-year.

First Nations Focus Group

Performing Lines WA also wishes to centre, support and respect the opinions, thought leadership and wisdom of First Nations artist leaders, makers, producers through our Kolyang Program. We must ensure our initiatives are providing culturally safe, enriching and supportive spaces and opportunities.

PLWA wants to ensure the Kolyang Program listens and evolves in fostering deeply considered intercultural collaborations and partnerships through its initiatives. We will reach out to First Nations industry colleagues with an offer to join us for two annual meet ups, provide for their time and guidance and ensure to establish these sessions as a meeting place for genuine conversation around priority areas, committing to embedding what’s shared in the Kolyang Program’s approach going forwards.

Under Fluoros

We’re thrilled to welcome back Under Fluoros, the brainchild of independent creative producer Libby Klysz. Through our Kolyang Program, we will work with Libby to refine this exciting model of a one-week collaborative, creative development process in 2025. Under Fluoros is for mid-career artists – a rejuvenating, big-picture creative thinking, professional and audience development exercise for our sector.

In 2025, Under Fluoros seeks out new industry partnerships. We’re exploring venue partnership to access an alternative space and Kolyang will support Libby and up to five (5) Artist Roles to participate. In addition, we’re seeking arts organisation partners to sponsor-a-wage to support additional artist participants to reach the goal of up to ten (10) artists in the creative team. This will take place in the second half of the year so keep an eye out for further details and please reach out if interested to support an artist!

Midfield

In November 2025, Fremantle Biennale, STRUT Dance and Performing Lines WA will offer an experimental choreographic platform over three weeks within the context of the Fremantle Biennale.

Participation for 5 – 7 local, national, and international mid-career movement practitioners and makers with stirring and provocation from renowned multi-genre and Biennale artists.

Platform brief and call out for expressions of interest (EOI) from artist participants to be released in June. EOIs close in July, with artist cohort and facilitating provocateurs announced as part of Fremantle Biennale program launch in August.

We have been discussing ideas and collaborative opportunities with the renowned Centre for Stories. In 2024, our focus is towards creating pathways and opportunities to seed development of universal stories for the stage – underpinning Centre for Stories’ commitment to support playwriting. We’re excited to announce two workshops in the first half of 2024, which will include breakout group activities to engage participants in creative ways. 

Workshop #1 – Journey of a Playwright & Devised Storytelling 

• Location: Centre for Stories 
• Date: 6 March 2024 
• Time: 5.30-7pm 
• Lead Artists: Jay Emmanuel and Karthika Nair (Online) 
• Up to 15 pax 

Workshop #2 – Ethics of Stories and Representation 

• Location: Centre for Stories 
• Date: Wednesday 22 May
• Time: 5.30-7pm 
• Artist: Mararo Wangai and Grace Chow
• Up to 15 pax

Hot Desk Fellowships

35 – Stories for Stage

The culmination of our workshops in partnership with Centre for Stories in the first half of the year leads us towards a showcase presentation pathway with The Blue Room Theatre,  celebrating their 35th year as Boorloo’s home of independent theatre and performance.

Poets, storytellers and interdisciplinary artists will develop and showcase ideas and reflections on seasons gone by as part of 35 – Stories to Stage at The Blue Room Theatre.

PLWA and Centre for Stories will support the development prior by providing for established artists to mentor the participating artists and help them craft their showcase reflection to share with BRT audiences.

We congratulate the recently announced cohort of artists selected from a highly talented field of applicants for this initiative:

• Ange Yang
• Apurva Gupta
• Naoko Uemoto
• Swaroopa Unni
• Vuma Phiri

35 – Stories to Stage
Blue Room Theatre
Fri 26 July and Sat 27 July, 6.30pm
Further information and tickets available here 

We are excited to announce we have three (3) $5,000 Booster Grants to be awarded in the first half of 2024. This is a one-off opportunity, made possible with support from DLGSC tied to the 2022 Kolyang Program. Due to this, it is a very quick turnaround for this opportunity. 

