NIDA and Carriageworks bring exciting new theatre to Sydney audiences

What happens when you put Australia’s next wave of young creatives and award-winning theatre directors in a rehearsal space together at one of the nation’s most innovative cultural organisations?

You generate the kind of work Sydney audiences can be passionate about: energetic productions created by the nation’s most promising students, presented in a leading theatre venue and guided by prominent directors from Australia and around the world.

The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and Carriageworks are delighted to announce a new Contemporary Performance Partnership which will see the two organisations work closely together to present exciting new work to audiences and contribute to the development of arts and culture.

This partnership is a natural pairing for NIDA and Carriageworks, which share a commitment to increasing audience engagement with the dramatic arts, and producing and promoting contemporary work through the ongoing support of talented young artists and practitioners.

NIDA’s relationship with Carriageworks will bring a wealth of opportunities for NIDA students and for theatre-goers.

Students will have access to Carriageworks’ state-of-the-art performance, production and exhibition spaces at their site in Redfern, Sydney, and the chance to work with visiting national and international artists and theatre practitioners across a range of projects, and audiences will have the opportunity to see the impressive results.

NIDA will also host Carriageworks’ artists as guests and panellists at range of public and industry forums and events at its site in nearby Kensington.

“Carriageworks is excited to be working with the National Institute of Dramatic Art. We look forward to working together to build new audiences for contemporary performance practise,” says Lisa Havilah, Director of Carriageworks, of the creative partnership.
“Together, the two organisations are hoping to attract and build local participation and audiences for the performing arts,” adds Lynne Williams, Director and CEO of NIDA. “We are delighted to be reaching out and making a contribution to the communities which surround us”.

Idiot will be the first NIDA work to be presented at Carriageworks. Featuring NIDA’s second year Actors and graduating Costume, Design, Production, Properties and Scenery Construction students, and written and directed by NIDA’s 2011 Seaborn, Broughton and Walford Foundation Artist-In-Residence Max Lyandvert, the production is a contemporary take on Dostoyevsky’s famous 1868 novel, The Idiot.

Idiot will open at Bay 20 at Carriageworks on October 22, 2011, and will mark the beginning of the Contemporary Performance Partnership. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster.