The Refinery Brings Nationally Acclaimed Expertise to the Region
Amid the lush greenery of the Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, a group of nine enthusiastic creatives gathered for a creative writing R|Masterclass with guest author, Felicity Castagna. Surrounded by the calls of native birds, the Arts and Ecology Centre was the perfect learning environment for this storytelling intensive.
Participants included producers, playwrights, poets, visual artists and communication specialists, with each person encouraged to apply the content and techniques of the masterclass to a current personal project.
For Sydney-based Felicity Castagna, this was her first time teaching on the Sunshine Coast. Drawing from her experience as an award-winning author and lecturer in creative writing at Western Sydney University, she shared examples from her impressive body of work and drew from a wide range of other exemplars. With four books published and a writing practice embedded in place, this was a masterclass not only about novel writing, but the application of storytelling across all mediums.
Speaking to her commission for the 50th anniversary of the iconic Sydney Opera House, What Is The City But The People, this exemplar demonstrated how to use stories in creative and unconventional contexts. In this project, Felicity transformed over 100 interviews into short narratives, with the text forming a projected backdrop to a free live performance featuring everyday citizens on a 60-metre catwalk at the Opera House forecourt. Her interview questions were crafted to uncover the quiet, more vulnerable stories of her subjects without asking the obvious. An approach to ‘Finding the opposite’ of what you think you are looking for was a key takeaway for the group.
“It was powerful to see how writing can bring projects to life in ways that resonate beyond the page.”
- Masterclass Participant
The five hour masterclass was full of learnings and lightbulb moments. Discussing voice and points of view, Felicity asked the group to consider who is ‘holding the microphone’ and how often, the most interesting stories come from the least obvious person having a say. This technique opening stories up to different perspectives and greater diversity impacting on the richness and imaginative quality of a story.
As much as the day was about learning through listening, it was also about learning through action. One particular exercise had participants brainstorming a list of random words first, then reassembling the words into unique combinations, to break down inherent conventions and cliches of writing and open up to the new inventions and forms. For many, this was one of the more challenging exercises, but recognised the rewards of the new technique.
Throughout the day, Felicity reinforced the transformative power of stories and how they allow us to understand ourselves and the world around us. Each participant left inspired, energised and thinking differently about how stories can be used in collaboration and as part of creative practice.
"Felicity’s warmth and depth of knowledge made the Masterclass such a joy. I’ve already started applying what I learned!"
"Storytelling insights, practical tips, and a presenter who’s as generous as she is brilliant. This Masterclass was a game-changer for me."
R|Masterclass is presented by SCCA through The Refinery.
Supported by Major Partners: the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council through the Arts and Heritage Levy, and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
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