The Neil Curnow Award is made possible through the generous bequest of the late Neil Curnow, an extraordinary man of the theatre based in Adelaide. Following his impressive career as an actor, director, teacher and voice coach, Neil made a bequest through the Independent Arts Foundation to support emerging South Australian theatre people through this prestigious award. We are honoured to continue his legacy today.
The Neil Curnow Award is available to final-year students and graduates aged between 18 and 30. The purpose of the award is to support an emerging artist to undertake further study or career development in acting, theatre performance or theatre direction.
Valued at up to $7,000 for graduates wishing to undertake interstate study and up to $10,000 for graduates wishing to undertake international study, the award supports the recipient to undertake further study or an internship at a recognised institution.
The award is facilitated by the Helpmann Academy on behalf of the Independent Arts Foundation.
Brittany Gallasch was the recipient of the Neil Curnow Award which was awarded in 2022 after a short hiatus due to the pandemic.
To achieve Brittany’s career goal of becoming a leading professional MoCap actor and movement/fight director in Australia, the Neil Curnow Award supported her to travel to both London and Melbourne to learn from industry experts.
Britany participated in a four-week internship at Fourth Monkey, where she worked closely with Stephanie Osztricher, the head of Movement. During this internship, she received personalised mentorship and had the opportunity to observe and participate in various movement and devising-based classes. She then attended advanced MoCap training with The MoCap Vaults, the world’s leading MoCap and performance capture school, to enhance her foundational MoCap acting abilities. Her program concluded with a ‘Fight the Good Fight’ Stage Combat Intensive with Captivate Action at the Dancehouse Melbourne, which is an industry-standard fight training course covering foundational skills in stage combat and action for MoCap, theatre, and film.
“The Neil Curnow Award has been an incredible source of artistic support for me, and my journey to the UK and Melbourne has truly been a life-changing experience. It has opened my eyes to a world of endless possibilities in the realm of motion capture performance, fight directing and the creation of innovative theatre works and digital content. I’m very excited to share the invaluable insights I have gained to empower other creative to explore the exciting world of motion capture. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to learn from renowned industry experts, broaden my skill set and expand my creative network.”
Key dates:
Applications open on Monday 18 September 2023
Applications close on Sunday 5 November at 11:59pm
For activity occurring between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024
BEFORE YOU START YOUR APPLICATION
Make sure you read the Information for Applicants guide!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Helpmann Academy (08) 7089 0720 / info@helpmannacademy.com.au
Presented in partnership with The Independent Arts Foundation SA
Image: Brittany Gallash at The MoCap Vaults. Photos courtesy of the artist.