Community Pitch Story No 8 – Western Edge Youth Arts

After a year of preparation, planning and rehearsal, along with support from the local businesses at Community Pitch 2018, the Footscray Edge ensemble (as part of Western Edge Youth Arts), performed their new original production of Lele, Butterfly on 16th November at FCAC Amphitheatre.

The ensemble of young local artists adapted the Greek play, Antigone, to explore contemporary Samoan culture and how a young woman’s actions can cause a ripple effect throughout a community. Cultures collided, families divided and a community was turned inside out as each member must confront one of life’s greatest challenges: how do you act with truth and integrity in the midst of chaos, grief and fear. Do you accept the rules of your household or do you trust in something bigger? Do you spread your wings and Lele (fly)?

Drawing on the play’s ancient Greek heritage, the play was performed at Footscray Community Arts Centre’s Amphitheatre and featured song, physical theatre and wrestling.

The Footscray Edge ensemble were also involved script writing and costume design. Their emerging artist Rex, was involved in sound composition and design. They also had other young emerging artists perform as supporting artists during the event and volunteers to help with the BBQ and ushering. Altogether they had 17 young people involved and an audience of 120+

Footscray Edge is an ongoing project that will resume early next year. They are hoping that through this performance they will have sparked the interest of more young people and will have a few more recruits next year.

Story: Gaya (Western Edge Youth Arts) / Photo: Pier Carthew

Audience feedback from the night –

“Everything about this show was mesmerising. The moment where Haemon discovered that Antigone buried the body was heartbreaking in the best way”

“I loved how the actors and actresses worked with the ancient storytelling and wisdom in Greek theatre and meshed it with the modern and true expression of their inner most being. I felt a rich truth conveyed and that each person offered a part of themselves as a gift of understanding and as human beings on the journey of life. Absolutely brilliant.”

“It was all so powerful. I really was amazed at the words, the acting and the story told was really current”

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