TOURING SHOWS

2024 Touring Program

February: Shmone "The Full Band Experience"

March: Bruce - The Last Great Hunt

May: The Magical Weedy Seadragon / Fitz of Laughter

July: Blues & Brews

August: Youth Jazz Orchestra - From Be-Bop to Hip Hop

November: Balmy Nights

October: Fitz of Laughter

The Stars Descend was a series of five visually stunning and immersive experiences of movement and sound in outdoor locations co-created with professional artists and local community members. Chapter 4 was co-created and performed in Ravensthorpe, with Hopetoun and Ravensthorpe residents. The Stars Descend explored themes of the natural world, ecological change, and hope to community. It gave local participants not only an outlet to explore their own creativity, but connect with new friends and acquaintances through the shared experience, and consider the meaning and identity of ‘being a local’ and belonging to a community. Ranging in ages from teens to seniors, 7 local community members registered to take part in the project as well as a first-time local producer.

Quinn had only just begun working with Rave About Arts in a varied capacity when the opportunity to take the lead as the local producer for The Stars Descend presented, and although she felt underqualified and inexperienced before taking on the role, found confidence in the trust and support her RAA colleagues and fellow Stars Descend participants and team gave her.

          “Almost as soon as I started at RAA, I was asked if I’d be interested in taking it (local producer role) on… and I’m a yes person, so I said yes. It was an unfamiliar experience, but I had the tools and the support to make it happen. I’m still processing…and it’s hard to put into words the feelings and emotions that came with it. It was quite an emotional journey too.”

For Quinn, the connection to new people was a key component and highlight to being involved.

         “In small towns you can think you know everyone, but you don’t. There are still people who are strangers to me. Many of the local performers were strangers to me before this. We would say hi if our paths crossed, but didn’t know each other, but now I can say hi and we’ll have a conversation. We might be different ages and different backgrounds, but we all have this in common now.”

In Quinn’s producer role, she explored the concept of what it means to be a local with the participants, who had all been part of the community for varying lengths of time from over 15 years, to moving to town less than 4 months ago, and Quinn herself, who is a fifth-generation resident.

         “Everyone has a different definition, and some people don’t consider themselves local if they weren’t ‘born and bred’ here, even if it has been their home for more than 10-15 years. If you feel like you belong here, it’s your home. We need to remove the ‘you’re not a local’ stigma, and shared experiences like this that help connect with new people… it makes that happen.”

Colin has lived in Ravensthorpe for over 15 years and came to the town from Perth after migrating from Wales and was the only male local performer. Based on his experience with another Annette Carmichael production two years ago, The Beauty Index, Colin was one of the first to register.

         “I enjoyed it a great deal, yeah, thoroughly enjoyed it. At first I felt a little like a sore thumb, being the only male, but the girls were respectful and accepted me very well. I maybe knew two of the other participants a little bit, but the others I didn’t know personally so I made a few new friends.”

Colin jokes that you aren’t a real local unless your great-grandfather is buried in the region, but does consider himself and his partner quite entrenched as locals.

         “It was quite a sleepy town when we first arrived… we made ourselves known, made good connections and got involved. It’s quite a transient sort of place with the mining and people come and go a lot, but we know all ‘the locals’ and it’s a good community to belong to.”

   Colin speaks highly of the production and the experience and urges everyone to get involved when something new or different comes to the region.    

         “Give it a go. Put your hand up. Be part it. Most people would be surprised how much enjoyment they’ll get from it. I was surprised the first time… I think people should put their hands up when these things come along, give all of it a go, life’s too short to waste. There’s satisfaction to stepping outside the box, outside your comfort zone… and working with other people, especially something that’s completely left field, it’s a great experience. I was certainly no dancer, but it was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If my health keeps up I’ll definitely do it again.”

Charlene moved to the Fitzgerald region a little over 12 months ago from the metro area looking for a more relaxed lifestyle with a focus on nature, and because of the local arts community, and lived in both Hopetoun and Ravensthorpe. In her mid-50s, Charlene has recognised she is at a time in her life when, “you just do what you want to do” and became involved in the Stars Descend through the teaser workshops and another dance program where a fellow participant encouraged her to join the team.

         “It was awesome. Fun. I enjoyed doing it and it’s fun meeting other people and doing something different. It was a bit nerve racking in the beginning, but it helps when you are part of a team and the choreographers and everyone were supportive. It made it easier than I thought it might be.” 

While Charlene has only been in the region for a year, she has had no problem getting involved in the community and making her home here, and her experience with The Stars Descend was no different.  

          “It’s easy to become involved here because of the community-driven arts program … to get to know people that way. Anywhere can seem like a closed town if you aren’t getting involved in groups and events… The concept of local seems different to different people. There are people who’ve been here 40 years, but don’t think they are local…I don’t know what local means… I’ve always been involved in the community… it doesn’t come to you if you don’t participate. When I heard about this, I thought, I don’t think I’ve done anything like it… people should give things a go if they come your way, it’s another feather in your cap, something different. After the performance, the audience was great, people came up and said well done, and some of my friends were inspired and wanted me to let them know next time so they could be involved. It was fun, celebratory, there was a good mateship to it.”

