HOME TURF
Home Turf was a special series of school holiday creative workshops and activities in the outer Riverland, Mid Murray and Mallee during 2023. Home Turf was led by Alysha Herrmann and a selection of guest artists. Locations and activities were specifically chosen to provide access for children and young people who would usually miss out.
Activities were delivered in Pinnaroo, Lameroo, Swan Reach, Blanchetown, Morgan, Waikerie and online. Every child and young person in South Australia deserves fun and creative opportunities no matter how small their town is.
All of the activities were about bringing young people together for a positive learning experience and to build a sense of connection (with each other, with our company and with the wider world). We offered a mix of more formal workshops and unstructured creative drop-ins to increase access for different needs and interests.
Activities delivered through Home Turf were:
- Special FX workshop with Ashleigh Richardson
- Zine-making with Alysha Herrmann and Mitch Hearn
- Cardboard Character Creation with Mitch Hearn
- Dungeons and Dragons with Mitch Hearn
- Take It Apart Club with Melanie Donkin
- Filmmaking Workshop with Laura Franklin
- Creative drop-ins with Alysha Herrmann
- Behind the scenes showing of Guthrak with Under the Microscope
- Online Creative Club with Alysha Herrmann
- Online SALA exhibition
Online Creative Club
Online Creative Club is a series of art sessions for participants that don’t live in the Riverland or our introverted friends that want to connect digitally. The online crews delve into something different each term, from creative writing, to poetry, to visual art experiments, we’ve got something for every creative mind!
We have participants from across regional SA and even interstate!
Our faves Sage Wilde and Alysha Herrmann are currently facilitating Visual Art Experiments (Tuesdays) and Poetry and Performance (Wednesdays).
SPECIAL FX WITH ASHLEIGH RICHARDSON
Our young participants from Pinnaroo, Morgan and Waikerie had a red-hot go at applying prosthetics and painting their models into some scary creatures!
Big thanks also to The Pinnaroo Project, Waikerie Library and Morgan Activity Centre for supporting Home Turf in July by providing inkind (free!) venues. We appreciate you and we are so grateful for your support to make this program possible.
Alysha Herrmann and Mitch Hearn WORKSHOPS
Cardboard Creatures
Mitch taught participants how to draw monsters and design creature characters on paper, and then turn that design into a 3D cardboard monster!
Fantasy Writing
Alysha helped participants to delve into the key ingredients needed for writing fantasy and get started on your their stories.
Zine-Making Hangout
Participants drew, made and self-published their own comics, drawings or poetry by learning how to make a Zine. They learned some comic basics, and then turned those comics into a Zine (self-published DIY book)!
Dungeons & Dragons
Mitch lead a short campaign that walked participants through the basics of D&D.
Filmmaking Workshop with Laura Franklin
Behind the scenes showing of Guthrak
Inspired by the tabletop game, Dungeons & Dragons, Guthrak is an interactive theatrical experience for teenagers. Guthrak combines live music, interactive storytelling, a luscious hand-crafted tabletop map and gameplay mechanics to question what it takes to heal our hurts and remake the future. Each performance is limited to 32 audience members and the story is based on the real-life Dungeons & Dragons campaigns of Natalie Hockley. Guthrak explores racism, sexism, mental illness, growing up and the power of making our own choices.
Riverland Youth Theatre hosted the Under the Microscope team as part of their development of Guthrak. They also did a special behind-the-scenes experience. The audience was shown an early version Guthrak in development as the creative team tests ideas, script and design before the world premiere of Guthrak at the dreamBIG Festival in May 2023.
Home Turf was made possible thanks to the Department for Human Services through Grants SA and with the support of Variety SA.
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