Alysha Herrmann
Alysha Herrmann is a proud parent, daughter of regional Australia, writer, theatre maker and community organizer working across disciplines in the arts, community development, youth work, social justice and social enterprise. She is a daughter of the regions. She was born in the Riverland region of South Australia and has lived and worked across regional South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Alysha currently lives and works from her heartland, the Riverland region of SA.
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Losing Faith in Unicorns, 2017 (Creative Producer). A performance installation presented at the 2017 dreamBIG Children's Festival. Photo Credit: Tony Lewis -
ZineSwap, 2017. Poetry zine & photo by Alysha. Original poetry created during Spoken Word SA residency, 2016. -
A Caring Portrait, 2015 (Creative Producer & Poet). Photo Credit: Siobhan Fearon -
Sing Me Your Sorrow, 2013 (Co-creator). Photo Credit: Nic Tubb -
Sprout Rehearsals, 2015 (Producer). Photo Credit: Alysha Herrmann -
Alysha reading poetry at Live on 5 (Adelaide Oval), 2016. Photo Credit: Emma Knights
As a creative practitioner, Alysha makes performances, installations, experiences, presentations, poetry, digital exchanges and small moments of connection in public places.
Alongside her creative practice, Alysha is employed full-time by Carclew & Country Arts SA as Creative Producer, Youth (Regional) co-creating new artistic works and building the capacity of young artists in regional South Australia. Alysha has won numerous awards for her work using the arts to interrogate and explore community concerns and aspirations including most recently the 2017 Arts South Australia Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Ruby Award and the 2015 Australia Council Kirk Robson Award. Alysha is an alumna of the Australian Rural Leadership Program with a scholarship from the Australia Council.
About Alysha’s Work
As a writer, theatre – maker and creative producer I focus on community arts and cultural development practice, youth arts practice, regional communities and non-arts collaborations.
I make all kinds of things, experiences and experiments – including immersive theatre experiences, group writing projects, participatory exhibitions and lounge-room performances.
My work has been described as “simple yet sophisticated, intimate yet distant, personal yet remote, familiar yet unusual.” (Jenn St Jack, Great Scott)
I make things. I help others make things.
I am interested in projects that explore connection and vulnerability.
I am interested in projects that are cross disciplinary and are in conversation with non-arts experiences (like theatre + farming). I am interested in collaboration and experimenting and exploring and not knowing.
My recent independent works have been intimate (for between 1 and 8 audience members at a time) and have delved into soundscapes/audio and installation rather than traditional ‘plays’. I am interested in theatre-making that blurs the lines between roles and focuses instead on what collaborators bring to the table and making something that wasn’t there before.
I am interested in projects that are in direct conversation with audience – that might be literally through live text message conversations, or by here and now subject matter or by ancillary experiences (like feasts and dress- ups pre or post show) – especially audiences who have felt left out or intimidated by theatre/art spaces/worlds. Regional communities and young people have my heart. I like urban discoveries and old people too.
I have stepped in and out of many roles – performer, director, producer, writer, co-designer, dramaturg – some roles fit more comfortably than others, some roles come more easily than others, some roles I have fumbled my way through.
I am still figuring it all out.
I used to think the arts were scary and not for me, you can read about how that changed here: https://griffithreview.com/articles/not-for-me/
Learn more about Alysha here: https://alyshaherrmann.wordpress.com/