MISC. Artist Program By Transmedium
16 December 2023 & 17 February 2024
In the Centre for Creativity
Workshops
Register for an arts practice workshop through a queer lens for LGTBQIA+ teens and their friends. From a queer choir to a draw’n’sip (alcohol free), deepen or pick up a new creative skill and make some authentic community connections along the way! Workshop participants are drawn from an expression of interest process for young artists seeking development and support.
| Date | Time |
| Saturday 16 December | 10am - 4pm (lunch break included) |
| Saturday 17 February | 2pm - 5pm |
| Ticket | Price |
| Ages 15 - 19 | Free |
1 December 2023: Participants will be notified for PRIDE AND POETRY: CALL US BY OUR NAMES with Mohammad Awad
2 February 2024: Participants will be notified for QUEER STILL LIFE: DRAWING OUR STORIES with Kim Leutwyler
Maximum one (1) ticket per person, per workshop. Tickets registered in excess of the ticket limit will be cancelled without notice. If you are no longer able to attend, please notify misc@sydneyoperahouse.com
Wheelchair accessible
For any special access requirements phone the Contact Centre on 02 9250 7777 or email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Run time
Saturday 16 December 2023: Runs for approximately 6 hours - with a 1 hour lunch break.
Participants should bring their own lunch.
Saturday 17 February 2024: Runs for approximately 3 hours.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Ages 15 - 19 years.
Children aged 15 years and under must have consent from a parent or guardian to participate.
For more information please email misc@sydneyoperahouse.com
MISC. is all about creating spaces where LGTBQIA+SB youth feels empowered to express themselves and we acknowledge that this can only happen if you feel comfortable and safe. Each person's idea of safety looks a little different so whilst we can try to make it as inclusive and accommodating as possible - we might not get it perfect.
What we can promise is that we will listen to you and your needs - no questions asked. We warmly welcome you to get in contact with us to let us know about any access or inclusivity requirements that will make your experience better at misc@sydneyoperahouse.com
A monthly multidisciplinary queer artist development workshop program for LGBTQIA+ teenagers and their friends!
We know that queer youth are full of inspiration and ideas but don’t have enough safe spaces to express themselves freely! So we’ve created MISC., a carefully curated multidisciplinary workshop program by Claud Bailey where emerging and established queer artists plucked deep from within community will be mentoring a group of teens on their art practice.
Every single workshop will be entirely different from the next - the only constant is the intention for this space to be for queer youth to express themselves and connect. Prepare to make some new friends and learn from some older kids on the block.
Don’t worry if you have no experience in the art form! Entry is open to LGBTQIA+ teenagers (and their allies) between the ages of 15 to 19, all skill levels and experience are welcome.
Workshop 1
Saturday 16 December, 10am - 4pm
PRIDE AND POETRY: CALL US BY OUR NAMES with Mohammad Awad
Join award winning queer artist Mohammad Awad for a masterclass in writing honest poetry and authentic storytelling, where you will learn to unearth the poems living inside you, hold them gently and release them into the world. Prepare to enter this space with your queer and trans ancestors, finding the power in your fruity poetry and leaving with the love of your community.
Have you written hundreds of poems in your journals or never picked up the pen? Doesn’t matter!!! As long as you have something to say (which you do), we welcome you.
Workshop 2
Saturday 17 February, 2pm - 5pm
QUEER STILL LIFE: DRAWING OUR STORIES with Kim Leutwyler
Welcome to your very own Draw’n’Sip (alcohol free) with established queer artist Kim Leutwyler where we will be exploring queer identity through life drawing. We ask that each participant bring a cherished object that holds personal significance—a talisman of empowerment within their queer identity or a source of sheer euphoria. We will cover the fundamental techniques of life drawing, as well as collectively crafting a still life tableau to explore our queer stories through drawing, all the while sipping on some delicious mocktails.
All levels of experience are welcome!
