IB Woman
Issue No. 14 - December/January 2004
Art of Performing Laterally
Original Thinker Cate Fowler Pushes the Boundaries of Performance Art
Performance, the imagined and enacted world of humankind, is one of the primary ways children learn about life; actions and consequences, customs and beliefs, others and themselves.
Celebrating its first anniversary recently, WindMill Performing Arts has performed to over 50,000 children and their families in a year marked by national and international success. Initiated to bring performance art to children of all ages, WindMill has developed a reputation for innovation and high quality even in its infancy.
The name, WindMill, was chosen as representative of a universal symbol for life and energy contributing an ongoing legacy of performances for children and family audiences. Cate Fowler is the Director and dynamo behind WindMill Performing Arts aided by a team of dedicated professionals.
‘Finding a name for something we intend to become iconic was difficult,’ relates Cate, ‘and with WindMill we felt it would be enduring.’
Cate’s background is a strong mix of education and extensive theatre programming and producing. She has commissioned and produced a number of successful productions for young people including Gillian Rubenstein’s ‘Galaxena’, Robyn Archer’s ‘Mrs Bottle’s Burp’ and the central commissions for the 1996 and 1998 Out Of The Box festivals – ‘Wake Baby’ and ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Fish’.
‘Our aim is to represent arts education when it comes to pushing excellence and pushing boundaries,’ says Cate. ‘Our philosophy is a first for this State and I am at once terrified and privileged to be participating in the birth of a unique and leading edge performing arts company.’
WindMill performs theatre, puppetry, mime, dance and multi—media programs that are presented in Adelaide and toured nationally and internationally. The company has received glowing reviews for its innovative and captivating performances.
In 2003, ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Fish’ has been touring Sy...
