Sam [-O-]

..CEO of Australia's leading Aboriginal theatre company - YIRRA YAAKIN
www.yirrayaakin.asn.au
Executive Director of KISSmyBLAKarts,,
www.kissmyblakarts.com
www.myspace.com/kissmyblakarts_events
Advocate of Groove FM
www.groovefm.com.au
Columnist - Sam Cooks KISSmyBLAKarts - ArtsHUB
www.artshub.com.au
Moderator - Worlds Indigenous Peoples Network
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/worlds-indigenous-people/
Moderator - BLAKSTAGEalliance
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BLAKSTAGEyarnin/
BIOGRAPHY
Listed in the 2007 edition of the Who’s Who of Australian Women and the Who’s Who in Western Australia and being one of only a handful of Indigenous Australians to have carried both the Olympic Torch and Commonwealth Baton, Sam Cook is currently the Executive Producer of Australia’s Leading Aboriginal Theatre Company - YIRRA YAAKIN.
Sam has been working in publishing for 15 years, Theatre for 7, retired from a musical career aged 20 and has been arts inclined ever since she can remember. She is a member of the Yirra Yaakin Dream- Team, the artistic hub of the weird and wonderful and has recently written for the CHOOteam COMEDY TROUPE, co-wrote IN THE NYITTING TIME, is writing THE GIFT and devised JILAs BUSH MEETING through an Indigenous dreaming process.
In her spare time – [ha!] she is the moderator of the WORLDS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES NETWORK, the BLAKSTAGEalliance and an Arts Hub columnist, with her monthly edition titled KISSmyBLAKarts. As a provocateur, Sam explores authentic Indigenous Australian expression through a self determined model of living cultural practice as a catalyst of social change. Her passion lay in further defining the Aboriginal arts Industry within the context of the International Indigenous arts industry and building the capacity of authentic expressions by the Indigenous community.
Sam returns back to Australia after a three month UK Arts Fellowship on invitation by the British arts Council, an inspirational sojourn in which she began work on a play, a novel and a half life story.
YEP....I like to keep busy...thats putting it mildly!! LOL
I am a Nyikina sista originally from the North-West of Western Australia . Through my work [my passion] I am fortunate to travel extensively to all corners of the globe so I very much feel like I am a citizen of the world. I especially love to embrace the human story and understand the human condition as I articulate my journey toward Indigenous empowerment and social change. Not into superficiality so don't bring any this way. Much Respect **S**
[NOTE: Nyikina is an Aboriginal tribe/nation - one of the 800 that make up our diverse Indigenous communities - not that you'd know that watching the homogenised definition of us mob on Discovery Channel!! They'd have you thinking we all live in the Desert and forage off the land. Stereotypes aside, I'm trailblazin']
BTW I am working on a groundbreaking BLAKSTAGE prodution - Its Aboriginal Australia's response to THE LION KING and I've managed to pull together an ensemble of artists and creators including animatronic specialist Murph who has worked extensively in Hollywood and the West End on productions including CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, JUDGE DREDD, BLADE, RED DWARF, MUNICH etc etc....so watch this space for JILA'S BUSH MEETING ...I'll flick some pics up of the costume prototypes and storyboard for your viewing pleasure. Anyone got a spare million they wanna drop into the project? Can write it off as a tax deduction for ya...shoot can't hurt to ask!!! For more details on how you can support the company please visit. http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/yirrayaakin
HERE IS A SNEAK PREVIEW FROM THE CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF JILA'S BUSH MEETING
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