MERRIGONGX is our annual artists’ program. It focuses on supporting artists to take creative risks.
MERRIGONGX places artists and their practice at the centre of our community. From in-house creative developments to full-blown public presentations of new work, and everything in between,
MERRIGONGX provides independent artists with financial, technical, marketing and artistic resources.
MERRIGONGX 2020 supported artists and projects
| APPLESPIEL | The renowned performance collective returned to develop their new work Sorry, Sorry, Sorry. |
| ARTISAN COLLECTIVE | Ben Pfeiffer's new play The Keeper will be the subject of a Digital Taster to be released in 2020, with a Development Showing taking place in 2021. |
| CATHERINE MCKINNON | The award-winning novelist adapts her Miles Franklin shortlisted novel Storyland for the stage. A Digital Taster will be made available in 2020, with a Development Showing in 2021. |
| DREW FAIRLEY | REBOOT Commission. Performer and theatre-maker Drew Fairley has accepted a commission from Merrigong to undertake the first stage of writing a new work (untitled as yet) inspired by his experience of being stranded as a performer on a cruise ship during the crisis. |
| KIRLI SAUNDERS | As part of Playwriting Australia's Ignition Script Development program, Merrigong will support Kirli to develop her first full length play, Going Home (working title), a story told in two parts, across two timelines and two First Nations lands, set in the regional communities of the south coast of NSW. |
| LILY HAYMAN | Presenting new work Fledgling, with new dates TBC in 2021. |
| MALIKA REESE | A development of a new intergenerational family story, Six Women, with a Digital Taster to be released in 2020. |
| NEISHA MURPHY | A development of her new circus work ChaChi, with a Digital Taster to be released in 2020. |
| MADE FROM SCRATCH | Our quarterly multi-artform performance night of new work and experimentation will return in 2021. |
| TEN TONNE SPARROW | Tom Hogan and Elana Stone's new work Mount Hopeless, a tragic comedy rock opera. A Digital Taster will be released in 2020, with a presentation in 2021. |
| THE STRANGEWAYS ENSEMBLE | Merrigong’s own professional ensemble of actors perceived to have intellectual disability continue their development of new work. |
| YEN YANG | A development of his new work A Practical Guide to Self-Defence. A Digital Taster will be released in 2020. |
MERRIGONGX 2020 REBOOT
21 May 2020: In response to the COVID-19 crisis and its effect on employment opportunities for performing artists, we are delighted to announce our MERRIGONGX 2020 REBOOT, with an injection of more than $40,000 into new projects from independent artists. The reboot allows for a repurposing of funds to be allocated across new commissions, small grants for independent artists, and Digital Tasters of new works in progress. See media release for full details.
Recipients of the new performance project grant for MERRIGONGX 2020 REBOOT
| KRAIG GRADY | Development of new shadow puppet show The Pilgrimage of Creatures. |
| DARYL WALLIS | First stage development of immersive musical work The Hour of Land. |
| ROBBIE CURTIS | First stage development of new children's circus work A Bee Story. |
| SONYA HOLOWELL | Development of Danger/Dancer: Seeking silence cartographies, a new cross platform work from First Nations artist Sonya Holowell and collaborator James Hazel. |
| KATJA HANDT | One-week development of new work Fault Lines exploring the relationship between location, community, ecology and human systems. |
| JODI PHILLIS | A live-streamed fortnightly music gig Lounge 'O' Sound, |
| ALICIA BATTESTINI | Development of a new theatre work, Elsie for Vestri, anchored in a conversation with Wollongong's artist and LGBTQI communities about our own mental health. |
| RENAE PINAZZA | Development of an immersive orchestral experience Inside the Octet. |
| SOLOMON THOMAS | Development of a videographic performance that documents the landing of a spaceship in a regional town titled UFO. |
| DUNCAN FELLOWS | Digital presentation of Duncan Fellows' character Glenn Twenty exploring the Illawarra. |
| LISA MARIS MCDONELL | The creation and presentation of 25 bite-sized video portraits of dance artists with links to the Illawarra. |
| HEIDI HILLIER | Development of Heidi's new circus and magic show Seamless. |
News
Grant recipients announced
Thursday June 18, 2020
$40,000 announced for independent artist projects
Thursday May 21, 2020