Arts Centre Melbourne Launches New Mentorships with Local Artists and Organizations

Up-and-coming producers, actors and musicians will be paired with world-renowned artists and producers as part of Arts Centre Melbourne's four new mentorship programs. Covering classical music to theatre to producing, the mentorships will see Arts Centre Melbourne open its doors to young and emerging arts practitioners and offer access to its staff, resources and networks.

The four mentorships on offer include a composition mentorship, in which young composers will each create a new piece of music with Australian composerS Marshall McGuire and Mark Clement Pollard to be presented during Arts Centre Melbourne's Winter season, and an artist in residence mentorship, which will see Nicola Gunn and the Sans Hotel work with Arts Centre Melbourne to develop a new work In Spite of Myself.

Aside from artists, emerging producers and arts professionals will benefit from mentorships programs with Next Wave and Melbourne Fringe. Arts Centre Melbourne staff will mentor the Next Wave participants across funding, professional and creative development in the lead up to the Next Wave Festival in 2014, and will partner with Melbourne Fringe to offer a producing mentorship program for the festival's participating artists. Successful applicants will be paired with a producer from Arts Centre Melbourne's pool of experienced producers, who oversee Arts Centre Melbourne's annual calendar of 4300+ events.

In an arrangement of 'mutual backscratching' the mentorships will work reciprocally: Arts Centre Melbourne will offer support and frameworks for emerging artists and companies, who will foster Arts Centre Melbourne's engagement with the small to medium arts sector in return.

"The staffroom conversations at Arts Centre Melbourne are testament to the wealth of knowledge in our buildings," said Simon Abrahams Artistic Development Program Manager. "From dance to theatre to music to everything in between - the skills set of the staff at Arts Centre Melbourne covers the whole gamut of performing arts and their collective experience crosses every ocean.

"Our four new mentorship programs will offer emerging artists and professionals the chance to pick the brains of our staff and improve their artistic practice, skills set and industry knowledge, but also offer us the chance to engage with the ever-changing independent arts scene."

Alongside the recently launched Arts Industry Card, which grants practicing artists and arts workers access to exclusive workshops and ticket prices, Arts Centre Melbourne's mentorships are likewise designed to nuture and develop Australia's emerging artists and independent companies.

Arts Centre Melbourne's mentorships are available by both invitation and application. Applications for 2013 are closed, but interested artists can visit artscentremelbourne.com.au/discover/artistic-development or e-mail artisticdevelopment@artscentremelbourne.com.au for more information on upcoming opportunities.