The Lock Up »

Other professional development programs: TOOLKIT

Our new week-long writer’s lab with mentor, Craig Ilott.

» When: 17 – 21 October 2011
» Where: Heffron Hall

As part of Queen Street Studio's (QSS) professional development programming in 2011 we worked in partnership with emerging Sydney writers collective ISM to support the seeding component of their month-long NovemberISM festival for and about Sydney playwrights in November 2011.

The Lock Up — supported by the City of Sydney and QSS — offered 7 invited writer/performers the opportunity to work together in a lab situation; to explore the collective process; try out new ideas; work with established director/mentor Craig Ilott and get underneath the very way that writing happens for a new work.

The outcome of the week-long The Lock Up Lab was presented during NovemberISM at the Old 505 Theatre in November 2011.

About The Lock Up mentor, Craig Ilott:

Craig graduated from NIDA in 1991. Most recently he co-wrote and directed Smoke & Mirrors at the Sydney, Adelaide, Auckland and Edinburgh festivals as well as a run at the Victorian Arts Centre and a return Sydney season in May 2011. The show sold-out in each season and received three awards at the 2010 Helpmann Awards including Best New Australian Work.

Other directing credits include Misanthropology (Sydney Festival); Dealer’s Choice (Albedo Theatre/Critical Stages national tour); Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story (national tour); The Pig Iron People (Sydney Theatre Company); Rainbow’s End (national tour); Shakespeare’s R&J (Riverside); Love Song (Melbourne Theatre Company); The Pillowman (Company B Belvoir); Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Showtune Productions); I Get The Music In You - an evening with Jan van de Stool (Ensemble Theatre); The Underpants and Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay! (NIDA); Fiddler on the Roof (Darwin Theatre Company) and The Suitors (Easily Distracted).

For his own company, Albedo Theatre, Craig has directed The Decameron, Dealer’s Choice and Edmond. He was resident director on The Makropoulos Secret (Opera Australia) and was assistant to director Neil Armfield on the feature film Candy.

Craig received a Green Room Award for Best Director of a Musical for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This production also won Best Musical at the 2006 Sydney Theatre Awards and was nominated for Best Musical and Best Director at the 2007 Helpmann Awards. The Pillowman was nominated for six Sydney Theatre Awards in 2008, including Best Director and Best Production. Craig’s other awards and nominations include The Sun Herald Best Independent Production Award for Dealer’s Choice and nomination for The Decameron as well as Sydney Theatre Award nominations for Best Independent Production for Edmond and The Suitors.

About the NovemberISM Festival

NovemberISM is a month-long festival by, for and about Sydney playwrights. It was dreamed into existence by emerging playwright’s collective, ISM, who felt the need to create space for their own work, while reaching out to a much wider community of playwrights and artists; sharing this space for writing time, development, readings, open mics, workshops, forums and events.

For more information about ISM and the festival, email Rebecca Clarke » contactism@ymail.com