March 19, 2025 • 31 mins
Lizzie Eastham and Sam Rickard present Studio 1 - Vision Australia Radio’s weekly look at life from a low vision and blind point of view.
On this week’s show
"Abundabiliteez"
Lizzie and Sam catch up with Hollie Andrew, Founder & Operations Director for Abundabiliteez Productions.
Hollie talks about what inspired her to form Abundabiliteez Productions, and some of her views regarding arts and people with a disability.
Studio 1 welcomes any input from our listeners. If you have any experience or thoughts about issues covered in this episode or believe there is something we should be talking about.
EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork
A special thank you to Hollie Andrew
You can find Abundabiliteez Productions here: https://abundabiliteezproductions.com.au/
You can book tickets to "Outside In" here: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/outside-in-af2025
This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at https://cbf.org.au/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:06):
This is studio one on Vision Australia radio.
S2 (00:14):
Hello, I'm Sam, hello.
S3 (00:15):
I'm Lizzie.
S2 (00:16):
And this is Studio One, your weekly look at life
from a low vision and blind point of view. Here
on Vision Australia Radio.
S3 (00:21):
On this week's show, we chat with Holly Andrew, who
is the operational director for a bundle. Abilities.
S2 (00:27):
Holly shares some of the upcoming performances that her artists
have put together.
S3 (00:30):
As we always say at this point, please do get
in touch with the show if you have any experience
with the issues covered on this week's episode of Studio One,
or if you think there's something we should be talking about.
You never know. Your story and insight may help someone
who's dealing with something similar.
S2 (00:46):
You can reach us via email Studio one at Vision Australia. Org.
That's studio number one at Vision Australia.
S3 (00:51):
Org or perhaps you can drop us a comment on
our Facebook page by going to facebook.com slash Nova Radio Network.
S2 (00:59):
Wasn't that just a terrific song that we just used?
S3 (01:03):
I can't say it was one of my favorites. SIM.
S2 (01:06):
Oh, but I want to use I want to use
this as our theme song. I mean, you know.
S3 (01:09):
Oh, well. Look, I thought this was a democracy. Do
I not get a say in it?
S2 (01:14):
Well, I just couldn't help it. I was walking to
the studio and it followed me here. Can we keep it?
S3 (01:20):
Oh, no, Sam, we already have a theme song.
S2 (01:25):
Oh. Well. Anyway. So who are we talking to today?
S3 (01:32):
Today we are chatting with Holly Andrew, who is the
operational director for Abunda Bilities Productions. Their mission is to
empower artists with disabilities through a range of different programs
and initiatives.
S2 (01:46):
Well, that sounds good. Maybe we should ask ourselves anyway.
Hello and welcome to Studio one.
S4 (01:50):
Hi guys. Thank you so much for having me here.
This is absolutely wonderful. And what a privilege to get
straight off a plane from the Gold Coast, from cyclone territory,
and to arrive and literally with my suitcases be with
you guys. I feel very grateful to be here, so
thank you.
S3 (02:05):
Lovely. So first off, can you tell us about what
the inspiration behind a bunch abilities was and how did
it get started?
S4 (02:13):
So I've been professional myself for, gosh, almost 21 years now.
I'm actually an Adelaide girl, so I was here and
I got my honours degree at Flinders University back in
the day and then went to a place called Waapa,
which is the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and
did music theatre there and then. I've been in the
industry ever since. I've done film and TV and musicals,
(02:34):
and I always just felt that there was something not missing,
but something that was bigger than me that I wanted
to be involved in. And I'd always had experience in
the disability sector, working with as a nanny, with families,
with children who had autism. And so I had a
sort of, I guess, an insight into working with families
(02:58):
and people in the disability sector. And it was always
something that I really enjoyed doing. And then I kind
of realized when I moved to the Gold Coast about
eight years ago, that I actually it came from me
being at the gym and seeing an incredible relationship between
a provider and a participant, and I approached the provider
and said, hey, do you guys have a film and
(03:19):
TV program running for your clients? And they said, no,
we've got theater, but no film and TV. So I said, great,
let me make you one. So I wrote them a program,
and we've been running that now for about four years.
And then at the same time that was happening, the
industry started to, I guess, open up a little bit
more in inclusivity as well. You know, we've seen the
(03:39):
gorgeous actress Hannah, who recently got nominated for an actor award.
We've seen Dylan Alcott be in Rocky Horror Picture Show.
You look on TV at the moment and where once
you'd have able bodied or people that didn't identify as
having a disability, playing roles and characters who were disabled
(04:00):
on our screens. Now that that does not happen, we
have actors to facilitate that. And so I saw it
all opening up and I thought, let's push into this
a little bit more. And some of the actors that
I'd been working with at my film and TV program
already showed extraordinary talent and, and kind of creative insight into,
(04:20):
you know, projects and ideas that they had. And I
thought I'd combine all of my skill sets together to
be in this unique position, to be able to open
a not for profit, which we launched last year called
Abandon productions like The Abundance of Abilities, and the idea
is yet to platform and promote artists who identify as
having a disability to not only share their own stories
(04:44):
or stories that they want to bring forward, but to
create ownership from the point of collaborating in the initial
stages all the way through to the end production. We're
also we're not part of the NDIS. So that means
that moving forward. You know, when we start to talk
about professional productions and opportunities, there's an ownership for all
the artists as well. And I think that's a really valid,
(05:06):
you know, and kind of a harder step to take
in one way. But the payoff is going to be
there in the future, which is really exciting. So that's
kind of the the overhead of it all.
S3 (05:16):
Absolutely.
S4 (05:17):
Done done done.
S3 (05:20):
Your mission is to empower artists with disabilities. What are
some of the key ways that you achieve this?
S4 (05:28):
Well, I think the first thing is identifying unique creative
abilities with each artist. I think that every actor is
different and every artist within a band abilities is going
to be different. And I think that identifying what makes
artists unique and what their great abilities are and what
they want to work on and what their stories are,
(05:48):
and really individualizing those elements to the projects we're doing
and the way to mentor and to help. I think
that that's something that is really special to what we do.
And then also just the industry connections that I have
and are able to sort of push into. I think that,
you know, if someone with a disability came to us
(06:09):
and wanted to do an art exhibition that, you know,
sort of highlighted artists with disability, we would have contacts
to go into that space if it was news reading,
if whatever the the sort of aspect was that they
wanted to explore. I think that we're in a unique
position to be able to guide or to offer opportunities
(06:29):
to go and explore that.
S3 (06:30):
How do you define success for the artists that you support?
S4 (06:34):
I think it's actually interesting in the show that we're
actually up here to do, which I know, I'm sure
we'll get into in a minute, but Mahdi Ali, director,
I mean, our lead actor, who it's a one man show,
so it's just him on stage. But one of the
things he says that has affected him as a mentor,
a thing that I've said to him is when you're
giving it a go, you're getting it right. And I
think that comes into how to define success as well.
(06:55):
I think the success is in the doing. I think
just being able to have a position to put work
out there and have the opportunity to be seen and heard,
I think that's success in itself and everything else is
the overflow of that. I mean, you know, I could
go on about how big I think the production company
is going to be and how how, how far I
see the stories traveling in Australia and across the world.
