Poetess to bare project progress

A LOCAL writer and poet is getting ready to unveil her recent works as part of a new live performance series.

Later this month, Megan J Riedl will showcase her latest artistic endeavour as part of her The Ballarat Poetess work-in-progress showing to be held at the Eureka Centre.

Blending theatre, stand-up comedy, and lecture techniques, the one-woman show will see Riedl negotiating goldrush-era poet Ellen Young’s works with her own contemporary voice.

“We tend to think of Eureka as a men’s rebellion, but women like Ellen Young were present and using their own voices to question the status quo, and in doing so, breaking down censorship, and seeking agency for women,” she said.

“As a work-in-progress, it’s incredibly important for me to test elements of the work in front of an audience.

“I’m looking for people to come and not just watch the show, but also to provide feedback about what’s working and what’s missing.”

The project is part of the Seedpod Ballarat program, which is a funded regional live arts residency program delivered by Castlemaine-based live arts organisation Punctum.

Riedl took part in the residency’s inaugural offering supported by Creative City Ballarat, in May last year, and also received further support for the project’s next phase from the organisation.

The program will be in partnership with the Eureka Centre as part of the organisation’s month-long series of offerings to acknowledge the 170th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade.

Riedl said the centre is the ideal setting for the Ballarat Poetess program.

“It’s really special to have Eureka Centre hosting this work-in-progress performance and to site the work strongly with a sense of place,” Riedl said.

“But it’s not just about Eureka, it’s also about the power of words. It’s about belonging and about being a difficult woman with a pen and using that power to question the state of the world.”

Riedl previously gave a sneak peek at the project as part of a Ballarat Spoken Word open mic meetup back in May, which coincided with her birthday.

The Ballarat Poetess work-in-progress showing will be held on Thursday 21 November from 7pm to 8pm, followed by a second performance on Saturday 23 November from 2pm to 3pm.

Tickets are $20 general and $15 concession and can be booked at events.humanitix.com/the-ballarat-poetess-wip.