Sideshow
With Sideshow (previously Activated Arts podcast) explore the unconventional talent and distinctive work of professional arts practitioners with disability. Presenters Anthea Williams and Hanna Cormick speak with outstanding artists and arts workers from across the creative spectrum for entertaining, enlightening and provocative discussions about art, culture and disability. Sideshow is produced in association with Accessible Arts NSW.
Episode #12 - Radical Hospitality via Mixed Blood Theatre
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Mixed Blood Theatre is a theatre company in Minneapolis, USA which Anthea visited in 2018. The theatre proudly stage they are "dedicated to removing any and every barrier we find". She was astounded by the company. This month Anthea chats to actor and director Regan Linton and research and marketing expert Robert Ley about Mixed Blood and their policy of Radical Hospitality.
Original broadcast date 13.08.21
Learn more about the events and companies in this episode:
- Mixed Blood https://mixedblood.com/
- Phamaly Theater Company https://phamaly.org/
- Arts Activated Conference https://touchpoint.eventsair.com/arts-activated-2021/
- 2021 Exhibition https://2021exhibition.art/
- Stars in 3D https://events.canberra.com.au/whats-on/60cff64fc668fbd12f04036a/stars-in-3d
Episode #11 - Bus Stop Films
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This month Anthea chats with Bus Stop Films CEO Tracey Corbin Machett and Actress / Filmmaker Audrey O’Connor. Bus Stop Films have made over 50 films in their 12 years, but they’re also on a mission to make the whole industry more inclusive.
Original broadcast date 16.07.2021
For more information visit https://busstopfilms.com.au/
Episode #10 - Screenablity
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2RPH presenter Anthea Williams says the Screen NSW Screenability program is one of her favourite initiatives. This year her film, Safety Net was chosen to screen at the Sydney Film Festival along with the work of Emily Dash and Shawn Spina, who both join her for this inspiring episode of Activated Arts.
The Screenability program is a unique opportunity for young filmmakers with a disability to take part in an international film festival with a screening in the glorious State Theatre picture palace in Sydney's market street. A career defining moment for any filmmaker, the chance to reach film festival audiences means even more since the Covid-19 pandemic isolated so many practitioners in the performing arts.
The writer of Groundhog Night, Emily Dash (pictured below) is currently undertaking a writing and research internship with Matchbox Pictures. She has been writing for film and theatre since 2015 when she made her first short film I Am Not A Work of Art as part of Metro Screen’s 2015 Screenability program. Emily has collaborated with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the PACT Centre for Emerging Artists and Front Up Emerge at The Cutaway Barangaroo Reserve. She is currently developing Ever After Theatre’s new show “How to Build A Home”. Emily has a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) (Gender Studies) from University Of Sydney.
Shawn (pictured below) is an emerging artist from Fairfield in Western Sydney. Since 2013 he has been a Curious Creator at CuriousWorks contributing to community projects including Ritual, Riz, Meet+Eat and Las Rosas and Fairfield's Bring It On Festival. He has been actively involved in the WOW Kids Reporters program since 2017 and led the WOW Reporters to their first live broadcast in 2019. He continues to offer live broadcasting services as part of CuriousWorks Social Enterprise program. It was in a CuriousWorks writer’s group that Shawn developed the script for his short film, Prone to the Drone which was selected for Create NSW Screenability Funding in 2018. He went on to write and play the lead in the CuriousWorks produced short which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2019. Shortly after making Prone To The Drone, Shawn joined the Fairfield PYT Ensemble 2019 and 2020 and began networking, collaborating and working with other artists from Western Sydney.
In what’s On this month Activated Arts takes a peek at Sarah Hopfinger's Pain and I; theAha Ensemble: Yoke; and at the Opera House Liz Martin and Eliza Hull: Inter the Space Between the Note
Original broadcast date 18.06.2021
Episode #9 - The Consultants
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Consultancy is a contentious issue, so this month Anthea talks with Tom Middleditch from A_tistic and Matthew Field from The Attitude Foundation about what makes a good consultation. https://www.a-tistic.com.au/ https://www.attitude.org.au/ What’s On. Hanna tells us about the Footscray Art Prize and its virtual tour and Back to Back’s less accessible Small Metal Objects at the Rising Festival https://www.footscrayartprize.... https://rising.melbourne/ https://www.2rph.org.au/progra...
Original broadcast date 21.05.2021
Episode #8 - Living With The Invisible
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In conjunction with The Sydney Writers’ Festival, Anthea Williams chats with writers Kylie Maslen and Jacinta Parsons who have both written remarkably debut novels about their Chronic Illness and living with an invisible disability. These books are insightful, wise and achingly honest and in the show Kylie and Jacinta talk about not only why they had to write them but also what they hope will change in the medical industry and media. What’s On: Awaye, Black Blood and White Tears, Legs on the Wall, Trestle.
Original broadcast date 23.04.2021
Episode #7 - Activated laughs
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This episode Anthea chats with stand up stars Alistair Baldwin and Madeleine Stewart about the advantages of their disabilities and the healing powers of hippotherapy. They also reveal what tickles their funny bones"I was born with one arm," says Stewart, "though I often tell people that a shark bit it off." Stewart lives in Campbelltown and has been mentored by Adam Hills. Sometimes, however, she says that like Van Gogh, "I cut it off as a symbol of artistic expression." As for Melbourne based Alistair, he maintains that all comedy can be broken down into two categories: "Sensible Venn Diagrams and Absurd Lists."
Together they discuss what it's really like to be disabled from birth and whether it increases your sense of humour or simply spares you the indignity of being exploited as a sex object. They also reveal what they'd like to see change in the entertainment industry.