(07:18):
But I actually think success is is different. I think
it's the success is in the doing the the actual
putting it together, putting your word out there. And as
a creative artist actually daring to be seen and heard
with your unique voice.
S2 (07:31):
I seem to remember I'm this old. Of course, Deb
Mailman was originally cast in The Secret Life of Us,
not as a lady of color, but they they liked
her so much that they just included her in there.
To me, that's the holy grail of disability in the
arts is if somebody can turn up to an audition
and the producer or the director or whoever goes. You
(07:55):
know what? I like that take on the on the part. Bam!
Put them in there. Um, do you see a time
in the near future where that is going to become
more common?
S4 (08:03):
Yes. I think first of all, I think our, the,
the industry's opening up to that. So that's, that's one.
And I think people have seen such incredible performances of
actors and artists with disability that each time we see
that people get a little bit more confident, I guess,
and stronger in making big production choices. And then I
(08:24):
think that there's there's a little bit to, to be
said for training. You know, I mean, if you look
at professional actors across the board, I don't know what
the percentage would be of artists who are trained versus
people that just have this, you know, innate desire to
act and go and keep at it and keep at
it and get, you know, might do work here or
there or luck out and be on a, you know,
(08:45):
on a bus stop and get picked up by a producer.
But there's a lot of training that goes into some
people's crafts as well. And this is where I think
if we had a ground level program and more opportunities
for artists with disability to be able to train and
get skill sets, then I think that would really matter.
Going into an audition room, knowing how to do a
great screen test, knowing how to feel strong in front
(09:08):
of a camera, knowing how to bring out emotions and differentiate,
you know, personal emotions with acting choices. So all of
these things that make actors great, I think, to be
delivered in a way that is really understood by artists,
that's curated specifically for artists who have a disability. I
think that that's a big that's going to be a
(09:29):
big help as well in the future.
S3 (09:30):
It's interesting you should say that, because that takes me
back to my primary and high school days. Um, as
we were discussing off air, I studied music and drama,
and I tried to do dance that didn't go so well,
but I think that I spent just as much time
learning how to engage, as I did, actually learning the
(09:54):
craft of singing or acting. Because when you're blind, it's
hard to look at a specific object, or it's hard
to convey an emotional expression unless you've seen that before
or you've got some sort of reference, it's hard to
know where it is that you should insert that. So
I think that training would be really important. I, for one,
(10:17):
would be so down with that.
S4 (10:18):
And, you know, it's so beautiful to talk to you
about this, Lizzy and hear this. Because as a director,
I then would look at your situation and would work
with you and go, great. Well, what are other ways
around that? If you don't have a reference, I could
put it into another world for you, right? So say
I'm working with an actor who doesn't identify as having
a disability, and they're 16 and they're needing to do
a scene where they're told some really bad news, like
(10:40):
a parent has passed or something. Right? So something really,
really bad. Yeah. But they've got both their parents and
no one close to them has ever passed away. So
how do they access those emotions as well. So it's same.
Same but different right? So then you have techniques and
ways to work out what that would feel like and
how to put that into your body, and to then
(11:01):
put that out into a way of storytelling that would
make sense to you, that would be real and authentic
and convey that emotion. And that will be different for
I mean, it's different for everyone anyway, but especially people
that have disabilities, because as you just said, if you
don't know how it looks when you're sad, then how
do you know when you're sad? You know.
S3 (11:22):
And that's the thing. Like, I think the fact that
I did have that bit of training, yep, has bled
itself into normal life because a lot of blind people
have trouble conveying emotions in terms of body language or
physical countenance, because we can say in our voices and
(11:42):
we can say with our words like, that's really devastating.
I'm I'm really sorry to hear that. My condolences, but
your face might be as blank as a canvas. Like how? It's.
It's funny. Like, I think that the training that I
did in those years, in those formative years, actually helped
me to be able to convey those emotions in the
(12:03):
real world when when dealing with people.
S4 (12:06):
Yeah. And you know what? Like the amount of times
I hear and in my own personal journeys, how life
imitating art, imitating life, like, I think acting's a really
amazing gift of a career and things to push into,
to develop your emotions, to be able to understand psychology,
body language, all those sorts of things. So I think
that even your little experience of that back in the
(12:28):
day has created such a, you know, a kind of
a canvas for things that you've done in your future.
And I think just on that, you know, I think
what really drives me as an actor and part of
what I love, and I've made this not for profit
and created these opportunities is because I then look at
you and I go, great. Tell me more. So if
we were to do a scene and put you in
(12:49):
front of the camera or in a piece of theater,
you know there'd be a trust there. So I could
then say to you, hey, this is what we look like.
This is what the story looks like. And then that's
the trust you have with storytelling. And then I could
say things to you, and you could hear feedback of
things that, you know, you might not normally get access
to because people don't, you know, sort of share things
(13:12):
like that on an everyday conversation. Do you know what
I mean? But if you're working on something, then we
can dig really deep in a trusted way and you
can learn things about you, about me. We can learn
things about each other. So that's the bit I love.
That's the one I love.
S3 (13:24):
Can you describe the challenges that artists with disabilities commonly
face in the creative industry?
S4 (13:30):
It's been a really big learning curve for me. I've
always had, as I said, a kind of a sense
of compassion, but really pushing into this space and getting
the opportunity to work with the artists that I've worked
with through their lived experience, I've gained a lot of
knowledge and it's for me there are the fundamentals that
(13:51):
I think have been in place that are starting to
bust open at the seams now, which is amazing. Things like,
you know, would someone with a disability who is in
a wheelchair be seen for Jane next door at neighbours,
you know, or does it have to be Jane next
door neighbours who is someone in a wheelchair before they're
seen for the role? And I think that pushing through
those moulds is number one, which I think is starting
(14:12):
to happen. You know, I think in Breaking Bad, I
don't know if you guys have seen that TV show. Yeah.
How good is it? Right. Um, and you know, the
son in that I can't remember the actor's name now,
but he has, uh. And I want to say cerebral palsy.
But I could stand corrected there. I'm sure you're going
to have avid listeners ringing up and going. No, it wasn't. Um,
but he's, you know, his physical disability was written into
(14:33):
the show. He was seen as an actor. And then
they loved him. So they I'm pretty sure that they
then either extended the role to include his specific disability
or it was something they sort of, you know, created
for him because they fell in love with him as
an actor. And I think he was one of the
first ones on a really big mainstream TV show to
to sort of push the line there. So there's those
(14:55):
sorts of challenges to even get in the room and
be seen. Right. But then there's the the Littler Things,
which is we did an amazing short film a few
years ago that we raised money for called zapped. Zombies
are people too, which we're still pitching at festivals at
the moment, so watch this space for the big premiere
of that. That was with the incredible Cameron Zajac. And
(15:16):
in that it was interesting because the guys were all
the leads. And then we all our support cast were
people that didn't identify as having a disability. But as
our leads, we had to be mindful and and create
an open and honest communication about things like bathroom breaks about,
you know, um, being able to do a ten hour
day on set, what that means for bodies and minds and,
(15:38):
and empowering the artists to stand up for themselves and
to know that their voices matter, and to know that
you know they're not going to lose the job by
being honest. But they need to let people know what
their needs are. They're the stars. So start demanding, you know?
