COVID lockdown and dreams of home drive a festival of Australian drama online from New York

David CusworthThe West Australian
Camera IconThe cast of Stranded: top row, Carla Kissane (from Perth), Casey Bradley and Mark Dessaix; middle row, Rose Cavanagh, Madeleine Galea and Pia Hagen (from Perth); bottom row, Emilio Ramos, Rebecca Ho and JD Martin.

COVID lockdown and dreams of home drive a festival of Australian drama in New York, streaming online this weekend due to pandemic restrictions.

West Australians Connor Delves and Mark Barford co-direct Barford’s composition, Stranded, which deals with flight caps and the challenges of being so far from home.

“Our festival was slated for May this year across three venues in New York, over four days,” Delves says. “Nonetheless we decided to persevere and put on an online festival in an effort to give hope in a year that Australians on work visas in the arts are faced with no work at all.

“It’s important to have rolling credits on these visas to remain valid as an ‘Extraordinary Alien’ (that’s what we’re called on our visas, if we don’t have a green card).”

Camera IconMark Barford, Jillian Geurts and Connor Delves are artistic directors of The Australian Theatre Festival – NYC.
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Delves, a Hale School graduate, caught COVID in one of the world’s hot spots, with arts and music all shutdown.

“It’s like nothing I've ever felt before but I managed OK,” he says of the disease. “We’re still very much under restrictions and about to head into a second lock down now. Certainly no live shows.

“It’s been interesting seeing Australia return to relative normal. It’s just a different world over here, so us Aussies are really trying to (distantly) stick together.”

Featuring more than 50 Australian artists in New York, the inaugural The Australian Theatre Festival – NYC includes five commissioned short plays, an online cabaret (sponsored by the Australian Consulate-General New York), and an industry panel.

The program runs online over tomorrow, and Saturday, and all events are free to view.

The artists, who filmed their parts remotely at home, have all been paid.

“By showcasing Australian artists, the festival will cultivate their development on a global stage as well as connect Australians living in New York,” Delves says.

“All of that ... but digitally!”

Camera IconChenoa Deemal presents and co-wrote one-woman play, Cape Flattery.

From a safe space in Perth it might seem a no-brainer to come “Home” – the theme of the festival – but Delves is hanging tough.

“Being an immigrant and an actor and producer, you gain a resilience and acceptance for the unknown that can help in situations like this,” he says.

“For me, New York will never die. There has been a lot of panic and short-term thinking (understandably) over the past 10 months. I prefer to keep a level head about things, stay safe, stay calm and look at things with one eye on the future and wink at the present.

“Creatives are still here, still creating. I think the creativity that will blossom from the pandemic will be phenomenal. We just need to survive and keep on keeping on.”

The festival, he says, gives him purpose and hope.

“I miss Perth deeply. I know I can’t come back for a while now, for many reasons. I’ve accepted that,” he says. “The festival gives me hope, forward motion and a burning passion to keep alight.”

For further information, go to the website, australiantheatrefestival.com, or check social media @AusTheatreFest.

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