MILK CRATE THEATRE 

- THEATRE DIRECT FROM THE STREETS-

Next show: INTERSECTION

Thursday 26 Aug & Friday  27 Aug and Thursday 2 Sept & Friday 3 Sept -  7pm at Edward Eagar Lodge, Surry Hills

For more information visit www.milkcratetheatre.com

Milk Crate Theatre is first and foremost a community. We consist of creative intdividuals who come together to make entertaining, challanging and inspiring performances, whilst exploring issues, opinions and life experiences in the process. We are a direct partnership between actors, artists, welfare services and community participants, walking a line between professional theatre and community development.

"When you see a fair bit of theatre around the traps, every now and then something leaps out and wakes you up and makes you realise the transformative power of a live performance...if you ever have the chance to see a Milk Crate Theatre show, don't miss it."  Central Magazine, 18 August 2009

Milk Crate Theatre is a Darlinghurst Theatre Company initiative that works primarily in collaboration with people who are in transition - being homeless, formerliy homeless or disenfranchised. Working in the inner city, metropolitan and western suburbs of sydney, Australia, we access this community through partnerships with a network of welfare services including Mission Australia, Wesley Mission, The Salvation Army, HopeStreet, Mathew Talbot Hostel, Rough Edges and the Wayside Chapel.

• To nurture creativity / as a way to connect, question, inspire and empower
  
• To teach life skills in expression, teamwork and communication
• To facilitate education pathways and peer to peer learning
• To express voices in the community that aren't heard
• To improve and foster societal understanding and involvement with the complex issues involved with homelessness and margalisation
• To create high quality, inventive and interactive theatre productions
  

Development through workshops: 126 Workshops

• 28 x Open drama workshops (4 x 7 week blocks) at Edward Eagar Lodge and open to anyone homeless or formerly homeless. This program offers opportunities to engage with different theatre form.
• 28 x Home-Delivered drama workshops (4 x 7 week blocks) at external welfare services and open to service clients. This program offers opportunities to experience Milk Crate Theatre workshops and performances, join our membership and other programs.
  
• 28 x Out-West drama workshops (4 x 7 week blocks) held in Parramatta and open to anyone homeless or formerly homeless living in the west. This program is in partnership with the Homeless Services Coalition and Mission Australia's The Micheal Project, a 3 year program targeting homelessness in men.
• 11 x Women's drama workshops (1 x 7 week block and 1 x 4-day intensive block) held in women's services and open to homeless and marginalised women. This program offers theme based workshops, where the themes are decided by the women
• 7 x Large Scale Public Show Rehearsals (1 x 7 week block) held in conjunction with the large scale public shows and open to anyone homeless or formerly homeless  willing to make a commitment over time towards the large scale public show INTERSECTION.
  
• 24 x Large Scale Public Show Rehearsals (1 x 12 week block) held in conjunction with the large scale public shows and open to anyone homeless or formerly homeless  willing to make a commitment over time towards the large scale public show INTERSECTION, including a two day intensive acting workshop.
  

Large Scale Public Theatre Show: 1

• Upcoming Professional Public Production: INTERSECTION is a professional public productions that enables Milk Crate Theatres participants to work alongside professional actors and associated artist. INTERSECTION will be performed by 40 participants and a team of professional actors. It's a work that explores the way your life changes course.

Interactive Performances: 11

• 4 x original shows presented as 11 performances in welfare services across the inner city and western suburbs. These performances are based on the real life stories of people we connect with at services and are sometimes grouped around particular themes. The story is performed in its entirety, then we return to various decision making points and open up a discussion to the audience about what could have been alternative options in the circumstances. The audience votes on their favorite suggestion and that audience member gets up and acts out the alternative model with the actors.
  

Community Development: 1

• Woolloomooloo engagement project - Milk Crate uses the creative process as a starting point to work with particular communities.

Edge of Your Seat: 10 professional theatre shows

• Participants of Milk Crate Theatre are invited to attend 10 professional theatre shows as a group, providing opportunities to network socially outside the workshops.

Milk Crate Membership:

• Participants of Milk Crate Theatre will be invited to join the Milk Crate Membership. The membership will provide access to subsidised theatre tickets, creative opportunities and voting for Milk Crate steering comittee community representatives.

