* CSU theatre media alumni feature of Bathurst production The Climbing Tree * CSU theatre media course a credit to local talent * The Climbing Tree to premiere in Bathurst on Friday 2 November A group of Charles Sturt University (CSU) theatre media alumni will this week be involved in local Bathurst production, The Climbing Tree – part play, part ghost story, and part musical examining what lies beneath the surface of Bathurst.The Climbing Tree, to premiere this Friday 2 November at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC) will deliver one of many high-quality examples of what the region can produce. CSU senior lecturer in theatre media in the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst Dr Soseh Yekanians said the fact that the production features two current CSU theatre media students - Janda Nichols and Greygryn Holgate-Gorton, three CSU graduates -  Tim Hansen, Madelaine Osborn and Heidi Annand  and one current CSU staff member, Karl Shead reflects the vast range of opportunities the Bathurst region has to offer those who have completed the Bachelor of Theatre Media course. “Having worked in many capital cities, I have never seen quite the range of opportunity that theatre media graduates have available to them right here in Bathurst,” Dr Yekanians said.“This is a testament to the degree itself and the advantages that being at a regional university can bring. “Because of the University’s long-standing reputation in regional Australia, it has developed close relationships with major local organisations such as BMEC and Arts Out West, not to mention the ongoing connections we already have with our successful theatre media alumni around the world.”Developed over three years, The Climbing Tree is the product of BMEC in partnership with the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), and with extensive community consultation has welcomed local talent to bring their range of skills to the production. Ms Heidi Annand, 2016 CSU theatre media graduate and Local Stages assistant producer at BMEC, will be working on the production as a stage manager. She said that studying the course at CSU really opened her eyes to the importance of regional arts for small communities.“There seems to be this idea that when you finish university, you then have to move to the big smoke to cut your teeth,” Ms Annand said. “And as much as I see the value in that, I’m committed to skipping that step and focussing my career in regional Australia.“Regional areas are perfect for emerging artists and exploring practice. Bathurst is fortunate to have a thriving arts community, in part thanks to Charles Sturt University, and many champions who advocate for us and fight for funding and support.”The Climbing Tree showtimes below:Date: 2 – 6 November Location: BMEC, 105 William St BathurstPurchase tickets hereDate:22 – 24 November Location: Riverside Theatres - corner of Church and Market Streets, ParramattaPurchase tickets here Featured in the picture from left to right: Tim Hansen, Janda Nichols, Heidi Annand (standing), Madelaine Osborn

* Photographic art inspiration for ‘Best Internal Student’ documentary: The Art of the Image * Life’s a Drag documentary takes out Highly Commended accolade * Story-telling and personal interests trend across all documentaries for 2018Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst recently announced the winners of its 2018 Glitch Documentary Film Festival.The awards evening showcased the work of internal and external students studying the subject ‘Documentary Production’ in the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries. While the documentaries are a requirement of the subject, subject coordinator Ms Tracy Sorensen said it is also an opportunity for students to hone in on their videography skills, get creative, and have fun. “We saw many different approaches this year at the Glitch Festival,” Ms Sorensen said. “It was obvious that students had stepped out of their comfort zone to deliver really unique products.”Among the recipients were local Bathurst students Mr James Siegert who won ‘Best Internal Student’ for The Art of the Image, with a High Commendation for Ms Emily Horton for Life’s a Drag. Mr Siegert, who is studying a Bachelor of Communication (Digital Media Production), said photographic art and the individual process that photographers find unique about their practice was the inspiration behind his winning documentary.“I enjoy engaging with other like-minded creatives so, for me, interviewing local photographers to piece together my documentary was not only enjoyable but provided some interesting insight into different creative directions,” Mr Siegert said. Ms Emily Horton, the choreographer for Bathurst’s local drag queens, the Venom Vipers, decided to do her documentary on friend and drag queen Jonothan Hosking, also known as ‘Miss Betty Botox’. “Jono is a physical education (PE) and history teacher at Skillset Bathurst, and he is also a drag queen. From the preconceived ideas of what a PE teacher is and does, and what a drag queen is and does, it seems like a strange combination of lifestyles.”“I decided to do my documentary on Jono/Betty, I love storytelling, and this was an amazing way to capture and present an individual’s personal story and journey, and share that with others,” Ms Horton said. A full list of Glitch Documentary Film Festival winners is available via the CSU See See Eye website.

