St Martins has been shaped by the many hands, hearts and minds that have made it what it is today, on the same site for 40 years.
In 2020, St Martins marks its 40th year of nurturing artistic talent, telling thought-provoking stories and creating bold work with young people, for adult audiences. 40:40 is a celebration of, and homage to, the thousands of young people who have walked through the doors of St Martins since 1980.
Bagryana Popov
“I think it was the first time I sensed the intimacy-in-public of theatre. We were in a mysterious world – poetic, dark, sharing a private moment with people on the other side of the lights.”
Bek Berger
“The generosity and kindness of friends, strangers and everyone in between made me believe that I was a part of something precious, important and that I was going to do everything in my power to protect this industry and this feeling for the rest of my life.”
Beng Oh
“It was deeply personal work and in September 1997 just a few hours before we had our first audience of any kind I had a moment of absolute clarity and calm: I was completely satisfied with what we had created.”
“I think places like St Martins, youth theatres, allow you to go there and really try stuff out and be your most authentic self.”
– Julia Zemiro
Scroll to watch St Martins young creatives Eve & Henry interviewed @juliazemiro about her St Martins memories
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Chris Thompson
“My various times at St Martins over the years have been very significant in both my personal and professional life – most of my closest friends, my professional relationships my professional practice and even my marriage all had their beginnings at St Martins.”
Daniel Lammin
“To learn from professional artists and my older peers, and gain confidence, not just in my craft, but in this new and scary city. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it hadn’t been for that year at St Martins.”
Elham
“It was the best feeling in the world. Sometimes, when you think you’re stuck, if you wait a bit and be patient and learn from other people, you just might find another way to get where you want to go.”
Emilie Collyer
“It was the best feeling in the world. Sometimes, when you think you’re stuck, if you wait a bit and be patient and learn from other people, you just might find another way to get where you want to go.”
Fabio Motta
“My various times at St Martins over the years have been very significant in both my personal and professional life – most of my closest friends, my professional relationships my professional practice and even my marriage all had their beginnings at St Martins.”
Hugo Race
“I saw Gina Riley and Dorian Lazar starring in a production of Cain’s Hand. It was punk, it was relevant and I could see myself in that space – I left that show feeling so inspired!”
Isabella Vadiveloo
“Our teacher told us to be a good actor you have to run 2km 3 times a week, and SHE WOULD KNOW if we didn’t. That 8 week term was the only time I ever tried to run in my life. I am not an actor now, so maybe she was right. ”
Jackson Reid
“When I was 10 I felt like I needed a change. I had all this weight on the back of my head, pulling my head down…”
Jason Geary
St Martins is where I met one of my life long collaborators, Lliam Amor. Since we met at St Martins all those years ago we have shared the stage and screen on hundreds of occasions.
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Summer Metcalf
Joana Pires
Before a St Martins workshop I was leading, a 10 year old named Blossom gave me a skateboarding coaching session and taught me how to skateboard for the first time.
Joseph O’Farrell
I had never worked with kids before, what followed was a truly new and rewarding experience of making work and one that would shape the next chapter of my creative career. a
Kian Hall
“Working with St Martin’s on the Escape Velocity Project has been a dream. When I was young, I loved acting. School was almost worth it for the chance to have a role in the yearly play. I even considered acting professionally. And then I realised I was trans. It was a deadend for my acting dreams, as even today, there are very few transgender actors who get any decent roles.
There are no words to describe my joy from the chance to relive my acting dreams, while also sharing my own experiences and struggles as a trans person. I’ve also made amazing connections through working on the Escape Velocity Project, and friendships that I’ll cherish forever.”
– Kian Hall
Kate Hunter
… the wooden platform that Georgie Naidu was standing on while playing saxophone broke and she fell through but kept standing up. Later I found out it she really hurt herself but at the time we laughed.
Lally Katz
My play Horse-Girl and Her Young Gentleman Friend was performed and gave me hope that my voice as a writer was something people wanted .
Lliam Amor
Jason Geary and I took over the gallery space and put in dozens of weird drawings, paintings and art objects. Half of which had to be taken down (too risque)
Lola Morgan
This one time at St Martins this kid kept throwing chairs after he was once told that he could do it in a play. That was a great time.
