Urban Theatre Projects

Urban Theatre Projects (UTP), previously known as Death Defying Theatre (DDT), is a theatre company based in Sydney, Australia. The group utilizes a distinctive theatre style based on a process of dialogue between contemporary theatre practice and diverse communities.^[1]

History

The group started as a street theatre company in 1981 by graduates of the University of New South Wales. The project was founded by Paul Brown, Alice Spizzo, Christine Sammers, and Kim Spinks.^[2] Initially, their office was located in the Village Church Centre (VCC) in the Paddington area of the Eastern Suburbs. The company mostly rehearsed outdoors in the nearby Centennial Park. In the late 1980s, the group was based in the Bondi Pavilion.^[3]

In 1991, the group moved from Eastern Sydney to the Auburn area of Western Sydney,^[4] and in 1997, the group changed its name to Urban Theatre Projects.^[2]

The group initially emphasized political theatre. The group was instrumental in moderating what constituted theatre practice in Australia in the 1980s.^[4] Early works by the group focused on workers' struggles, such as their 1985 play Coal Town.^[5] Once the grouped moved to Western Sydney, its shows were focused on the story of migrants, such as their 1991 play Cafe Hakawati which focused on the Arab-Australian community in Western Sydney.

Members

Paul Brown, one of the group's co-founders, later went on to become a professor of earth sciences at the University of New South Wales.^[6][7]

Julia Cotton, the former Head of Movement Studies at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), worked on productions for the group.^[8]

References