Matt Seery

NEVERLAND (well, this is embarrassing) is a new work by M'ck McKeague that reimagines the fantasy land that J.M. Barrie created for Peter Pan as a late 90s / early 00s teen bedroom. Suspended between worlds, NEVERLAND is an immersive installation in which the present bleeds into the past and magic invades the mundane.

Picking through nostalgic detritus and artefacts from McKeague’s real teen bedroom in Rockhampton, audience members will be free to explore, indulging in and reflecting on their own histories while uncovering the thoughts, secrets, dreams, fears, traumas and magic of adolescence that are usually packed into boxes and hidden in the dark corners of adulthood. Nothing is off-limits to the audience.

Using personal experience as an entry point for the interrogation of dominant transgender childhood narratives and their impact on mental health, NEVERLAND aims to dig into the grittier implications of normalised contemporary understandings of gender diversity while shamelessly sucking on a Push Pop.

This work will be first developed at Metro Arts in Brisbane and presented at Crack Theatre Festival as part of This is Not Art with the support of the Setting the Stages initiative. 

NEVERLAND (well, this is embarrassing)
Creator: M'ck McKeague
Associate Artist: Nathan Stoneham
Production Manager: Matt Seery
Development: Metro Arts, Brisbane, 10 August - 18 September, 2015
Presentation: Crack Theatre Festival, This is Not Art, Newcastle, 1 - 4 October 2015

ADDITIONAL REWARD INFO:
PJ Parties in NEVERLAND (First Date & Double Date)
BRISBANE: 7:30PM, Friday 11 September [Studio 3.8, Metro Arts, 109 Edward St, Brisbane]
BRISBANE: 7:30PM, Saturday 12 September [Studio 3.8, Metro Arts, 109 Edward St, Brisbane]
NEWCASTLE: Times TBC, 1 - 4 October [Crack Theatre Festival, This is Not Art]

MM 4U 4EVA (Going Steady) Boombox option
BRISBANE: Flexible / Anytime
MELBOURNE: 30 July - 4 August
NEWCASTLE: 1 - 4 October




This project has been assisted by the Australian government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

Funds raised through this campaign will be used to support the development of NEVERLAND (well, this is embarrassing) at Metro Arts in Brisbane in August and September 2015, and presentation at Crack Theatre Festival as part of This is Not Art in Newcastle in October 2015.

While other sources of income have been secured to cover some project costs (incl. venue hire, freight, flights and accommodation), your support will contribute to the production budget required to build and dress the work.

Within the context of uncertainty facing the small to medium sector in Australia, there are many challenges associated with making and presenting independent work, especially as self-represented emerging artists. From the creative challenges inherent in experimentation with space-driven story, to the logistical challenges of presenting interstate in an unseen venue, to more personal challenges like keeping the team fed, watered and healthy throughout the process,  we will have plenty to keep us on our toes over the coming months. 

We will meet these challenges with excitement, backed not only by our own experience of presenting work locally, interstate and internationally, but also with the generous support of the seasoned staff at Metro Arts and Crack Theatre Festival. Through a rigorous, socially engaged process, this team of driven, passionate and committed artists will ensure NEVERLAND delivers a compelling new experience for Australian audiences.