Latest news with #MerrigongTheatreCompany
Sydney Morning Herald
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Shark puppet and otherworldly ‘dinner party' among $3m arts fund winners
Eight diverse NSW arts projects have been awarded more than $3m in funding under a new Creative Australia initiative. Big winners in the inaugural round of the four-year project include Wollongong's Merrigong Theatre Company ($750,000), The Cad Factory, based in Sandigo north-west of Wagga Wagga ($634,000), and Marrickville company Erth ($551,000). The Creative Futures Fund has handed out nearly $8 million nationwide and will award a further $11 million over the next three years. It follows widespread criticism of the organisation from the arts sector after the sacking and reinstating of Khaled Sabsabi as Australia's representative at the Venice Biennale next year. Scott Wright, creative director of Erth, which specialises in immersive puppetry-based shows for children said the 'pretty hefty' sum would make a huge difference in how they can present their project, Shark Dive. 'But one of the most amazing things was that it is really more about acknowledgement,' added Wright, who founded the company in 1990. 'We know our peers were on the assessment panel, and it just feels nice to be acknowledged.' Shark Dive was created for the Sydney Festival two years ago at the Australian Museum. 'We put people in a shark cage and swam a four-metre great white shark puppet around the cage,' said Wright. 'It was sort of tongue in cheek because we were creating the work from a desire for conservation and for better understanding of sharks. We were actually not trying to create fear.' The cash injection from the Creative Futures Fund will allow Erth to expand the scale of Shark Dive and reach a much larger audience. 'We want to show it to 500 people or a thousand people in an hour as opposed to trying to get 500 people through a day,' said Wright.
The Age
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Shark puppet and otherworldly ‘dinner party' among $3m arts fund winners
Eight diverse NSW arts projects have been awarded more than $3m in funding under a new Creative Australia initiative. Big winners in the inaugural round of the four-year project include Wollongong's Merrigong Theatre Company ($750,000), The Cad Factory, based in Sandigo north-west of Wagga Wagga ($634,000), and Marrickville company Erth ($551,000). The Creative Futures Fund has handed out nearly $8 million nationwide and will award a further $11 million over the next three years. It follows widespread criticism of the organisation from the arts sector after the sacking and reinstating of Khaled Sabsabi as Australia's representative at the Venice Biennale next year. Scott Wright, creative director of Erth, which specialises in immersive puppetry-based shows for children said the 'pretty hefty' sum would make a huge difference in how they can present their project, Shark Dive. 'But one of the most amazing things was that it is really more about acknowledgement,' added Wright, who founded the company in 1990. 'We know our peers were on the assessment panel, and it just feels nice to be acknowledged.' Shark Dive was created for the Sydney Festival two years ago at the Australian Museum. 'We put people in a shark cage and swam a four-metre great white shark puppet around the cage,' said Wright. 'It was sort of tongue in cheek because we were creating the work from a desire for conservation and for better understanding of sharks. We were actually not trying to create fear.' The cash injection from the Creative Futures Fund will allow Erth to expand the scale of Shark Dive and reach a much larger audience. 'We want to show it to 500 people or a thousand people in an hour as opposed to trying to get 500 people through a day,' said Wright.
The Advertiser
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
10 best travel deals of the week: save up to 49 per cent on a Sri Lanka trip
COMING SOON Hobart's Festival of Voices is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with an extensive program of live performances, comedic musical shows, singing and song-writing workshops, and a number of kid-friendly events over 10 days. WHEN: June 27 to July 6; LATER Inaugural collaborations with Canberra Theatre Centre and Merrigong Theatre Company will be part of the Sydney Fringe Festival this year, along with performances by creatives such as writer and actor Charlotte Otton, and Maori artist Daley Rangi. WHEN: September 1-30; NEXT YEAR For the first time in FIFA World Cup's history, the event will be jointly hosted by three countries - the US, Canada and Mexico - in 2026. Matches will be played across 16 cities, with the final taking place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, near New York. WHEN: June 11 to July 19, 2026;
Canberra Times
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Canberra Times
10 best travel deals of the week: save up to 49 per cent on a Sri Lanka trip
COMING SOON Hobart's Festival of Voices is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with an extensive program of live performances, comedic musical shows, singing and song-writing workshops, and a number of kid-friendly events over 10 days. WHEN: June 27 to July 6; LATER Inaugural collaborations with Canberra Theatre Centre and Merrigong Theatre Company will be part of the Sydney Fringe Festival this year, along with performances by creatives such as writer and actor Charlotte Otton, and Maori artist Daley Rangi. WHEN: September 1-30; NEXT YEAR For the first time in FIFA World Cup's history, the event will be jointly hosted by three countries - the US, Canada and Mexico - in 2026. Matches will be played across 16 cities, with the final taking place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, near New York. WHEN: June 11 to July 19, 2026;
