St Martins Workshops
Congress

– Emma, Congress 2019
Congress is St Martins’ incubator ensemble: a group of curious and brave young people with diverse world views and something to say.
Aged between 12 & 17, the group meets weekly to dive deep into conversation about the world and their place within it, before moving their exploration onto the workshop floor.
Built on a foundation of trust and lead by St Martins’ Artistic Associate Kat Cornwell, Congress is a think-tank for the company; a sounding board for thematic and formal ideas.
At Congress everything is on the table: politics, world-events, sci-fi, feminism, myths, science, pop-culture and environmental sustainability.
In 2020 Congress test-drove ideas for the company’s Digital Workshops; created a video installation with international artist Bek Berger for the exhibition Incoming Transmissions at Annantalo in Helsinki; participated in a creative development for Gene Tree alongside young people from Dandenong Primary school; and wrote and filmed two short videos, “This One Time…” and “The Age of Change” for our 4040 Live online performance.
This Congress will perform alongside Dandenong Primary School in the company’s new work Gene Tree: Listen. Now. Again. at the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Congress is Spike, Harriet, Eli, Ted, Sunday, Roy, Phoebe and Jackson.
We acknowledge the barriers to the arts that exist for many young people because of disability, cultural difference or social disadvantage and we offer scholarships and programs to overcome these barriers.
Kids Helpline – Anytime. Any Reason: 1800 55 1800.
Headspace – mental health support for young people: headspace.org.au
ReachOut.com – online mental health support for young people: reachout.com
QLife – counselling and referral service for LGBTIQ+ people: qlife.org.au
Head to Health – Australian Government resources for online mental health support: headtohealth.gov.au
St Martins acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work and live, the Wurundjeri and Boon wurrung peoples, and pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, as well as all First Nations Peoples of Australia and Torres Strait Islands. We acknowledge Sovereignty was never ceded and stand in solidarity with the First Peoples.