 This opportunity is geared towards Kolyang alumni artists and/or groups (2020-2022) for seed projects and collaborations initially explored or born of that period. Although not a huge amount, it’s a gesture to further progress these, which could include enabling a one-week development with collaborating artists, or a pre-arranged artist residency to further develop a new work. We are keen to try this idea and gauge its usefulness in the first instance, to then consider if this is something Kolyang should continue to offer the independent WA sector in future years. We’re keeping the application format simple – it’s mostly an exercise in you planning for your project and how you would best use this grant. No overthinking necessary! 

Expressions of interest for this opportunity are now closed.

Find out more about the successful recipients and their projects:

• Crystal Nguyen
  Crystal Nguyen will develop ‘Baseline,’ a solo work exploring physical recovery after rupture seeded during the Kolyang Labs 2021 and 2022. Collaborating with Sam Fox and composer Peter McAvan, she’ll blend text, movement, projected imagery and music to explore the concept of a person’s baseline.

• Ella Hetherington
  After her residency at PICA, Ella Hetherington will use the Booster Grant to reimagine her ‘Golden Hour’ set design into an art installation for non-traditional performance spaces. Commencing collaboration with Bruno Booth, whom she met at Kolyang 2022, they’ll craft a unique habitable sculpture lit by Mark Haslam and paired with Tilman’s accompanying album.

• JC
  Expanding on their residency at Fremantle Arts Centre, JC will use the insights gained to develop an immersive performance about society’s fear of falling. To support audience engagement, JC, along with collaborators Melissa Cantwell and Bernadette Lewis, will use the Booster Grant to bring in four more performers, leveraging existing funding and opportunities. Together, they’ll explore ideas for responding to falls as a group.

The International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) with hosts PAC Australia have launched registration details for the Perth 2024 ISPA Congress and Anthony Field Academy from Monday 29 April to Friday 3 May.  

The ISPA Congress is held twice a year, with one in New York and a second congress in a selected location around the world. These congresses bring together global leaders each year to discover the next great idea, and strengthen relationships, fostering connection and exchange. Delegates are presenters, festivals, producing companies, artist managers, consultants, government and cultural leaders. Congress programming is geared towards both established and emerging leaders from various genres and disciplines within the performing arts. 

The Perth 2024 ISPA Congress will spotlight Australian performance works and artists on an international platform. With the theme of Breakthrough, this congress will focus on real-time examples of new international models of artistic and industry transformation. This gathering of international and national delegates in Perth will be a unique and invigorating opportunity for WA artists and arts workers to connect, listen, learn and share amongst a global industry network. 

In support of this, Performing Lines through Kolyang will provide registration bursaries to enable Kolyang and Producer Forum alumni to participate in this renowned market and professional development program; 

• 5 x Registrations in the ISPA Anthony Field Academy on Mon 29 April (full day) and Tues 30 April (half day) – Valued at $184 AUD each. 
• 2 x Registrations in the full Perth ISPA Congress, including the Anthony Field Academy and all performance ticketing from Mon 29 April to Fri 3 May – Valued at $1,074 AUD each. 

Expressions of interest for this opportunity are now closed.

Successful applicants include:

Anthony Field Academy Registration

– Erin Lockyer
– Daisy Sanders
– Hannah Lee Tungate
– Siobhan Maiden
– Jay Emmanuel
– Georgia King

Team & Script Announcement

Under Fluoros is an exciting new concept by independent creative producer Libby Klysz, to be piloted and supported by Performing Lines WA as part of the 2024 Kolyang Program.

Under Fluoros is a unique first week of rehearsal process for script-to-performance exploration, where creatives gather – director, designers, performers – for expansive dreaming in a theatre with limitless potential. The week concludes with a matinee showing design ideas and a table read: sharing the big ideas, demystifying creative collaborative process and engaging the audience’s maximum imagination.

