News

Rebus News!

Find out the latest on what’s happening with Rebus or check out our blog Archive by year below

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4 women and various shades of blue shirts and grey pants, and a man in the black jacket over a red shirt, smile for the camera

Enrol now to join weekly our drama classes for adults with intellectual disability!

We currently have spots available in our popular iDrama program. Held at various locations in Canberra (Braddon, Downer and Kambah), iDrama is designed to encourage participants to develop their creative expression, build confidence, make new friends, and learn a few performance skills along the way. No acting experience required! For many participants, iDrama has been a launchpad into further opportunities and paid theatre work offered by Rebus!
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Interview with President of the Rebus Board, Daniel Savage, featured in ANAT monthly Digest

An an interview with our very own President of the Rebus Board, Daniel Savage, is featured in the monthly Digest for the Australian Network for Art & Technology (ANAT). For the past 34 years from its home base in Adelaide, South Australia, ANAT has been at the forefront of the global uptake of artists working with the science and technology sectors.
Image of a bush city landscape with mountains and large trees under a blue sky. The words 'Canberra Disability Review' in black writing

Feature Interview in the Autumn Canberra Disability Review (CDR)

We recently had a chat with the good folks from the Canberra Disability Review (CDR). Our Artistic Director Robin Davidson and 'Just Hearing' script writer Fi Peel sat down with CDR editor Rob Donnelly to talk about where we came from and what we're up to at the moment, unpacking our 'Just Hearing' and 'Systems of Sanity' projects in detail. The interview is out now in their Autumn edition. The Canberra Disability Review is quarterly publication from Advocacy for Inclusion to highlight and give voice to what matters most to people with disability in the ACT.
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‘Just Hearing’ Tours to Tassie!

Just Hearing is an innovative educational initiative to help service providers in the justice system to work better with people who are experiencing mental distress. It will be performed on the 22nd of March, 2023 at the National Community Legal Centres Conference at the Grand Chancellor Hotel in Hobart.
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Project Alchemy Guest Speaker Announcement – Zsuzsi Soboslay

Introducing our second Project Alchemy Artist Residency guest speaker – Zsuzsi Soboslay – Arts Doula: http://bodyecology.com.au/  We’re gearing up for our first Project Alchemy Artist Residency next week where 15 artists from 5 Black Summer Bushfire affected Local Government Areas will come together to receive trauma training, share skills, and rebuild their practice before returning to their own communities to lead arts based community projects.  
Black and White photo of a woman with long straight hair in flat brimmed hat playing guitar and smiling on stage

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Hannah Matysek aka Val Moogz

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the EUROBODALLA SHIRE PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Hannah Matysek aka Val Moogz (Singer/Musician) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in Eurobodalla Shire. Val Moogz draws upon diverse musical influences ranging from Patti Smith’s powerful rock poetry, to Bill Withers’ great songs of soul, to the acoustic surf pop lullabies of Jack Johnson. A self-proclaimed lover of life, nature and people, Val Moogz draws inspiration from their daily encounters and the beautiful surroundings of the South Coast of NSW to create relatable, heartfelt songs for everyone.
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Project Alchemy Guest Speaker Announcement – Kate Diggle

Introducing our first Project Alchemy guest speaker - Kate Diggle - [Counselling, Therapy and Workplace Support Services in Canberra | Kate Diggle Relational Consulting] We're gearing up for our first Project Alchemy Residency at the end of the month where 15 artists from 5 Black Summer Bushfire affected Local Government Areas will come together to receive trauma training, share skills, and rebuild their practice before returning to their own communities to lead arts based community projects. We are very excited to announce our first guest speaker Kate Diggle [Counselling, Therapy and Workplace Support Services) who will be providing our artists with training on trauma informed practice. 
A collage of images of performers on stage in colourful costumes under lights

Last chance to see our bold new work ‘Utopiate’

This weekend is your last chance to see Rebus Theatre's bold new work 'Utopiate'. The final show is 3pm this Saturday November 12th. Book now here! The show has been loved by audiences and reviewers alike having received 4 reviews so far. Here's what the critics have to say: "One wonders if Rebus actually holds the seeds of where theatre is leading in its relationship with society and culture." - Joe Woodward - Canberra CityNews Click through for more quotes and links to full articles.
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Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Cecile Galiazzo

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Cecile Galiazzo (Artist/Curator/Educator and Facilitator) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.. A graduate from the ANU, her primary medium is printmaking’ Highlights from her arts practice include: Artist in Residence at ‘Watch This Space’ (Artist Run Initiative Alice Springs NT), The Blake Prize Director’s Cut On-Line Exhibition, CPM National Print Award First Prize Tweed River Gallery Murwillumbah NSW and Artist in residence Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon NSW. She has held several solo exhibitions and participated in many selected group shows. Her work is held in private collections nationally, internationally and in significant Australian cultural institutions.
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Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Kelly Sturgiss

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Kelly Sturgiss (Musician/Visual Artist) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. Kelly has grown up in the Braidwood region and her family has lived on this country since her ancestors convict emancipation. She is passionate about the land and community she is from. After leaving the area to study music and fine art where she combined sound and vision, she returned to raise a child. As well as establishing an artist run exhibition space she has taught music privately and in community workshops.
Black and white photo of a woman with short greying hair wearing a paisley shirt smiling at the camera

