Yasmin Gurreeboo is the CEO and Artistic Director of ActNow Theatre – the recipients of our 2024 Arts Peace Award for Josh and Sophia Don’t Play Together Anymore. Photo by Jamois.
Tackling the crisis issue of domestic violence which profoundly affects children, this program has been created to equip young audiences with useful tools and information to support the prevention of destructive behaviour in the future. It skilfully combines theatre, circus and animation to engage.
As our Artist in Focus, Yasmin shares what inspires her to use theatre to champion unrepresented voices and diversity, and the social issues of our times:
“Theatre is an incredible space where personal growth and social change come together like magic. It’s where I found my own voice and witnessed firsthand the profound impact that theatre has on people’s lives. You get to step into this space where most of the time you can truly be yourself, explore who you are, and then watch as your story touches the hearts of others right there in the room. It’s really pretty powerful stuff!
“When you are up there sharing real, authentic stories, it’s not just you who feels the impact – it ripples through the whole audience. And there’s nothing quite like seeing your own experiences click with someone else, making them think differently or understand something new.
“That’s what makes theatre such a fantastic tool for change – it’s personal, it’s immediate, and it brings people together. Plus, you end up finding this fantastic community of people who get you, who celebrate everything that makes you unique.
“That’s why so many of us fall in love with using theatre to amplify voices that often go unheard – because we have felt that spark of connection and change ourselves, and we want to share it with others.”
Since receiving the Peace Arts Award in September, the ActNow team has been immersed in their next creative development stage resulting in an exciting draft of the script.
Animation concept for ‘Josh and Sophia Don’t Play Together Anymore’, developed by digital innovator, Sam Wannan.
“Recent consultation with a year 4 class at Kilkenny Primary School strongly validated our two years of research, demonstrating that our work authentically represents the issues that they are currently facing,” Yasmin says.
In the new year final script final script completion will be followed by collaboration with the animator, music composer, and designer, a physical sequence workshop and additional sessions with actors. Final creative development is scheduled for early May 2025 at Flinders University’s Assemblage Space (The Void).
Yasmin says “The final development phase will be crucial for integrating and testing the interaction between live performance and animation. We will conclude with an industry and stakeholder work-in-progress showing to gather valuable feedback.
“Looking ahead, we are actively seeking funding opportunities to bring the final work to stages across South Australia, sparking new reflections and conversations with young people. We have a goal of premiering the work in late 2025, followed by a tour in 2026.”
Peace Notes will keep you up to date with more from Yasmin and the Act Now team as the final development stages of Josh and Sophia Don’t Play Together Anymore progresses.