* Comedian and maths expert Adam Spencer hosted by CSU Engineering to present maths problems from latest book to local high school students * Workshop provides hands-on experience to show application of maths, science and engineering to real-life problems * Event showcases opportunities in engineering at CSU National radio and television comedian and maths expert Mr Adam Spencer will present some of his most puzzling maths and number problems at an event for high school students hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 18 October.Mr Spencer will educate and entertain around 200 Years 9 and 10 students from NSW central west schools in CSU Engineering Student Honeycomb space as they tackle problems from his latest best-seller Adam Spencer’s Top 100.Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) project officer with the NSW Department of Education, Mr Matt Scott, said that many puzzles that the students will attempt on the day were designed by Adam and a colleague especially for the book.“The students will never have seen these puzzles before, so they will be a real challenge,” Mr Scott said.“The workshop is a hands-on experience where students draw tables, cut stuff out and realise the application of maths, science and engineering.“We are thrilled to have Mr Spencer visit Bathurst and give regional students an opportunity to participate in one of his entertaining and educating workshops,” he said.CSU Engineering Director, Professor Euan Lindsay, said it made sense to hold the workshop in such a dynamic educational space.“The University’s engineering program is excited to be part of an initiative that continues to breakdown the stereotypes of STEM and showcases opportunities in engineering,” Professor Lindsay said.The event is part of a pilot program by Regional Development Australia Central West titled the STEM Industry School Partnership (SISP) Program.The SISP Program provides students in Years 5 to 9 with STEM skills appropriate for their ages, as well as pathways to STEM jobs. Other activities in the program will include school excursions to industry, visits in class by industry representatives, industry presentations outlining the types of jobs and career pathways, STEM workshops and activity days for students, and professional development sessions for teachers. See further information here.Mr Spencer has been a breakfast radio announcer on national youth radio station Triple J and ABC Sydney. He has also appeared on television comedies such as Good News Week and The Glasshouse, and weekly sports wrap The Back Page. He is a member of the Sleek Geeks Science Team with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki.Event: Adam Spencer’s Top 100 maths show on Thursday 18 October.Session 1: 10am to 12.30pm, Session 2: 1pm to 3.30pmLocation: Student Honeycomb of Learning, CSU Engineering, building 1305, Village Drive, at Charles Sturt University, Panorama Avenue, Bathurst.

