Windmill Theatre Wins Major Funding for 2014 Adelaide Festival Projects

Windmill Theatre, riding high on a run of accolades, has won a major grant from Arts SA towards the commissioning of a new work as part of a trilogy to be presented at the Adelaide Festival in 2014.

The theatre company will receive $275,000 towards the third piece in a groundbreaking trilogy that includes previous Windmill productionsFugitive and award-winning School Dance.

"Fugitive, School Dance and a third brand new work will form a bold and hilarious trilogy of rites-of-passage stories that explore the teenage experience," said RoseMary Myers, Artistic Director of Windmill Theatre.

"Staging the three works together as part of a leading Australian festival gives us an unprecedented opportunity to showcase these productions as a body of work. It's a fantastic acknowledgement of our incredibly talented artists."

Written by Matthew Whittet and directed by RoseMary Myers, the third new work will star an ensemble of South Australia's most outstanding female performers and feature the creative team behind many of the company's award-winning productions.

"I loved School Dance and heard Fugitive was equally brilliant so the idea of a trilogy immediately came to mind. I'm thrilled to hear Arts SA have backed the project and look forward to featuring three works, including a world premiere by this outstanding company in our 2014 Festival," said Adelaide Festival Artistic Director David Sefton.

Windmill has also won a second $50,000 grant from the Australia Council of Arts to contribute to the development of a new interactive public installation to run in conjunction with the new theatrical production.

"The installation will allow young people the opportunity to directly contribute to the dialogue surrounding the new work by sharing their own objects and personal experiences," RoseMary Myers said.

Windmill had a remarkable 2012, marked by a string of awards that include winning the group category of the prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award. Dubbing it a National Treasure, the Sidney Myer Award recognised Windmill for its groundbreaking work for young people and families.

Ten-year-old Windmill also won the Best Show category for School Dance at the 2012 Ruby Awards, a Curtain Call and a Critics Circle Award for School Dance, a Business SA Export Award and an Australian Graphic Design Association Award for its 2012 season promotional material.

2013 is shaping up to be another big year with Grug making a six-month tour of the US and Canada, and plans for the company to perform to more audiences than ever before, added RoseMary Myers.

School Dance is currently delivering near sell-out shows in Sydney, as part of the Sydney Festival, and tours Wollongong, Melbourne Comedy Festival and Brisbane Powerhouse later this year.

The company has also recently secured a season of its major family musical Pinocchio, co-produced with State Theatre Company of SA, on New York's Broadway for 2014.