Mr MITCHELL - 1996-08-22
What plans exist to promote and foster youth art in the Territory?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, as most members would know, young people in the Territory are quite keen participants in a range of arts, music, dance, theatre and other cultural activities. Examples include rock eisteddfods, The Beat, theatre productions by groups such as the Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre and a number of other youth theatre groups, and music
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activities with a variety of bands performing a variety of music. There is extensive activity by young people right across the cultural spectrum.
Through the Office of the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the government is looking at how it can maximise the benefits of arts funding for young Territorians. Indeed, we have commissioned a consultancy investigation to examine the feasibility of staging a youth arts festival in the Northern Territory and, by so doing, creating a focus for arts events for young Territorians. The study is to report on how we can best create opportunities for young people to participate in the arts and other cultural activity. It will consider such matters as augmenting the youth components of existing festivals - the Festival of Darwin, the Katherine Flying Fox Festival, the Tennant Creek Desert Harmony Festival, the Wind Festival at Jabiru etc. Most centres in the Territory have a festival. There are many other regional events that members would attend on a regular basis.
We have engaged a highly-qualified consultant to conduct a feasibility study over the next 5 weeks. She is Merrilee Mills, who has just returned to Darwin after a successful interstate tour as a musician and tutor with the Darwin contemporary dance company, Tracks. She is known in the Territory also for her very close involvement with the Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre. She has tutored and directed for the Centre of Youth Music. She has worked as a lecturer in music at NTU and as an actress, director and teacher with most of the professional theatre bodies across the Territory. She has had considerable experience. I look forward to her recommendations as to how we may best help young Territorians to obtain the most from our arts funding dollars. Benefits will flow to Territorians as a result.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, as most members would know, young people in the Territory are quite keen participants in a range of arts, music, dance, theatre and other cultural activities. Examples include rock eisteddfods, The Beat, theatre productions by groups such as the Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre and a number of other youth theatre groups, and music
Page 1548
activities with a variety of bands performing a variety of music. There is extensive activity by young people right across the cultural spectrum.
Through the Office of the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the government is looking at how it can maximise the benefits of arts funding for young Territorians. Indeed, we have commissioned a consultancy investigation to examine the feasibility of staging a youth arts festival in the Northern Territory and, by so doing, creating a focus for arts events for young Territorians. The study is to report on how we can best create opportunities for young people to participate in the arts and other cultural activity. It will consider such matters as augmenting the youth components of existing festivals - the Festival of Darwin, the Katherine Flying Fox Festival, the Tennant Creek Desert Harmony Festival, the Wind Festival at Jabiru etc. Most centres in the Territory have a festival. There are many other regional events that members would attend on a regular basis.
We have engaged a highly-qualified consultant to conduct a feasibility study over the next 5 weeks. She is Merrilee Mills, who has just returned to Darwin after a successful interstate tour as a musician and tutor with the Darwin contemporary dance company, Tracks. She is known in the Territory also for her very close involvement with the Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre. She has tutored and directed for the Centre of Youth Music. She has worked as a lecturer in music at NTU and as an actress, director and teacher with most of the professional theatre bodies across the Territory. She has had considerable experience. I look forward to her recommendations as to how we may best help young Territorians to obtain the most from our arts funding dollars. Benefits will flow to Territorians as a result.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016