Script – The Mares, written by Kate Mulvany
Creative Producer – Libby Klysz
Director – Katt Osborne
Set & Costume Designer – Zoe Atkinson
Lighting & AV Designer – Mark Haslam
Sound Designer & Composer – Ash Gibson Grieg
Performers – Emily Brennan, St John Cowcher, Marlanie Haerewa, Theresa Jakovich and Bobby Russell

Showing details

On Saturday 22 June, we held our first Under Fluoros matinee showing at the Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA. The event offered a behind-the-scenes look at the creative development process, with a minimalist setup and an intimate post-show discussion.

We’re excited about the potential for Under Fluoros to continue as a platform for sharing and developing new ideas.

>>Read our  news blog about the Matinee Showing

Performing Lines WA is excited to announce a new partnership with Goolarri Media based on stunning Yawuru country in Broome (Rubibi), as part of the 2024 Kolyang Program. This collaboration combines Goolarri’s exceptional practice in creating First Nations content with PLWA’s expertise in performance producing, leading to exciting new projects in development and opportunities.

Together, we are launching a regional North-West iteration of the Performing Lines artist residency model, building on the success of the Kolyang Artist Labs held in Perth from 2020 to 2022. Goolarri Media will serve as our local host for this iteration, providing cultural and contextual guidance, in consultation with local organisations Theatre Kimberley and Marrugeku. PLWA will facilitate and deliver the residency model, drawing on the experiences of the Tarraleah (PL TAS) and Donnelly River (BREC) residencies. We are thrilled that the brilliant Annette Downs, who developed this model with Performing Lines TAS, will lead the facilitation of the Rubibi Artist Lab.

We are pleased to announce the cohort of participants, mentors, and observers for the Rubibi Artist Lab, taking place from 10th – 14th October 2024 in Rubibi | Broome.

Participants (Download Bios)
– Anne-Janette Phillips
– Rika Hamaguchi
– Bernadette Trench-Thiedeman
– Jael Johnson
– Kimba Benjamin
– Gary Hamaguchi
– Hozaus Claire
– Meredith Bell
– Brenton McKenna
– Ngaire Pigram

Mentors
– Zoe Atkinson
– Della Rae Morisson
– Sean Bacon

Observers
– Chloe Ogilvie (Perth Festival)
– Philippa Maughan (CircuitWest)

Facilitators
– Annette Downs
– Shakara Walley

Coordinator and Cultural Guidance Panel Facilitator
– Della Bedford

Please contact Jen Leys on jen@performinglineswa.org.au if you have any questions regarding this initiative.

Dancing with Rest – A New Approach to Performance Making by Daisy Sanders is an article published by Performing Lines WA highlighting Daisy Sanders’ innovative creative process, which has grown and transformed within and alongside the Kolyang program.

The piece explores the profound intersection of health, resilience, and creativity in developing long-form artistic projects. Through her personal journey, Daisy illustrates how living with chronic health conditions has informed her unique approach to performance-making. The article details her decade-long integration of rest and sensitivity into her practice, showcasing how this method has allowed her to sustain and evolve her work despite limited resources. Daisy’s experience, including her times supported through the Kolyang program, highlights the necessity of adapting creative practices to accommodate personal and sectoral challenges, offering a compelling example of how resilience and adaptability can lead to transformative and meaningful artistic outcomes.

Read the full article here

Kolyang is an innovative initiative consisting of the Kolyang Creative Hub and the Kolyang Artist Lab. These programs are developed and delivered by Performing Lines WA (PLWA) in collaboration with the independent performing arts sector in Western Australia. In response to the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, PLWA reached out to independent artists and producers to understand their needs. The resounding request was for flexible, artist-led time and space to come together without the pressure of performance outcomes.

Successfully executed in 2020, 2021, and 2022, these programs have continuously adapted to address the evolving needs of the sector. A core principle of the Kolyang methodology is ensuring that all participants are paid salaries for their engagement.

