Mighty Playwrights, a collaboration between Goulburn Mulwaree Library and the Lieder Theatre Company, was presented at Artstate Wagga Wagga, a Regional Arts NSW arts conference and festival.
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The program, conceived and developed in Goulburn, empowered 11 young writers from local primary schools to create original stage plays by working with professional mentors within the writing and arts community.
The documentary chronicling the journey of the Mighty Playwrights was screened for the first time at Artstate, and a public release will follow on Monday, December 7. The documentary and filmed performances of the plays will be available online here.
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The aim at the conference was to highlight how the playwright mentoring program can empower young people to find their voices as writers through literacy education and the performing arts.
The presentation at the conference was successful with several other regional council areas seeking further information and assistance from the trio to set up the program in their own local areas.
Erin Williams, manager of Goulburn Mulwaree Library, said that they are happy to be able to share the program and the positive impact it had in Goulburn with the rest of regional NSW.
"The importance and value of literacy and self-expression cannot be overstated enough. We really believe that the Mighty Playwrights program has the potential to change young lives for the better, and that young people all over NSW deserve the opportunity to have this amazing experience," she said.
Meanwhile, Greg Angus, Mighty Playwrights project partner and curriculum coordinator at Ss Peter and Paul's Primary School, said, "It has been so genuinely inspiring to the young writers and everyone involved, we'd love to see it spring up everywhere and give more young people this experience."
After the live performance of the plays was cancelled due to COVID-19, Mighty Playwrights was adapted into a film project which saw all 11 performances of the children's plays professionally filmed.
Blake Selmes, Mighty Playwrights director, Lieder Theatre Company lauded the community for their effort which helped Lieder Theatre Company to continue to create high quality and accessible arts experiences for the whole community.
"We are very grateful to have come up with a way to revive the project, enabling the theatre to reopen. We are so thankful to Goulburn Mulwaree Library and the Mighty Playwrights themselves for this injection of joy and purpose," he said.
The Mighty Playwrights program was assisted by the Australian Government through the Department of Communication and the Arts' Festivals Australia program.
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