Mother and daughter duo, Laura and Alaska Turner, are undertaking higher education at NIDA, sharing a campus and a cohort. Laura Turner is enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts, Cultural Leadership program while Alaska Turner is undertaking a Diploma of Live Production and Technical Services. Find out about their parallel experiences, lunch dates, surprising discoveries and future aspirations below.
What has it been like sharing the journey at NIDA?
Laura: Well, Alaska’s already moved out of home and lives in Wollongong, and I’m from the South Coast. The Master of Fine Arts, Cultural Leadership is part-time and delivered primarily online because most of us also work full-time. So, I just come to campus four times a year for our Intensives – four or five days of full-time intensive learning.
It’s a lovely catch-up time. We have our little lunch dates and we have our sleepovers. So that is really nice. Plus, because of the cross-curriculum connections that we have, I know a lot of her friends in her course and Alaska knows my cohort.
Alaska: Yeah, she’s probably embarrassed, but I always introduce someone. “Guys, come meet my mum,” and everyone knows her as ‘Mum’. My friends will be like, “Hi, Mum.” I love it.
Laura: Actually, one of our first days here, Alaska needed to get something collected from the office and I was already here. I went in to collect it, and I could see someone probably thought I was a being a helicopter parent and I was like, “No, I go here!”
Alaska: We often discuss our relationship as mum and daughter, and I feel like we are very unique. I know for a lot of families it might be a sport that is their connection, but for us it’s been going to shows.
Alaska, why were you interested in studying the Diploma of Live Production and Technical Services (DLPTS) at NIDA?
Alaska: I was influenced to come to NIDA by my mum working on local productions. I have always done theatre with her, and I really wanted to further my studies and my knowledge in a professional environment while also hanging out with my mum.
I grew up doing technical theatre. I completed my certificate 3 in high school and I always wanted to further and deepen that knowledge, and I knew NIDA was the best place to do it.
Laura, why did you apply to study Cultural Leadership at NIDA?
Laura: It’s designed for mid-career artists and having been a teacher and a community theatre maker for many years, I was inspired and decided it was time to invest into my career.
I looked at a lot of different leadership opportunities or study environments and this course, especially with the intensive program, allows us to keep working full-time and then to be able to come up four times a year to study intensively.
It also has quite a different focus. A lot of the other leadership models are not as people-focused or as connected to the arts. An important concept of the course is empathy and how to lead people in the arts, and I think it’s very unique.
What has surprised you about studying NIDA?
Alaska: The most surprising thing about coming to NIDA was in our very first week. Some of the course coordinators came into our class and they knew everyone by name, and it was just so special to me, having them know who we were. Having that connection meant I felt safe to go to them with any issues I might have, or even if I was lost on campus, I knew I could trust them and they would support me.
Laura: Even from the moment you are accepted into NIDA, it’s a phone call, not an email like a typical university. The way NIDA treats you is very personal.
I think in the Cultural Leadership course in particular, we have people coming from Cairns and Tasmania and they are all working in different fields, not only the arts, and to be able to meet with people who are like-minded is very special. But the surprise, I think, is what Alaska said: you are treated individually.
What are your individual goals after graduating from NIDA?
Alaska: I still don’t know exactly what my career path is just yet. Sometimes I’ll do a lighting class and I’m like, “I love lighting.” Then the next day I have an audio class and go. “Oh, I love audio.” However, I do know that when I graduate I want to go back home to my regional town, to my amateur theatre company and share some of my NIDA training with the younger kids as I think that would be so special, to be able to share that. Everyone wants to be on stage, but a lot of the younger people don’t necessarily get the opportunity to have the skill development in the backstage technical areas.
Laura: Studying the Cultural Leadership course has changed my direction a little. I’m working in more First Nations work at the school that I’m currently at and I’m absolutely loving that. The skills that we learn are so useful in community theatre, even to do with grant application or governance. I think I will be able to implement them more deeply in community.
