Helpmann Academy reveals 2020 Fellowship recipients

Now in its fourth year, the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation-supported Fellowships work to help emerging South Australian artists refine their craft under the tutelage of leading educators in their respective fields – no matter where in the world they happen to be.

Comelli will travel to Berlin in April 2021 to take part in an eight-week directing course at the MET Film School. A graduate of Flinders’ Bachelors of Film and Creative Arts program, Comelli’s debut short Nostos screened at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2018 and youth film festivals around the world.

“I’ve wanted to undertake a fellowship through Helpmann for the longest time and now I am able to develop my practice and expand my knowledge as a director,” Comelli says. “This Fellowship will allow me to take my love of directing to a professional level and give me the skills required for a lifelong career in directing and film production processes.

Actor Alexis Luke is set to travel to the UK to work with actor and academic Jane Arnfield in an eight-week training and mentorship residency, before heading to Europe to visit Poland’s Institute of Eulogy. Both experiences will focus on creating biographical performance works, something the Flinders Drama Centre Graduate hopes to apply to his own solo work. 

“Receiving a Helpmann Fellowship has been an extremely humbling and important experience for me,” Luke says. “Supporting artists in refining and deepening their practice is paramount for the future of the arts in South Australia, and with the devastation we are currently experiencing thanks to COVID-19, this support is more important than ever before.” 

Each Fellowship is valued at up to $20000, supported by a grant from the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation.

The Adelaide Review is a media partner of Helpmann Academy

Walter Marsh

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Walter is a writer and editor living on Kaurna Country.