{"id":8503,"date":"2020-10-02T12:04:53","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T12:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=8503"},"modified":"2020-10-02T12:04:53","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T12:04:53","slug":"curtains-go-up-on-inaugural-new-annual-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2020\/10\/02\/curtains-go-up-on-inaugural-new-annual-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Curtains go up on inaugural New Annual program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>World premieres, Australian debuts and festival-specific commissions will form part of an eclectic and ambitious program being put together for City of Newcastle\u2019s flagship arts event.<br \/>\nThe first details of the New Annual program will be unveiled at Civic Theatre tonight, showcasing the diverse line-up of visual and performing artists on the program for the 10-day festival, which runs from 12-21 February 2021 and will feature more than 100 artists and 50 events.<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3kloCF-CqaU?rel=0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nNewcastle Lord Mayor\u00a0Nuatali\u00a0Nelmes said\u00a0the\u00a0event represented a $750,000\u00a0City investment in the arts and cultural sector at a difficult time for the industry.<br \/>\n\u201cCity of Newcastle is proud to invest in the arts, with the New Annual\u00a0celebrating\u00a0the depth of talent in\u00a0our\u00a0thriving cultural sector and providing\u00a0a platform for national artists to showcase their work\u00a0in our city,\u201d Cr Nelmes said.<br \/>\n\u201cOur long-term goal is to position New Annual as a leading arts festival on the national events calendar, sitting alongside Sydney Festival, Vivid Sydney and Adelaide Fringe.<br \/>\n\u201cOver time the festival will grow to become a significant generator of cultural tourism, using arts and culture to share the city\u2019s stories with the world, and position Newcastle as an innovative and creative region with a vibrant cultural history and bright future.\u201d<br \/>\nThe program features five festival-specific works commissioned from local artists and companies as part of a $86,096 grant from the NSW Government\u2019s Arts and Cultural Funding Program. These include a new contemporary dance piece by Catapult Choreographic Hub inspired by and performed in the iconic Civic Park fountain and a shipping container turned cabaret theatre, bar and festival hub for local performances including an anchor show by Fingers Crossed Creative.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Lord-Mayor-with-Catapult-dancers-at-Civic-Park-Medium-1.JPG\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au\/getattachment\/Council\/News\/Latest-News\/Curtains-go-up-on-inaugural-New-Annual-program\/Lord-Mayor-with-Catapult-dancers-at-Civic-Park-Medium-1.JPG\" alt=\"Lord-Mayor-with-Catapult-dancers-at-Civic-Park-Medium-1.JPG\" \/><strong><sup>Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes with Catapult Choreographic Hub dancers at Civic Park.<\/sup><\/strong><br \/>\nThe invited artist program will include everything from the world premiere of two new compositions performed by Omega Ensemble, to a football-inspired new urban movement form founded by Feras the Shield and Maestro Ahil, while the Civic Theatre, Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle Libraries and Newcastle Museum will also present a range of performances, exhibitions and podcasts.<br \/>\nCouncillor Carol Duncan said New Annual would enhance Newcastle\u2019s reputation as a rich hub for visual and performing arts, while also providing a flagship cultural event with wide appeal.<br \/>\n\u201cNewcastle has a thriving arts scene, with more artists per capita than any other city in Australia. We also have some of the most fantastic cultural venues, from the heritage-listed Civic Theatre and the iconic City Hall to the wonderful Newcastle Art Gallery, which houses one of Australia\u2019s finest collections of public art,\u201d Cr Duncan said.<br \/>\n\u201cNew Annual will provide Newcastle\u2019s thriving independent arts sector with an opportunity to present work on a larger scale while attracting leading artists and audiences to share in this landmark arts event.