Community Arts Projects
Ellenbrook Arts supports a number of independent arts groups within Ellenbrook as ell as promoting its own, community based projects.
The Stained Glass Group
The Stained Glass Group meets every Wednesday and Saturday mornings and offers free tuition in various glass techniques. The group is run by Werner and Cristl Wulff who can be contacted on 9296 9889.
The Ellenbrook Art Group
The Art Group meets every Tuesday evening, 7-9pm at the GrapeVine Community Arts Space in Charlotte's Vineyard. The group works mainly through painting and drawing, caters for all abilities and exhibits annually. Art Group members also ran workshops for local children to produce an animated film for the pantomime Cinderella. Call Joe of 9297 4774 or just call into the GrapeVine during a session.
Photo: Nick Gohrt
The Photography Group of Ellenbrook
The photographers meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month, 7pm at The GrapeVine. The group's meeetings cover all aspects of image making with regular workshops. Photography Group members also ran workshops for local children to produce an animated film for the pantomime Cinderella. Call Nick on 9297 1296, visit www.ellenrookphotographers.com or just come along to the meetings.
Photo: Norma Schwind
"Cinderella"
Over 200 local residents took part in the Cinderella project, a series of classes in animation, script-writing, acting and stage management culminating in four sell-out performaces at the Ellenbrook Performing Arts Centre over the Christmas period. A rejuvenated Ellenbrook Theatre Company is now in rehearsal for the next show, "It's My Party And I'll Die If I Want To". The production is due at the Ellenbrook Performing Arts Centre on 9th, 10th and 17th April and will then transfer to Midland Junction Performing Arts Centre on 6th, 7th and 8th May. Tickets are available from trybooking.com. Contact the theatre group by calling Lyndsey Turner on 0430 357 957 or email spudinoz@bigpond.com.
Photos: Nick Gohrt
"Our Ellenbrook, My Place"
Ellenbrook Arts commissioned award winning playwright Hellie Turner to write and direct a show that would tell the story of the locality and enable residents, young and old, to contribute to the script and to act in the final production. The result was a 50 minute play, "Our Ellenbrook, My Place", which ran for three nights at the Performing Arts Centre.
Photos: Nick Gohrt
Upstart Theatre Company: "Othello"
Upstart Theatre Company played its second season at Woodlake Amphitheatre in November producing four wonderfully well received performances of "Othello". Professional to a tee, the company entertained large audiences with its Commedia Dell'Arte infused brand of Shakespeare and will return in 2010 with an eagerly anticipated production of "A Mid-Summer Night's Dream".
Photos: Nick Gohrt/Heather Scholz
Woodlake Concerts
Ellenbrook Arts produced a number of concerts at the Amphitheatre, most notably "From Back to the Beatles" event courtesy of The West Australian Symphony Orchestra's Brass Quintet. WASO returned in March to provide a sizzling mix of Jazz and show tunes to another large and appreciative Sunday evening Crowd.
Woodlake Amphitheatre also hosted the City of Swan sponsored" Valentine's Night Concert' featuring musicians from Kulcha's Trio Allegri. Audience members enjoyed a romantic evening of gypsy violins and picnic hampers as the sun set over the lake.
Photos: Ellenbrook Arts
Ellenbrook Fire Festival
This annual event takes place in and around the GrapeVine in Charlotte's Vineyard. Sculptors spend the week designing and making flammable structures that form the center piece of the Festival when they go up in spectacular flames on the lake. A crowd of around 1,500 witnessed this winter's event and was entertained by bands, fire jugglers, face painters and balloon artists.
Photo: Nick Gohrt
Community Classes
Ellenbrook Arts provided classes in art and craft to local child care centres as well as cartooning workshops. Other projects enabled members of the art and photography groups to develop life drawing and animation skills.
Photo: Ellenbrook Arts
"Ellenbrook, Short and Sweet"
"Ellenbrook Short and Sweet" is a short story writing competition open to all those who live, work, play or study in Ellenbrook. Cash prizes are on offer to both adults and school children. The 2009 winner was Mardi May for her "Nonna and the Flying Pig". An illustrated anthology was produced with the help of the Ellenbrook Photography Group and the Ellenbrook Art Group and the competition is now an annual event. This year's event closed on June 21st, click her for competition rules.
Photos: Nick Gohrt
"Cut, spray and wheel; the art of waste management"
Thanks to a grant from the Department of Environment and Conservation, Ellenbrook Arts has been able to offer tuition in stencil cutting, enabling teenagers to decorate waste bins with recycling messages. The bins make regular appearances at City of Swan events to promote sound environmental practices. The project has also enabled Ellenbrook Arts to run extra sessions for those with intellectual disabilities. We are designing"Art from Trash" graphics for the Department, which will be reproduced in newspapers and as screen-savers.
Photos: Ellenbrook Arts
Ellenbrook Quilters
Ellenbrook Quilters meets on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Wednesday of every month. It's members learn techniques in quilting beading, cross-stitching and crocheting. They exhibit their works regularly. Contact Sue Ritchie on 9296 1928 or email kritchie@bigpond.com.
Photo: Nick Gohrt