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Come Out Festival.
 It's
a curious thing about 'Come Out', I confess right at the outset
as I'm chatting to Festival Director Sally Chance. It comes;
it goes. It passes without fuss, and without very little media
attention. Yet it always seems to do well and performances sell
out; everyone seems happy and then they forget about it for
another two years. Well that's how it seems to me, anyway!
"From the point of view of your readership there's still plenty to talk about, and there's lots that are sold out, but they are the school shows we're mainly talking about there, anyway," she says, helpful to the proverbial 't'.
Yes, 'Come Out' is a festival aimed fairly and squarely at "young people", many of them at that difficult point where adults don't know how to label them except the diminutive "young people" and don't have much in common with them, after all. The Festival, which has in the past seemed a bit 'schooly' seeks to address these and other issues, right from the way it's organised and designed, let alone in it's specific content.
"We've got evening and weekend events," says Chance, laughing at the sheer audacity of the idea! "And we're respectful of the fact that after 3.30 they stop becoming school kids."
 She
seems to get even more exuberant as she discusses some of the
specific shows... "...our after hours shows are mainly for people
15 and over, and a major one is 'Swarm'; but basically there's
some pretty hot theatre all over... 'Marathon', 'Gorge', 'Random
Girls', 'Sustenance'.
Amen to that: at the last 'Come Out' I saw the commissioned theatre production 'Bushfire', which remains one of the best pieces of live performance I've ever seen, and deserving of its Adelaide Critics Circle award.
"And there are three art exhibitions, and 'Blak Night' (an indigenous house warming party as the closing event, up at Carclew)," she breaks in to my train of thought.
As part of the creative process Chance enlisted the aid of her core market: a 'young persons reference group', and one event they came up with is 'Against The Flow' at the Queens Theatre, a discussion and forum for airing concerns and topics of interest. 'What's a festival without a theme or two?', I quip.
There's a grain of truth in there, of course. Festival directors love a 'bigger picture' as the glue to hold their vision together, but it can be a touch difficult when you're dealing with children, and teenagers, and their sensibilities. Themes are not something to be rammed down the throat.
"It's called 'Being Human' - and that theme evolves from the fact that the Iraq conflict happened during 2003, so we do a little toward exploring it and seeing how it becomes part of the collective consciousness," Chance answers.
She realises that to avoid the issue is a recipe to have it raised by her audiences anyway, and as I point out her perspective on themes may have changed over the past couple of years since she became a mother herself. She agrees, and points out the influences on hearts and minds, suggesting that the power of the arts lies in the minds and lives of young people. She sees 'Being Human' as considering issues of support and connection, and people as isolated cyphers in society.
 It's
a perfect position in that the last few weeks have seen just
such a lack of consideration given to a woman incarcerated in
Baxter Detention Centre simply because she was unable to articulate
her feelings adequately. Illness, deception and political considerations
aside, what we have here is a failure to communicate. It's a
scenario Sally Chance knows well, given her former role working
with disabled dancers and actors at Restless Dance Theatre.
"I know, having worked directly with those people every day. Custodians mediate the ideas on behalf of the participants," she says quietly.
Has there been a change in 'Come Out' I wonder, returning to my opening admission. "It's not so much that things have changed as come to the fore. We've continued to attract young people and their families. The movement we're making is beginning to change things, and it's great to be part of," she says.
And so, when I ask her to issue her call - to be part of and to attend 'Come Out' - she becomes animated again. "Come on and enjoy yourself," she enthuses. "Swarm' is edgy arts for creatures that come out at night, and you don't have to be a schoolkid to attend the 'Come Out' festival.
There's a growth curve to the Festival, too. From 2003 when there were about fifty separate performances and events to choose from, this year's Festival has come in with over 65 such events, and with exceptionally healthy ticket sales to match. Nearly 100,000 people saw a 'Come Out' performance two years ago; so Chance is looking to add significantly to that figure also. When I question her on the major changes to the Festival under her stewardship she is unequivocal.
"A commissioning role has been brought into play, this year with 'Soaring', which going to be an incredible new work. We've been given the scope to commission and develop new works for our own Festival. I can't tell you how good that feels to me. This has been the major major change of the past few years."
Alex Wheaton
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'Come Out is on from Tues 8 to Sat 19 March - grab a programme!
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6 things to see at Come Out...
1. 'Sustenance' - Restless Dance Company
"We play so many different roles in life that sometimes its hard to keep up," says Alyson 'Daisy' Brown, Co-Director of Restless. In 'Come Out' 03 she directed the emphatic 'Bushfire', and for this festival has turned her attention to working with dancers with and without disabilities to bring 'Sustenance' to our lives, in more ways than one. "'Sustenance' is a chance to discover what makes us unique, what drives us and what we must have in order to sustain ourselves," she suggests.
2. 'Random Girls' - Riverland Youth Theatre & Vitalstatistix.
When there's a theme to be considered, leave it to those who know what they're talking about. Distilling the experiences of women with real life experiences, 'Random Girls' looks at the age-old myths of 'getting in trouble' and 'having kids'. The programme notes describe this show as 'A celebration of strength, choice, determination, self-worth and motherhood.
3. 'Marathon' - Fresh Track Productions
An Australian premiere, 'Marathon' is a story of adversity and friendship, of Steve who is determined and disciplined, and Mark, who complains and shirks. A modern day morality tale from Italian playwright Edoardo Erba, which is profound in its exploration of a relationship.
4. 'Madam Lark' - Strut & Fret
It looks like fun and I cannot imagine where it all ends up, except somewhere deep in the Botanic Gardens. You never really need an excuse to wander around the gorgeous Botanic Gardens, and when you're accompanied by Christine Johnson's surreal Birdwoman Madam Lark, and Michele Watt's tuba playing you know you're in for a treat.
5. 'Bust It Like Buster' - Michael Newbold
In a reference to Buster Keaton, I assume, this is a masterclass in stage combat and physical comedy tehniques. Any aspiring actor wants to learn how to take a custard pie full on in the kisser, right? How to dramatically fall over a sofa and have a fight sequence which doesn't end in a trip to hospital? In fact, this could be useful for anyone - bring a cycling helmet or similar protective head gear, it says. Gulp.
6. 'Hip Hop Monologues' - Come Out
With the help of local performer singer and writer Finegan Kruckemeyer, ideas from the workshop have become the driving force behind high energy performances from ten young South Australian artists. 'Hip Hop Monologues is raw performance art made by and for those who don't get the chance to speak out much. Speak up! Is the next Hilltop Hoodz here?
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