Sunday Arts Magazine

31 Aug 2020

Nadja Kostich Artistic Director talks to David about 40:40

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Nadja Kostich Artistic Director talks to David about 40:40

St Martins is launching 40:40 as a homage to the thousands of young people who have walked through the doors of St Martins since 1980, immersing themselves in the performing arts, with professional directors, writers, teachers and producers.

Comprising two parts, 40:40 Online showcases 40 stories on our socials throughout the year from current participants and alumni, and 40:40 Live activates the entire St Martins site in a once-only interaction with 100 children in December. Both formats will boast storytelling and artistry at its finest – intimate, engaging, confronting and entertaining. 40:40 invites artists, young people and community members to ponder the small moments that have shaped who they are, as St Martins celebrates the people who have shaped it.

The Victorian and Australian artistic community is populated with high-calibre alumni across performance, directing, production, stage management and design, including Ben Mendelsohn, Noah Taylor, Julia Zemiro, Catherine McClements, Jane Turner, Gina Riley, Frank Woodley and musicians such as Angie Hart and Tim Rogers. The significance of St Martins as a springboard for robust artistic careers cannot be underestimated and 40:40 is an important community commemoration.

During this critical time, St Martins is staying connected to its community, encouraging conversations, sharing stories and ideas, and rolling out a suite of digital workshops from young people aged 7 – 18. In line with their inclusive methodology, online workshops are run by a Lead Artist, in partnership with an Inclusion Artist. St Martin’s Artistic Director, Nadja Kostich, acknowledges the celebration of its 40^th birthday during one of the most testing times in the arts as an occasion for the community to proudly celebrate its value and impact.

“We want to sensitively and joyously share the milestones and achievements of this vital arts company working with young people. St Martins was and will continue to be a disrupter, one performance at a time, creating and delivering dynamic and thought-provoking art with children and teenagers to adult audiences. We want to shout out for the voices of young people today, to honour the voices of those whose shoulders we stand on, and together to step courageously into our future.”

Celebrating four decades of bold, artistically vibrant theatre making with young people, 40:40 is an invitation to the curious, the arts lovers and all those who have been through the doors of St Martins to reconnect, re-enter and re-discover.