In 2021, a name was sought for the Creative Hub that celebrated the diversity of experiences and knowledge brought to the table by participants, the connectedness that was created and honoured the land on which the events were held. With guidance from Clint and Kylie Bracknell (language revivalists and researchers) of Boomerang and Spear, Kolyang (pron: Kol-yong), the Noongar name for the Western Australian Golden Wattle, was selected.

The Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries, through the Arts Organisation Investment Program, confirmed their ongoing support of the new look Kolyang Program of Industry Development Initiatives from 2024-27. This is great recognition of the impact the program has had across its inaugural three-year cycle. Performing Lines WA will release future plans in early 2024, and will ensure delivery will continue to happen in close collaboration with the arts sector – maintaining relevance and servicing need.

The Kolyang Creative Hub is a three-week responsive program facilitating interdisciplinary artistic practice sharing, creative developments, panels and conversations.

The Kolyang Creative Hub aims to:

• Bring artists and industry professionals together.
• Provide dedicated time and space for reflection, questioning, learning, and sharing.
• Create a future-focused platform that breaks down barriers and facilitates knowledge-sharing within the sector.
• Foster critical thinking and the development of innovative new approaches to artistic work.

Fees

Creative Hub participants are paid a stipend, which varies each year in accordance with the shape and duration of the program.

Held in conjunction with the Kolyang Creative Hub, the Kolyang Artist lab offers a safe, creative environment for WA’s emerging and early-career artists to explore ideas, build new relationships and unpack performance-making processes.

In the initial years, the Labs focused on emerging artists from First Nations and culturally diverse backgrounds. In 2022, the Lab expanded its reach to include ten early-career disabled artists working in any genre or medium.

Participants in the Lab are supported to join the Kolyang Creative Hub cohort after completing the one-week Lab.

The Artist Lab aims to:

• Bring together a cohort of emerging and early-career artists with diverse lived experiences.
• Connect artists with mentors and allies in their respective artforms.
• Provide dedicated time and space for exploring ideas, building relationships, and understanding performance-making processes.
• Support the development of innovative approaches to artistic practice.

Fees

Artist Lab participants are paid a stipend, which varies each year in accordance with the shape and duration of the program.

To ensure that the Creative Hub and Artist Lab remain artist-led, PLWA introduced an Artist Advisory Group in 2021, which continued with refreshed membership in 2022. Comprised of previous program participants, this group plays a crucial role in assessing expressions of interest, guiding programming decisions, and providing mentoring and support throughout the course of the Creative Hub. The members of the Advisory Group are re-assessed and selected by the PLWA team each year.

2021 Artist Advisory

Alex Desebrock
Daley Rangi
Grace Chow
Melissa Cantwell

2022 Artist Advisory

Melissa Cantwell
Bruno Booth
Janine Oxenham
Daisy Sanders

Reports

PLWA concluded the first trilogy by engaging Tracker Development and Black Iris Consulting to create a comprehensive set of resources that assess and showcase the remarkable outcomes and impact of this ground-breaking program. Our resources consist of a 44-page evaluation and impact report, along with two highlight reels – one for the Creative Hub and one for the Artist Lab.

Public Program Podcast

Each year, the Kolyang Creative Hub features a thoughtfully curated public program of engaging events, including small-group discussions, long tables and panel conversations. These sessions are centered around topics put forward by the cohort, ensuring their relevance and significance. To provide wider access to these valuable conversations, selected sessions from both 2021 and 2022 were recorded and are now accessible through our public podcast channel. You can listen to them at https://anchor.fm/kolyang.

Sector Conversations

A key focus of Kolyang in 2021 was to strengthen the sector by engaging in sector-wide discussions and bold conversations, and collectively suggest actions to make our industry stronger and more cohesive. Dr. Shona Erskine compiled a comprehensive report that highlights the significant findings and recommendations derived from the Kolyang Sector Conversation. This report was presented to the wider sector in collaboration with the Chamber of Arts and Culture Western Australia, solidifying our commitment to fostering a thriving industry.

>> Read Kolyang Sector conversation report