Happy Feraren Awarded 2021 Incubator Fellowship
Happy Feraren has been selected as the successful recipient of the 2021 Incubator – NSW Theatre (Emerging) Fellowship and will use the opportunity to undertake creative development of new work with support from Create NSW and Griffin Theatre Company.
Feraren will receive $30,000 through the Fellowship and use the funding to further explore the practice of improvisation in theatre making, and to create new opportunities for culturally and linguistically diverse artists.
Create NSW interim Chief Executive Annette Pitman said Create NSW is committed to creating career pathways to grow the skills of NSW's arts and culture sector and increase opportunities and jobs across the State.
“Congratulations to 2021 Incubator – NSW Theatre (Emerging) Fellowship recipient Happy Feraren, who I am confident will use this Fellowship to advance her skills and bring her creative vision to life with the professional mentorship of Griffin Theatre Company,” Ms Pitman said.
“This opportunity will provide Happy with a unique chance to upskill, connect with industry experts and develop her theatre career, and I can’t wait to see the work come to life on the stage at Griffin Theatre.”
Artistic Director Griffin Theatre Declan Greene said Feraren was an exceptional candidate for the 2021 Fellowship.
“In a shortlist of incredibly strong projects, Happy Feraren’s Saviour stood out for its incisive examination of the politics of international aid,” Mr Greene said.
“As a new writing theatre, the team at Griffin are always excited to see innovative new ways of developing plays and Happy’s process of cross-continental research, exploration, and improvisation between the Philippines and Australia is a bold and exciting proposition.”
Happy Feraren said she is thrilled to be selected for the Fellowship and to have the opportunity to work with Griffin Theatre.
“Being given this access and opportunity to create alongside an institution like Griffin Theatre is such a gift. I am so grateful to be able to get ideas on the floor again and give myself the space to improvise, reflect, write, and perform. Thank you to Create NSW and Griffin Theatre,” said Ms Feraren.
Happy Feraren is one of four emerging theatre practitioners in the early stages of their career who was shortlisted for a three-month residency at Griffin Theatre Company in 2021.
The three other 2021 shortlisted applicants, Tait de Lorenzo, Charlotte Salusinszky and Eliza Jean Scott, will continue to receive creative and professional support from Griffin Theatre Company and its wider industry networks.
The 2022 shortlisted applicants – Eve Beck, Low Standards (Jeremy and Bedelia Lowrencev), Kirsty Marillier and Shahmen Suku have also been selected and will commence their residencies in 2022. The 2022 recipient will be announced later this year.
The Incubator – NSW Theatre (Emerging) Fellowship is delivered in partnership between the NSW Government, through Create NSW, and Griffin Theatre Company. For more information on the suite of Create NSW’s Creative Leadership opportunities, visit the Create NSW website at www.create.nsw.gov.au.