New England North West Creatives Shine in Isolation Project

Arts North West has unveiled the comedic results of a large-scale community arts project that had been in the works over the last couple of months of 2020.

Captain Isobolt and the Great COVID Crises of 2020 is a set of 5 short videos engaging community theatre practitioners in the New England North West, bringing humour to the tumultuous year that was.

Scripted by Arts North West, the series features over 100 local participants, in a low-tech spoof, centred around a young man who is unexpectedly chosen to confront and solve a the series of crises posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the New England North West including toilet paper shortages, the need for hand sanitiser, homemade masks and social distancing.

Filmed using mobile phones and social distancing, the series has been brilliantly produced and edited by Arts North West Projects Officer, Michèle Jedlicka, with voice overs by Inverell’s Peter Caddey, original music by Armidale’s Pat Harris and stars New England North West locals, Alex Robson and Ellie Ann Sampson.

“Film is not my medium in the first place, so this project was a fun challenge. With theatre, you rehearse for weeks with your fellow actors, and then play to an audience: you bounce off the energy and reactions of both. But this was me, performing to my mate behind my iPhone camera, in my tiny, scantily furnished new home” said Captain Isobolt actor Alex Robson.

“This was a quintessential quarantine project as you have all of these artists, from all of these different communities, coming together the only way they can: remotely.” Alex continued.

Project manager, producer and editor Michèle Jedlicka, was also really impressed with the effort put in by all involved.

“The imagination and ingenuity all the regional groups used to create their clips was wonderful. They only had a brief to follow, and it was up to them to interpret that part of the script. Even though I saw all these clips multiple times through the editing process, they always make me laugh” said Michèle.

The Captain Isobolt series can be viewed online via the Arts North West website www.artsnw.com.au. For more information, please contact media@artsnw.com.au

The Panorama Project Installed in Inverell

Photo: Inverell Library staff member Maria Mutimer with one of the over 300 Panorama Project sketchbooks on display

The Arts North West Panorama Project, a creative record of our region in the time of COVID, is now installed at the Inverell Public Library until 23 December.

Arts North West (ANW) sent small A5-sized custom sketchbooks in the winter of 2020 to people across the New England North West. Participants filled their books with visual or tactile art, and writing, then returned their sketchbooks to drop-off spots in their communities. Now on tour, the entire collection will tour the region’s libraries until early August of 2021.

“We have loved seeing Panorama Project out on the road. And we have had some lovely messages from library visitors who have enjoyed spending time browsing through all the sketchbooks,” ANW executive director Caroline Dower said.

The exhibition launched at the Glen Innes Library in late October, in time for the library’s Community Open Day and 66th Anniversary celebrations. After its three-week stay, it was hosted by Our Place Wine and Espresso Bar in Tenterfield before it came down to Inverell.

“I heard the most amazing story from Our Place owner Amanda Rudge when I went up to collect the show,” Panorama Project manager Michèle Jedlicka said.

“A woman from the coast stopped in on her travels, and Amanda suggested she have a look at the sketchbooks while she waited for her order. This woman was astonished to find the first book she picked from the shelves was actually made by her friend who lived in Narrabri. That coincidence was extraordinary.”

Michèle invited the public to sit down and spend time looking through collected talent and memoirs in the sketchbooks.

“This project gives us all sense of our connectedness and similarities. I have loved helping this project happen, and I am so grateful to all the people who took part.”

You can follow the progress of the Panorama Project at: www.artsnw.com.au/#/panorama-project.

Arts North West Extends Paid Opportunity for Local Musicians

Arts North West is extending an EOI for a paid opportunity to a musician or team of musos living in the New England North West to compose a brief soundtrack for our new video project. This is a five-episode series, at about 7-10 minutes/episode. Each episode can use the same music, requiring a very short opening (<15 seconds) and closing track (<30 seconds), with a 3-4 stem or related files to add through the episode (length 15 seconds-1.30 minutes as background music). All episodes will be screened on Arts North West's internet presence and social media. Payment will be commensurate with the project expectations, with music licensed by the composer(s) for use in the project, and you will retain all rights to the music, with full film credit to the composer(s) and performers. The episode lengths lend themselves to a purely instrumental soundtrack, and prohibit a formal theme song, but some vocals are welcome as well.

The EOI deadline is 29 November, with final pieces to be delivered by the successful composer(s) by 18 December.

This project's subject matter is a young man, unexpectedly tapped to confront and solve a the series of crises posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the New England North West. Results are comical, haphazard and a bit bumbling with 2-3 group scenes per episode of people re-enacting some of the year's most pressing COVID-related issues with funny results. Musical themes might have a country to classical flare, reflective of our region, but dramatic flourishes with a bit of superhero thrown in, as our main character is Captain Isobolt. The general intent of the project is fun, and not at all serious. The actors/participants for this project come from all across our region.

Interested? Send through a 10-30 second MP3 clip(s) at an audio bitrate:128 kbps or better of your inspiration to the project brief, and any links to previous work to project manager, Michèle Jedlicka at indiopony@gmail.com, as well as any questions or requests for further information. Notifications will be made by Wednesday, 2 December.

THE NEW ENGLAND NORTH WEST LOCAL ARTS COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU

It’s spring, and as the New England North West region begins to emerge, Arts North West understands that we find ourselves in a ‘brave new world’ of social distancing, hand sanitising and ensuring we sign in when enjoying a piece of entertainment away from home.

The great news is that there are events out there for us all to enjoy despite the challenges, from performing arts tours to exhibitions, literary events and so much more but the long-term wellbeing of the artists and arts-workers of our region relies very much on us all showing up.

The Arts North West on Tour network is really looking forward to welcoming the Country Witches Association, to New England North West Pocket Production venues.

From one half of the team that brought Women Like Us to our region in 2019, this community-building comedy/music show draws Country Women’s Association members every time it tours the bush.

Irish folk musician Àine Tyrrell and Australia’s beloved comedian Mandy Nolan whip up plenty of audience participation via a meeting ‘agenda’ that is a riotous and heartfelt homage to the CWA’s role: bringing support, connection and hysterical observations of everyday dilemmas.

This is a Covid safe, 18+ women’s show but men who love listening to women are totally welcome.

Bonshaw Hall: Wednesday November 18, 2020. Bookings: 0427 749 978

Royal Theatre Quirindi: Thursday November 19, 2020. Bookings: 6746 1755

Gunnedah Town Hall: Friday November 20, 2020. Bookings: 6740 2230

Deepwater School of Arts: Saturday November 21, 2020. Bookings: 0431 269 104

Tenterfield School of Arts: Sunday November 22, 2020. Bookings: 6736 6100

There has never been a time when it’s more important that we follow through on our bookings, because venues are likely to have put on extra staff, and numbers are likely to be capped, so if we cancel or don’t show our place might not be reallocated at short notice.

The Arts North West on Tour network has a fantastic line up of shows planned to tour the New England North West next year, so follow Arts North West on Facebook to stay up to date.

Please contact Mandy Nolan via 0422 701 680 for information regarding the Country Witches Association tour.