tashmad  

‘destruction’

                                             dada

 

'anything is possible'  - (the movement of artists from the turn of the 20th century involved in random ordering of the artistic palate) 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          challenging the old in creating the new

Good theatre always moves through a zero point, where movement stills, thoughts abate, images darken - where the creative spirit dies. Artists learn not to panic, but to carry on, to create. Inwardly the artist knows the importance of the zero. It has been caused by and it causes the act of pure creation.


The idea of zero implies a rendition, a beginning. So our definition involves the concept from Jewish mysticism that destruction (Tashmad), the shattering of a whole, can be the inspiration for the ultimate act of creation. From this empty space theatre can make something from nothing.

If I wish to substitute a new building for an old one,

I must demolish before I construct.

                                                                                                                        Theodore Herzl

TASHMADADA AIMS

to.... 

     * Create

a Company which engages in contemporary theatre practices. This includes both creating new works as well as working with existing texts in an original and innovative manner;

    * Collaborate

with artists from different artforms – eg visual artists, writers, etc. By doing this, Tashmadada aims to become a creative centre for practitioners;

    * Engage

with the wider Australian theatre landscape.

   * Develop

 works that appeal to a greater audience – both for national international for touring;

    * Tell

 the ‘human story’ ie make work that deals with the Human Condition - relating the universality of the experiences and thus not ‘Ghettoising’ it;

    * Challenge

 theatrical form and practice;

    * Perform

 new theatrical pieces, programs of short works, cabaret evenings, forums and  workshops.

In developing Tashmadada we acknowledge that artists come from many different backgrounds, but believe that if there is one theme that unites them, it is the notion of the 'other'.

This innately apposite term speaks to the Jewish diaspora as it speaks to the refugee as it speaks to the artist. We are all the sum of our individual experiences.