Young Theatre Makers

free workshops for people aged 13-17

The Young Theatre Makers Program is a free opportunity for young people aged 13-17 to explore theatre-making in a welcoming, youth-led environment. Facilitated by two incredible theatre artists, Nate Karagiannis-Troisi and Valerie Berry, you’ll work with other young artists to collaborate, develop your theatre making skills, and tell the stories that matter to you.

Come and be part of a vibrant community of artists who believe that theatre is about more than just a performance — it's a platform for change.

 

📌 Who Can Apply?

The Young Theatre Makers Program has been created for young people who may not otherwise have access to theatre.

To be eligible to apply you must:

  • Be between 13-17 years old

  • Have a passion for doing the workshops, and

  • Meet at least one of the following conditions:

    • You are a young person under guardianship of the Minister.

    • Your parent or guardian holds a Health Care Concession Card or a Pension Card.

    • You identify as First Nations, a Person of Color (POC), LGBTQIA+, or Disabled.

Please note, that priority will be given to young people under guardianship and whose parents/guardians hold a Health Care Concession card or a Pension card.

 

📅 When will the workshops happen?

Day & Time: Thursday evenings, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Start Date: May 8th, during Week 2 of Term 2

Final Workshop: July 3rd, at the end of Term 2

Please ensure you are able to attend at least 7 of the 9 workshops before applying.

🗺️ Where will the workshops take place?

Address: ActNow Theatre’s MakeSpace, 253 Gouger st (entry via Bailey st)

Access: Visit the access page on our website for access information including public transport to MakeSpace.

💻 How to Apply:

What to do: Fill out the online application form by clicking the ‘APPLY NOW’ button below

Due date: You must submit your online application before 5:00PM, Friday 4th April

 

🎨What’s in the Application Form?

After providing your personal details and your parent or guardian’s consent, we’ll ask you to answer a few key questions.

You can respond in one of two ways:

  • ✍🏽 Write your answers in the form.

  • 🎬 Submit a short video (via a URL link). We recommend a 3-minute video (maximum 5 minutes).

You can preview the application form to see the questions in advance.

 

☕️ meet the artists

 
Valerie Berry, a brown skinned Filipino woman with short hair is dressed in black and smiling to the camera. She stands on a city street, with the background slightly blurred.

Valerie Berry

CO-FACILITATOR, YOUNG THEATRE MAKERS PROGRAM

Valerie Berry is a theatre maker and arts worker. Throughout her practice, she has focused on cross cultural, collaborative and interdisciplinary processes. Recent works include, Future World Hypothesis, with Performosa Theatre, performed at Cloudgate Theatre, Taiwan; Directed Danielle Lim’s Caught In Between, and Van Badham’s play Bang On The Nerve at Goodwood Theatre; Australian Performance Exchange’s (Sydney) development collaboration with Performosa Theatre (Taiwan), The Island Project, 2023; CAAP (Contemporary Asian Australian Performance) as a facilitator: 2021- 2024 Artist Lab SA, and Double Delicious: writer/performer for Sydney Festival and Asia Topa 2020, remount director/performer for OzAsia Festival 2021, and performer/co-director touring regional VIC and NSW 2022; North/Eastern States tour of The Folding Wife (Urban Theatre Projects, toured by Performing Lines); National Theatre of Parramatta (Swallow, 2016-performer) and Directed (Let Me Know When You get Home, 2021). In 2022, Valerie was the Associate Director for State Theatre South Australia’s production of Single Asian Female.

Valerie is an Associate Artist at ActNow Theatre and works as a coordinator, facilitator, mentor and collaborator. She is the Artistic coordinator for their Cultural Leaders program. Valerie has had an ongoing collaborative partnership with multimedia artists, Anino Shadowplay Collective (Manila, Philippines) and Paschal Daantos Berry, since 2005: The Folding Wife; Within and Without (Performance Space and Blacktown Arts Centre); Arkipelago, and Arkipelago2: Intima-sea (Yogyakarta, Indonesia); and This here.Land, Performance Space: Liveworks Festival, 2017.

Valerie’s film and television credits include, True Colours, Upright, The Matrix Reloaded, The Great Raid, (award winning independent film) Supposed the Night Tasted Like Sugar, Rope Burns (AFTRS), Spirited (Foxtel), Big Sky (Ch10), and A Difficult Woman(ABC). Valerie’s radio drama credits for ABC Radio National include, The Folding Wife, Conversations through the Wall, Ancestry of my eyes, Rita’s Lullaby, Season to Taste and Lotus War.

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[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Valerie Berry, a brown skinned Filipino woman with short hair is dressed in black and smiling to the camera. She stands on a city street, with the background slightly blurred.]

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Nate is olive skinned and is dressed in a leather jacket, white tshirt and beanie, looking off camera. He is sitting in an outdoor suburban space at nighttime by some concrete steps.

Nate Karagiannis-Troisi

CO-FACILITATOR, YOUNG THEATRE MAKERS PROGRAM

Nate Charles Karagiannis-Troisi is an award-winning, multifaceted theatre maker, practitioner, educator and performer whose work spans decades, genres, mediums, and continents. He has studied, created, and performed extensively across Australia, The Netherlands, and the USA. His current focus lies in autobiographical explorations of multiculturalism, intergenerational trauma, sex, relationships, and contemporary Australia through a CALD and queer lens.

Trained at the Victorian College of the Arts in Naarm and currently residing and creating work in Tarntanya, Nate has worked as a facilitator for SAYArts Youth Theatre, Riverland Youth Theatre and a story-collector for Open Space Contemporary Arts (OSCA). He also collaborates with praxis ARTSPACE to devise and execute activations for various exhibitions. Most recently he performed the role of Freidrich von Schoen in the upcoming Asylum Studios film The Land That Time Forgot, and featured in the subsequent making-of documentary Mockbuster by Anthony Frith, and has worked as a facilitator and performer on the Adelaide Festival show War of the Worlds (in conjunction with Riverland Youth Theatre, D’Faces and Arena Theatre Company). He has also received funding through Carclew and Adelaide City Council to mentor teen playwright Mali Harkin-Noack as she writes her first play. In his spare time, he performs as keyboardist Howlin’ J. Weatherill in satirical country band Brad Chicken and the Bootstraps, and functions as half of theatre-trash duo Muse of Fire.

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[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Nate is olive skinned and is dressed in a leather jacket, white tshirt and beanie, looking off camera. He is sitting in an outdoor suburban space at nighttime by some concrete steps.]

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Any questions?

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Nescha at nescha(at)actnowtheatre.org.au

 

The ActNow Theatre Young Theatre Makers Program is proudly supported by Foundation SA (Trustee: Australian Communities Foundation).