Shepparton Shed Blog

Shepparton, Victoria Australia

CLOSING SHEP BLOG ON MON 24TH JAN.
A truly glorious project, set in rural, outback Shepparton, popo 40,000.
A huge triumph and definitely life changing.
The poject was a success at 2 major levels, the process and meaning ,effect, input and performance of the kids. The repercussions and ongoing impetus at a Community level.
Clearly, there were also some challenges-;
1.. strategic planning… not enough time
2.. personnel decisions..  (all these point I will go into greater detail in my technical blog rather than general blog).
3.. the Islamic Challenge, how to engage a community, who by their own laws can not perform and integrate, yet strategically reach role models and figures who can initially engage parents and Community.
4.. The value of  Signing
5..The work ethos, of engaging children in breaks, lunches and the broader Community at evenings or weekends.
6..The footprint and re-stimulation of the extraordinary work of WILLIAM COOPER.
7..the crucial maximisation of techno logy, especially now website and facebook as a forum for all participants, and comments, meetings, photos etc
8..The use of a seminar to properly motivate and prep the practitioners.
These will be the main thrust of my Technical  Blog.
But, with regard the Final Blog of the final day event, well, what a remarkable and life-affirming and life-changing day.
We as a full company were now out of the space of Camp0us rehearsal rooms and into the theatre.
We had soundchecked and band rehearsed with Roger the English drummer, and Eric, the local Aboriginal digieridoo player.
In addition to Ghost Gum High, the world premiere of the youths’ new musical, we also had compiled an exciting second half.
Friends and inspirational 0zzie ‘heroes’, Les Twentyman and Kutcha Edwards came and performed, as did Congalese traiditional dancers and Angel’s Voices.
Totally blown away by it all!
Yamin doing a trojan’s work of being pdn manager and sorting out lighting plots a, directing and having collated the script-and much more.
The Company arrived, breathless, buzzing, ready to crown their glory. Cossies. Makeup. Safety tours. Dressing rooms.
A  technical rehearsal and a dress rehearsal, and 2 beautiful surprises, which I as ready to unleash, encourage and be totally moved by….
Suited and booted, frocked and focussed, 630pm was upon us in a  flash, 6-700 people in audience.
Ias MC for both halves and happy to do so.
Dana, a young participant of Aboriginal background d, and the subject to endless bullying in her life, opened, and was thrilled, proud, and overcome to have prepared her opening introduction of the evening, herself and welcome to Uncle Boydie.
The dignified, elegant and revitalised Arthur ‘Uncle Boydie Turner’, came to the stage to deliver a tradition Welcome to Country. Resonant and fitting!
Yamin calling the show.
Zoe, Peter and Aiden technically on lights and sound etc.
My Sussex drummer and local Digi player at the ready.
The came and swarmed with energy over the stage, with joy and love, and delight, and tinged with a proud ‘ownership’ of the piece, of their fruits, sweat, their baby, our collective creation. For 45m, trying to remember blocking,being in their light, projection out front, diction, and all the lyrics, harmonies in both English and Swahili…the tempo never broke down, no giggling, no back-acting upstage..but a steely determined instilled pride to tell their story.
Entirely moving.
Interval. Hurrah-success.achievement.relief.delight.
Act 2, myself doing my shtick at the piano and setting a context..delightful message from People’s Hero Les Twentyman, Traditional Congalese dance, Kutcha an irepressable spirit, a tour de force, a breath of fresh air, charm and with both audience and kids alike, singing to us in both English and native tongue of Mutti Mutti (spelling?)..moving, poignant and with such grace.
Angels’ Voices choir- smart,savvy,talented youth, who had become our friends and cooked traditional Congalese for us.. a poem from Chloe, on the floods in Brisbane, Young Chloe, in full bloom, confident, and without any rehearsal with mysle for Eric, and singing and reciting her tale. Back come the kids, and a stirring final end of the FINALE. Presentations. Euphoria for youth, audience wrapped.
A thanks to everyone involved, and I mean a huge thanks to all, practitioners,kids,volunteers, staff, technical, special guests, and audience..thank you!!!
THANKS to Pamela and Alexis for their support, Alita for coming over from HK, and I mean thank you to all who participated in this glorious event.
Endless photos and t-shirt signings and revelrie, and dins and bed-     SHEP SHED rocks!.an hour later facebook goers mad already with tales of missing, of love..that moment immediately after when the bitter/sweet tinge of anticlimax coupled with the sheer thrill of the warm memory.
NO not the end…just warming up!