In Access and What’s On, Hanna talks about Andi Snelling’s Adelaide Fringe show Happy Go Wrong, and ultra-accessible multi-art project Reasonable Adjustment. Anthea highlights Alistair and Madeline’s upcoming events, Wheelhouse and the Wheelhouse Online show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival with Madeline; and Growing Up Disabled in Australia, Laughing at the News and Queerstories, with Alistair as part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival.
Original broadcast date 26.03.2021
Episode #6 - Back to Back
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Presenter Anthea Williams talks with two members of the Back To Back ensemble, Simon Laherty and Ingrid Voorendt. Back to Back is an award-winning theatre ensemble from Geelong featuring work devised and performed by people with disability. The company has toured extensively all around the world with work that questions assumptions about what is possible in theatre but also the assumptions we hold about ourselves and others. The show will also explore Restless Dance Theatre’s new show GUTTED and a newer form of audio description available via 3ply.net.
Original broadcast date 26.02.2021
Episode #5 - Casting and Coping
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When the trailer for Sia’s film Music debuted, the disability community was generally horrified. The film stars Maddie Ziegler playing a character on the autism spectrum, despite not being autistic herself. Sia bit back asking people to see the film before they judged it. So that’s just what we did. This week I speak with Sophie Smyth and Bridie McKim, two brilliant actresses who identify as living with disability, Sophie with autism. We discuss the film, casting and the broader ramifications of representation.
Original broadcast date 29.01.2021
Episode #4 - Value Shift
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Anthea talks with artist Hanna Cormick. In 2015 Hanna Cormick was living in Paris and working as a physical performer with a background in dance, circus and interdisciplinary arts.
Now Hanna is a wheelchair user and due to a number of acute allergic reactions she spends much of her time at home and must wear a full-face mask when in public. But her arts practice has deepened and the values behind her work have radically shifted. This month we spend a full episode talking to this remarkable artist. https://www.hannacormick.com/
Original broadcast date 14.01.2021
Episode #3 - Embracing disability
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Anthea talks with Asphyxia, writer of the remarkable novel Future Girl, and Sarah-Vyne Vassallo, choreographer, director and Artistic Director of Integrated Performance Company Murmuration. They discuss how their work and practice changed when they embraced Auslan or living with disability. Following the interviews, Anthea and Liz discuss the brilliant films that cast people with disability at the moment in the What's On section.
Asphyxia is a writer, visual artist, circus performer and musician. Visit: https://helloasphyxia.wordpress.com
Sarah-Vyne Vassallo is a choreographer, director, performer and consultant. Visit: http://www.sarahvynevassallo.com/
Original broadcast date: Friday 4 December 2020
Episode #2 - Writing the Self
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Anthea talks with writers Fiona Wright and Anna Jacobson about their work and how their writing has helped them and those around them understand complex disability. Fiona is a poet and essayist (https://www.fionawright.net/) while Anna Jacobson is a polymath - a writer, visual and video artist (https://www.annajacobson.com.au/).
In What's On, Anthea and Liz discuss Deluge and Ingress. Deluge is an online collaboration between artists from Australia, Hong Kong and the UK and Ingress is Jeremy Hawkes solo exhibition at the Lismore Regional Gallery, November 28 to January 10, 2021.
Original broadcast date: Friday 6 November 2020
Show links:
- Deluge | https://disabilityarts.online/...
- Ingress | https://lismoregallery.org/cp_...
Episode #1 - Pandemic
Click here to download a transcript.
Anthea talks with Anna Barnes and Esther Hannaford, Lead-Writer and Actor from ABC series Retrograde, and Allison Reynolds, Paul Calcott and Jeffery Wood Visual Artists working on the radically accessible 2020 Exhibition about creating arts and entertainment in reaction to the pandemic.
Original broadcast date: Friday 9 October 2020
Show links:
- Retrograde| https://iview.abc.net.au/show/retrograde
- 2020 | Live from 22 October | www.2020exhibition.arts
- Archibald | https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/archibald-wynne-sulman-prizes-2020/
- Down the Line | https://www.artsaccess.com.au/events/down-the-line/
Sideshow - Arts, culture, disability
With Sideshow (previously Activated Arts podcasts) explore the unconventional talent and distinctive work of professional arts practitioners with disability. Presenters Anthea Williams and Hanna Cormack speak with outstanding artists and arts workers from across the creative spectrum for entertaining, enlightening and provocative discussions about art, culture and disability. Sideshow is produced in association with Accessible Arts NSW.
Sideshow is recorded every four weeks and broadcast fortnightly on 2RPH at 2.30pm (ADST) Friday - 1224AM, 100.5FM, digital DAB+ and streaming, www.2rph.org.au. This program is recorded every four weeks and broadcast fortnightly on 2RPH.
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Anthea Williams has already made an impact with arts and disability program, Sideshow. Here she shares a little about the new program.
"I direct theatre and film as well as develop new plays and screen works. But over the last few years I’ve got increasingly vocal about the importance of disability representation, and issues that arise from the limited narratives people with disability are given.
"With this in mind when Sancha at 2RPH and the Accessible Arts team got together to discuss this program they thought I’d be a good host and decided to approach me.
"Each program looks at a specific topic, bringing in guests to unpack that topic in creative and surprising ways, while discussing their work and arts practices.
"I’ve met with many truly exceptional artists and discussed their work. It’s also been brilliant to look at artforms I don’t work in personally."
Sideshow is broadcast on 2RPH every second Friday at 2.30pm (ADST) - 1224AM, 100.5FM, digital DAB+ and streaming, www.2rph.org.au.