Education and Training Pathways for Milk Crate Theatre Participants / Members:

• 2 x In-house trainees. Milk Crate Theatre participants are selected and supported in gaining work experience and training in particular skills over 12 months.
• Profesional Public Production of INTERSECTION will be accredited, as Milk Crate Theatre is partnering with TAFE Outreach to build an accreditation model for specific Milk Crate Theatre large scale public shows.
• Building partnerships with organisations so that in-house trainees can be placed in paid apprenticeships with partner organisations in the arts and education sector.
  

For more information about our workshop, performances and program visit www.milkcratetheatre.com

Our theatre performances involve the collection of real stories from the street that are scripted into full-length playback / forum theatre show. A team of professional actors are employed to perform this true story, and then repeat back critical moments of conflict and decision making – opening it up to the audience – allowing them to twist, turn and shake the plot, step in and play out alternative options in moments of crisis.

All performances are open to the wider community as well as the disadvantaged.

NEXT SHOW: INTERSECTION

Thursday 26 Aug & Friday 27 Aug and Thursday 2 Sept & Friday 3 Sept - 7pm at Edward Eagar Lodge, 348a Bourke Street, Surry Hills

For more infomation visit www.milkcratetheatre.com

Artistic Director - Beck Ronkson

General Manager - Katy Coote

Community Producer - Woolloomooloo initiative - Alison Richardson

Workshop Tutors  - Beck Ronkson, Maurie Barlin, Eliza Logan and Graeme Rhodes

Our Steering Committee: Astra Howard (MIssion Australia Centre), Pete Moss  (Lodestar Communications), David Pocklington (Edward Eagar Lodge) and Glenn Terry (Darlinghurst Theatre Company).

Our Professional Performers: Maurie Barlin (Joker/MC), Kylie Bonaccorso, Kate Bookallil, Michael Cullen (Joker/MC), Eliza Logan, Craig Meneaud, Bernadette Regan and Graeme Rhodes.

Our volunteers: Connie Voisey-Barlin, Louise Stanley and Caroline Fanning

Our Current Funding Partners Include: Australia Council for the Arts, City of Sydney, Perpetual Trustees, Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, Arts NSW, Ian Potter Foundation, Lord Mayor's Salary Trust, Thyne Reid Foundation and private donors. 

Milk Crate Theatre has been delivering theatre direct from the streets for 10 years and you will now find us at Wesley Mission’s Edward Eagar Lodge in Surry Hills, Mission Australia in Surry Hills, Liverpool and Harris Park, Hope Street in Woolloomooloo, Matthew Talbot Hostel in Woolloomooloo, the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross, the Mercy Arms in Waterloo and Rough Edges in Darlinghurst.

CONTACT US:

Phone: 02 9331 3107 (ext. 5)
Email: Beck Ronkson director@milkcratetheatre.com or Katy Coote info@milkcratetheatre.com

Website: www.milkcratetheatre.com

Milk Crate Theatre
C/O Darlinghurst Theatre Company
PO Box 387, Kings Cross NSW 2011

CRITICAL STAGES 

-TOURING OURSTANDING INDEPENDENT THEATRE-

Each production chosen to be part of Critical Stages is literally one in a hundred. Critical Stages selects productions to tour, via a detailed curatorial process. All shows selected must have had a lengthy sell out season at an established theatre and significant critical and industry acclaim.

Productions to tour must be of the highest professional standard, and the artists must have a genuine interest and passion for touring. Importantly Critical Stages productions are accessible to audiences. 

Our aim is to make it work for theatre presenters, and ensure their needs are met and respected:

• To provide presenters with easy access to outstanding theatre productions.

• To ensure that theatre presenters receive the right production and that it is the ‘right fit’ for your theatre and your audience.

• To ensure presenters get the right information and resources, and get them on time; including high quality marketing material adapted to your needs.

• To provide presenters with an exciting and unique range of affordable and high quality productions.