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DAY 4 BLOG
A truly historic day. The extraordinary and groundbreaking.
Dear reader on, I am thrilled to inform you of the events of huge historic significance which unfolded today.
Yes, heavy rain. And, yes mindful of the tragedy interstate in Qld.
After midnight and a long, tiring, but totally exhilarating day 4 coming to an end.
I am thrilled to say that Uncle Boydie, an respected Aboriginal elder, 80 odd years old, and the grandson of the famed WILLIAM COOPER, came and visited us to lecture to our kids and ten to dinner.
Thanks to Abe Shwartz and Catalyst , a good friend who facilitated this trip at short notice.
William Cooper, an extraordinary Aboriginal, who in 1936 after Kristallnacht in Germany, made a one man  protest against the injustice committed against Jews by the Nazis.
He walked from Shepparton to Melbourne, 250 kilometres, and protested to the then King of England.
He was recently honoured, the only Australian and an indigenous one at that, who was experiencing his own terrible persecution and injustices at the hands of Australians and the Australian legislature, and the process of cultural genocide against himself and his people, at the Yuad Vashem war memorial in Jerusalem.
His grandson went to Israel to collect the award and recently returned.
This is truly what bridge building is about. The William Cooper Bridge is so called and named in Footscray, where W.C. lived to honor his conflict-resolution achievements.
This is a man about whom the world should know, and what a thrill to meet and hear this man, Uncle Boydie, a board member of the Rumbalara people, numbering some 5,000, in his home town on His soil, of the Yortie Yorta Nation(spelling?) tell his tales, and hold us in his thrall, with such beauty and dignity.
This came after a Congalese dance workshop for an hour.
And this on the back of great scene building this morning, where I got our kids to summon the spirit of the past in Shona, French and Swahili. Many more tales to follow.
The striking coincidence for me is that my grandparents, were refugees from the ovens of Poland and came here and were located in Shepparton. Thus my Australian roots are born from displacement of the Jewish peoles as a result of the of Jewish persecution and genocide. And here am I, some 70 years later on the home soil of Uncle Boydie who’s grandpa took a stand, a crusade to shout about the injustices inflicted on these very same people.
Truly remarkable,historic,poignent, potent and historic.
See pics oln my facebook page.
And on Shepp Shed.org which will be posted tomorrow.
Onward!

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AFTER DAY 2, 12 Jan 2011

Well, here we are at Shepp Shed, set against a background of unfolding tragedy of the floods in Queensland.
It sets into context the fragility and value of life, and I am thrilled to be here from London, with Yamin, my fellow drama practioner, who celebrated his birthday yesterday in rural Victoria.
The tempo of our program is rapid, and the levels of reponse from the kids has been amazing.
Such joy and an infectious enthusiasm that has swept participants and practitioners alike,along in its wake
We had 55 kids yesterday, and these were subdivided into 4 groups, and all created, performed and responded with such gusto and commitment, after a tough first day of getting to know the drill, the environment, the routines and of course the paramaters of expectation-ie what was being asked of them.
It was no small feat that saw the project funded and the implemented and prep’d in such a short lead in time.
Big thanks to Latrobe, Beth and Nicolai for this.
The space for rehearsal at Latrobe campus here in Shepp, has been great, clean and expansive, and isolated in the summer, with few external influences around.
From my perspective, we are totally understaffed at a staffing level, and so greater demands, challenges and responsibilities lie in the hands of those who are quite new to this Shed experience.
We are in the early stages of devising and collaborating and learning songs,- the opener written at 330am on the Monday morning from the lovely serviced apts, we are staying in.
Groups have come up with great lyrics, rap ideas, theatrical and dramatic plot ideas.
Their performance level has demonstrated a growing degree of confidence and comfort and joy in performance.
Clearly day 1, is tricky, and inhibitions and reticence are understandably on show.
Compared to my past experiences of the Shed program, we are also down on numbers of those who require special needs, or from criminal, emotionally traumatised or seriously disadvantaged backgrounds.
However, opportunities here for this sort of creative expression and performance outlet , are low, and the kids, made of from the Shep and surrounding areas, with a high degree of Congalese refugee influence have shown such talent, and such diverse skills- as well as a fair share of Iraqi refugees, Indigenous Australians and mainstream 0z kids.. what a joy and a pleasure.
Looking forward to day 3 now.