Awakenings 2007

Awakenings 2007 Final Report

The Awakenings 2007 final report contains information on all the happenings, events, the program, photos, what's new, awards, all the stats and much more.

Download final report (pdf, 1270kbs).

Awakenings 2007 Program

IT WAS BIG! There were 51 events on the program this year. Check out the program that was ...
Download program (pdf, 956kbs).

Awakenings 2007 review -

10 days
51 events
846 performers
life-changing

The Awakenings Festival was again a wonderful success this year, with a huge program, record number of performers and event attendances, some fantastic new projects, some old favourites and happy faces all round.

If we had to single out some of the flagship events, they were:

A Different Light Theatre from New Zealand with their stunning and brilliant performance of “Ship of Fools” – which proved that disability is in the eye of the beholder.
NTV/Lost and Found Through Arts Action
This a-MAZE-ing Normal Television Multimedia Spectacular wowed the audiences with the creativity and ingenuity of their workshops and quirky maze construction that kept everyone guessing, and culminated in a recorded live tv show.
Funded by Festivals Australia: The Australian Government is proud to be associated with the Awakenings festival. “NTV/Lost and Found Through Arts Action” was made possible by Festivals Australia, an Australian Government program that supports cultural activity at regional and community festivals.
The Mini International Film Festival. In conjunction The Other Film Festival, Arts Access Victoria, Awakenings proudly presented two films - The Man Who Couldn't Dance (NZ) and Abnormally Funny People (UK) as well as another films, Beauty from NZ and Through Listening Eyes (Wales)
Gezzabelle Duo
The young Ambassador of this year’s Royal Melbourne Show 13 year old Annabelle Priftis, teamed up with well known Awakenings performer Gerry Smith and wowed the audiences at Awakening Roberts Place, the Wesley Performing Arts Centre and at the Horsham Cup.
The Awakenings Masquerade Ball - tickets sold out in a flash for this night of nights, always a highlight of the festival. Claymore’s Celtic Rock combined with some old time dancing to make it a gala event.
Jeff Usher, Phill Chalker
And the other program events: Awakening Roberts Place, schools performances and workshops, the workshop program, performing and visual arts, music, outdoor adventures, Sam the Man Derrick, Badgers Nite Spot, Claymore at the Vic and numerous community events.

AWARDS: WE MADE THE FINALS!!!

The Regional Achievement & Community Awards for Victoria are about recognising rural and regional individuals and groups in communities.
Their web site states: There can never be enough encouragement and support for those working in rural and regional areas. Awards such as these create an opportunity to say thank you to businesses, community groups and individuals who work tirelessly in developing their chosen fields of endeavour.

This year the Awakenings Festival was one of the three finalists in the Community of the Year Award, population more than 5,000. The gala awards presentation was held on the same night as the Awakenings Ball, and as the team was otherwise occupied with running the festival, the festival was ably represented by Simon Swayn, Chair of the Board of Governance, Wimmera Uniting Care.
We were delighted to have made the final three, and although the award went to the town of Maryborough, it was a privilege to be ‘up there” with the best.
In a letter to the editor in the Wimmera Mail Times on Wednesday 31st October, Raelene Murray from the winning community wrote:

Well Done! I had the fortunate opportunity to attend the Gala Awards for the Regional Achievement and Community Awards and sat humbled whilst listening to stories of communities and people contributing to society and really making a difference.

To add to this I was thrilled when Maryborough was named the sinner of the Community of the Year award, considering the outstanding accomplishments of the other two finalists, the Awakenings Festival and Wimmera Uniting Care of Horsham and the community of Castlemaine.

Unfortunately there can only be one overall winner but in my eyes both Horsham and Castlemaine are winners and I am honoured to stand along side such tremendous communities with such great spirit. Horsham is a vibrant community that demonstrates a strong sense of community togetherness and cohesion. The Awakenings Festival is an incredible example of what a community can accomplish when focusing on the important issues.

My congratulations to your community and the people responsible for nominating you for your achievements. Well done.
Raelene Murray
Maryborough

Festivals Australia support for Awakenings 2007:

We were delighted to have Festivals Australia supporting the Awakenings Festival in 2007 with funding for the NTV/Lost and Found Through Arts Action (LAFTAA) project through the Regional Residencies Program. Zeb Shulz and his team used digital filmmaking, music, song, visual arts and performance culminating in disabled artists from the region producing a multimedia performance piece.

Winner of the 2007 ANZ Pink Pig Adventure Photographic Competition

The winner is ........ Susan Day, from Willaura!
Photo will be up soon – this little piggy has gone to ANZ Head Office in Melbourne for a little holiday and its own photograph session before appearing in a feature article in the ANZ World Magazine soon!!

2007 Badger Award:

The winner is ........ James Newton!
The members of the awakenings committee saw the way that he participated in the festival with such a passion and enthusiasuim. His obvious enjoyment of the events and his constant positive vibe made all the committee feel like their work was worthwhile. Its stories like his that inspire us to make awakenings happen every year.

Go to Awards for more information on the origin of the Badger Award.

Awakenings 2007 DVD - Live @ Wesley 2007

Friday 19th and Saturday 20th October, 2007 only
LIVE on DVD - See yourself shine on stage!
Download order form (pdf, 130kbs).

Festival Synopsis: Scott Kenney ver: 2007

Disability can be a lonely experience at times. I live in a small rural town on NSW’s far north coast. I rarely see other people in wheelchairs and am constantly faced with access challenges caused by steps and uneven surfaces. In fact when I moved to Byron Bay I used to stare at the beautiful water and wonder how I could cross the sand to touch it. All credit to the local council, they are improving access through their building programs, but the process of change is slow.

And I consider myself one of the lucky ones – at least I have a car. What about the people with disabilities that don’t? Public transport is terrible and taxis are expensive. I guess I never see these people and imagine their loneliness to be hundreds of times greater than I’ve ever experienced.

Last year I discovered The Awakenings Festival. Via their website, I was amazed to read of their 300+ volunteer base who put together a 10 day arts festival for people with disabilities from all over Australia. I also read about the Uniting Care Share Appeal, funds that Uniting Care provide for those that live interstate to attend the Festival. I felt very fortunate to have access to these funds and my trip to Horsham in 2006 changed my life infinitely for the better. I met people, I danced, I sang, I celebrated … my loneliness lifted and my connections to those I met continued well after the Festival ended. I emailed, I called, I sent letters and my small rural existence had joyfully expanded into a network of friends right across the country.

Imagine my excitement when October 2007 rolled around. A chance to catch up with amazing friends whom I had not seen in person for twelve months. An opportunity to again be amazed by performances in theatre, music, song and dance. A welcoming and warm Horsham community in which making new friends comes easily and is a delight. The Uniting Care Share Appeal again provided the funds and, this year my dance partner Joanna also came. We rehearsed two dances (Expressive Ballet and Jive) that the Festival organisers asked us to perform. We performed @ St Brigid’s College, Horsham North Primary School, Horsham Plaza and the Awakenings Masquerade Ball. What a thrill this was and we were touched by the many positive comments that audience members shared with us afterwards.

The Awakenings Festival connects people and changes lives. The Awakenings Festival and community of Horsham instills a spirit of inclusiveness and participation that we all take back to challenge our own communities with. The Awakenings Festival is breathtakingly beautiful and the Uniting Care Share Appeal allows so many people from all over Australia to access it. Words are not enough to express my sincere gratitude for this.

See you all in October 2008.
Scott Kenney