Lily Fish
In 2010 when I was in second year at Drama School (I studied at the National Theatre) we had a week long intensive with physical theatre company Born in a Taxi. I fell in love with the theatrical form they play in, but also, meeting these real life working artists proved to me that it was possible to be a professional theatre maker. I then hounded them to let me observe their process and assist on their projects in any way that I could. Fast forward to now and I perform with the company regularly, and consider them mentors and friends. If you love someone’s work tell them, and seize every opportunity you can to immerse yourself in their practice.
Maude Davey
I was working as an actor with a troupe of people on a physical theatre show. The company were resident at St Martins – which used to happen back then – rehearsing and performing in the Irene Mitchell…
Mila Rennie Galvin
This one time at St Martins I decided to wear at hat that looked liked a cooked turkey.
Nadja Kostich
My cousin, Nikola, a famous Serbian actor, on a 15,000km-one-night-only-first-ever visit to see something I’d made, was running late to our opening night of Balit Liwurruk: Strong Girl. Our front of house was a FORTRESS and never let him, despite his pleas and supplications.
Seriously!
He subsequently moved to LA and catapulted into the Upside Down, Stranger Things 4. The moral of the story might be ‘don’t be late to St Martins’ or ‘magic happens at St Martins’ – take your pick!
Petra Kalive
There are so many moments that have shaped the person and creative I have become. So many moments tie into my formative years at St Martins…
Rachel Burke
A Japanese lighting designer visited the Randall and brought with him the most beautiful lighting filters, glorious colours that I’d never seen before. I was very nervous cutting the colour because I knew we couldn’t replace it in Melbourne.
Rob Meldrum
The name St Martin’s conjures up many images for me, but one predominates. It’s of a small room with white painted walls and a fluorescent blue Windsor carpet.
Robert Reid
…i stood on stage in front of a completely packed audience in the Randall theatre and before i’d even said a word the wave of cheering, applause and laughter was so loud and strong that i knew in that instant it would be what i did with the rest of my life. And, so far, i have.
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Ted Hargreaves
When I was four I was diagnosed with Autism, and I didn’t really know about it until I questioned why I was different. When I was ten I enjoyed being in my class play, so my mum subscribed to St. Martins’ newsletter and in the first newsletter she received there was an article asking for five autistic people aged 10-18 with special interests to volunteer to be part of a show and so I volunteered. If you have a special interest it is an autistic trait that most autistic people have, it’s where you are so interested in one thing that you can pursue that interest to a great extent.
Tania Lacy
I had to climb in through the dressing room window. The director would not tolerate lateness and well, I was late and now locked out. The window was my only choice, if I was to save the play, humanity and the world.
Tim Stitz
I was a beneficiary of Brett Adam’s time at St Martin’s and met so many excellent people while part of the Performance Ensemble, various productions and workshops at St Martin’s around this time…
Vanessa O’Neill
I have loved watching the impact that St Martins has had on my son who has been doing classes at St Martins since he was seven (he is now 14)…
Wesley Enoch AM
In 1993 I was 24 and I had decided to come to Melbourne because I had fallen in love, and Chris Thompson had invited me to do some work with St Martins.
Willa Carney
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Willa Carney is 8 years and has been coming to St Martins for 2 years. Her favourite thing about St Martins is the people: both the teachers and the friends she has made.
Wolfie Sun
Last year, in October, it was the last rehearsal day for Escape Velocity Walks the City. We had mapped out our routes and had done a trial run. I remember that we were gathered in Fed Square and were getting ready to walk back to the Arts Centre…
Thank you.
To assist in another 40 years of creating stories with young people, please considering joining our newly-launched patron program, St Martins Village!
St Martins Village
One-time donation
St Martins Village
Join St Martins Village to support St Martins’ programs, workshops, outreach, and productions. All driven by the empowerment of young people. Membership is renewed on an annual basis. Each level has their own perks!
One-time donation
Your gift will make a difference to the lives of many Victorian young people who would not otherwise get the chance to experience contemporary performance and better understand themselves, the world we live in and how they can contribute to it.