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Helen Ferguson

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Helen Ferguson (Designer/Founder Create Collaborate Collective) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. Helen Ferguson grew up in Queanbeyan and after 4 years of travelling and living in Europe she moved to Sydney and finally returned to her hometown with a young family in 2008. She trained as a graphic designer at the University of Canberra and has had a long and successful career with a wide-ranging portfolio of design experience from publishing to advertising to fashion and government work.  Her passion has been working in the area of public gallery, museum exhibitions and on educational programs.
A Woman in a blue and white dress with long blonde hair stands in front of a painting smiling at the camera

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Robyn Williams

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Robyn Williams (Mixed Media Artist/Art Therapist) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in Bega Valley Shire. "Inspired by the natural world around me, my art practice has led me to experiment with a mix of media, from painting, textiles and works in glass, to eco dying and botanic drawing on paper." "When out in nature, as I move through a particular site or place, I photograph and key out species of plants and get a sense of what fauna and bird species may be present. I collect material that becomes the basis for creating works on paper, cloth or three-dimensional installations. The land itself provides the inspiration and resources I need for my work, so, in that regard, I feel that whatever I make is a collaborative effort."
Woman with a red bob haircut wearing a bright red dress strikes a dance pose with right arm extended in the air

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Mica Mahani

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Mica Mahani (Artist/Dancer/Theatre Practitioner) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in Bega Valley Shire. Mica Mahani is an artist and creative arts facilitator with a focus on social justice and the environment. Born and raised in the Bega Valley, she has been making art in various forms since she was a child, with roots in the theatrical Candelo Arts Society of the 1980s and 90s. Mica has travelled, studied and performed in many locations around the world, and is now comfortably making art as she feels is needed for herself, community and planet.
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Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Sue Norman

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Sue Norman (Artist/Writer/Radio Producer) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in Bega Valley Shire. Sue Norman lives at the edge of the forest in Kiah. Her partner, Mick, saved the old timber house from the 2020 fire by turning on the spray system then sheltering in the bunker. They now watch the forest going through the process of healing; seeing the struggle for balance as the world warms. Over the years Sue has enjoyed working as an artist, a teacher, a radio producer, a writer, a gardener and historian. She has always worked at helping people to find their voice.
A man in red pants and a grey shirt with long brown hair and beard crouches in front of a tree

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Padma Newsome

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Padma Newsome (Musician/Composer/Arranger) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in East Gippsland. Padma Newsome is an Australian composer, arranger, and performer based in Mallacoota, Victoria. His musical palette expresses colours of the coastal wilderness where he lives, blended with modernist avant garde, Hindusthani and folk elements from India, chamber music remnants, and the energy founded in the pop/rock world.
A Man in a brown jacket with grey har tied into a bun and a long gray beard is painting

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Lee Nickless

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Lee Nickless (Digital Artist/Muralist/Art Educator) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in East Gippsland. I am an East Gippsland resident, my work focuses on the natural environment and derives its inspiration from it. My current work is exploring mimicry in nature. I use nature to inform my digital creations. I am very engaged with my community and derive my inspiration and motivation from community focused projects. My work is primarily collaborative, working with my local art community.
A woman in stage lighting striking a dance posed with one hand reaching up and wone hand reaching down to meet it

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Susannah Keebler

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Susannah Keebler (Dancer/Choreographer/Educator) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in East Gippsland. Susannah Keebler is a dancer, choreographer, educator, certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, and yoga instructor, with a Master of Dance from the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, AUS and BA (dance) from Bennington College, VT, USA. Susannah lived and worked as a dancer for ten years in New York City before moving to the remote-rural town Mallacoota, VIC in 2008.
A woman with short blonde hair tends to a sculpture

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Deb Cleland

The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the EUROBODALLA SHIRE PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Deb Cleland (Activist/Artist/Academic) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in Eurobodalla Shire. Deb Cleland (she/her) is an activist/ artist/ academic, with all the compromise and circuitous life paths that those slashes imply. She dabbles in interactive theatre and games, site-specific place-making, and creative non-fiction, hoping to bring her research into social justice, inclusion and sustainability to life through writing and performance. Since 2012, Deb has been devising, directing and participating in ensemble work that asks questions about co-existence, co-operation and how to claim space as an unwelcome body of any kind.
A woman with a red bob haricut smiles at the camera in a black dress

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Elise May

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team. The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the EUROBODALLA SHIRE PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Elise May (Dancer/Choreographer/ Video Artist) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in Eurobodalla Shire. Elise May is a nationally recognised dancer, choreographer and video artist whose career spans two decades. She has worked internationally and in Australia as an independent artist and performer. Elise joined Brisbane’s Expressions Dance Company (EDC) in 2008 and became Assistant Artistic Director to Natalie Weir. Elise performed, choreographed and was engaged as a teaching artist in Australia, the US, Switzerland, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea and China. In 2012 she received the Australian Dance Award – ‘Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer’
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Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team – Michele Grimston

Meet The Project Alchemy Artist Team The Rebus Team is delighted to announce the PROJECT ALCHEMY ARTISTS! Please give a warm welcome to Michele Grimston (Visual Artist/Textiles) who will be delivering an artist led bushfire project in the ACT. Michele Grimston is a Canberra based visual artist who works predominantly with textile practices, including embroidery, tapestry and sewing. She is interested in exploring ways that investing our time, attention and care in things can create objects of great meaning and enable a state of being that allows us to foster a greater level of intimacy with ourselves, others and the world.

Blog archive

2020

2019