Graduate lands Mythical design job

Hot off the heels of her designer’s assistant placement for the Windmill Theatre Company’s production of The Wizard of Oz, Adelaide College of the Arts Design for Live Production graduate Alia Guidace has been appointed resident designer at Urban Myth Theatre of Youth.

Working part-time from Urban Myth’s office in Unley, Alia will be creating the design for three of the company’s 2010 productions.

There is also the possibility Alia will be able to conduct some design workshops for students towards the end of the year.

“It is quite rare to get a position like this as a recent graduate, because as a designer you need a vast amount of skills in many areas and an established background in theatre,” Alia says.

“During my study, I deliberately kept myself very busy, working on numerous productions over the three-year course.

These included AC Arts performances, short films and a number of theatre company productions.

All of this has been wonderful preparation for my work at Urban Myth, and I am very excited to finally get out there into the business!” No stranger to stage design, Alia has worked on a total of 21 productions over the past three years, including designing the costumes worn during this year’s Maestros & Apprentices fund raising dinner.

In 2009, Alia was the winner of the Cate Fowler Scholarship, working as a designer’s assistant at the Windmill Theatre Company.

Most recently, Alia was selected as a winner of a Minter Ellison Rising Star Award.

For Urban Myth Alia will be designing the set for Out at Sea, directed by Urban Myth’s Artistic Director Glenn Hayden, Pinter’s in the Pub, directed by Flinders Drama Centre graduate David Mealor and Out of the Boot, a single set piece that involves four one-act plays submitted by young writers from across Australia and international youth agencies.

Looking ahead, 2010 is shaping up to be a very busy year for Alia.

In addition to designing and assistant designing for a number of productions in the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Alia will be assisting designer Mary Moore on David Mealor’s Black Bird later in the year.

Alia will also be designing the costumes and set for the Southern Youth Theatre Ensemble’s major production, Retaliation.

Article courtesy of the Helpmann Academy