So I guess they're the sort of two elements of challenges. Um,
the other thing I think would just be to add
on to that, getting a story out there of lived
(16:00):
experience where once, you know, I think the assumption might
have been that the audiences weren't there to want to
view it. And now I think we are very much
seeing that the audiences are there. Just look at love
on the spectrum. You know, that show has gone gangbusters
all around the world. So I think that experiences of
all kinds are starting to be really craved, authentic experiences.
(16:21):
And so, yeah, that is that sort of answer.
S3 (16:24):
Yeah, definitely. And I'm thinking also about, uh, in terms
of like the blind and low vision community specifically because
that's the community that Sam and I serve. Um, overall.
And there has been a big push in the last
couple of years to have more audio described content on
network television station. So I think that's saying as well
(16:45):
that they're blind and low vision people that want to
not only engage with content but also feel represented.
S4 (16:51):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's such a valid point. And I,
I would hope that as these other elements of our
industry are changing, that your community is seen and spoken
up for. And this is something that changes in the future,
you know, and I think that part of that unfortunately
as well is accessibility. Even putting this show on and
wanting to have both an Auslan interpreter and an audio
(17:12):
description interpreter, it's you're looking at a small show with
a small budget and the costings around, and I'd love
to see some more government support that could potentially come
in and not just support the shows for getting up
in and around. Whether you've got a lived experience in
your shows content or not, but supporting communities to be
able to come and have an authentic experience at these
shows as well. There should be funding grants for that
(17:35):
to happen as well. I'm just going to say that
right now.
S3 (17:39):
Of course.
S2 (17:39):
As you said earlier at the start of the interview,
you've just come from the Gold Coast and you're in
Adelaide for the the fringe and the Adelaide Festival.
S4 (17:46):
The Adelaide Fringe.
S2 (17:47):
So, um, who have you got with you and what
can people look forward to?
S4 (17:51):
Yeah, yeah. So I'm so excited to be back here. Um,
as I said, I'm an Adelaide girl at heart, so
it's so nice to bring this magical piece of theatre
back and to experience the fringe, which was always one
of my favorite times of the year. So yeah, we've
just dodged the cyclone and we've all come through that.
And we have two shows, one on Thursday and one
(18:12):
on Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. at Nexus Arts, which
is the old Lion Arts Centre or Lion Arts Factory. Um,
the show is called Outside In and what? Maddie? So
Maddie's our 37 year old actor. He has autism, and
he's written the show himself. We've conceptualized it together, and
then he wrote the show, and then I've directed it
with him and the show. He's opened up his mind
(18:34):
and his heart, and he brings the audiences in to
see the world through his eyes and the kaleidoscope of
how he sees things, how he feels things. And then
he's been really inspired by the Pixar film Inside Out,
where he they have the characters that describe emotions and
have voices and ways to sort of appeal to different emotions.
And so he's created five of his emotions that represent joy,
(18:58):
sadness and anger and disgust. And so he plays all
of those roles as well as himself. He raps, he sings,
he dances. He is quite incredible. And I've worked with
a lot of really beautiful, outstanding people in my professional career.
And I can tell you he is very much at
the top of the list. He's unbelievable. So I couldn't
(19:19):
be happier and prouder to be bringing this show back.
And uh, yeah, we'd love to see as many people
there as possible. It's a really beautiful, beautiful story.
S2 (19:27):
We will, of course, attach the how to book the, uh,
to the show, uh, in our podcast notes. Thank you.
But I mean, has is there anything else you've got
to look forward to? I mean, we don't just broadcast
in Adelaide, we broadcast around Australia. So I mean, what's
what are some projects that are coming up that you
can tell us about?
S4 (19:44):
Yeah. Well it's interesting because we're just we launched in
August last year. So the first sort of minor project
that we did was a short film where we worked
with an unearthed triple J artist, and we did a
film clip for them, and that actually won a short
film festival that was Adelaide based to put on a
short film festival each year, which is amazing, called sit
Down and Sit Down, shut up and watch, I think.
(20:06):
And we took that one out. We won one of
the big awards with that short film last year. So
this is our next project and it's our first big
professional project. Doing it outside in. On the back end
of that, we'll do a show up on the Gold
Coast and probably down in Byron and probably up in Brisbane.
We might go to Melbourne and tour there and then
we're developing a school tour. So Maddie will take this
(20:28):
around to senior schools as well. I think that's a
really important space to start working in. On top of that,
we have several projects for this year that are there
on the pipeline where we do a lot of film
and TV. So we've got a couple of short films
coming up as well. We've got a documentary that we're making, uh,
we've got a big talent quest that hopefully will end
up going nationally, got lots of bits and pieces. So
(20:50):
you've got to all go to the abundant production website
and join and subscribe, and then we can keep you
up to date with all of the fun things coming up.
And also, we invite people in, all of your listeners
to if you're sitting there and you've got a great story,
if your story is great, if you want, if you've
got I've got this great idea for an alien sci
fi musical, I encourage you to reach out to us.
(21:13):
We are really wanting to collaborate and work with people
and mentor and guide and empower all sorts of stories.
So if any listeners are out there and feel like
they want to, don't know how, just pick up the
phone or somehow get online and get in contact with us.
And we would love to hear the stories that you
may have.
S2 (21:32):
And what is the website.
S4 (21:33):
Abundant Abilities Productions combo. Okay. Yeah. Vulnerabilities is spelt. Oh
my gosh. Oh I'm such a bad speller. AB u
n d I l I t w e z a
band abilities. Did I get it right, didn't I? Yeah. Great.
Well done. Great. I've got a lot of things and
I can tell you right now, spelling chops is not
(21:54):
one of them.
S3 (21:54):
That's okay. We will have the link in the website.
S1 (21:58):
This is studio one on Vision Australia Radio.
S3 (22:03):
Can you share a success story of an artist whose
life has been transformed through your platform?
S4 (22:09):
Yeah, I think look, I think all of the artists
that I've worked with have elements of success in what
they've done. But I think and it's so great in
Maddie's show because he talks about the the man that
he was, you know, he couldn't even he really struggled
to even say or name his disability until he came
to the studio. And now to stand in it and
(22:30):
to be honoring himself and owning that. And, you know,
little things like he used to have to do travel
training and then now he catches Ubers and he's actually
looking at getting his driver's license, which was something that again,
four years ago, he never thought in his wildest dreams
he'd even be considering. So he'd be sort of all
of them. Emma, who's the president of the creative board
(22:50):
at Urban Abilities? She has spina bifida, and she never
thought she'd ever be employed in a way that she'd
have a job, that she was able to go and
get money for and have a valid say. And she's
now been my professional studio assistant at my studio, which
I run a studio in the Gold Coast as well
called Studio Burley. And she's been my studio assistant now
(23:11):
for two years, and we've just not entered her into
a big competition to be nominated as a Young artist
of the year. And so she's acquired an incredible success
story as well.
S3 (23:22):
Do you collaborate with other organizations or industry professionals to
help develop the skills of your current artists?
