Merri-bek Festivals Development Program

Joy+ by Brunswick East Entertainment Festival (BEEF)
Hello Red Planet by Bunk Puppets
Asian Grocery by UB (at Coburg Carnivale 2017). Photo by James Henry.
Malith Wijayawardhana in Nom Nom Nom (at Coburg Carnivale 2018). Photo by James Henry.
Junk Practice (created by Jayson Patterson). Photo by Alan Erpi.
Plastisphere (created by Laura Collins, Louis Stevens and Conor Jamieson). Photo by Jacinta Keefe.
Street Tape Games (created by Chad Toprak and Helen Kwok). Photo by Helen Kwok.
Merri Roving by 5AngryMen

About the program

The Merri-bek Festivals Development program projects have been confirmed. Three exciting new projects will be supported by the program to premiere during Fawkner Festa and Glenroy Festival.

Merri Roving by 5AngryMen

Merri Roving will use a custom transmitter/receiver system, performance, choreography and mobile sound design, to create striking theatrical moments during both the Fawkner Festa 2023 and Glenroy Festival 2024. 5AngryMen is a pléin-air theatre company based in Melbourne.

Joy+ by Brunswick East Entertainment Festival (BEEF)

Joy+ is a collaboration between Brunswick East Entertainment Festival (BEEF) and the senior community of Merri-bek for a series of dance and movement workshops, resulting in a public ‘flash mob’ style performance at the Glenroy Festival 2024. BEEF lead artists for Joy+ are Lily Fish (choreographer) and Kimberley Twiner (designer). BEEF Associate Artist Laura Trenerry, who specialises in physical theatre practice for older participants, will be co-leading.

Hello Red Planet by Bunk Puppets

Hello Red Planet is a humorous theatrical celebration of community’s shared history. Hello Red Plant blends puppetry, documentary and voices of a community to create a tongue-in-cheek solution to the climate crisis facing Merri-bek residents: in a challenging future, locating the entire Merri-bek community to a new settlement on Mars is our best option. Hello Red Planet will premier during Glenroy Festival 2024. Bunk Puppets is a puppet theatre company based in Brunswick.

Many thanks to all who submitted project Expressions of Interest. The program will run again in 2024.

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