* CSU’s Alison Gerard in-conversation with author Clementine Ford * Event held at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC) on Tuesday 2 October * Clementine Ford authored best-selling book Fight Like a Girl and will discuss new book Boys Will Be BoysCharles Sturt University (CSU) Director of the Centre for Law and Justice Associate Professor Alison Gerard (pictured) will next week be in-conversation in Bathurst with best-selling Australian author Clementine Ford about her new book Boys Will Be Boys.Inspired by a question often posed by parents, Ms Ford, author of the ground-breaking feminist book Fight Like A Girl, wrote Boys Will Be Boys in an effort to educate parents and carers on how to raise their sons in a way that prevents them from subscribing to masculinity that is toxic to themselves and also contemptuous of women and girls. Ahead of next Tuesday’s event, Professor Gerard said that this was an opportunity for the Bathurst community to gain important insights into gender stereotypes and how these assumptions about gender start at an early age. It is also a great opportunity to support the Bathurst Writers’ and Readers’ Festival in its events for 2019. “Boys Will Be Boys is a personal account of parenting by Clementine Ford,” Professor Gerard said.“It addresses the levels of sexual and gender-based violence across the Western world. Through conversation, we will cover topics around gender and violence and how to negotiate the complexities of social change in promoting gender and racial equality.As a passionate feminist researcher and leader through her role as Director of the CSU Centre for Law and Justice, Professor Gerard said the event for her will resonate with her research on women’s lived experience and social change.“My research has a social justice focus and aims to transform conflict through documenting and analysing the lived experience of people in the criminal justice system. My research has highlighted the agency of women in negotiating structural violence and its effects.” The discussion items with Ms Ford for next week’s event will cover a very real and topical issue for young adults across regional communities in Australia. CSU is leading the charge for cultural change around sexual assault and sexual harassment through the University’s pastoral care program, ‘Playing It Right’. More details about the program will be covered in next week’s discussion with Professor Alison Gerard.Event organisers, Bathurst Writers’ and Readers’ Festival in association with BooksPlus and Local Stages, welcome all to attend. Event details below:  ‘In Conversation with author Clementine Ford’ – a Bathurst Writers’ and Readers’ Festival event:Time and date: 6.30pm Tuesday 2 October 2018Location: Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, William Street, Bathurst. Cost:$20 adults and $15 concession. All tickets purchased will go towards supporting the Bathurst Writers and Readers Festival in 2019.

* Multiple productions and performances during the last two weeks of September * Opening Ceremony from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday 19 September is an evening of free entertainment starting with free barbeque, then a twenty-minute outdoor performance with fire twirling, large-scale puppets, dancing, and percussion * Festival to showcase five original productionsThe annual 2018 SPRUNG Festival of Creativity will leap to life at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst from Wednesday 19 to Saturday 29 September.The SPRUNG Festival is the work of theatre media students in the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst and Cycle Productions. It involves dozens of students from all years and multiple productions and performances during the last two weeks of September.This year’s festival showcases the creative performance works of third-year theatre media students and will include five original shows each with a running time of 40 to 50 minutes.The Opening Ceremony on the Wednesday 19 September is a free evening of entertainment appropriate for the whole family, as part of the CSU Future Moves Community Fun Night.The event runs from 6pm to 8pm and starts with a free barbeque. It will feature a twenty-minute outdoor performance with fire twirling, large-scale puppets, dancing, and percussion, followed by live music and the festival bar.This is the third SPRUNG festival for final-year theatre media student Ms Sienna Dillon who is the 2018 festival coordinator and spokesperson.“It is so rewarding seeing all years of theatre media working towards the same goal,” Ms Dillon said.“Taking on the festival coordination for my final university role has been a tricky but rewarding experience. This year, we invite the Bathurst community to enter Festival though the elegant outdoor area of the Ponton Theatre courtyard.“Here they will be immersed in the exotic wonderland themed garden, where they will enjoy live music acts, the inexpensive bar between the shows, with the featured performing artist Bathurst’s own Ms Gabbi Bolt (pictured left).”The festival program includes: * Rumble (a scene pictured above) − An immersive, chose-your-own adventure theatre experience into the Amazon, featuring an interactive app * Schapelle, Schapelle − The musical, Corby’s adventure from ‘Brissie to Bali’ * In Between − A drama, where in the world of subconscious grief takes shape * I Will Be King − A scripted psychological thriller interwoven with dance * Sexpectatations − A verbatim and documentary-style theatre production exploring masculinity and femininity.In addition to the festival’s evening performances, the organisers are offering a special ticket price of $5 to encourage CSU staff to attend weekday matinee performances of two of the productions: * In Between, at 11am Wednesday 19 September * Rumble, 11am Wednesday 26 SeptemberTickets for the 2018 SPRUNG Festival are $15 for adults and $10 for students, and can be booked online here: https://www.sprungfestival.com/buy-tickets

