Arts Centre Melbourne presents
The Kiln
Artists and arts workers craft ideas at Arts Centre Melbourne
The Kiln, a program of discussions, masterclasses, networking events, forums and training for artists and arts workers, returns to Arts Centre Melbourne this winter from 2 – 29 June, 2019. The second iteration follows the successful launch of Arts Centre Melbourne’s dedicated sector development program in 2017, this time taking over foyer spaces in Hamer Hall, Playhouse and State Theatre.
Melbourne’s independent and small-to-medium arts community can explore, hone and develop professional practice through workshops, talks and events from leading Australian artists and companies. Arts Centre Melbourne is partnering with Arts Access Victoria, Casa Cultura, Lyric Opera, Melbourne Fringe and Theatre Network Australia.
“A key focus for The Kiln’s return in 2019 is access, inclusion and representation – key threads and concerns for Arts Centre Melbourne now and into the future. The Kiln in 2019 will take place throughout our venues foyer spaces and The Channel, providing a rare (and subsidised) opportunity for Melbourne’s independent arts community to avail themselves of a variety of creative and practical development activities,” says Arts Centre Melbourne Creative Producer, Theatre & Contemporary Performance, Tim Stitz.
“The entire programming team; Creative Engagement (Access & Inclusion and Creative Learning) and Contemporary Performance (Theatre, Music and Families & Children) have collaborated to curate a diverse and timely program that we hope will allow participants to enrich and develop their practice.”
Workshop and panel topics include Safe Theatres for independents, disability and the performing arts, inclusive leadership, intercultural performance and sustainable practice.
Arts Centre Melbourne has launched Part 1 of The Kiln program with Part 2 to be announced late May.
Arts Centre Melbourne presents
The Kiln
Hamer Hall, Playhouse, State Theatre foyers and The Channel
1 – 29 June, 2019
Close Encounter: Ambrose Akinmusire – USA (Artist in Conversation)
Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire weaves together left-field jazz, hip hop and funk, chamber music, spoken word and social consciousness to create a richly textured soundscape that crosses genres and redefines the form. Hear his thoughts in this Artist in Conversation event.
2 June, 5pm – 8pm
The Channel
A space for comedians 16 – 25 years to interact and discuss and workshop their comedy practice. Places are open on request to previous participants of Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Arts Centre Melbourne’s comedy development programs such as Class Clowns, Up Next and LOL Squad.
3 Jun, 10am – 4pm, 11 Jun, 2pm – 5pm, 24 Jun 10am – 4pm, 25 Jun 10am – 4pm
The Channel
Led by performer, producer, theatre maker and activist Sonya Suares the #justnotthatmany grass-roots arts sector visibility campaign has reached far and wide, from Brisbane to Beijing. Suares is calling on everyone who has participated so far – and those who haven’t – to show up and be seen in their biggest group photo yet at Arts Centre Melbourne.
3 June, 6pm
Meet at Smorgon Family Plaza
The Last Avant Garde – Disability and the Performing Arts in Australia: Beyond the Social Model
The Last Avant Garde team have been roaming Australia to find out where the Australian Deaf and disabled performing artists are. This disability-led research project has held inclusive workshops for 150 performers, writers and theatre-makers in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Alice Springs, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide talking to over 350 Deaf and disabled artists across Australia. This panel conversation will look at what was discovered, what stories were shared and what we have learnt.
4 June, 2pm
Close Encounter: Miles Okazaki – USA (Artist in Conversation)
In 2018 New York based guitarist and composer Miles Okazaki recorded, for the first time, the entire 70-piece Thelonious Monk song book on a solo instrument. Hear his thoughts in this Artist in Conversation event.
4 June, 3pm
The Channel
Aspiring rappers, singers, beat makers, poets and musicians aged 14-24 are given the opportunity to learn from a team of established hip-hop practitioners including Mantra, Mohamed Komba (aka MoMO of Diafrix) and Thando. In this program they can hone their skills, collaborate with other like-minded people and gain access to facilities to write, record, produce and perform tracks.
