2022 YEAR IN REVIEW

Margot Politis, Artistic Director MCT

GOLDEN

Collaborative Artist Lana Filies as Jeddi, from 2022 production DUST. Photography by Robert Catto.

It's wild to come out of a year like 2022 feeling simultaneously electric and exhausted. This happy exhaustion - where the physical feels heavy, but the spiritual high - isn't unusual for us at MCT. We're a tiny team doing big things! But I suppose as a sector we've all been carrying out a 2022 program in addition to projects that have been carried over since 2020, and so for a lot of us, it has felt like a deeper and more intense time.

But it's hard to complain, because firstly, we are glad to still be around. And secondly, the work itself when we can get on the floor is the reason we are here - it's the gold! And so for myself - and a lot of my peers - it has been a year of passion and inspiration, mixed with the need to re-conjure passion of the past and eliciting passion for the future. But as we know, passion is it's own beast. I think the extra slog for us creatives has been about the wielding and yielding and harnessing of the passion. That's some heavy lifting, people!

But we did it. And wow!

At Milk Crate Theatre we kicked off the year with a series of six short films made by residents of the Waterloo Housing Estate, who have now aptly named themselves the Waterloo Creative Ensemble. The films, collectively named WATERLOO and launched in April, are absolutely stunning, and represent each Collaborative Artist not only as a resident of the estate, but as artists in their own right, and as people. If you haven't already, please check them out here - WATERLOO

cast + crew of WATERLOO at their screening event at Counterpoint Community Services in April, 2022

Shortly thereafter we began rehearsals for our 23 year anniversary, Milk Crate Theatre: A Retrospective - a show comprising pieces and scenes and songs from our extensive history of works. We played to a massive audience of our community, peers, artists and supporters at the Sydney Town Hall in May. When I think back to this event, I still feel the fire of pride inside of me; it was such a glorious and beautiful celebration of who we are and what we do. What excites me the most is that even though the company has worked in so many ways and with so many different artists and people over the years, the core purpose has remained. Whatever words have been used between then and now, the prevailing purpose of Milk Crate Theatre is: to offer meaningful and genuine access to the arts and expression for people who have not had regular, neurotypical, circumstantial or privileged access to the arts.

Because everyone deserves access to the arts. And honestly, as the current AD of Milk Crate, I feel a tremendous sense of honour in being one in a line of many incredible creative leaders that have made this company what it is.

photos from our 23rd Anniversary celebration - Milk Crate Theatre: A Retrospective. Photography by Patrick Boland.

With barely a wink, we were then off to begin the real-life development of our major work DUST! Having worked together as a group for 2 years online, we were finally building these characters and worlds and narrative and milieu in person. We performed in the Richard Wherrett Studio at Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company in September, and the sense of strength and achievement conjured by this project has continued to resound within and around us to this day.

2022 Production DUST, Richard Wherrett Studio, Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay. Photography by Robert Catto.

The cast of DUST: Desmond Edwards, Lana Filies, Matthias Nudl, Darlene Proberts, Kamini Singh. Photography by Robert Catto

In addition to the above, we ran a whole bunch of workshops with partners existing and new, including: ACON's LOVE Project (Living Older and Visibly Engaged), the Ozanam Learning Centre (OLC) Woolloomooloo, Waterloo Creative Ensemble, Common Ground Mission Australia, WEAVE Youth Services, HopeStreet (Baptist Care, Woolloomooloo), Studio Artes, Holdsworth Community (who also created a short film of their own which you can view here - THE DAYDREAMERS), Sunnyfield Disability Services and Eurella Community Services.

The Waterloo Creative Ensemble workshop series 2022

Our smartphone filmmaking workshop series in partnership with SF3 Founder Angela Blake, with HopeStreet, Baptist Care Woolloomooloo

Holdsworth Community workshop series 2022

LOVE workshop series, 2022 led by Dean Walsh

We employed an incredible bevvy of artists to conduct these workshops and shows, direct and assistant direct and support beyond measure. I would like to thank everyone who has been a part of our world this year. It has been truly golden. Exhausting, yes! But truly, truly golden.

We have some exciting things planned for 2023 - really - exciting! - and we hope you'll join us again, or for the first time if you haven't met us yet.

Stay safe, and we'll see you on the flipside! Margot Politis