Local Giants – Unlocking the potential of regional Australia
A partnership between PAC Australia, Performing Lines and Regional Arts Australia, Local Giants is an ambitious new capacity building program which seeks to unlock the cultural ambition and potential of regional Australia.
With support from the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative, the Australian Government through the Regional Arts Fund, and the NSW Government through Create NSW, Local Giants will be delivered across 2021 – 2023 in partnership with regional partner venues in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.
Local Giants is responds directly to consultation with regional colleagues and seeks to create the foundations for new models of working that elevate the work of regional artists and artsworkers.
The Program
The program consists of several intersecting parts, including:
- Regional Producers Career Development Program
- Regional Artist Residencies
- New Regional Work Co-Commissions.
Between Performing Lines, Regional Arts Australia and PAC Australia, the organisations bring a breadth of experience in artist development and capacity building for local communities. As such, the Local Giants program has been developed after extensive consultation with regional artists and arts communities to seize opportunities for growth and innovation in the regional sector.
In the first phase Local Giants will provide opportunities for 72 artists, arts workers and producers, across three residencies and the producer platform, resulting in the development of up to three new regional works.
Participants Announced – Regional Producers Platform
Local Giants is thrilled to announce the 2022 cohort taking part in the Regional Producers Platform – a skills development program led by Performing Lines that takes participants through a practical, industry led capacity building program in producing, culminating in an in person gathering at APAX 2022. The cohort was chosen from a list of 76 applicants, demonstrating the necessity for investment in regional arts infrastructure.
The Local Giants supported participants are:
- Aimee Grey | QLD
- Amber Grossman | QLD
- Anna Thomson | NT
- Claire Chapman | NSW
- Craig Bary | NSW
- Danelle Degrassi | TAS
- Georgia Deguara | WA (Supported by Circuit West)
- Jade Ranson | SA
- Natasha Shimpf | NSW (Supported by Eastern Riverina Arts through the Renew Wagga project, in partnership with the NSW Government)
- Rebekah Gibbs |VIC (Supported by Flying Fruit Fly Circus)
- Rosie Sitorus | WA
- Sarah Reuben | NT
- Sinsa Mansell | TAS (Supported by Performing Lines TAS)
- Sky River | WA
- Tracey Skinner | VIC
From June to September, these practitioners will engage in weekly lectures and tutorials, coming together over Zoom to work through the various stages of producing live work, deep dive into individual project ideas, as well as explore sustainable models relevant to their regional context particularly for presentation and touring. The platform will also see opportunities for one-to-one industry mentorship.
For further information please contact admin[@]paca.org.au or call us (08) 9221 8992.
``The lab brought producers from the entire region together and gave them a chance to interact, empower each other, and share their work. It was also helpful in making new connections.
As a regional, and often touring, artist and producer it's really important to me to understand where our WA industry is at, and who is involved with it. For both a current connection and hopefully future collaborations.
It deepened my relationship with the producing role and allowed me to think about what that is more broadly and how exactly I want to do it.
Having the space to discuss as a network, assisted by the information presented by the PLWA team.
Just liked clarifying the whole part of what a producer actually is/does because we're all so self-taught in this field and having a bit of a ground to stand on is nice.
This multi-year, multivalent program is flexible and adaptable to local context and designed with a view to expand in future years into regional communities across the whole of Australia, creating opportunities for large numbers of independent artists, arts workers and producers who may not otherwise have access to such resources.``Cohort feedback from the 2020 Producer Lab
Local Giants is supported by the Restart Invesment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) fund – an Australia Government Initiative, the Australian Government through the Regional Arts Fund, and the NSW Government through Create NSW.