\u201d<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Councillor-Carol-Duncan-with-Zackari-Watt-and-performers-of-Fingers-Crossed-Creative-inside-Civic-Theatre-1.JPG\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au\/getattachment\/Council\/News\/Latest-News\/Curtains-go-up-on-inaugural-New-Annual-program\/Councillor-Carol-Duncan-with-Zackari-Watt-and-performers-of-Fingers-Crossed-Creative-inside-Civic-Theatre-1.JPG\" alt=\"Councillor-Carol-Duncan-with-Zackari-Watt-and-performers-of-Fingers-Crossed-Creative-inside-Civic-Theatre-1.JPG\" \/><strong><sup>Councillor Carol Duncan with Zackari Watt and performers of Fingers Crossed Creative inside Civic Theatre.<\/sup><\/strong><br \/>\nNew Annual\u2019s program has been designed with the flexibility to operate as a COVID Safe event depending on Public Health Orders. To find out more visit\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newannual.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.newannual.com<\/a>. The full program and tickets will be released in early January 2021.<br \/>\n<strong>New Annual Program Preview<\/strong><br \/>\nExamples of festival-specific local commissions, invited artists and City of Newcastle events:<br \/>\n<strong>Massive Band \u2013 Bree Van\u00a0Reyk<\/strong><br \/>\nMassive Band is a community-engaged project that invites girls and women to join a massive rock band. A series of workshops conducted over several months teach participants to play three iconic rock songs by legendary women artists, which are then performed on mass at the performance event, led by Bree Van\u00a0Reyk.<br \/>\n<strong>Acquist\u00a0\u2013 Catapult Choreographic Hub<\/strong><br \/>\nNewcastle\u2019s renowned professional contemporary dance company Catapult Choreographic Hub are working on a new site-specific commission to be performed in the iconic Civic Park Fountain. It will make use of its striking architecture and explore the same themes as the fountain itself \u2013 Newcastle\u2019s unique balance of beautiful natural environment and history as an industrial city.<br \/>\n<strong>Taylor\u2019s Run \u2013 Curious Legends<\/strong><br \/>\nCurious Legends are a local visual theatre company best known for their large-scale illuminated puppet performances for children and families. They have been commissioned by City of Newcastle to create a new site-specific performance at Summerhill Waste Management Centre that will explore themes of sustainability, waste reduction and environmental care.<br \/>\n<strong>Passenger \u2013 Jessica Wilson &amp; Ian\u00a0Pidd<\/strong><br \/>\nPassenger is a theatre work, which places its audience inside a moving suburban bus. Passenger references Western films where the cowboy seeks to \u2018right\u2019 a &#8216;wrong&#8217; that the law neglects or cannot rectify. Two strangers discuss the ethics of contemporary life before the female reveals her\u00a0true identity\u00a0and her mission of retribution. Written by Nicola Gunn and directed by Jessica Wilson and Ian\u00a0Pidd, Passenger is a sweeping and cinematic theatrical experience.<br \/>\n<strong>Civic Theatre Presents: Civic Bar<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Civic Theatre will come alive throughout the festival, with Civic Bar becoming a hub of nightly programming, including the return of crowd favourite Civic Bar Beats.<br \/>\n<strong>Newcastle Art Gallery Presents: Void<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Void<\/em>\u00a0brings together contemporary Aboriginal artistic practice from across the country. Curated by Emily McDaniel, the exhibition features existing works across the mediums of drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, video and photography by artists including\u00a0Pepai\u00a0Jangala\u00a0Carroll, Jonathan Jones, Mabel\u00a0Juli, John\u00a0Mawurndjul\u00a0AM, Hayley Millar-Baker, Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, Rusty Peters, Doreen Reid\u00a0Nakamarra, Andy\u00a0Snelgar, Dr.\u00a0Thancoupie\u00a0Gloria Fletcher AO, Freddie Timms, James Tylor, Jennifer\u00a0Wurrkidj, and Josephine\u00a0Wurrkidj.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World premieres, Australian debuts and festival-specific commissions will form part of an eclectic and ambitious program being put together for City of Newcastle\u2019s flagship arts event. The first details of the New Annual program will be unveiled at Civic Theatre tonight, showcasing the diverse line-up of visual and performing artists on the program for the &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2020\/10\/02\/curtains-go-up-on-inaugural-new-annual-program\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Curtains go up on inaugural New Annual program&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newcastle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8503\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}