Mentorship expands creative connections for multi-arts performer

17 Jul 2023

Zen Zen Zo’s Creative Entrepreneur Internship program opened new doors for Chalise van Wyngaardt and led to a new job with the company

What

Brisbane-based multi-arts performer and director Chalise van Wyngaardt undertook a mentorship as part of the 2022 Zen Zen Zo Creative Entrepreneur Internship program.

Chalise is recognised as a prize-winning spoken word artist, poet, performer and playwright with experience in working with Zen Zen Zo and Thomas E.S. Kelly of Karul Projects

For the mentorship, Chalise worked with Lynne Bradley and First Nations artistic director Nicole Reilly to strengthen skills and networking opportunities with the aim to develop the new work Pansy and establish a new LGBTQIA+ theatre company.

My goal is to fuse my extensive experience in poetry and performance, as well as my studies in psychotherapy, to create queer theatre with a therapeutic approach; directing poetic and transformative productions that tell queer stories.

With these productions, I aim to bring healing to my (LGBTQIA+) community, and to raise awareness of our diverse stories to new audiences around the world, driving social change in Queensland, Australia, and the world one powerful queer story at a time, while also creating employment opportunities for LGBTQIA+ artists.

Working with Zen Zen Zo in their Creative Entrepreneur Internship will provide the training in directing, producing, and business management skills I need to fast-track the development of my talent and leadership and to create sustainability in my practice. It will also provide me with the networks and contacts to propel my career to the next level of professionalism, ensuring that these queer stories are widely told, the storytellers widely celebrated, and through sharing and celebrating our stories, our communities will be deeply strengthened.

When and where

July – December 2022 in Brisbane

Key stats

6 month mentorship
1 new job
1 new work in progress

Arts Queensland investment

Arts Queensland investment of $7000 through the Individuals Fund in January 2022

Outcomes

Skills development

Gaining skills, knowledge and confidence .
Developed a strong peer group
Gained employment with Zen Zen Zo Theatre Company.

Share our stories and celebrate our storytellers

Further developed new work Pansy which focuses on the discovery of queer sexuality in high school.

Learnings and reflections

I now have stronger industry connections, I can dream further than before as an individual performer and also as a director, and I have the practical skills and knowledge, as well as ongoing mentorship, to make that happen.

I learned how to pitch a show as a producer, and how to create a work-in-progress as a director. Prior to undertaking the internship I had never directed movement or choreography, or undertaken a conceptual development with multiple people using my idea. I have learned how to work with a team of creatives and also have established avenues to increase my knowledge in the future.

I expanded my practice into new horizons, through utilising ensembles, applying therapeutic techniques to cast, telling different queer stories to what I initially expected, learned how to work in a team, and further conceptualised my practice into a company.

My audience has always been LGBTQIA+ people and young people. I have further established this. However I have expanded my understanding of how to reach this audience, especially through the producing unit of the internship, which involved a producer listening to our pitches and suggesting markets for the work. I learned about festivals and venues that would be interested in my works which market to my target audience.

The most rewarding learning, which was unexpected for me in the program, was how far I still have to go as an individual performer. I learned how to put together a creative team, and more importantly how to believe in myself and my idea. How to sell a work. How to tour. I feel emotional and relieved to have this industry knowledge delivered to me by professionals without having to guess like so many emerging artists have to do. I've been told time and time again that I am an established artist; this program has given me the confidence to take on that title.

Finally, I developed a great deal personally. I developed a growth mindset and learned the value of being connected to a creative community.

Thank you so much for awarding me with this invaluable opportunity that has forever impacted my career.

Tips for others

It was new and surprising to learn how much more rewarding and expansive a work can be if it's truly collaborative.

What next?

Through this internship I have been offered an opportunity to join Zen Zen Zo as a core company member, which I accepted

In 2023 I am working with Zen Zen Zo theatre company on projects while focusing on finishing my Bachelor of Counselling and Psychotherapy, waiting until 2024 to action further development of new work Pansy which focuses on the discovery of queer sexuality in High School. It is still focused towards young LGBTQIA+ people, however it has expanded beyond its beginnings into something larger.

Since starting the internship, I have won the 2022 Nimbin Performance Poetry World Cup and have been shortlisted for Queensland Poetry Award 2023 XYZ Prize for Excellence is Spoken Word. The internship has equipped me with the tools to take my career as a creator to the next level.