Gab, who has worked with Rave About Arts and is currently on the board, felt peer pressure from herself to participate after convincing so many others to be involved in the earlier project, The Beauty Index. Gab has lived in Ravensthorpe for a little over 8 years and moved from Kellerberrin, via Albany with her husband, and are raising their three kids.

         “I love RAA and everything they bring to the region, and I was lucky to be at the Circuitwest showcase when The Stars Descend was first pitched. And when the Beauty Index came to Ravensthorpe I roped some of the blokes into participating, so this time I thought I needed to practise what I preach and sign up as a dancer. It was good for my 3 daughters to see me getting out of my comfort zone and doing something different too. I admire how Annette uses contemporary dance to tell stories and highlight issues. We had a week of rehearsals in February and then another week before the event… and we had input on the choreography as well. We were making changes right through the process… the dance would influence the music and vice versa, the music would influence the dance. It was very enjoyable… we were all in it together.”

Being an 8-year resident and active in the community didn’t mean Gab knew everyone and the project attracted a variety of people from all walks of life keen to give something new a go.

         “I didn’t know all the participants… a couple of people were complete strangers and others were acquaintances, but we all have a connection now that we wouldn’t have had without this bringing us together… sharing it together. Everyone was incredible. Everyone really wanted to be there, we were part of something special… and the performing wasn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be. We all felt really supported by the crew and each other, and being part of such a professional crew gave all of us confidence. There was lots of positive feedback at the after party and lots of people excited to see it and hear what it was like who couldn’t participate. I would do it again and glad I found the time to do it. Annette is a supreme project manager and her ability to have her head in 9 different places and create magic is worth witnessing too.”

While it might be considered controversial by some to consider herself a local from 8 years living in the community, Gab does feels being local is part of her identity and wishes everyone could feel that way.

         “It saddens me when people feel like they don’t belong in that way, that they aren’t a ‘real local’. I wish everyone could feel how I feel, it’s a wonderful community and we are all part of it.”

Rachael was living in Perth before her partner got a mining job and they relocated to Hopetoun 3 years ago. When she heard about the project, she was motivated to learn more.

         “It was good. I met a lot of people with similar interests. I only knew 2 of the people involved before, the others were complete strangers, but we know each other now… say hi when we see each other about. And I absolutely loved working with Rachael and Simon (the choreographers) and spending time with them and the dance crew. It was a great experience… It was lovely being part of a group, a team, and nice to meet other people with similar likes and attitudes you might not normally meet or spend that amount of time with.”

Rachael acknowledged being involved was a large time commitment and sometimes other things needed to be rearranged to make it all work, but the experience was worth it and contributed to growing community inclusion and growth.

          “We had to do a lot of rehearsing in the two weeks, and the rehearsals could be long, but they were good, it was worth being a part of it… Performing in front of people was O.K. too, there was a good response from others afterwards and a little bit of a sense of community from it. Some people said it looked like an amazing experience and it was… I’m not a local yet, I think you have to be born here to be considered local, but this event was a good step forward for the community and I think more like this should be happening, especially with Aboriginal history, and events like these help with more education and awareness.”

The participant newest to Hopetoun was Tracee, having moved from Vietnam only 3 months earlier and was keen to be part of the project based on a recommendation from a friend.

         “It was awesome to have such a local experience and understand more about the history and culture of where I am living. I got to meet lots of people from Hopetoun and Ravensthorpe… I was so proud, we got a big applause at the end. Because of the project I now know more people from Ravensthorpe who were dancers with me, and made new friends In Hopetoun from the travelling and lifts to rehearsal and practising together. I have lots of friends now because of the show.”

Tracee has found the community to be very welcoming and supporting and recently raised around $3000 for finding a cure for Leukaemia by shaving her head, an amount she doesn’t think she would have reached without the support of the community and her bosses, and at a recent Open Mic night, found everyone just as supportive for her to perform a song she had written in Vietnam 7 years before.

         “I’ve received a lot of love and support from people here. It’s a good place… the perfect place for me right now. I loved being one of the dancer for the Stars Descend, it wasn’t just dancing out in the bush, but the story, protecting the environment and nature and sharing the emotions and deep culture of Aboriginal people…I’ve only been here 3 months, so didn’t know a lot of exact Australian history and the performance helped me have more experience with history and culture and meet more Aboriginal people… I appreciate the experience and the performance and the people and space, and the people I performed with… all good people… we all have good heart… so proud.”

For the participants and audience members of the Stars Descend, the rewards of the project continue long after the performance has ended. The dancers made new friends and connections with people who were formerly strangers or a vaguely familiar face on the street. Participants and audience members learned more about the local history of place and that being a local isn’t a narrow and outdated notion of only if you are born and bred here or have generations of ancestors buried in the local cemetery. Being a true local is about being involved in your community, and everyone contributes in a way of value and enriches the community by making this place their home.