No strangers to Visible Ink, members of Terra Nemo Theatre Company have had an active involvement with the space through past projects. “Visible Ink is not only a central venue for young artists to use but also has such fantastic experienced and friendly staff, plus lots of other creatives coming in and out to network, it’s what made it our first choice to rehearse ‘Witchery.’ There is such a welcoming vibe and you’re always made to feel at home.”

‘Witchery’ rehearsals (August 2014), photography by Anissa Roberts, featuring Gwilym
Temple, Nicholas Prior, Hayley Mcallister, Alex Carlton-Thomas and members of the
ensemble.

The group have been working hard developing and rehearsing their ambitious new production, their biggest to date, bringing in over twenty artists from around Brisbane including actors, directors, designers and choreographers. “We’ll be converting our venue into a fully functioning nightclub called ‘Pulse’, inviting the audience to not simply watch but involve themselves as a variety of story lines play out.” We’ve been assured that while a full functioning bar will be present in their new production, it’s still an all-ages gig, and it seems they should know a thing or two about nightclubs, Divi, one of the Terra Nemo directors is also a DJ.

The Terra Nemo crew is made up entirely of young, emerging artists, and they take a fresh outlook on theatre production, “our aim it is to create exciting new theatrical works, where everyone can collaborate and experiment with their own ideas, taking on risks and challenges.” The experimental approach doesn’t stop at the creative product, they even take on new models for creative economies, “because artist development is our focus, we don’t put a price on our tickets but offer our audiences the option to donate what they feel their experience ‘was worth, if at all’ after the performance, and use any funds that we do receive to make our future shows even more exciting”. This in itself becomes an important feedback mechanism to reflect and help their members grow professionally.

“We created the company to provide young artists something different to involve themselves with, an independent company where they can not only perform under direction but experiment with others roles, network with like-minded people and create something that they can call their own. We want to encourage young adults from in and around Brisbane who may be new to theatre to come and give it a try, to open a forum for discussion and to see the level of professionalism their peers can achieve when they have the opportunity to do so. Being able to produce a full-scale work from scratch, with minimal funding, that you can call your own is a really rewarding experience. It’s even better when you get to do it with friends, both old and new.”

‘Crystal Blue Sky’ (April 2014), photography by Daniel B. Jauwhannes, featuring Bella
Bosscher, Alex Carlton-Thomas and Eleni Pergaris

Encouraging people from all creative disciplines is an important focus of the group, “we want to try smashing them all together to create performances that was really interesting”, and this multi-disciplinary approach also carries through to their down-time,  “usually if someone isn’t learning lines or designing costumes then you’ll find them doing something like writing music or painting!” And this perpetual activity may be the secret to their enthusiasm and success, keeping things fresh and exciting. On creative pursuits, Terra Nemo offer this advice:

“The best thing you can do is just take the dive. If you have an idea that you really believe is worth pursuing, start researching how to do it. Get the wheels in motion. If you’re unsure, talk to someone. Get your friends involved. Come to somewhere like Visible Ink. There really is no one stopping you but yourself!”