Julia Perkins

Julia Perkins graduated with Honours in Theatre and Drama Studies from Murdoch University in 1998. Her Honours thesis examined a contemporary radical community theatre practice in Australia. She developed a theatre project with the community of an isolated rural mining town on the west coast of Tasmania as a means of bringing to light social issues pertinent to the community at the time. In this way she was able to practically apply and test her research in terms of its socio-political relevance to the community involved.

Julia is undertaking doctoral research into the defining characteristics of a radical cultural tradition in Indonesia. The specific focus of her research is on an Indonesian Socialist Realist aesthetic tradition and the current cultural praxis of Jaker (‘Jaringan Kerja Kebudayaan Rakyat – A People’s Cultural Network’). Julia’s interest in this area derives from her belief that it provides an avenue to a deeper understanding of the profound social, economic, political and ideological tensions which have characterized the rise of capitalism and the accompanying ideology of development in Indonesia in recent decades. The role of the theatre process as a means to constructing and empowering a class-based political agency beyond the purely aesthetic is of particular interest. She has had the opportunity to examine Jaker’s praxis at first hand through collaborative work with the network from 1998 to 2003.

In 2003, she was awarded a scholarship in dance and other arts by the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs. This took her to Yogyakarta for three months where she had the opportunity to directly experience the more traditional aesthetics and practice of Javanese culture.

In 2005 Julia brought together a select group of theatre scholars and practitioners to form ‘Skylight Theatre Ensemble’ of which she is artistic director.

Courses:

• Julia has worked as a casual tutor in the Theatre and Drama department of Murdoch University since 1996. She is currently teaching the third year course ‘Writing for the stage’.

Publications, conference papers presented and media contributions:

• Original performance ‘Summer’ presented by ‘Skylight Theatre Ensemble’ : working class tragedy developed from a selection of Australia’s finest modern poetry, Nexus Theatre, April 2006
• Conference paper ‘An Indonesian Socialist Realist Theatre Tradition’, Panel Discussion on ‘Art, Politics and the State’, Conference looking at ARTS, CULTURE AND POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE SINCE SUHARTO, School of Asian Languages and Studies, University of Tasmania, Launceston 16-18 December 2005
• Seminar paper ‘The Definitive Characteristics of a radical theatre praxis East and West’, postgraduate seminar series, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Murdoch University, October 2005
• Original performance ‘Fremantle Dreaming’ presented by ‘Skylight Theatre Ensemble’: a look at three significant moments in Fremantle history through song, dance and dramatic realism, Fremantle Heritage Gaol, Fremantle Festival, November 2005
• Conference paper ‘An Introduction to JAKER’s ‘Liberation Cultural Praxis’, co-presented with JAKER, Asia Pacific People’s Solidarity Conference , FIGHTING NEO-LIBERALISM IN THE ASIA PACIFIC, hosted by the ‘Indonesian Centre for Reform and Social Emancipation’, Depok, Indonesia, June 7-10, 2001
• Awarded $13 000 in State and Federal Arts Grants to develop a community theatre project, ‘The Keening’, with the residents of the small and isolated mining town of Rosebery on the West Coast of Tasmania, Dec- Feb 1997/98
• Published article ‘The Story of a Political Activist’ in INDONESIAN LABOUR FIGHTER: Dita Sari Jailed for Daring to Struggle – Her Story and Writings, published and distributed jointly by ASIET (Sydney, Australia)), IndonesiaAlert! (Oakland,US) and GDPI (Amsterdam,Netherlands), 1997, pp 30-34

Postgraduate Researcher, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150. Fax: 9360 6381, Email: julia_perkins@lycos.com