In 2022, ActNow Theatre awarded three MakeSpace Residencies to artists Bel Mac, Bethany Rose Marshall and Nicky Tsz Tung Li. Let’s get to know them!

Bel Mac

Bel Mac is a Kukatha/ Wirangu/ Kaurna/ Ngarrindjerri woman from South Australia. She is a creative all-rounder with extensive experience in performing, producing, signing, MCing events, and hosting for radio. For her residency, Bel explored her own story. Bel says, ‘I [was] so excited to fully allow myself to completely “be” in every aspect that is. Not just the indigenous side, not just the woman side, not just the LGBTQI side, not just pigeonholed into whatever small parts feed within the most places in society, but just a place where [I was] able to fully blossom and see what that’s like.’

Bethany Rose Marshall

Bethany Rose Marshall is a Nharrangga/East Arrentre Aboriginal musician who has trained at the Centre of Aboriginal Studies in Music at The University of Adelaide, the Abmusic Aboriginal Corporation and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Her residency focused on the creative development of new music and spoken word poetry in collaboration with First Nations artists. Bethany says, ‘I always wanted to develop and showcase my art but I want to do it alongside my sisters and I want us to do it in a space where we can be open, vulnerable and honest with our art.’

Nicky Tsz Tung Li

Nicky Tsz Tung Li is a Hong Kong-born multidisciplinary artist. Her work challenges our perceptions of reality, advocates for human rights in her home city and for representations in the creative industries. During her residency, Nicky developed her show Signal: A Theatrical Mixtape about her experience of being a Hong Kong-born Australian and the messy intersection of all her identities. Nicky says, ‘I [was] excited about exploring how to present chaos in a way that makes sense. I think that because of the intersectionality of identity, and the artforms I use, a lot of times, when I try to present a bunch of work, it is not cohesive. And I think it’s the same for a lot of people. It can feel like it's just a mess. But that is my living experience, I don't know how to present my messy thoughts and creations in a way that makes sense.’

Nicky was the recipient of the Fringe MakeSpace Residency, supported by the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

The MakeSpace Residencies were made possible with funding from Arts South Australia, the Australia Council for the Arts and the Adelaide Fringe.