13 seasons * 15 plays *2 festivals * 4 world premieres * 9 Australian premieres * 8 female directors * 7 male directors * 8 Australian plays * 14 female writers * 5 male writers * 4 script developments * 6 female producing teams * 7 new plays * 3 major diverse projects * 2 international co-productions * 7 first time teams * 5 companies returning * 6 directors returning
1. KXT champions new work: 4 world premieres ~ 8 Australian premieres ~ 4 script developments
“one had the right to write because other people needed news of the inner world, and if they went too long without such news they would go mad with the chaos of their lives”
Arthur Millar”
2. KXT supports new AUSTRALIAN writing: 8 Australian plays ~ 4 script developments
Writers are magicians: they conjure worlds out of words filling blank pages with people and places where once there was nothing. When we invest in Australian writing we play a part in creating the voice the next generation will hear, respond to and build on.
3. KXT aims for (and exceeds) gender parity: 8 female directors ~ 7 male directors ~ 14 female writers ~ 5 male writers
In 2017, DTC (59% women), Belvoir (50%) and Griffin (50%) achieved gender parity in their programming of writers and directors. Sydney Theatre Company (34%) and Ensemble Theatre (16%) have male-dominant seasons, again. It should be noted that Griffin did not achieve gender parity in its independent season programming (40%). - WiTS
4. KXT invests in diversity: 3 major diverse projects
bAKEHOUSE is committed to providing a platform for the often unheard voices of Sydney.
The voice of Sydney in 2017 is indigenous. It is Australian, American, English Irish, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese. It comes from Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, New Zealand, India, the Philippines. And many more. It is no longer white and English - it is much, much more.
“I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of a play produced in Sydney over the past decade set in modern day Africa. Credit to bAKEHOUSE Theatre Company for staging it [Black Jesus] and believing it can find an audience. It should”
Jason Blake, SMH ”
5. KXT invests in the arts community: 7 first time teams ~ 2 international co-productions ~ 5 companies returning ~ 6 directors returning ~ 2 festivals
KXT is a not for profit organisation set up to support the local arts industry. It is run entirely be volunteers and neither KXT nor bAKEHOUSE makes any money from the venue. By opening the door to new companies, and by welcoming back others, we aim to play a role in the development of a sustainable arts ecology.
bAKEHOUSE has been kicking around the curated seasons and venues for hire for a while now. We're a self-funded company - like many of you - and we're still here due to the loyalty of our audience and the extraordinary generosity of the artists we've collaborated with. At KXT we've attempted to put in place processes that consider the needs of indie companies, providing them with an opportunity to create viable new work that inspires audiences and artists alike. For now that means subsidising hire and supporting companies in a way that will help them pay their artists. And we see this as an investment in the cultural life of Sydney
We're here to support the game changers and the risk takers.
