hillsceneLIVE updates

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Expressions of Interest are NOW OPEN for hillsceneLIVE 2018!

Are you a performer who has a bold idea you want to test out? Are you an emerging artist, or have a discipline and are looking to try new live forms? We are now accepting expressions of interest for interdisciplinary / emerging / experimental / boundary-pushing live and time-based art works at the 2018 festival, to be held 17th & 18th November at the spectacularly beautiful Birdsland Reserve in the Dandenong Ranges.
We want new work, bold work, curious and challenging work, playful, ridiculous, risky, timely, transformative work.

That creative itch that you've been yearning to scratch... that brewing idea you know has to find a way into the world... here is a place to dig deep, collaborate, develop, explore.

You will receive professional development opportunities, networking and collaboration opportunities, site visits, production and technical support, marketing and publicity support, a small stipend and of course presentation at the festival. Find full info sheet for artists here.

Click here to apply! Applications close April 1st 2018. 
For more information / if you have any questions or just want to run an idea by us, email us here. 

We can't wait to hear from you!
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Keep your eyes peeled...!
We are bubbling over with excitement. Artist expressions of interest are about to open, and the program of artistic development, critical engagement and site activation is already looking incredible. 
Watch this space.
2018 is juicy. Unprecedented. Curious. Challenging.  We can't wait to uncover it with you...
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Did you attend #hillscenelive2017 ?
Would you like to win a $50 gift voucher for #indigenousplants from Southern Dandenong Community Nursery? Fill out our quick 5min survey and go in the draw 
 #hillscenelive #audiencefeedback #liveartfestival #dandenongranges
Click here to give your feedback
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Reflections on 2017

What a wild ride! hillsceneLIVE festival 2017 saw us inhabit the most challenging venue yet, with multiple outdoor and site specific works. We journeyed and listened and celebrated, we talked and laughed and made it up, and we discovered more questions than answers... we are continually discovering what it is...
​17 new works. Over 30 artists. Conversations, workshops, pizza and sunshine. 
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Keep posted for photos and videos - coming soon!!
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DAILY SCHEDULES ARE NOW AVAILABLE

Check out which artist is on when here!
Many of the performances have limited capacity and you will need to sign up at the info desk to ensure your spot, luckily all performances are presented more than once. We recommend you check out the schedule and design your own dance card for the day!
Gates open 10:00am on Saturday & Sunday so come early so you don't miss out.
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TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Are you are planning on driving to hillsceneLIVE? Have you considered the alternatives?
This year, hillsceneLIVE is striving to be an environmentally sustainable festival and we want you to consider this too. So for that reason, we are offering free shuttles between Upwey train station and Birdsland Reserve throughout the day. If you are interested in taking up our offer, please email as hello@hillscenelive.com for instructions.
City to Belgrave train timetable here
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TICKETS ON SALE!

Holy moly!! We are barely containing our excitement. It's seriously exploding out everywhere... do you see the amount of exclamation marks happening here?! 2017's festival is shaping up to be something utterly exceptional, extraordinary and extravagant! Why haven't you got your tickets yet??
​hillsceneLIVE 2017 is NOT TO BE MISSED.

Unique. Bold. Brave. 

Experience the extraordinary... and get your tickets NOW!! 
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Are you interested in volunteering at the hillsceneLIVE Festival 2017?

By volunteering with the festival, you will be helping us to present this amazing weekend of live art, supporting the presentation of 17 new works in an underused venue in the Dandenong Ranges. In return, you get to attend the festival for free, meet and network with the hillsceneLIVE Festival team and all the inspiring artists.
If this sounds like you, then go ahead and contact us here
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hillsceneLIVE - 2017 Artists Revealed!

We could not be more excited. From immersive theatre to durational live art works, interactive soundscapes and journeys into wild places, we have an incredible selection of some of the most exciting, bold and driven art makers ever to grace the Dandenong Ranges! Full program coming very soon... Click here for a sneak peek into this year's artists!

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2017 Pozible Campaign LAUNCHED! Make hillsceneGREEN...

We are delivering a phenomenal 3-day festival in November 2017.

We have been running since 2014, and since then have grown and flourished into something that has more capacity to support experimental live art makers in exploring new territory and digging deep into their form, asking bold questions, trying new things in a supportive and developmental environment.

However, we have a problem. 
We need to make this festival greener.
We want to set positive examples of ecologically sound practice in performing arts and festival contexts. This will show artists, community, audiences and the world at large that we are dedicated to supporting community and encouraging environmental accountability... and WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We are crowdfunding to reach our goals through Pozible! We have some amazing rewards, including art experiences, special curated festival journeys, tickets, invitations to the VIP opening party and shout outs on social media! Get on board - all amounts help - and be a part of making 2017's hillsceneLIVE greener than ever.
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Click here for more details and pledge to receive awesome rewards!
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Expressions of Interested EXTENDED!!!!
You've asked, and we have listened.
We understand the busy, buzzing and intricate lives of artists and creatives.
You now have until midnight Sunday 4 June to submit your EOI!
To help you out with this fast turn around, here's some provocations. You do not need to answer all these questions, they are here to help you delve into your idea and give you an understanding of what hillsceneLIVE is looking for.
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Expressions of Interest NOW OPEN!
The 2017 festival theme is: because we don't know what it is yet
Driven by a desire to support the experimental, empower the risky, encourage the challenging and sit outside of the easily definable, hillsceneLIVE is a feast of live / time-based art practice that supports artists to experiment and realise creative ideas.

