29 Scenes is an emerging, independent theatre company founded by playwright Fleur Murphy, producer Fiona Stafford, and director Tom Royce-Hampton with a mission to develop, present, and tour new Australian work.
In 2022 29 Scenes launched onto the Melbourne independent theatre scene with their acclaimed first production; ‘Hearth’. In addition to stellar audience engagement, ‘Hearth’ was selected for the 2022 Theatre Studies Playlist and seen by over 20 schools across its two-week season at La Mama Courthouse and self-produced two-week metro/regional tour. In 2023, 29 Scenes presented its second world premiere offering 'The Fence' in partnership with Darebin Speakeasy. This vital and immediate one-woman play was met with rave reviews from audience and industry alike.
With a commitment to geographical and socio-economic access, 29 Scenes offers nimble, tour-ready productions to audiences in both metro and regional centres.
In 2022 29 Scenes launched onto the Melbourne independent theatre scene with their acclaimed first production; ‘Hearth’. In addition to stellar audience engagement, ‘Hearth’ was selected for the 2022 Theatre Studies Playlist and seen by over 20 schools across its two-week season at La Mama Courthouse and self-produced two-week metro/regional tour. In 2023, 29 Scenes presented its second world premiere offering 'The Fence' in partnership with Darebin Speakeasy. This vital and immediate one-woman play was met with rave reviews from audience and industry alike.
With a commitment to geographical and socio-economic access, 29 Scenes offers nimble, tour-ready productions to audiences in both metro and regional centres.
|
Grants & Awards:
2023 - Australia Council Project Grant - THE FENCE 2023 - Australian Writers' Guild Monte Miller Award - Longlisted - THE FENCE 2023 - Darebin Arts Speakeasy Grant & Programming - THE FENCE 2022 - Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award – Shortlisted - THE FENCE 2022 - RAV & Creative Victoria Sustaining Creative Workers Grant - THE FENCE 2022 - Darebin Arts Speakeasy Development Grant - THE FENCE 2022 - VCAA Playlist Selection, Theatre Studies - HEARTH 2022 - RAV & Creative Victoria Sustaining Creative Workers Grant - HEARTH 2021 - Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award – Shortlisted - HEARTH 2021 - Besen Foundation Arts Grant - HEARTH 2021 - Creative Partnerships Australia MATCH Lab Fund - HEARTH 2020 - Merri-bek Flourish Arts Recovery Grant - THE FENCE 2020 - Theatre503 International Playwriting Award – Longlisted - HEARTH |
29 Scenes acknowledges the support of Auspicious Arts Projects.
|
Fleur Murphy: Originally from country Victoria and based in Melbourne/Naarm, Fleur has a B.A. in Theatre Performance - Acting from the University of Ballarat, Arts Academy (2004) and holds a Masters in Writing for Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts (2019). In 2020 Fleur was a recipient of Career Development funding from the Australia Council to support an 18-month mentorship with award-winning playwright Tom Holloway, and has also interned on Melbourne Theatre Company's Cybec Electric readings. She was a 2022 Theatre Works Associate Artist.
Her short film, Rain for Morgan won multiple awards around the world including “Best International Short” (Ireland International Film Festival 2010). Her plays include: Shadows of Angels (Adelaide Fringe/Shepparton Arts Festival 2012/TBC Theatre 2014/Edinburgh Fringe 2023), My Country for a Peach (Vessel & Arts Centre Melbourne 2016), and an adaptation of Janne Teller’s award-winning novel Nothing (fortyfivedownstairs 2022). HEARTH (La Mama & Victorian Tour 2022), was selected for the 2022 VCAA Playlist, longlisted for the Theatre503 Award in London, and shortlisted for the 2021 Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award. Don’t Say (Bubba) was shortlisted top 10 for the 2023 Lysicrates Prize. The Fence (Darebin Arts Speakeasy 2023) was shortlisted for the 2022 Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award and longlisted for the 2023 AWG Monte Miller Award.
|
Fiona Stafford: is a freelance producer based in Melbourne and has worked in the arts and entertainment industry for over 15 years in a number of roles, from artist management to immigration, publicity and marketing, and event management. Currently, she also works as the Operations Manager at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. 'HEARTH' (29 Scenes) was her debut independent theatre production, giving her the opportunity to expand her skills and pursue her passion for supporting emerging independent theatre-makers in developing, staging and touring new Australian works. Fiona will continue to work with 29 Scenes in the presentation of future projects and productions.
|
Tom Royce-Hampton: Tom is a director, performing artist, and musician whose multidisciplinary practice explores audience-performance relationship, encouraging the viewer to examine their interpretation of the work thereby provoking a reappraisal of their perception of the world around them.
At the centre of Tom’s practice is the ongoing development of processes for embodied physical performance, an interrogation that began during his years with percussion ensemble Taikoz and has continued through practical investigations of yoga and Viewpoints under the tutelage of Samantha Chester, Suzuki Method of Acting Training with Bird Theatre Company of Japan, language-based psycho-physical practice with Obra Theatre Company of France and Theatrical Biomechanics with mentor Nigel Poulton.
Since 2015 Tom has been prolific as an actor and director. His theatre credits include: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Michael Cassel Group; Hamlet, Bell Shakespeare; Moby Dick, Sport for Jove; Antigone, Sport for Jove; and Pericles, Bell Shakespeare. Television credits include: La Brea S2, Universal Pictures; The Quest, Productions on Rye; and Miss Fisher’s MODern Murder Mysteries, Every Cloud Productions. Directing credits include: Bernhardt Hamlet (Assistant Fight and Movement Director), Melbourne Theatre Company; Hearth (Director), 29 Scenes; Hamlet (Assistant Fight and Movement Director), Bell Shakespeare; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Assistant Fight and Movement Director), Bell Shakespeare; ABYSS (Director), Machinal (Assistant Director), VCA Theatre School; The View Upstairs (Assistant Director), Sugary Rum Productions; and Chi Udaka Australia and India Tour (Director), Taikoz.
In addition to his individual practice, Tom is passionate about the development of new Australian work across theatre and film, and since graduating VCA has directed fellow graduate Fleur Murphy’s Hearth and produced Murphy’s follow-up play The Fence for Darebin Speakeasy in 2023. His live-streamed play; Abyss (created in collaboration with writer Lachlan Ervin) is slated to become a feature film in 2024.
|
