Author Archives: Alissar Chidiac
1991… Multicultural Theatre Festival
Festival ’91, Multicultural Theatre Alliance, Festival ‘91 “… (was the ) first major activity as the Multicultural Theatre Alliance which we formed in Sydney in 1990 when over twenty theatre companies came together to share experiences and to find common ground.” Participating companies included: Actovivo Dulaang Bayan-Sydney Hellenic Theatrical Group Intransit Kooch Theatre Group Latin American Live […]
1991… Al Qamareya
TAQA Theatre (1990-1999) Al Qamareya (The Moongate) “TAQA Theatre was founded in late 1990 with the aim of developing innovative, contemporary Australian theatre with a strong Arab Australian perspective. TAQA’s first production, Al Qamareya (The Moongate) – performed in Sydney, Canberra and Wollongong throughout 1991 – was one of the first bilingual theatrical representations of Arab Australian […]
1991… Café Hakawati
Café Hakawati was a ground-breaking community theatre process and production in Auburn, developed with local Arab Australian communities during the first Gulf War in 1991. As a speaker at the company’s 25th anniversary celebration in 2006, I remember saying that my involvement in Café Hakawati was personally significant, as it brought together previously schizophrenically separated parts of myself […]
1980s… Freeda Stares
In the early 1980s there was a big wave of women’s fun performance activities – some of this was initially generated by the ‘Women’s Circus’ from Melbourne. I was part of a fire-eating troupe called the ‘Flaming Feminists’, as well as a large tap-dancing group called the ‘Freeda Stares’. We performed at cabarets, benefits, festivals, […]
1980s… Pipi Storm
Pipi Storm Ltd was one of the earliest community theatre and community arts companies in NSW in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early 1980s I was part of the ‘Parks’ team, who developed community based projects in the greater Western Sydney region and conducted tours to isolated schools in regional and outback NSW. We […]
Returning…
Returning … to this 3arabi Mapping project, with a focus on Arab Australian theatre produced in Sydney during the 1990s … leading up to 7arakat in Melbourne. And a new look blog (thanks Maissa)
…the L word…
“…the L word…” “…the bass can kill you…” “…just like Beirut…” …just a few phrases that echo from Urban Theatre Project’s new production, (not) exploring ‘the C word’, opening in November 2008: stories of love and hate How many articles, short films, theatre works, books have been produced since December 2005? How many meetings, seminars, […]
this business of self…
i woke from a dream, her voice still clearly in my head: i think this business of self. is being. and self criticism. not being existentialist nor essentialist. but being, in agency. centre through decentre. 3weeks ago, i quietly went alone to Black2BLAK2 nsw aboriginal visual arts conference campbelltown arts centre djon mundine speaking […]
3arabi Mapping 