Congress
A citizens’ assembly. A curatorial match making project across words, intention and representation.
A series of political first speeches from those often unheard. Personal visions for our collective future.
Congress is a citizens’ assembly provides a platform for people to have their say and be heard. Congress connects the personal with the political by matchmaking diverse citizens with professional wordsmiths. Ten professional writers and ten community members will be invited to meet, work together, write and deliver their own first speech (previously maiden speeches). These writers and speakers will be curated by All The Queens Men, guided by principles of gender diversity, culturally diversity, pan-demographics, geographic diversity and inclusive of abilities. Together, they will create first speeches for those often unheard; public declarations that address personal visions for our collective future.
Presented as the closing ceremony of the 2017 Melbourne Fringe Festival in the Northcote Town Hall, CONGRESS takes the form of a ritualised performance; providing opportunity and audience to those that may not be represented in the current political system. CONGRESS presents a democratic counterpoint; a creative action that encourage citizens to participate, to agitate, to inspire change and transformation.
Created by All The Queens Men.
Darwin Festival, Northern Territory Parliament, Saturday 25 August
Creative Team Tristan Meecham, Bec Reid, Nick Roux, Bosco Shaw
Stage Manager Rory Cadman
Speakers Charlie King, Evan Keith, Jade Jones-Cubillo, Mark Brustolin, Nadem Turkia, Rebecca Hell, Rosa Norman Muller, Sophie Kuswadi
Wordsmiths Roger Monk, Jill Pope, Marie Munkara, Matt Heffernan, Philip Tarl Denson, Sam Carmody, Tania Lieman, Thomas Moorhead, Varunika Ruwanpura
Closing Event 2017 Melbourne Fringe Festival – Darebin Arts, Northcote Town Hall.
Creation / Direction: All The Queens Men (Tristan Meecham and Bec Reid).
Lighting / Sound Design: Nick Roux.
Congress speeches: Vidya Rajan with Benjamin Law, Keira Leike with Suzie Miller, Helen Bayes with Melanie Joosten, Ethan Pham with Richard Watts, Davey Thompson with Roger Monk, Hannah Murphy Walsh with Carly Findlay, Buster Murphy with Alia Gabres, Geraldine Cook with Cynthia Troup, Solomon Salew with Ezeldin Deng and Barry T. Nguyen with Terry Barnes.
Dancers: Lorna Hannan, Tama Tatau, Jungle City Studios, Orlando and Juno de Zwart, Wade Sera-Matiara aka Flyoi.
Stage Management: Rory Cadman.
