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EMBOLDEN
Who is St Martins?
If this is the first time you’ve heard of us, hello! We work with young people to make bold and disruptive public performances that have won numerous industry awards. Our drama workshops have been inspiring creativity and curiosity for generations. For the past decade, our art making has been in collaborations between professional artists and young people under the age of 18… UNTIL NOW!
2025-2027
Embolden is the first professional development program for St Martins in response to both a need in the industry as well as from our young people. There are many emerging artists 18-25 who want to pursue a career in theatre but would like a guiding hand.
We are calling out for expressions of interest and will be selecting an ensemble of participants who will meet regularly throughout 2025 to devise, create, and perform an original theatre production together. You will work with the talented and experienced Tariro Mavondo, along with other industry mentors, to build your creative skills. We will support and present this show in partnership with Melbourne Fringe at the Irene Mitchell Studio in September.
Who is invited to join us?
Are you between 18 and 25? (If you are a couple of years over this range but fulfil the other criteria, please still send us an EOI!)
Do you often feel like you’re not represented in the art that you see?
Are you passionate about contemporary devised/experimental theatre?
Do you have something to say?
Do you work well within a collective, and enjoy creating in an ensemble environment?
Would you like to build industry connections but don’t know where to start?
What to expect?
Once selected, you will meet with Tariro and your cohort weekly over a 6-month period (there will be breaks, please see detailed timeline below). These sessions will be a mix of devising workshops, mentoring sessions, feedback sessions, and rehearsal time. The best way to learn how to make a show, is to make a show! So that’s exactly what we’ll do.
We will devise, refine, rehearse, and then go through the steps of staging, including all the tech elements, and what goes into producing a theatre piece. We will respond to your interest in the various areas of theatre making to give you the support that you need to get the most out of this program. And you may get to be stretched and experience new and exciting areas that you did not expect.
Your participation is dependent on your ability to commit to this approach and timeline.
What are the dates/commitment?
All sessions will be held at St Martins headquarters in South Yarra.
Phase 1
Sunday, March 16
Afternoon
Monday, March 17
Evening
Sunday, March 23
Afternoon
Monday, March 24
Evening
Sunday, March 30
Afternoon
Monday, March 31
Evening
Sunday, April 6
Afternoon
Monday, April 7
Evening
Phase 2
Sunday, May 11
Afternoon
Sunday, May 18
Afternoon
Sunday, May 25
Afternoon
Sunday, June 15
Afternoon
Monday, June 16
Evening
Sunday, June 22
Afternoon
Monday, June 23
Evening
Sunday, June 29
Afternoon
Monday, June 30
Evening
Phase 3
Group rehearsals
All day
Sunday, August 3
Sunday, August 10
Sunday, August 17
Sunday, August 23
Sunday, August 30
Phase 4
Rehearsals
Monday – Friday
15 – 19 September
All day
Tech and Production
Week 1
Irene Mitchell Studio
22 – 28 September
All day
Week 2
Irene Mitchell Studio
29 September – 5 October
Day/Evening
Embolden Artists and Mentors
Embolden Lead Artist - Tariro Mavondo
Tariro is an artist through and through. Whether it’s workshop facilitation or working with the likes of LEXUS, BMX, DFO, Thomas The Tank Engine on voice over jobs, making poetry/spoken word and music with collaborators such as I Hold The Lion's Paw, being a dramaturg on new Afro-futuristic or working on the business side of the arts to champion communities and independent artists, Tariro lives and breathes creativity.
Embolden Support Artist - Sarah Iman
Sarah Iman (she/they) is a Malaysian born, Naarm raised multi-disciplinary artist. A recent graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, Sarah has predominantly worked across community arts sectors, including Western Edge Youth Arts, NextWave, Music Victoria and SYN Radio. Sarah’s current interest lies in movement practices and poetry as forms of resistance and community building.
Embolden Producer - Alice Qin
Alice Qin is a Melbourne-based theatre maker, director, actor and educator. Her interest in lifting voices from undervalued communities into a theatrical context has led her to a lot of work with young people, as well as a emerging theatre makers from diverse backgrounds. Generating conversations and fostering community is her main drive for her performance practice. As the Artistic Associate of St Martins, she worked on The Word (Abbotsford Convent, 2024). She is also currently faculty at VCA, working with both the acting and the theatre making cohorts.