S4 (23:29):
Yeah, I think the industry one of the best bits
about the creative industry is collaboration. Because you get to
each project, you get to work with different people. That's
one of the most exciting things that kind of keeps it,
you know, new and interesting. We would love like tutti
doing beautiful things down here as our restless Dance Theatre.
We also, when we did Zombies Our People to Zapped,
(23:50):
we worked with a whole production team that were predominantly
from Brisbane. Yes, this is the short, the long answer.
The short answer is yes. The long answer is come
on in and join us.
S3 (24:01):
Do you think that the public perception of artists with
disabilities is changing? And what other steps do you think
need to be taken for artists with disabilities to be
more widely accepted?
S4 (24:15):
Yes, definitely. Changing huge amounts. It's changing, but there's also
a long way to go, as I sort of mentioned
a couple of people before, and I think that when
the artists do get a platform, so with the artists
with disability, do get a platform and start getting some
really high end accolade. I think it's really important to
turn around and still be accessible to the communities, which,
(24:36):
I mean, I'm seeing that everywhere, but I think that's
just a really wonderful thing, so that the disability sector
and communities still feel like they're a part of that
person's journey, which will then inspire them to step up. Yeah,
I think the worlds inclusivity ideas are definitely opening up,
but we do have a long way to go. We
definitely do.
S3 (24:54):
So does a band abilities run programs nationally or is
it just in the Gold Coast at the moment?
S4 (25:00):
At the moment, programs just in the Gold Coast. But
I did launch. I wrote a program called Industry Training
Program for artists with disability that I'm currently in discussions
with TAFE about. So when that happens, that'll be a
certificate for that will be available on a national scale.
So any toe can can run that and that will
be a proper diploma qualification. So and that's written specifically
(25:23):
for artists with disability. So that'll watch this space for
that one. And then of other than that though, you know,
I think it would be it's as with a lot
of the industry, it becomes a project based environment. So
if you know, or if someone from Melbourne reached out
to us and went, hey, would you guys be interested
in coming down and doing a two week workshop and
putting on a show that we take to Edinburgh, we'd
(25:45):
be like, yes, we would, and we would get on
a flight and come on down. So there's all sorts
of national opportunities, but we're still fresh to the table.
And I think at this point it's kind of one
one step at a time and one project at a time.
And we just got to go and and try to
sell out outside in now and, you know, have everyone
see Matt's story and then take the next step from there.
S3 (26:07):
Well, I'm hoping we can go because then we'll be
able to sort of like review the show and be like.
S4 (26:14):
Sam and Lizzie, you must come and see the show.
I'll be devastated if you don't. Now, guys, you know that. Yeah.
S3 (26:19):
Sam.
S4 (26:21):
You guys bring as many people as you can tell everyone.
But we've only got the two shows. It's a beautiful place.
Nexus Arts is incredible. Nice and easy in the city.
Do I need to keep selling? No, no.
S3 (26:32):
Okay, great. I think we got it.
S4 (26:33):
Yeah.
S3 (26:34):
How can listeners get involved? Do you have any social media? Yeah,
obviously you have a website. And what steps can listeners
take to either sign up for a program or whether
they've got experience in the industry, and they think that
they can help develop the skills of these artists?
S4 (26:52):
Yeah, sure. So I think the website being subscribing to
our we do a monthly newsletter and that gives the
Intel for what we're doing each month and different projects
and links to different things. That would be the first step,
but we are on Insta and Facebook and all of
the above, so come and watch that. And then I
guess that's more immediate news. You know, like we'll be
(27:12):
posting all week this week. There's behind the scenes clips
on that as well. So that's kind of for your
more immediate content. And then once you subscribe we've got
a an info on the website as well. So yeah,
if you if you've got something that you want to
to suggest or share. Then reach out on that and
we will get back to you and we can take
it from there.
S2 (27:30):
So before we go.
S4 (27:32):
Yes.
S2 (27:33):
Has there been any surprises you've encountered? Anything that has
sort of any artist that's sort of come across your
desk and you've gone, oh my God, I hadn't wouldn't
have even thought that was possible.
S4 (27:46):
Um, I don't know how like, it's not artists per se,
but skill sets for sure. So for instance, and again,
I'll use Maddie as an example, not only because he's
it's his show where, you know, we're here to talk about,
but also he's just a brilliant actor. So when we
did the short film, he had this monologue where he
had to get a bit emotional and because of his autism,
(28:09):
his access to his emotions, which may have been problematic
in the past. Yeah. As in kind of society. And
when he can't control feelings of anger and and his
tears as an actor. It's a gift. It's such a
gift for him to be able to access this raw, beautiful,
(28:31):
authentic place. And I remember the first time and I
was co-directing the the short film and my co-director was like, oh,
we'll give him a warm up. I'm like, dude, shoot it,
shoot it, shoot it! Because I knew that as soon
as that camera's on and Matt had it set in
his head and it was gold, and we only did
one take of it because it was that good. And
he was in tears and everyone was crying, and it
(28:52):
was this moment. And then for Matt, we then worked
out a process to get him out of that as well.
So that's the other thing is, is, you know, you
go into something we needed a professional process to get out.
So we have videos that make him laugh and different
bits and pieces. So he comes out of that. But
that was one of the most brilliant pieces of acting
I've seen. And that was a lot of that was
(29:12):
due to the fact that he has these accessible things
because of his disability.
S2 (29:17):
Well, I mean, I asked that because I've.
S4 (29:19):
Have you got something for me, Sam? What have you.
S2 (29:21):
Got? I've noticed, for example, a lot of blind people
are really good photographers for some reason. Oh, wow. So
it is just something that sort of seems to be
a random thing.
S4 (29:28):
Well, yeah.
S2 (29:29):
Yeah, yeah. There's either two settings. There's either the masterpiece
photo or there's the, um, that's somebody's foot.
S4 (29:35):
But you can pass.
S3 (29:36):
That off as a masterpiece.
S4 (29:37):
I mean.
S3 (29:38):
How many artists draw abstracts and you've got no idea
what they are?
S4 (29:41):
Exactly.
S2 (29:41):
Thank you for joining us today. It's been a blast. And, uh, we, uh,
hopefully we'll, uh, hear from you in the future and
maybe next, next fringe. And we can catch up with
more of your other talent.
S4 (29:52):
Yes, yes. Well, next time, I'll definitely aim to bring
some of the creative artists in. And I'm sure that
they would love to meet you guys and speak about
their personal journeys and their stories. But thank you so
much both for having me and I look forward to
the next time.
S3 (30:05):
That's a wrap for this week's show. A big thank
you to Holly for joining us. And of course, thank
you for listening. As usual, you can download the podcast
from Apple, Spotify, Google or your favorite podcast platform.
S2 (30:19):
And you never know, you might actually find some extra
content there that is not in the broadcast version. Next
week we're going back to school. We talk to a
few friends about their experiences in the education system, some
of them going back over 50 years.
S3 (30:33):
But between now and then, please do get in touch
with the show. Whether you have experience of any of
the issues covered on this week's episode of Studio One,
or if you think there's something we should be talking about.
You never know. Your story and insight may help someone
who's dealing with something similar.
S2 (30:49):
You can email us at. The email address is studio
one Vision Australia. Org. That's studio number one at Vision Australia.
