Northern rivers theatre company NORPA has been awarded a grant of almost $400,000 to continue creating theatre works.
Page MP Kevin Hogan announced the grant yesterday saying NORPA was one of only a few professional regional theatre companies in Australia producing original works.
‘This grant is an acknowledgement of the high quality work being created by NORPA in the northern rivers,’ Mr Hogan said.
‘I am delighted that NORPA has been successful in this highly competitive grants process and I wish them all the best.
‘I would like to thank and congratulate NORPA’s general manager Patrick Healey and artistic director Julian Louis for their vision of developing and telling our own local stories.
‘NORPA has already produced outstanding “home-grown” work to much critical and popular acclaim like Railway Wonderland. This catalyst grant will allow NORPA to tell even more of our own stories about our community,’ Mr Hogan said.
NORPA artistic director Julian Louis said the catalyst grant was recognition of the success NORPA had achieved in creating new works that were always the highest selling shows in the northern rivers and now tour nationally.
‘This grant gives NORPA funding certainty and will allow us to continue investing in new creative developments that will bring regional stories and voices to the Australian stage,’ he said.
NORPA chair David Wolff said it was pleasing to be recognised by the federal government through its catalyst program.
‘NORPA is an essential part of Australian theatre and contributes to our collective cultural landscape. I would like to thank the staff at NORPA whose hard work allows us to realise our artistic vision,’ Mr Wolff said.
NORPA general manager, Patrick Healey, while acknowledging the catalyst program, said Mr Hogan had been ‘an outstanding champion for NORPA and I am grateful for his support and advocacy.’
