Media Release for immediate use: 11 November 2009
Emerging Arts Trust
Emerging Artists Trust (EAT) Celebrates a Fantastic Year of Theatre and Film Mentoring
The Emerging Arts Trust (EAT) is proud to announce the success of a productive and motivating Arts mentoring programme
within the theatre and film sectors of Wellington.
Twenty mentoring partnerships are up and running since the launch in March 2009 focused on supporting emerging
practitioners in career and personal development and artists transitioning from one specialisation to another within the
sector.
Experts of an incredibly high calibre pass on their advice and experience having agreed a set of outcomes.
There are currently 37 Mentors in film and theatre signed up with EAT, such as Ken Duncum, Caroline Armstrong, Costa
Botes, Briar Grace-Smith, Tanemahuta Gray, Anna Cottrell and Murray Lynch.
“Mentoring is not just a one way flow. I’ve been challenged, and inspired by people I’ve mentored in the past. Keeps
you on your toes, and ‘in touch’.” says filmmaker Costa Botes.
Mentee Todd Rippon says “The grant that EAT supplied for me to be mentored gave me the opportunity to benefit greatly
from one of the most experienced theatre directors in New Zealand, something that is not on offer in New Zealand
anywhere now unless you go back into a full time training situation. Each session we had together lifted me to a
completely new level of understanding because not only was I receiving great advice but I was taking it on
wholeheartedly as everything was on the line for me. I felt supremely confident that I could produce and direct my first
fully professional play. I still am confident that I will succeed but during each mentoring session I was shocked at how
little I knew”.
The EAT Mentoring Programme is generously funded by the Wellington City Council and the organization is grateful WCC is
supporting this important initiative again in 2010.
EAT hopes to expand to be of national benefit in the near future and to restart the grant system, which started the
trust in 2008 (EAT awarded 16 arts grants of up to $2000 each in the first year of operation!).
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