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ArtKeeper 2024: Lisa Smith

January 11

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Lisa Smith is a theatre marker, director, actor and writer who's worked locally, nationally and internationally for the last 20 years.

In 2012 Lisa returned to the Gold Coast where she founded White Rabbit Theatre (WRT).

Lisa’s passionate about collaboration and committed to the creation of new work for theatre; thus far WRT has created, developed and presented new works including ‘The Grand’ by Victoria Carless, ‘Slide Night’ by Victoria Carless, ‘Pocketful of Pebbles’ by Victoria Carless, Lisa Smith and Tammy Weller, and ‘Love Means Nothing in Tennis’ Various Playwrights. Lisa created a new immersive puppetry work ‘Agnes & Earl’ for the 2018 Commonwealth Games cultural program, and was an Artist in Residence at Bleach* Festival in 2022 where she presented her first solo theatre work ‘A Heart Stops Beating’. Lisa has a Bachelor of Theatre (Acting) and was born, lives and works on beautiful Bundjalung and Yugambeh country.

#The project

Lisa’s time in the ArtKeeper program will predominantly be spent developing a bold, joyful new work for theatre that will be a communal celebration of love, loss and remembrance. Bringing together traditions of theatre, live music, food and the rituals of farewells, Lisa will discover, shape and refine a large-scale ritual gathering: a collective act of delicious farewell, a ‘wake’ for no one, and for everyone, all at once.

In reflection on her own experiences around grief and loss, Lisa is curious about stretching her creative practice into new territory, and finding the meeting place between theatre and ritual, performance and experience. She's keen to explore experimentation with form, collaboration and creative development, and mentorship during her time at HOTA. This process will reflect on her understanding of her own ancestry, collective legacy, and the very human experiences that bind us all together.