Sydney Opera House Presents in association with TRANSMEDIUM
Meet the artists
Claud Bailey is an award-winning filmmaker, program producer for LGTBQIA+ teens and co-founder of Transmedium, they make work and spaces that celebrates queerness and creates deep inter-generational connections. Claud’s films have screened at film festivals all over the world (Sydney Film Fest, MIFF, Newfest) and they were recently awarded the Emerging Filmmaker Award at Mardi Gras FIlm Festival. They’re the 2023 recipient of the inaugural Wear It Purple Art and Culture Fellowship where they’ve developed Queer Futures Fund, the new grant for up to $20k for young and emerging LGBTQIA+ folks’ projects. For Sydney World Pride, Claud created and produced Stories from the Heart, an annual queer storytelling development program for LGTBQIA+ teens which has since received funding from City of Sydney and Wear it Purple for 2024. Claud recently founded Transmedium with Aud Mason-Hyde, a trans-led and youth-centered organization that elevates trans youth and their voices through opportunities for creative expression and connection.
Transmedium is a trans-led and youth-centered community arts organization founded by Claud Bailey and Aud Mason-Hyde. We elevate trans youth and our stories through fostering deep community connections and creating opportunities for us to express ourselves, proliferating authentic trans narratives and adding to the larger landscape of the arts community.
Mohammad Awad (AKA 3awadi) is a Queer/Arab/Muslim and Writer/Director/Poet/Playwright and Musician who’s running out of ways to express himself. He has written and directed short films such as The Flower, The Messenger and Beauty Marks. Raised in Western Sydney, Mohammad has also been honoured as Australia's National Youth Poetry Champion. Published in an anthology series ‘Arab, Australian, Other’ as well as The University of Sydney Anthology 'Diversity’, he is also one of the proud editors of the mental health anthology collection- Admissions. He has featured in every iconic West Ball, as well as in the Sydney Writers Festival, Sydney Mardi Gras, Sydney Living Museums - After Dark, The ICC, Sydney Festival, Weave Youths’ Mad Pride Concert, Word in Hand, Red Room Poetry, The Vanguard and Giant Dwarf Theatre.
Kim Leutwyler creates paintings that explore notions of beauty, gender and queer identity. A seven-time Archibald finalist, Leutwyler’s artwork has been exhibited in multiple galleries and museums throughout Australia and worldwide.
Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars. Please remember to maintain physical distancing whilst consuming drinks in our foyers.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer consistent with COVID-safe rules.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see their website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel and COVID-19 safety measures. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six min walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We encourage you to wear a mask in indoor settings or when physical distancing can’t be maintained, and please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of everyone on site, and we are closely following NSW Health guidelines and advice. The Sydney Opera House is registered as a COVID Safe business with the NSW Government. For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you when visiting, please see our plan your visit page.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
As you move around the Opera House, practise physical distancing (1.5 metres whenever possible) and follow the guidance provided by our staff and signage.
Within venues, always take your allocated seat.
For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you, please see our plan your visit page.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
Contact information is required when making a booking with us and upon arrival at the Opera House, as set out in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events and our Customer Privacy Statement.
As the ticket purchaser, you are responsible for recording the contact details of your guests. Contact information will only be used for the purposes of contact tracing, if required, and will be deleted at least 28 days after your event.
Frequently asked questions
We advise that you arrive 15 minutes prior to the event. Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts.
Prior to the workshop, please notify us if you will need a chair for the session, so we can have those available. Please email accessibility@sydneyoperahouse.com to request a chair or notify our team of any additional needs you may have.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend. If you can no longer attend because you are unwell, or have been in contact with someone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the Opera House has introduced flexible ticketing options to help you, find out more information here.
Food and beverages will not be allowed unless specified in the event. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available to purchase food before your event. Please bring a credit or debit card for any on-site purchases to enable contactless payment.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to the foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer or as directed by Sydney Opera House staff, adhering to COVID-safe rules.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
The Opera House has also developed a Child-friendly Code of Conduct to engage with our youngest visitors.
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