S3 (30:55):
Org or you can find us on any of the
good social media platforms, whether that be Facebook, Instagram or
X by searching for VA Radio Network.
S2 (31:03):
Is it still good? I don't think it is.
S3 (31:05):
Anyway, we want to hear from you.
S2 (31:07):
Bye for now.
S1 (31:08):
Vision Australia Radio gratefully acknowledges the support of the Community
Broadcasting Foundation for Studio One.
This is studio one on Vision Australia radio.
S2 (00:14):
Hello, I'm Sam, hello.
S3 (00:15):
I'm Lizzie.
S2 (00:16):
And this is Studio One, your weekly look at life
from a low vision and blind point of view. Here
on Vision Australia Radio.
S3 (00:21):
On this week's show, we chat with Holly Andrew, who
is the operational director for a bundle. Abilities.
S2 (00:27):
Holly shares some of the upcoming performances that her artists
have put together.
S3 (00:30):
As we always say at this point, please do get
in touch with the show if you have any experience
with the issues covered on this week's episode of Studio One,
or if you think there's something we should be talking about.
You never know. Your story and insight may help someone
who's dealing with something similar.
S2 (00:46):
You can reach us via email Studio one at Vision Australia. Org.
That's studio number one at Vision Australia.
S3 (00:51):
Org or perhaps you can drop us a comment on
our Facebook page by going to facebook.com slash Nova Radio Network.
S2 (00:59):
Wasn't that just a terrific song that we just used?
S3 (01:03):
I can't say it was one of my favorites. SIM.
S2 (01:06):
Oh, but I want to use I want to use
this as our theme song. I mean, you know.
S3 (01:09):
Oh, well. Look, I thought this was a democracy. Do
I not get a say in it?
S2 (01:14):
Well, I just couldn't help it. I was walking to
the studio and it followed me here. Can we keep it?
S3 (01:20):
Oh, no, Sam, we already have a theme song.
S2 (01:25):
Oh. Well. Anyway. So who are we talking to today?
S3 (01:32):
Today we are chatting with Holly Andrew, who is the
operational director for Abunda Bilities Productions. Their mission is to
empower artists with disabilities through a range of different programs
and initiatives.
S2 (01:46):
Well, that sounds good. Maybe we should ask ourselves anyway.
Hello and welcome to Studio one.
S4 (01:50):
Hi guys. Thank you so much for having me here.
This is absolutely wonderful. And what a privilege to get
straight off a plane from the Gold Coast, from cyclone territory,
and to arrive and literally with my suitcases be with
you guys. I feel very grateful to be here, so
thank you.
S3 (02:05):
Lovely. So first off, can you tell us about what
the inspiration behind a bunch abilities was and how did
it get started?
S4 (02:13):
So I've been professional myself for, gosh, almost 21 years now.
I'm actually an Adelaide girl, so I was here and
I got my honours degree at Flinders University back in
the day and then went to a place called Waapa,
which is the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and
did music theatre there and then. I've been in the
industry ever since. I've done film and TV and musicals,
(02:34):
and I always just felt that there was something not missing,
but something that was bigger than me that I wanted
to be involved in. And I'd always had experience in
the disability sector, working with as a nanny, with families,
with children who had autism. And so I had a
sort of, I guess, an insight into working with families
(02:58):
and people in the disability sector. And it was always
something that I really enjoyed doing. And then I kind
of realized when I moved to the Gold Coast about
eight years ago, that I actually it came from me
being at the gym and seeing an incredible relationship between
a provider and a participant, and I approached the provider
and said, hey, do you guys have a film and
(03:19):
TV program running for your clients? And they said, no,
we've got theater, but no film and TV. So I said, great,
let me make you one. So I wrote them a program,
and we've been running that now for about four years.
And then at the same time that was happening, the
industry started to, I guess, open up a little bit
more in inclusivity as well. You know, we've seen the
(03:39):
gorgeous actress Hannah, who recently got nominated for an actor award.
We've seen Dylan Alcott be in Rocky Horror Picture Show.
You look on TV at the moment and where once
you'd have able bodied or people that didn't identify as
having a disability, playing roles and characters who were disabled
(04:00):
on our screens. Now that that does not happen, we
have actors to facilitate that. And so I saw it
all opening up and I thought, let's push into this
a little bit more. And some of the actors that
I'd been working with at my film and TV program
already showed extraordinary talent and, and kind of creative insight into,
(04:20):
you know, projects and ideas that they had. And I
thought I'd combine all of my skill sets together to
be in this unique position, to be able to open
a not for profit, which we launched last year called
Abandon productions like The Abundance of Abilities, and the idea
is yet to platform and promote artists who identify as
having a disability to not only share their own stories
(04:44):
or stories that they want to bring forward, but to
create ownership from the point of collaborating in the initial
stages all the way through to the end production. We're
also we're not part of the NDIS. So that means
that moving forward. You know, when we start to talk
about professional productions and opportunities, there's an ownership for all
the artists as well. And I think that's a really valid,
(05:06):
you know, and kind of a harder step to take
in one way. But the payoff is going to be
there in the future, which is really exciting. So that's
kind of the the overhead of it all.
S3 (05:16):
Absolutely.
S4 (05:17):
Done done done.
S3 (05:20):
Your mission is to empower artists with disabilities. What are
some of the key ways that you achieve this?
S4 (05:28):
Well, I think the first thing is identifying unique creative
abilities with each artist. I think that every actor is
different and every artist within a band abilities is going
to be different. And I think that identifying what makes
artists unique and what their great abilities are and what
they want to work on and what their stories are,
(05:48):
and really individualizing those elements to the projects we're doing
and the way to mentor and to help. I think
that that's something that is really special to what we do.
And then also just the industry connections that I have
and are able to sort of push into. I think that,
you know, if someone with a disability came to us
(06:09):
and wanted to do an art exhibition that, you know,
sort of highlighted artists with disability, we would have contacts
to go into that space if it was news reading,
if whatever the the sort of aspect was that they
wanted to explore. I think that we're in a unique
position to be able to guide or to offer opportunities
(06:29):
to go and explore that.
S3 (06:30):
How do you define success for the artists that you support?
S4 (06:34):
I think it's actually interesting in the show that we're
actually up here to do, which I know, I'm sure
we'll get into in a minute, but Mahdi Ali, director,
I mean, our lead actor, who it's a one man show,
so it's just him on stage. But one of the
things he says that has affected him as a mentor,
a thing that I've said to him is when you're
giving it a go, you're getting it right. And I
think that comes into how to define success as well.
(06:55):
I think the success is in the doing. I think
just being able to have a position to put work
out there and have the opportunity to be seen and heard,
I think that's success in itself and everything else is
the overflow of that. I mean, you know, I could
go on about how big I think the production company
is going to be and how how, how far I
see the stories traveling in Australia and across the world.
(07:18):
But I actually think success is is different. I think
it's the success is in the doing the the actual
putting it together, putting your word out there. And as
a creative artist actually daring to be seen and heard
with your unique voice.
S2 (07:31):
I seem to remember I'm this old. Of course, Deb
Mailman was originally cast in The Secret Life of Us,
not as a lady of color, but they they liked
her so much that they just included her in there.