We are now calling out to all makers working in:  theatre, dance, sound, spoken word, situational arts, live art, visual art, activist art and especially those that do not fit easily within these categories.
We are asking you to ask us.  Ask us all a question through your work.  We are not seeking shiny, polished pieces of work that fit nicely into traditionally digestible modes.  We are excited by experimentation, boldness, aversion to the straight-and-narrow, complexity and challenge. We don't know what it is yet. We will seek to find...

APPLY HERE

For more info contact us here - hello@hillscenelive.com

We await your juicy ideas... EOIs close 31st May 2017 so get amongst it!
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THE NEW DIRECTORS OF HILLSCENELIVE
Since February 2014, under the leadership and vision of Founder/Festival Director Gareth Hart, hillsceneLIVE has grown from a small 4 hour event, to a major live art festival in the Dandenong Ranges supporting over 100 artists. In 2015, Hart established a cultural leadership committee of 5 emerging artists/arts managers, who gained extensive experience in arts leadership and festival management. The festival now comprises a range of performance, workshop and professional development opportunities, supporting emerging and experimental artists through an annual 3 day festival and satellite activities. hillsceneLIVE has become a renowned live art festival that supports the local arts community and questions deeply, pushing at the borders of creative territories.

It gives us great pride to announce that two members of the original Cultural Leadership Team, Toni Main and Justine Walsh, will take over from outgoing Festival Director Gareth Hart from April 2017.
To find out more go here.
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THE HILLSCENELIVE CREATIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Applications are now closed

​An exciting 8 month program that sees participants develop critical awareness of leadership, practical skills in festival management, and endless networking and professional development opportunities. This program is designed to support the obsessed, nurture the curious, and empower the future creative leaders of our community. Through a series of industry workshops and mentorships, participants will develop skills in festival management and cultural leadership, and then apply these skills to aid in shaping and managing the 2017 festival in the latter half of the year.
Click here for more info.
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Some final thoughts on 2016
We were ambitious.  We will be the first to acknowledge that.
In 2016 we took a giant leap, from a 5 hour live art marathon, into a full three day arts festival.
And what an incredible weekend!
We cannot thank you enough for your willingness to venture into more subconscious territories with us, and unravel something deeper in our shared experience.
The to incredible artists who created this years program:  words fail us.  You have all contributed to something very special.
Now 
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2016 FESTIVAL PROGRAM RELEASED!!
Oh my, oh my, OH MY!
This is the moment we have all been waiting for.
The full artistic program for the weekend has been released.
Hurrah! Click here to see the whole program!
Check it out here, get excited, tag your friends, and book your tickets to the biggest weekend of live art and performance in the Dandenong Ranges!
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Join our family!

We are now seeking festival interns to help us deliver our 2016 dream.
We want to hear from you, and would love to have you join our family.
We are offering internships in production, producing, marketing and more!

More info via our Opportunities Page.
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hillsceneLIVE goes OFF THE MOUNT

Yes indeed.  We branch out, brach off (the mount) and bring you a month long pop-up theatre space in Lilydale.
For four nights in October 2016, a secret warehouse in Lilydale is converted into a pop-up theatre space.
Best of all?  The whole program is FREE.
Limited capacity
Full line up details and secure your tickets now.  Click here.

4 nights // 10+ incredible artists // 4 live performances // 1 exhibition // 1 makeshift stage in a secret warehouse
Featuring Dave Thomson // Justine Walsh & Thomas Webster // Viv Rogis // Melbourne Steam Theatre // Amy Middleton
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hillsceneLIVE's sincere thanks - our successful crowdfunding campaign

We asked, humbly, for your help.  As the major form of funding for the festival in 2016, we, quite literally, would not have a festival this year if not for our incredible community of backers.  We sincerely thank you for your ongoing support of this burgeoning initiative.  

Please see: http://www.pozible.com/project/205515 for full details.

Your pledge to this campaign has helped to create a vibrant and dynamic creative sector in Australia. 

hillsceneLIVE has been made possible through the support and partnership of Burrinja Cultural Centre.  We have also been fortunate enough to be supported by Creative Partnerships Australia, through their MATCH program.
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We are thrilled to announce TWO important pieces of information....

Our 2016 festival dates: Friday October 28 - Sunday October 30
And
Our 2016 festival theme: mapping immediacy

Yes, that's right!  In 2016, hillsceneLIVE will be a full weekend festival, diving head-first into artist-led worlds of the immediate.