Longhouse: Sydney @ Carriageworks
Cultural Consultancy
Write what you know, they say. When a production needs a cultural consultant, is it an indication they shouldn’t be telling that story? Or is it a significant step towards inclusion, representation and ultimately more authentic storytelling? Where do we draw the line between necessary research -vs- exploiting an unknown domain for the sake of novelty?
In this Longhouse we centre the conversation on the experiences of practitioners in the field of cultural consultancy - what they’ve learned, where they think it’s going and how it's evolving in the industry. This year we’re exploring more challenging topics and themes affecting Asian Australians in the industry. Does the emergence of cultural consultancy make you feel hopeful or cynical? Join us for this exciting Longhouse: Sydney panel discussion facilitated by Longhouse Coordinator Happy Feraren who will be joined by artists Mayu Iwasaki, Kenneth Moraleda and Pearl Tan.
Mayu Iwasaki
Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Mayu Iwasaki is an award-winning actor, puppeteer, theatre-maker and cultural consultant bilingual in Japanese and English who is currently based in Sydney. She is an inaugural creative associate of Monkey Baa Theatre Company since 2020, for which she wrote an original puppet show “Little Bozu and Kon Kon” based on Japanese folklore. Mayu is a graduate of the Atlantic Theatre Conservatory and trained extensively with the SITI Company in New York. In 2018 Mayu first appeared on Australian television as the lead character in the Top Knot Detective on SBS. Mayu has been collaborating with several theatres and arts & community organisations internationally as a cultural advisor, playwright, translator and movement director.
Kenneth Moraleda
Kenneth Moraleda is director, actor and writer of Filipino descent. He was part of the STC/CAAP Directing Initiative in 2020-22. For STC he was Assistant Director for Playing Beatie Bow, The Deep Blue Sea How to Rule the World, and directed Rough Draft #48 - Hubris and Humiliation. He co-founded the company kwento, producing three shows in their 2022 slate, in which he directed Ate Lovia (Old Fitz) and The Marriage Agency (KXT) followed by Co-Writing and Directing One Hour No Oil (KXT) which garnered him a Best Director in an Independent Production nomination. Other directing credits include They Say She’s Different (Melbourne Fringe/Adelaide Cabaret Festival), Eat Me: Blowback (NIDA), co-directing the opera Chop Chef, (Blush Opera/Riverside Theatres), developments of Lola! A New Musical (Hayes) Na’s Marriage Agency(Next In Line) The Grocer (PWA/Belvoir) and readings of Gamers for Life (Martin Lysicrates Prize), Daddy by Jeremy O. Harris and Office Hour by Julia Cho (kxteethcutting). He was a collaborating artist in the works This Here. Land. (Liveworks) and Within and Without (PSpace/Blacktown Arts). Kenneth was also a teacher and facilitator for Playwriting and a participant writer in Performance 4a/PWA Lotus First Draft Program.
Proud member of MEAA since graduating from NIDA.
Pearl Tan
Pearl Tan is the Discipline Lead in Directing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). She is the Vice President of New Media on the Australian Directors Guild (ADG) Board and was previously the NSW Chapter Head for the ADG. In 2020, Pearl was listed in the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Awards and was named the most influential in the Arts and Culture category. She was Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Equity Diversity Committee within the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and held positions on the MEAA Board and the National Performers Committee (NPC) for Actors Equity.
Pearl is currently completing her PhD in Creative Practice at the University of New South Wales, where her research focus is on the experience of diverse creatives in the screen industry. As part of her PhD, she will release a fictional podcast entitled Diversity Work in 2023.
THURSDAY 27 APRIL | 6.00PM | Track 12 Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St Eveleigh NSW
Refreshments will be served after the panel, we encourage participants to stay on to network and continue the conversation.
*Ticket fees are used to cover catering and other related costs. Please reach out if you would like to attend and need a complimentary ticket.
THIS EVENT HAS NOW FINISHED.
FREE - bookings essential
