Indigenous artists to lead Byron Theatre Company workshops

Waangenga Blanco choreographed Byron Theatre Company's debut production Displace I Call Home. Photo: SUPPLIED
BYRON Theatre Company will launch a new program of workshops and masterclasses this spring to support local theatre practitioners.
Theatre Makers will open on September 20 with a movement masterclass by dancer, choreographer and actor Waangenga Blanco, followed in November by a two-day storytelling workshop led by writer and director Wesley Enoch.
Theatre manager Jon Howell said the program was designed to strengthen skills and connections across the region.
“We want to ensure Northern Rivers artists have access to training and mentorship from leading practitioners without needing to leave the region,” he said.
Blanco, a former principal artist with Bangarra Dance Theatre, will focus on physical storytelling, character development and First Nations perspectives on story and place.
“In my workshop, we will awaken ancestral memory, cultivate presence and flow, and unlock emotional expression,” he said. “Dance is medicine and a tool to return home to your body and connect more deeply with the world.”
Enoch, whose career spans more than 30 years in theatre leadership and direction, will present The Art of Storytelling on November 22 and 23.
“Acting isn’t just about performance, it’s about community,” he said. “In this workshop, we’ll explore the skills of truth-telling, presence and connection – qualities that matter on stage and in everyday life.”
Howell said Theatre Makers connects with the company’s Storyteller Programme and aims to create long-term outcomes for local artists.
“What participants learn here can develop into new works that eventually reach our mainstage season,” he said.