Three ground breaking new theatre projects have been granted a total of $180,000 in the first round of a new Western Australian Theatre Development Initiative (WATDI).

An initiative of the Australia Councilís Theatre Board, WATDI is a unique funding model, driven and delivered by the sector through a partnership between The Blue Room, PICA and ARTRAGE.

The two year pilot program will support new theatre in WA by funding companies and independents to pursue creative, risk-taking and ambitious ideas through an extended period of development.

The first three successful projects all aspire to take WA theatre into some new territories.

The successful applicants include the pvi collective with their interactive performance consumer, Perth based Sudanese writer Areif Ismail with a collaborative project adapting one of his original plays and HydraPoesis with their multi-location and interactive project, Prompter Live Studio.

“The partnership of PICA, The Blue Room and ARTAGE, has really delivered great outcomes for WATDI,” Said Lyn Wallis, Director of Theatre for the Australia Council. “The selections were made by leading WA practitioners attuned to the particular needs and strengths of the local theatre environment. It’s been a rigorous process that has supported some fascinating and complex work.”

An open forum for anyone interested in Western Australia Theatre Development Initiative and its future, featuring presentations form the successful projects, will be held at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts on Monday 31 August.

For more information visit www.watdi.org.au