Ellen Coote (centre) in the 2022 production of “Romantica” at Actors Centre Australia. Photo: Clare Hawley
Ellen Coote grew up in Moree before moving to Sydney to pursue training and opportunities in the performing arts.
Now, the local high school teacher and actor is bringing part of that experience back home through A Play in 2 Days, a school holiday workshop designed to give regional students a structured taste of theatre-making close to home.
The two-day workshop will start with no finished script and no set production. Instead, students in Years 7 to 10 will work together to create, rehearse and perform an original short performance from scratch.
But Ms Coote said the fast-moving format was not only for students who already see themselves as performers.
“This workshop is for students who love performing, but equally for students who might discover they enjoy directing, organising, creating or supporting from behind the scenes,” Ms Coote said.
The workshop will introduce students to the wider world of a production, including stage management, assistant directing, theatre making and the organisation needed to support a performance away from the spotlight.
“I want to create something local that gives students the chance to try something new, be creative and experience making theatre together,” Ms Coote said.
Bringing theatre home
Ms Coote completed formal training at Actors Centre Australia and has worked professionally across performance and arts education.
Her experience includes collaborations with theatre companies Poetry in Action and Sport for Jove, delivering performances and educational theatre experiences to schools and communities.
Today, she works full time as a local high school teacher while continuing to maintain links with the industry through regular auditions, Melbourne representation and travel for professional performance opportunities.
For Ms Coote, the workshop brings together both sides of that experience: the professional arts pathway she pursued after leaving Moree, and her current work with regional students.
By running the program locally, she hopes to give students a creative opportunity without making theatre feel limited to those who can travel or who already know they want to perform.
Ms Coote hopes to expand the workshops in future to include more age groups and year levels.
A Play in 2 Days will run at The Social Co House on Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7, from 9am to 3pm. Places are currently open for registration, and the workshop costs $150 for the full two days.
Parents and carers can register their interest through Ms Coote’s Expression of Interest form.