To me, that's the holy grail of disability in the
arts is if somebody can turn up to an audition
and the producer or the director or whoever goes. You
(07:55):
know what? I like that take on the on the part. Bam!
Put them in there. Um, do you see a time
in the near future where that is going to become
more common?
S4 (08:03):
Yes. I think first of all, I think our, the,
the industry's opening up to that. So that's, that's one.
And I think people have seen such incredible performances of
actors and artists with disability that each time we see
that people get a little bit more confident, I guess,
and stronger in making big production choices. And then I
(08:24):
think that there's there's a little bit to, to be
said for training. You know, I mean, if you look
at professional actors across the board, I don't know what
the percentage would be of artists who are trained versus
people that just have this, you know, innate desire to
act and go and keep at it and keep at
it and get, you know, might do work here or
there or luck out and be on a, you know,
(08:45):
on a bus stop and get picked up by a producer.
But there's a lot of training that goes into some
people's crafts as well. And this is where I think
if we had a ground level program and more opportunities
for artists with disability to be able to train and
get skill sets, then I think that would really matter.
Going into an audition room, knowing how to do a
great screen test, knowing how to feel strong in front
(09:08):
of a camera, knowing how to bring out emotions and differentiate,
you know, personal emotions with acting choices. So all of
these things that make actors great, I think, to be
delivered in a way that is really understood by artists,
that's curated specifically for artists who have a disability. I
think that that's a big that's going to be a
(09:29):
big help as well in the future.
S3 (09:30):
It's interesting you should say that, because that takes me
back to my primary and high school days. Um, as
we were discussing off air, I studied music and drama,
and I tried to do dance that didn't go so well,
but I think that I spent just as much time
learning how to engage, as I did, actually learning the
(09:54):
craft of singing or acting. Because when you're blind, it's
hard to look at a specific object, or it's hard
to convey an emotional expression unless you've seen that before
or you've got some sort of reference, it's hard to
know where it is that you should insert that. So
I think that training would be really important. I, for one,
(10:17):
would be so down with that.
S4 (10:18):
And, you know, it's so beautiful to talk to you
about this, Lizzy and hear this. Because as a director,
I then would look at your situation and would work
with you and go, great. Well, what are other ways
around that? If you don't have a reference, I could
put it into another world for you, right? So say
I'm working with an actor who doesn't identify as having
a disability, and they're 16 and they're needing to do
a scene where they're told some really bad news, like
(10:40):
a parent has passed or something. Right? So something really,
really bad. Yeah. But they've got both their parents and
no one close to them has ever passed away. So
how do they access those emotions as well. So it's same.
Same but different right? So then you have techniques and
ways to work out what that would feel like and
how to put that into your body, and to then
(11:01):
put that out into a way of storytelling that would
make sense to you, that would be real and authentic
and convey that emotion. And that will be different for
I mean, it's different for everyone anyway, but especially people
that have disabilities, because as you just said, if you
don't know how it looks when you're sad, then how
do you know when you're sad? You know.
S3 (11:22):
And that's the thing. Like, I think the fact that
I did have that bit of training, yep, has bled
itself into normal life because a lot of blind people
have trouble conveying emotions in terms of body language or
physical countenance, because we can say in our voices and
(11:42):
we can say with our words like, that's really devastating.
I'm I'm really sorry to hear that. My condolences, but
your face might be as blank as a canvas. Like how? It's.
It's funny. Like, I think that the training that I
did in those years, in those formative years, actually helped
me to be able to convey those emotions in the
(12:03):
real world when when dealing with people.
S4 (12:06):
Yeah. And you know what? Like the amount of times
I hear and in my own personal journeys, how life
imitating art, imitating life, like, I think acting's a really
amazing gift of a career and things to push into,
to develop your emotions, to be able to understand psychology,
body language, all those sorts of things. So I think
that even your little experience of that back in the
(12:28):
day has created such a, you know, a kind of
a canvas for things that you've done in your future.
And I think just on that, you know, I think
what really drives me as an actor and part of
what I love, and I've made this not for profit
and created these opportunities is because I then look at
you and I go, great. Tell me more. So if
we were to do a scene and put you in
(12:49):
front of the camera or in a piece of theater,
you know there'd be a trust there. So I could
then say to you, hey, this is what we look like.
This is what the story looks like. And then that's
the trust you have with storytelling. And then I could
say things to you, and you could hear feedback of
things that, you know, you might not normally get access
to because people don't, you know, sort of share things
(13:12):
like that on an everyday conversation. Do you know what
I mean? But if you're working on something, then we
can dig really deep in a trusted way and you
can learn things about you, about me. We can learn
things about each other. So that's the bit I love.
That's the one I love.
S3 (13:24):
Can you describe the challenges that artists with disabilities commonly
face in the creative industry?
S4 (13:30):
It's been a really big learning curve for me. I've
always had, as I said, a kind of a sense
of compassion, but really pushing into this space and getting
the opportunity to work with the artists that I've worked
with through their lived experience, I've gained a lot of
knowledge and it's for me there are the fundamentals that
(13:51):
I think have been in place that are starting to
bust open at the seams now, which is amazing. Things like,
you know, would someone with a disability who is in
a wheelchair be seen for Jane next door at neighbours,
you know, or does it have to be Jane next
door neighbours who is someone in a wheelchair before they're
seen for the role? And I think that pushing through
those moulds is number one, which I think is starting
(14:12):
to happen. You know, I think in Breaking Bad, I
don't know if you guys have seen that TV show. Yeah.
How good is it? Right. Um, and you know, the
son in that I can't remember the actor's name now,
but he has, uh. And I want to say cerebral palsy.
But I could stand corrected there. I'm sure you're going
to have avid listeners ringing up and going. No, it wasn't. Um,
but he's, you know, his physical disability was written into
(14:33):
the show. He was seen as an actor. And then
they loved him. So they I'm pretty sure that they
then either extended the role to include his specific disability
or it was something they sort of, you know, created
for him because they fell in love with him as
an actor. And I think he was one of the
first ones on a really big mainstream TV show to
to sort of push the line there. So there's those
(14:55):
sorts of challenges to even get in the room and
be seen. Right. But then there's the the Littler Things,
which is we did an amazing short film a few
years ago that we raised money for called zapped. Zombies
are people too, which we're still pitching at festivals at
the moment, so watch this space for the big premiere
of that. That was with the incredible Cameron Zajac. And
(15:16):
in that it was interesting because the guys were all
the leads. And then we all our support cast were
people that didn't identify as having a disability. But as
our leads, we had to be mindful and and create
an open and honest communication about things like bathroom breaks about,
you know, um, being able to do a ten hour
day on set, what that means for bodies and minds and,
(15:38):
and empowering the artists to stand up for themselves and
to know that their voices matter, and to know that
you know they're not going to lose the job by
being honest. But they need to let people know what
their needs are. They're the stars. So start demanding, you know?
So I guess they're the sort of two elements of challenges. Um,
the other thing I think would just be to add
on to that, getting a story out there of lived
(16:00):
experience where once, you know, I think the assumption might
have been that the audiences weren't there to want to
view it. And now I think we are very much
seeing that the audiences are there. Just look at love
on the spectrum. You know, that show has gone gangbusters
all around the world. So I think that experiences of
all kinds are starting to be really craved, authentic experiences.
