The Emerging Artists Trust has allocated nine grants to emerging film and theatre projects in its inaugural funding round.

Recipients included Lee Smith-Gibbons for her film project Brides Head: Revisited. Initially a theatre piece 'The Slicing on the Cake' has been reworked to become a short film, using claymation and live action to allow creations that were difficult for a lone stage performer.

The story follows one woman's cursed existence as the tiny plastic bride atop a wedding cake, and her efforts to escape her plastic prison. The Emerging Artists Trust has allocated nine grants to emerging film and theatre projects in its inaugural funding round.

Recipients included Lee Smith-Gibbons for her film project Brides Head: Revisited. Initially a theatre piece 'The Slicing on the Cake' has been reworked to become a short film, using claymation and live action to allow creations that were difficult for a lone stage performer.

The story follows one woman's cursed existence as the tiny plastic bride atop a wedding cake, and her efforts to escape her plastic prison.There is only one beacon of hope in her miserable world, and as that beacon happens to be the Devil himself, she's in for an interesting ride.

Eleanor Bishop from The Playground Collective also received funding for the theatre piece 'Rubber Turkey' by Eli Kent. The show is part of NZ International Comedy Festival at BATS from April 22-26. 'Rubber Turkey' is a comedy about comedy set in alternative surreal universe or a "joke realm".

Five characters inhabit this world, fulfilling comedic stereotypes - the funny "guy", the "chicken", the "clown" (Winston), the "blonde" and the apathetic overseer "The Reviewer". All is well, until they start defying their stereotypes. Blondie starts reading Wikipedia, Guy starts deliberately messing up jokes, Winston is a clown who whinces at the sight of cream pies, and Chicken starts trying to top himself.

It will be the second production from The Playground Collective. Their first, 'The Hunting of the Snark', had its premiere at BATS Theatre in the 2007 NZ International Comedy Festival.

The EAT grants were

Film:
Brides Head: Revisited - Dir. Lee Smith-Gibbons
Strawberries with the Fuhrer - Dir. Amy O'Connor
Night of Sunshine - Dir. Alan Morrison

Theatre:
The Storm - Three Spoon Theatre, opening 12 April at Lyall Bay Surf Club
Handy Man - Let Me Lie To You Productions, opening 15 May at BATS
Rubber Turkey - Playground Collective, opening 22 April at BATS
Grace - The Rebel Alliance, opening 22 August at BATS
Six O'clock Swill - Second Wednesday and Thursday of April, May, June & July at Mighty Mighty
Good Angel, Bad Angel - NIMBY Opera, opening 1 April at Gryphon Theatre

The Emerging Artists Trust (EAT) is a non-profit funding body that support, by way of grants, emerging film and theatre practitioners in the Wellington region. The trust was established in recognition of the lack of support for early career film and theatre artists.

EAT wants to be able to support these practitioners in gaining initial experience, which will contribute towards setting up a sustainable career in their chosen fields.

EAT intend to hold another funding round later in the year. Details will be posted on the website by the end of April.

24/03/08