For more information on Critical Stages and its projects please visit www.criticalstages.com.au

KOTO provides hospitality training for street and disadvantaged youth of Vietnam aged between 16 to 22.
The trainees are selected for the program based on their life situation and most come to KOTO straight off the streets. The program lasts 18 months and incorporates three main areas: hospitality training, English language training and the life skills program. KOTO trainees specialise in either front of house and bar service or commercial cookery. Theory classes are taught at the training centre on Thuy Khue Street in Hanoi whilst practical experience is gained from working at the KOTO restaurant now located at 59 Van Mieu Street just opposite the Temple of Literature.
For more details on the KOTO program hit the link: http://www.koto.com.au/

The Theatre's renovation in the year 2000 was supported by:

Benefactors
Kings Security
The Rex Hotel
PV Solar Tiles (click to see web site)
Blue Spinach Recycled Designer Clothing
Spring Espresso Bar

Sponsors:
Hullabaloo

Many thanks to our generous donors:

Producers

Sydney Aussie Rules Club
The Grosvenor Club
Peter Vassallo Design and Management
Grant Terry Plastering

Stars
Dr Rodney Seaborn, Greg Eccleston, Mark Gable, John Mullins, City of Sydney RSL, Darlo Bar, Mackenzie Deane, Lennox Australia, Bernard & Lisa Harper, John Mullins.

Directors
Chris Forrest, Daniel Gerathy, David Ronalds, Iva Vrljic, Jack & Sally Mackenzie, Martin Armstrong, Natasha Gordon, Peter Erling, Cesar Esterman, Greg Kennedy.

Designers
Amelia Shan, Janet Taylor, Peter Marsden and Judy Roth, Steve Sheppard, Ross Henderson, Fiona Mackenzie, Jason Graham-Nye, Margaret Bell.

Benefactors
Jacinta Tynan, Edwina Saunders, Shoba Singh, Rebecca Weir, Steve Sheppard.

Performers
Artemiss Keyhani, Bronwyn Mathew, Cherilyn Price, Claire Dixon, Con Ghitgas, David Ronalds, Kathrin King, Chris Murphy, Drew Fairley, Margaret Bell, John Bryant, Joan and Peter Gerhing, George Sved, Mick Everett, Oscar Knight, Cathy Sugar, Jules Nagy, Steve Sheppard, Dr Don Drover, Felicity McDowell, Fuji Teodosio, Ian Bolland, James Moir, Jennifer Thommeny, Alan Hanson, Jenny Bowen, Julia Featherstone, Justin Bunt, Kathrin King, Kay Edwards, Laura Hacche Doran, Matthew Stewart, Maurie Barlin, Michael O’Brien, C for Casting, Natasha Davis, Patrick Tracey, Peter Carnell, Pip McKay, Soda Bremner, Stephen Holland, Susan Ryan, Suzanne Stott, Taras and Alison Misko, Tiffany Palmer, Thelma Thames-Fitsimon, Kay Edwards, Chistine Paull, Jason Crosson, Chris Weymouth, Merideth Clark, Mick Everett, Oscar Knight.

Sponsors
Bettina Holmes, Alex Lycon, Belinda Bennet, Bill Tucker, Cathleen Dannsey, Eva Sitta, Fiona Press, Georgia Haege, Kylie Lawrence, Madeline Shaw, Pauline Gardener, Raphael Cohen, Rob Floyd, Robert King, Shirley Larkin, Sue Mason Cox, Susan Ward, Tonje Akerholt, Yasmin Barr, Alistar Gerard, Bremner Advertising, C M Regan, Cressida Mort, David Malek, Deanne Murphy, Eva Sitta, Jacqueline Bryant, , Kate Fisher, Ken Dunlop, Leah Wright, Lindsay Moss, Michael Ballard, Pat Turner, Peter Bruce, Sarah Epstein, Sean Finn, Debbie Tilley, Janet Martin

SBW Stables Theatre
Old Fitzroy Hotel Theatre
Australian Theatre of the Deaf
Parnassus Den
Berkelouw Books
ACTT
NIDA
Actors Centre
Screenwise
The Wayside Chapel
NAFA
Arts Connect
Cafe Carnivale
Accessibility Online
What's On Sydney
Kings Cross Partnership
Sydney Accommodation
My Weekend
Transition Films