(16:21):
And so, yeah, that is that sort of answer.
S3 (16:24):
Yeah, definitely. And I'm thinking also about, uh, in terms
of like the blind and low vision community specifically because
that's the community that Sam and I serve. Um, overall.
And there has been a big push in the last
couple of years to have more audio described content on
network television station. So I think that's saying as well
(16:45):
that they're blind and low vision people that want to
not only engage with content but also feel represented.
S4 (16:51):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's such a valid point. And I,
I would hope that as these other elements of our
industry are changing, that your community is seen and spoken
up for. And this is something that changes in the future,
you know, and I think that part of that unfortunately
as well is accessibility. Even putting this show on and
wanting to have both an Auslan interpreter and an audio
(17:12):
description interpreter, it's you're looking at a small show with
a small budget and the costings around, and I'd love
to see some more government support that could potentially come
in and not just support the shows for getting up
in and around. Whether you've got a lived experience in
your shows content or not, but supporting communities to be
able to come and have an authentic experience at these
shows as well. There should be funding grants for that
(17:35):
to happen as well. I'm just going to say that
right now.
S3 (17:39):
Of course.
S2 (17:39):
As you said earlier at the start of the interview,
you've just come from the Gold Coast and you're in
Adelaide for the the fringe and the Adelaide Festival.
S4 (17:46):
The Adelaide Fringe.
S2 (17:47):
So, um, who have you got with you and what
can people look forward to?
S4 (17:51):
Yeah, yeah. So I'm so excited to be back here. Um,
as I said, I'm an Adelaide girl at heart, so
it's so nice to bring this magical piece of theatre
back and to experience the fringe, which was always one
of my favorite times of the year. So yeah, we've
just dodged the cyclone and we've all come through that.
And we have two shows, one on Thursday and one
(18:12):
on Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. at Nexus Arts, which
is the old Lion Arts Centre or Lion Arts Factory. Um,
the show is called Outside In and what? Maddie? So
Maddie's our 37 year old actor. He has autism, and
he's written the show himself. We've conceptualized it together, and
then he wrote the show, and then I've directed it
with him and the show. He's opened up his mind
(18:34):
and his heart, and he brings the audiences in to
see the world through his eyes and the kaleidoscope of
how he sees things, how he feels things. And then
he's been really inspired by the Pixar film Inside Out,
where he they have the characters that describe emotions and
have voices and ways to sort of appeal to different emotions.
And so he's created five of his emotions that represent joy,
(18:58):
sadness and anger and disgust. And so he plays all
of those roles as well as himself. He raps, he sings,
he dances. He is quite incredible. And I've worked with
a lot of really beautiful, outstanding people in my professional career.
And I can tell you he is very much at
the top of the list. He's unbelievable. So I couldn't
(19:19):
be happier and prouder to be bringing this show back.
And uh, yeah, we'd love to see as many people
there as possible. It's a really beautiful, beautiful story.
S2 (19:27):
We will, of course, attach the how to book the, uh,
to the show, uh, in our podcast notes. Thank you.
But I mean, has is there anything else you've got
to look forward to? I mean, we don't just broadcast
in Adelaide, we broadcast around Australia. So I mean, what's
what are some projects that are coming up that you
can tell us about?
S4 (19:44):
Yeah. Well it's interesting because we're just we launched in
August last year. So the first sort of minor project
that we did was a short film where we worked
with an unearthed triple J artist, and we did a
film clip for them, and that actually won a short
film festival that was Adelaide based to put on a
short film festival each year, which is amazing, called sit
Down and Sit Down, shut up and watch, I think.
(20:06):
And we took that one out. We won one of
the big awards with that short film last year. So
this is our next project and it's our first big
professional project. Doing it outside in. On the back end
of that, we'll do a show up on the Gold
Coast and probably down in Byron and probably up in Brisbane.
We might go to Melbourne and tour there and then
we're developing a school tour. So Maddie will take this
(20:28):
around to senior schools as well. I think that's a
really important space to start working in. On top of that,
we have several projects for this year that are there
on the pipeline where we do a lot of film
and TV. So we've got a couple of short films
coming up as well. We've got a documentary that we're making, uh,
we've got a big talent quest that hopefully will end
up going nationally, got lots of bits and pieces. So
(20:50):
you've got to all go to the abundant production website
and join and subscribe, and then we can keep you
up to date with all of the fun things coming up.
And also, we invite people in, all of your listeners
to if you're sitting there and you've got a great story,
if your story is great, if you want, if you've
got I've got this great idea for an alien sci
fi musical, I encourage you to reach out to us.
(21:13):
We are really wanting to collaborate and work with people
and mentor and guide and empower all sorts of stories.
So if any listeners are out there and feel like
they want to, don't know how, just pick up the
phone or somehow get online and get in contact with us.
And we would love to hear the stories that you
may have.
S2 (21:32):
And what is the website.
S4 (21:33):
Abundant Abilities Productions combo. Okay. Yeah. Vulnerabilities is spelt. Oh
my gosh. Oh I'm such a bad speller. AB u
n d I l I t w e z a
band abilities. Did I get it right, didn't I? Yeah. Great.
Well done. Great. I've got a lot of things and
I can tell you right now, spelling chops is not
(21:54):
one of them.
S3 (21:54):
That's okay. We will have the link in the website.
S1 (21:58):
This is studio one on Vision Australia Radio.
S3 (22:03):
Can you share a success story of an artist whose
life has been transformed through your platform?
S4 (22:09):
Yeah, I think look, I think all of the artists
that I've worked with have elements of success in what
they've done. But I think and it's so great in
Maddie's show because he talks about the the man that
he was, you know, he couldn't even he really struggled
to even say or name his disability until he came
to the studio. And now to stand in it and
(22:30):
to be honoring himself and owning that. And, you know,
little things like he used to have to do travel
training and then now he catches Ubers and he's actually
looking at getting his driver's license, which was something that again,
four years ago, he never thought in his wildest dreams
he'd even be considering. So he'd be sort of all
of them. Emma, who's the president of the creative board
(22:50):
at Urban Abilities? She has spina bifida, and she never
thought she'd ever be employed in a way that she'd
have a job, that she was able to go and
get money for and have a valid say. And she's
now been my professional studio assistant at my studio, which
I run a studio in the Gold Coast as well
called Studio Burley. And she's been my studio assistant now
(23:11):
for two years, and we've just not entered her into
a big competition to be nominated as a Young artist
of the year. And so she's acquired an incredible success
story as well.
S3 (23:22):
Do you collaborate with other organizations or industry professionals to
help develop the skills of your current artists?
S4 (23:29):
Yeah, I think the industry one of the best bits
about the creative industry is collaboration. Because you get to
each project, you get to work with different people. That's
one of the most exciting things that kind of keeps it,
you know, new and interesting. We would love like tutti
doing beautiful things down here as our restless Dance Theatre.
We also, when we did Zombies Our People to Zapped,
(23:50):
we worked with a whole production team that were predominantly
from Brisbane. Yes, this is the short, the long answer.
The short answer is yes. The long answer is come
on in and join us.
