By Slade V Mayer
A new theatre company has launched in the Illawarra! Dust Theatre Collective held their launch at Coledale Community Hall (soon to be home of the company) on August 31, with performances from talented local artists offering a sample of the exciting things to come.
Dust (standing for a ‘Dawn of Untold Stories’) was formed by a group of local creatives, who are passionate about offering performance and development opportunities for artists in the Illawarra. Together, Adam Parkes, Isabella Franklin, Nurina Simpson, Kelly-Maree Michael and Slade V Mayer have decades of collective experience. After many years of working in the local theatre community, we saw a gap for an inclusive and open theatre space that focused on giving emerging creatives a chance to gain experience.
Dust follows the motto of “Love, Trust and Pixie Dust”, aiming to create a safe and accessible environment for all that centres on stories, new and old, that have been swept to the margins, allowing these stories to be told by the people that should be telling them. Dust will create a variety of opportunities including children’s drama classes, adult improvisation, cabarets, festivals, and more.
The first chance to get involved is a new original pantomime, written and directed by Nurina Simpson, Slade V Mayer and Kelly-Maree Michael, which will be performed at the Coledale Community Hall in December. Back to Neverland is a mash-up of the cult classic 80s film Back to the Future by Robert Zemeckis and beloved children’s book (and popular panto subject) Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.
Our wacky and fun production will bring these iconic characters to life with a sprinkle of pixie dust, touching on themes of time, growing up, family and societal expectations with a pumping 80s jukebox soundtrack, live science lessons and lots of magic and heart. All are welcome to get involved – auditions will be held at Bulli Senior Citizens Centre on Tuesday, September 3 at 7.30pm and at Coledale Community Hall on Sunday, September 8 at 1pm.
Follow @dust_theatreco on Instagram or email dusttheatreco@gmail.com
