Beam Me Up, Kate
YOU HAVE TO ADMIT – putting together a large-scale stage performance without being able to rehearse in the performance space presents quite the challenge, but that’s exactly what SLIDE Youth Dance Theatre has been able to do with their latest production.
The youth performance company returns to Darwin Entertainment Centre this month to present Beam Me up, Kate – a show involving 50 young artists and mentors, created by communication through Zoom.
Beam Me up, Kate follows 10 Gen Zs, who gather in a field of wildflowers in the aftermath of a global pandemic. They are 10 beautiful misfits, whose hearts need mending. Together, they gaze with hope towards space.
Through a series of incredibly unreal events, Kate and her friends discover the strength they each have within their own hearts, and with a little help from another galaxy, start rebuilding and beginning again.
21-year-old Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) graduate Millie Hunt plays the title role, and has had her fair share of excitement over the past few months.
“I grew up in Darwin and danced with SLIDE since 2015 until I went to uni. After graduating last year, I moved briefly to Melbourne, but when COVID hit, my parents wanted me home,” she says.
“I feel very privileged to be here – even in the best of times it can be hard to get work in the performing arts, but returning home has meant I can work, dance and teach. It’s been amazing to be home and have the opportunity to do all of that up here, when things would absolutely be different if I were still in Melbourne.”
Although creating the production partially online has allowed the youth dance company to engage professionals and mentors outside of Darwin – including renowned choreographers Natalie Allen and Olivia Hendry – there’s nothing quite like rehearsing and performing in the same physical space.
“Working over Zoom presents its technical glitches, but there’s something so special about live performance. We are so privileged we get to perform on stage and share a precious exchange with the audience,” Millie says.
“Growing up in Darwin, it often feels like you need to get out because it’s a small place, but it’s actually the most rewarding place to be because of opportunities we have up here.”
Head along to DEC to see this incredible production, presented by some of Darwin's brightest young stars. In the flesh.
Beam Me Up, Kate
WHEN SAT 29 AUG | 10AM & 7PM
AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
COST $15-$25
INFO yourcentre.org.au
Photos: Helen Orr