S3 (24:01):
Do you think that the public perception of artists with
disabilities is changing? And what other steps do you think
need to be taken for artists with disabilities to be
more widely accepted?
S4 (24:15):
Yes, definitely. Changing huge amounts. It's changing, but there's also
a long way to go, as I sort of mentioned
a couple of people before, and I think that when
the artists do get a platform, so with the artists
with disability, do get a platform and start getting some
really high end accolade. I think it's really important to
turn around and still be accessible to the communities, which,
(24:36):
I mean, I'm seeing that everywhere, but I think that's
just a really wonderful thing, so that the disability sector
and communities still feel like they're a part of that
person's journey, which will then inspire them to step up. Yeah,
I think the worlds inclusivity ideas are definitely opening up,
but we do have a long way to go. We
definitely do.
S3 (24:54):
So does a band abilities run programs nationally or is
it just in the Gold Coast at the moment?
S4 (25:00):
At the moment, programs just in the Gold Coast. But
I did launch. I wrote a program called Industry Training
Program for artists with disability that I'm currently in discussions
with TAFE about. So when that happens, that'll be a
certificate for that will be available on a national scale.
So any toe can can run that and that will
be a proper diploma qualification. So and that's written specifically
(25:23):
for artists with disability. So that'll watch this space for
that one. And then of other than that though, you know,
I think it would be it's as with a lot
of the industry, it becomes a project based environment. So
if you know, or if someone from Melbourne reached out
to us and went, hey, would you guys be interested
in coming down and doing a two week workshop and
putting on a show that we take to Edinburgh, we'd
(25:45):
be like, yes, we would, and we would get on
a flight and come on down. So there's all sorts
of national opportunities, but we're still fresh to the table.
And I think at this point it's kind of one
one step at a time and one project at a time.
And we just got to go and and try to
sell out outside in now and, you know, have everyone
see Matt's story and then take the next step from there.
S3 (26:07):
Well, I'm hoping we can go because then we'll be
able to sort of like review the show and be like.
S4 (26:14):
Sam and Lizzie, you must come and see the show.
I'll be devastated if you don't. Now, guys, you know that. Yeah.
S3 (26:19):
Sam.
S4 (26:21):
You guys bring as many people as you can tell everyone.
But we've only got the two shows. It's a beautiful place.
Nexus Arts is incredible. Nice and easy in the city.
Do I need to keep selling? No, no.
S3 (26:32):
Okay, great. I think we got it.
S4 (26:33):
Yeah.
S3 (26:34):
How can listeners get involved? Do you have any social media? Yeah,
obviously you have a website. And what steps can listeners
take to either sign up for a program or whether
they've got experience in the industry, and they think that
they can help develop the skills of these artists?
S4 (26:52):
Yeah, sure. So I think the website being subscribing to
our we do a monthly newsletter and that gives the
Intel for what we're doing each month and different projects
and links to different things. That would be the first step,
but we are on Insta and Facebook and all of
the above, so come and watch that. And then I
guess that's more immediate news. You know, like we'll be
(27:12):
posting all week this week. There's behind the scenes clips
on that as well. So that's kind of for your
more immediate content. And then once you subscribe we've got
a an info on the website as well. So yeah,
if you if you've got something that you want to
to suggest or share. Then reach out on that and
we will get back to you and we can take
it from there.
S2 (27:30):
So before we go.
S4 (27:32):
Yes.
S2 (27:33):
Has there been any surprises you've encountered? Anything that has
sort of any artist that's sort of come across your
desk and you've gone, oh my God, I hadn't wouldn't
have even thought that was possible.
S4 (27:46):
Um, I don't know how like, it's not artists per se,
but skill sets for sure. So for instance, and again,
I'll use Maddie as an example, not only because he's
it's his show where, you know, we're here to talk about,
but also he's just a brilliant actor. So when we
did the short film, he had this monologue where he
had to get a bit emotional and because of his autism,
(28:09):
his access to his emotions, which may have been problematic
in the past. Yeah. As in kind of society. And
when he can't control feelings of anger and and his
tears as an actor. It's a gift. It's such a
gift for him to be able to access this raw, beautiful,
(28:31):
authentic place. And I remember the first time and I
was co-directing the the short film and my co-director was like, oh,
we'll give him a warm up. I'm like, dude, shoot it,
shoot it, shoot it! Because I knew that as soon
as that camera's on and Matt had it set in
his head and it was gold, and we only did
one take of it because it was that good. And
he was in tears and everyone was crying, and it
(28:52):
was this moment. And then for Matt, we then worked
out a process to get him out of that as well.
So that's the other thing is, is, you know, you
go into something we needed a professional process to get out.
So we have videos that make him laugh and different
bits and pieces. So he comes out of that. But
that was one of the most brilliant pieces of acting
I've seen. And that was a lot of that was
(29:12):
due to the fact that he has these accessible things
because of his disability.
S2 (29:17):
Well, I mean, I asked that because I've.
S4 (29:19):
Have you got something for me, Sam? What have you.
S2 (29:21):
Got? I've noticed, for example, a lot of blind people
are really good photographers for some reason. Oh, wow. So
it is just something that sort of seems to be
a random thing.
S4 (29:28):
Well, yeah.
S2 (29:29):
Yeah, yeah. There's either two settings. There's either the masterpiece
photo or there's the, um, that's somebody's foot.
S4 (29:35):
But you can pass.
S3 (29:36):
That off as a masterpiece.
S4 (29:37):
I mean.
S3 (29:38):
How many artists draw abstracts and you've got no idea
what they are?
S4 (29:41):
Exactly.
S2 (29:41):
Thank you for joining us today. It's been a blast. And, uh, we, uh,
hopefully we'll, uh, hear from you in the future and
maybe next, next fringe. And we can catch up with
more of your other talent.
S4 (29:52):
Yes, yes. Well, next time, I'll definitely aim to bring
some of the creative artists in. And I'm sure that
they would love to meet you guys and speak about
their personal journeys and their stories. But thank you so
much both for having me and I look forward to
the next time.
S3 (30:05):
That's a wrap for this week's show. A big thank
you to Holly for joining us. And of course, thank
you for listening. As usual, you can download the podcast
from Apple, Spotify, Google or your favorite podcast platform.
S2 (30:19):
And you never know, you might actually find some extra
content there that is not in the broadcast version. Next
week we're going back to school. We talk to a
few friends about their experiences in the education system, some
of them going back over 50 years.
S3 (30:33):
But between now and then, please do get in touch
with the show. Whether you have experience of any of
the issues covered on this week's episode of Studio One,
or if you think there's something we should be talking about.
You never know. Your story and insight may help someone
who's dealing with something similar.
S2 (30:49):
You can email us at. The email address is studio
one Vision Australia. Org. That's studio number one at Vision Australia.
S3 (30:55):
Org or you can find us on any of the
good social media platforms, whether that be Facebook, Instagram or
X by searching for VA Radio Network.
S2 (31:03):
Is it still good? I don't think it is.
S3 (31:05):
Anyway, we want to hear from you.
S2 (31:07):
Bye for now.
S1 (31:08):
Vision Australia Radio gratefully acknowledges the support of the Community
Broadcasting Foundation for Studio One.
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