What advice would you give anyone wanting to study your course?
Alaska: I would tell people that I came from a rural area and I thought that maybe there were some gaps in my knowledge, that I was lacking in some areas, but that’s not a reason to not apply. It’s still a school, they’re here to teach you, and they’re so open to helping you if you have any questions. Everyone is so kind. And you don’t have to worry if you feel like that, it’s about your passion.
Laura: I think some people think maybe they’re not an artist. There are always discussions in our course about, “But I just work in arts”. This course is really trying to change that narrative. You’re still an artist, you don’t have to be practicing. You don’t have to be a practicing director or circus performer to be doing this course and to make real change in the arts community.
Also, an important component of the Master of Fine Arts Cultural Leadership is the four-week international placement. I’ve contacted a not-for-profit theatre company in Vanuatu, that does a lot of work in social change and I will be going there next year. We write a report on where we’d like to go and basically get to choose where we go, guided by our interests and what we are passionate about.
A lot of children leave school in Vanuatu after year six and I’m very excited as this theatre company works with youth. My family and I have personal connections with Vanuatu and have done a lot of charity work there. Being encouraged to take four weeks to invest into your own professional development in a company or organisation of your choice is something that you rarely get to do in your career.
Alaska: I honestly think all my classes have made such a big impact and I really value my teachers and will miss them a lot when I leave. They were all so kind and made an environment that is safe, where there are no dumb questions or answers. I’ve learned so much from them and I owe everything to them. It’s also a very hands-on course which suits my style of learning.
Alaska, tell us about your scholarship with Technical Direction Company (TDC)?
Coming from a regional area and having the Technical Direction Company (TDC) Scholarship has helped me so much. I live in Wollongong, so it helps with transport and general living expenses. Also, when we do productions in Sydney, it helps me to have safe accommodation and a safe way home especially when we’re finishing very late and I’m able to have accommodation nearby. It has also helped with purchasing general tools and safety equipment that’s needed for the course.
The TDC Scholarship has really made a difference and has meant that I could undertake the Diploma course and fully focus on my training.
You’ve also been at TDC on a work placement, tell us about that?
Alaska: I am loving my work placement. I’m halfway through it now. At the Technical Direction Company there are so many LED screens, so I’ve spent the last few days learning how to set those up. I’ve become so confident in working with LED screens and the team at TDC have been so inviting, especially my supervisors Drew, Chris and Scruffy who have been amazing, answering thousands of my questions and have made me feel like part of the TDC family. I have been partnered up with two of the TDC trainees, Reese and Zoe, which has been good for me to be able to follow along with their learning as well.
Has the TDC work placement inspired you in a particular career direction?
I’d never set foot into a warehouse environment, which is what I’ve been doing for the past few weeks, and I’m honestly loving it. Being from a regional area, we have very few opportunities to touch any of these pieces of equipment and I am loving everything about it. The team have made it such a welcoming environment and it would be an amazing place to work.
How has the Cultural Leadership course influenced your career path?
Laura: With the Cultural Leadership course, we learn about all the elements that go into keeping a creative arts business alive. My background is teaching, and I have worked in theatre and events, from being an event coordinator to a stage manager including working for the Cancer Council, Dancing with the Stars in Nowra, and various events where I have worked and included my family in working or helping on the event production.
A beautiful moment this year was the welcome assembly in the Parade Theatre and the alumni speaker was Acting graduate Clare Hughes (Acting, 2022), and it was such a wonderful speech and it makes you feel so special, and I wish you could bottle up that little feeling on that day for those days when you get home and you’re 10 weeks in and thinking I cannot find the energy to write an essay. I try to remember that special moment: what it was like to be sitting in the Parade Theatre with my cohort, where you know you are among your peers. Then, Alaska and her cohort walked out on stage, and we were all cheering, and it was such a special moment. You just have to remind yourself of why you do this and why you’re interested in this industry.