4 and 18 June, 5pm – 8pm
The Channel
Close Encounter: Ghost-Note – USA (Artist in Conversation)
Fronted by the dynamic percussion duo of Snarky Puppy’s Robert ‘Sput’ Searight and Nate Werth, Ghost-Note is an explosion of sounds that catapults funk music into the future. Hear their thoughts in this Artist in Conversation event.
5 June, 2pm
The Channel
The Future of Inclusive Leadership
Join a diverse panel of arts leaders in conversation around inclusion, arts and the communities they work with. Facilitated by jazz singer, cabaret artiste and transcendent diva Mama Alto, the panel will include Caroline Bowditch (Arts Access Victoria), Veronica Pardo, (Multicultural Arts Victoria), Fablice Manirakiza (Come and see Burundi) and Kamarra Bell-Wykes (ILBIJERRI Theatre).
6 June, 3pm
Close Encounter: Linda May Han Oh (Artist in Conversation)
Perth-born, New York-based composer and bassist Linda May Han Oh’s new work Aventurine makes its Australian debut at MIJF 2019. Hear her thoughts in this Artist in Conversation event.
8 June, 1pm
The Channel
APRA PANEL: Financial Literacy for Musicians
Learn about financial best-practice, how to get work in front of the right people and what to do once it’s there.
8 June, 2.30pm
The Channel
APRA PANEL: The Art of Pitching
Learn about best-practice pitching in this forum.
8 June, 4pm
The Channel
Close Encounter: Rafiq Bhatia – USA
Tense violin, exhaled gospel vocals, skittering drums and foreboding bass populate Breaking English, the latest album from guitarist and producer Rafiq Bhatia. Hear his thoughts in this Artist in Conversation event.
9 June, 1.30pm
The Channel
Aspiring female-identifying and non-binary artists aged 14-24 are given the opportunity to find their unique voice, develop skills and gain confidence in spoken word, emceeing, singing and performance. Participants have access to industry standard equipment and facilities to write, record and produce your own tracks as well as take advantage of the performance opportunities Arts Centre Melbourne can provide.
11 and 25 June, 5pm – 8pm
The Channel
In a unique collaboration, A Voz Limpia, a Melbourne-based independent publisher and Revarena Ediciones based in Queretaro, Mexico have partnered to publish a special edition, Foliaje – a bilingual anthology.The work of 12 poets and short story writers based in Australia and Mexico focusses on the common experience: Distance.
14 June, 6:30pm
In this illustrated talk, Dr Caitlyn Lehmann will introduce the eccentric world of Philip and John Astley, and reveal the unexpected connections between ballet and circus that shaped the Astley’s fortunes from the 1780s to the early 1800s.
15 June, 3pm
The Channel
This panel features six Deaf independent artists who will describe their interdisciplinary art practices, where they are heading as an emerging artist within the Deaf arts movement and how the arts industry can support artists from the Deaf community to thrive. The panel, facilitated by Jodee Mundy, includes Anna Seymour, Irene Holub, Walter Kadiki, Elvin Lam, Luke King and Jess Moody.
19 June, 2pm
A free musical journey through tranquil and uplifting Indian classical music featuring the spiritual sounds of the sitar, flute and veena, and the uplifting beats of the tabla. The events are designed to energise and prepare participants for the day ahead.
21 June, 7:30am
Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall foyer
This ‘scratch night’ for live performance in Melbourne is a space for artists to test their freshest ideas; the ones that still need some working out and would benefit from a supportive audience. Small and Loud aims to be a safe, inspiring, and robust space that will be a gathering ground for the creative community, create an ongoing critical dialogue about the work of its members, and seed future collaborations.
26 June 7pm
The Channel
Dig Deep and Sisters on the Mic at Emerging Writers Festival
Participants from these programs step up to tell their stories and present a showcase of new work. Dig Deep and Sisters on the Mic are Arts Centre Melbourne’s long-running programs empowering diverse young rappers, songwriters, poets and beat makers through workshops and mentoring.
28 June, 6pm
The Channel
