Edwin Kemp Attrill Explained

Edwin Kemp Attrill is a theatre artist and activist from Adelaide, South Australia, who has received several awards for his contribution to community arts and cultural development.

Themes

His work is focused on interactive theatre techniques, community engagement, and social justice themes.[1] [2] [3]

Career

In 2011 Attrill became the Artistic Director of the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild,[4] one of Australia's longest running amateur theatre companies.[5] He was the first Artistic Director of the Theatre Guild since Chris Drummond.

Attrill was the co-founder and Artistic Director of ActNow Theatre, which he started when he was 17 years old.[6] [7] [8] [9] ActNow Theatre originally created guerrilla-style street theatre performances about social justice issues.[10] It eventually moved into staged work and community-based projects, focusing on community arts and cultural development, and known for its "boal-ian" forum theatre[11] to create interactive and issue-based work. Under Kemp Attrill's role as Artistic Director, ActNow Theatre received multiple awards and federal and state funding.[10]

Attrill's roles on various projects with the company included as director and facilitator of interactive performance Responding to Racism, which received a South Australian Governor's Award for Multiculturalism,[12] [13] as one of the executive producers and the director of photography of theatre/film COVID-19 response project Decameron 2.0,[14] and as co-director of co production with Taiwan's Very Theatre called Virtual Intimacy.[15] [16] [17]

In 2020 Kemp Attrill notified the ActNow Theatre Board that he would not be seeking to renew his contract, citing a focus on “the next stage of his career and professional development”, and leaving the role at the end of 2020.[18] [19] He later became the creative director of social enterprise Replay Creative[20] [21] which aims to improve access to film and online audiences for local performing arts organizations.[22] In 2023 he worked on a new presentation of the work Virtual Intimacy with Very Theatre for Mix Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. [23] [24]

Awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Marsh. Walter. 2019-01-07. 'Space is political': ActNow opens its doors with MakeSpace. 2021-04-13. The Adelaide Review. en.
  2. Web site: 愛情與永恆 不一定會在一起—專訪《虛擬親密》導演周東彥. 2021-06-15. 明潮.
  3. Book: Street, Mark . Art for Peace . Cantwell . Terry . . 2024 . 9781923042476 . Mile End, South Australia . 2024 . 58.
  4. News: Edwin Kemp-Atrill, AD Adelaide Theatre Guild. Arts Hub. 4 April 2021.
  5. Web site: 2021-06-09. It should be called 'the theatre of love'. 2021-06-10. InDaily. en.
  6. Web site: Current Winners Awards Australia. 2021-04-04. awardsaustralia.com.
  7. Web site: Marsh. Walter. 2019-01-07. 'Space is political': ActNow opens its doors with MakeSpace. 2021-04-13. The Adelaide Review. en.
  8. Web site: Dexter. John. 2016-08-30. Rehearsing for the Real World with ActNow Theatre . 2021-04-04. The Adelaide Review. en.
  9. Web site: Parker. Libby. 2015-02-23. ADELAIDE ARTISTS ACT ON YOUTH ISSUES. 2021-06-10. Upside Adelaide. en.
  10. Web site: Edwin Kemp Attrill Steps Down as Artistic Director and CEO of ActNow Theatre. 2021-04-04. www.broadwayworld.com.
  11. Web site: Parker. Libby. 2015-02-23. Adelaide artists act on youth issues. 2021-06-10. Upside Adelaide. en.
  12. Web site: 28 March 2019. Multicultural Affairs. live. 1 July 2019. Department of the Premier and Cabinet. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402132522/https://dpc.sa.gov.au/responsibilities/multicultural-affairs . 2 April 2019 .
  13. Web site: Responding to Racism. 2021-06-10. The Wire. en.
  14. Web site: 2021-02-16. Shutdown artists and companies make the world their stage. 2021-06-10. InDaily. en.
  15. Web site: 2020-03-16. Asia TOPA: Virtual Intimacy » Witness Performance. 2021-06-10. Witness Performance. en-AU.
  16. Web site: 兩廳院藝術基地計畫 後台搖身創作空間 文化 中央社 CNA. 2021-06-15. www.cna.com.tw. zh-Hant-TW.
  17. Web site: 劇場讓愛自由 狠劇場新作虛擬親密澳洲首演 文化 中央社 CNA. 2021-06-15. www.cna.com.tw. zh-Hant-TW.
  18. Web site: A Message From ActNow Theatre's Chairperson. 2021-04-04. ActNow Theatre. 28 October 2020 . en-AU.
  19. Web site: 2020-11-16. TNA E-NEWS NOVEMBER 2020 Theatre Network Australia. 2021-06-10. www.tna.org.au. en-US.
  20. Web site: CARCLEW - Skilling Up . 2022-11-24 . Centre for Creative Photography . 17 November 2021 . en-AU.
  21. Web site: Edwin Kemp Attrill . 2022-11-24 . ActNow Theatre . en-AU.
  22. Web site: Sturt . City of Charles . 2022-10-28 . Business SA's SAYES Entrepreneurship Program - Edwin Kemp Attrill . 2022-11-24 . City of Charles Sturt . en.
  23. Web site: 2023-11-07 . Virtual Intimacy - 31th MixBrasil Festival 2023 . 2024-05-30 . mixbrasil.org.br . en-GB.
  24. Web site: 2023-11-08 . Virtual Intimacy performs in São Paolo! . 2024-05-30 . ActNow Theatre . en-AU.
  25. Web site: Testimonials . Awards Australia. 2021-04-04.
  26. Web site: Previous Winners . Awards Australia . 2 January 2024.
  27. Web site: 2015-12-11. 2015 Ruby Awards celebrate the best of SA art. 2021-04-04. InDaily. en.
  28. Web site: Austlit. Kirk Robson Award AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. 2021-07-23. www.austlit.edu.au. en.
  29. Web site: ParlInfo - Australia Council-Report for 2017-18. 2021-06-10. parlinfo.aph.gov.au.
  30. Web site: Australia Council Awards Australia Council. 2021-04-04. www.australiacouncil.gov.au. 2 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210402144528/https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/news/events/australia-council-awards/australia-council-awards-alumni/. dead.
  31. Web site: Bruce Pascoe celebrated with Australia Council's Lifetime Achievement Award in Literature. 2021-04-13. NITV. en.
  32. Web site: 28 March 2019. Multicultural Affairs. live. 1 July 2019. Department of the Premier and Cabinet. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402132522/https://dpc.sa.gov.au/responsibilities/multicultural-affairs . 2 April 2019 .
  33. Web site: Responding to Racism. 2021-06-10. The Wire. en.