By Christine de Kock
NEW theatrical workshops will be run for young women at the Footscray Community Arts Centre this month.
Naomi Steinborner will co-direct the Chicks Theatre Lab project with Sandra Long, which is a workshop co-ordinated by Western Edge Youth Arts.
Ms Steinborner said she was scouting for girls aged 16 to 26 to take part in the 10-week theatre project.
“It’s almost a theatrical mentorship program,” Ms Steinborner said.
“The young women will speak to older professional women who are involved in various fields and ask these women what female characters inspire them – it could be a character from history, books, theatre.
“They will then use their interview to create a theatrical performance and will research the female characters further.
“We will tape these interviews and perhaps they could develop a monologue or take a particular scene from the interview and express it on stage.”
Ms Steinborner said she hoped female politicians, theatrical directors and community leaders would consent to take part in the program.
“We want strong female characters for them to play.
“Through the process of the interview we want the girls to become aware of career pathways, not only in the arts but also in other areas.”
Ms Steinborner said mentors were crucial to an individual’s career development, particularly to those who wanted a career in the arts.
“It’s important so that we can learn from their experience and they can also suggest things to you and guide you in certain directions.”
Western Edge Youth Arts is a non-profit organisation established to provide positive arts and performance experiences to culturally diverse young people living in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
