Loula Rodopoulos Sub Fund

This grant was proudly funded by the Loula Rodopolous Sub Fund, established by the Trustees of the Victorian Women’s Benevolent Trust.

Loula Rodopoulos was the first founding Trustee and then Convenor of the Victorian Women’s Trust. Loula played a vital role in setting the fledgling organisation on the path to the Trust’s success.

Loula directed her energies where  they were needed: social work, academia, participation on statutory tribunals, boards, councils and committees She had an unwaivering belief  in equity and social justice, the importance of working towards the best outcome for women, the poor, and those of different ethnic backgrounds.

The Loula Rodopoulos Sub-Fund will makes grants to:

• assist women recovering from mental illness or other difficult circumstances, or
• support and enable programs which encourage young and established female writers.

Project: She Writes
Grant type: Sub Fund
Amount: $5,300
Year: 2019-20
Website:  www.theatreworks.org.au/

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She Writes is an annually delivered new writing and performance program for emerging or mid-career female-identifying playwrights. The participating writers are deliberately diverse, including LGBTIQ+ identifying women and women of colour. This program includes a resident-writers network and development program to support women writers and their work.

The works aim to reframe women’s representation, allowing often ‘invisible’ female community members to represent female characters that are powerful, complex and dangerous. The project allows participants to reclaim public space and status though reclaiming their narrative and public representation. Participants are offered support via a hot-desk at Theatre Works, programmed play readings and professional feedback throughout development. Theatre Works will collaborate with the Victorian College of the Arts to partner a dramaturg with each participating writer for ongoing feedback and support. Theatre Works aims to realise the plays on stage in future Theatre Works programming.