NEWS

Last group of SPARK participants finishes program

The last group of young artists have finished SPARK, the Australia Council’s national mentoring program (2003-2009).

After a successful pilot program in 2003, SPARK supported young theatre, dance, visual arts, community arts and inter-arts practitioners over the past four years. Through the support of SPARK and their mentors, participants furthered their professional practice as artists, gained new skills and practical experience, built their profile on a national level and received direct funding to create and develop their own projects.

SPARK participants included:

SPARK 2008-09

Supported by the Australia Council’s theatre, dance and community partnerships sections

Natalie Abbott (VIC) - mentor: Ros Warby

James Brown (NSW) - mentor: Gail Priest

Sophie Chapman (QLD) - mentor: Judith McLean

Tanya Dupagne (WA) - mentor: Jenny Simpson

Janie Gibson (NSW) - mentor: Alicia Talbot

Mish Grigor (VIC) - mentor: Bruce Gladwin

Luke Hickmott (VIC) - mentor: Carlee Mellow

Ben Hjorth (VIC) - mentor: Brian Lipson

Laura Levitus (VIC) - mentor: Bec Reid

Ahilan Ratnamohan (NSW) - mentor: Lee Wilson

Georgie Read (VIC) - Leisa Shelton

SPARK 2007-2008

Supported by the Australia Council’s theatre, dance, community partnerships and inter-arts sections

Ashley Dyer (NSW) - mentor: Margery Smith

Ofa Fotu (WA) - mentor: Kelli McCluskey and Steve Bull

Ming-Zhu Hii (VIC) - mentor: Melanie Beddie

Gareth Hudson (NSW) - mentor: Art Phillips

Paul Morrison (NSW) - mentor: Brian Lucas

Wiloh Weiland (VIC) - mentor: Peter Alsop

Aisling Donovan (WA) - mentor: Sue Peacock

Alisdair Macindoe (VIC) - mentor: Lucy Guerin

Amber Haines (VIC) - mentor: Stephanie Lake

Yusuke Akai (QLD) - mentor: James Denley

Lara Thoms (NSW) - mentor: Caitlin Newton-Broad

Luke Haralampou (QLD) - mentor: Morganics (Morgan Lewis)

SPARK 2006-2007

Supported by the Australia Council’s theatre, dance and visual arts sections

Olivia Crang (VIC) - mentor: David Pledger

Deborah Robertson (VIC) - mentor: Tracie Mitchell

Catherine Sewell (VIC) - mentor: Zoe Atkinson

Keith Lim (NSW) - mentor: Kate Champion

Daniel Koerner (VIC) - mentor: Leisa Shelton

Bree Jackson (QLD) - mentor: Rob Kelly

Kieran Swann (QLD) - mentor: Bruce McKinven

Talya Calef (VIC) - mentor: Liz Jones

Aimee Smith (WA) - mentor: Andrew Lake

Michelle Anderson (WA) - mentor: Philip Mitchell

Laura Scrivano (NSW) - mentor: Kate Gaul

SPARK 2005-2006

Supported by the Australia Council’s theatre and dance boards

Ryan Dyllon (QLD) - mentor: Morganics (Morgan Lewis)

Nicola Eddington (VIC) - mentor: Julie Chenery

Frances ‘Bunji’ Elcoate (NT) - mentor: Melinda Collie Holmes

Matthew Lutton (WA) - mentor: Marcus Canning

Adam Mitchell (WA) - mentor: Tom Gutteridge

Teik Kim Pok (NSW) - mentor: Rolando Ramos

Luke Mullins (VIC) - mentor: Leisa Shelton

Cicily Ponnor (NSW) - mentor: Deborah Pollard

Matthew Prest (NSW) - mentor: Jeff Stein

Sam Routledge (VIC) - mentor: Anne Forbes

Megan Sarmardin (QLD) - mentor: John Rodgers

Imara Savage (NSW) - mentor: Aku Kadogo

Nancy Sposato (VIC) - Paul Monaghan

Jessyka Watson-Galbraith (WA) - Danielle Micich

SPARK 2003

Supported by the Australia Council’s theatre board

Aedan Whyatt (QLD) - mentor: Sven Swenson

Neridah Waters (QLD) - mentor: Andrew Cory

Kane Petersen (TAS) - mentor: Christopher Ryan

Angela Orrego (NSW) - mentor: Stephen Howarth

Melinda Hetzel (VIC) - mentor: Sandra Ayache

Julian Hobba (VIC) - mentor: Glen Johns

Maja Bejnarowicz (SA) - mentor: Wojciech Pirasek

Jessica Symes (NSW) - mentor: Kate Gaul

Shari Sebbens (NT) - mentors: Glen Shea

Sam Fox (WA) - mentor: Marcus Canning

For anybody interested in mentoring opportunities, please go to the ‘Latest News’ section of the Youth Arts Queensland website to read about JUMP, the Australia Council’s new mentoring program for young and emerging artists.