* CSU seeks exercise and research participants aged 50+ in Bathurst * Information session answers ‘Why exercise? What type of exercise? How much exercise?’ * Regular exercise like Tai Chi can help older people feel safer in their ability to balance and  decrease their fear of fallingCharles Sturt University (CSU) will host an exercise and research information session on Thursday 15 November for people aged 50 and over in the Bathurst area who are interested to learn more about exercise to help prevent falls and improve their health.The CSU Active Living Longer (ALLong) program led by Dr Eevon Stott (pictured front left in group photo), an adjunct Research Fellow in the CSU School of Exercise Science, Sport and Health in Bathurst, said, “People often wonder, and we are often asked, ‘Why exercise? What type of exercise? How much exercise?’.“We may not have all the answers, but as a university we’re interested in measuring people’s progress over time, and this shapes our research.“We recently concluded an eight-week Tai Chi for Arthritis workshop for those aged 50 years and over because offering Tai Chi is aligned with ALLong’s aim to empower the community to get healthier,” Dr Stott said.“Now that the Tai Chi workshop has concluded, the ALLong program is extending its efforts to bring more people into the gym to exercise to improve health and help prevent falls.”Dr Stott noted that statistics indicate that one-in-three people aged 65-years or over has a fall at least once a year.“We must also remember that even if the fall does not lead to a physical injury, it can have a big social, psychological and economic impact on older individuals and their families,” Dr Stott said.“The gym is a safe and comfortable environment, and who would have thought we’d have women and men, some aged over 80-years, pumping iron? We started with group exercise sessions at the University gym in Bathurst, and in just a matter of weeks, we celebrated ‘small’ successes such as standing from a seated position without pushing off using the arms.”Dr Stott said she understands, however, that the gym environment is not for everyone, and cited the example of the recent eight-week Tai Chi program as an example of an alternative form of exercise that might interest some people.“Some who may be starting from a very low level of fitness may find Tai Chi a better place to begin an exercise program,” she said.Dr Stott said she attended the workshop hosted by Health NSW last year to learn all about Dr Paul Lam’s Tai Chi for Arthritis program.“It was the simplicity of the program that I felt contributed to the solution to getting people to practise at home,” Dr Stott said. “Comprising just six basic movements, I practise at least three times a day which helps me step away from working at my desk.“Being able to speak Mandarin, I find myself using literal Mandarin-to-English translation to provide cues for the moves. It may sound like pidgin English, but it provides the important cues which help the participants learn and memorise all six movements in just eight hours.“Fostering this independence to practise at home is our key objective in this Tai Chi program.“We use a simple survey to track progress over the eight weeks because we are interested to know whether just eight weeks of Tai Chi can help a person feel safer in their ability to balance or perhaps decrease their fear of falling.“When the current participants attend the exercise sessions at the University in the morning, we rarely get a chance to gather socially, so the research information session on Thursday 15 November will also be a valuable opportunity to tell the whole ALLong story!”Active Living Longer Research and Information Session:When: Thursday 15 November, at 5.30pm for a 6.00pm startWhere: in the lecture room at the CD Blake Auditorium (CSU gym), building 1220, Village Drive, Charles Sturt University, Panorama Avenue, BathurstPlease RSVP via email by Tuesday 13 November with numbers attendingTo find out more about ALLong, email estott@csu.edu.au

* Free masterclasses designed for people looking for a career in business * Will help create resumes and job applications for business professions * Held on successive evenings in mid-September at CSU in BathurstCharles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst is offering two free workshops for aspiring business people in the central west on the evenings of Thursday 13 and Friday 14 September.The ‘Business Career’ workshops focus on how to create a professional resume, and how to write a job application that gets an applicant shortlisted for a job.The workshop masterclasses will be delivered by CSU’s Career Development Service led by Ms Cecilia Hunt, and are for people interested in a career in business and who are wanting support in the application process.“The workshops are part of the University’s commitment to support the community,” Ms Hunt said.“We aim to engage with people who really want a career in business but might be at the early stages of that journey, and also those who are looking to apply for a promotion or transition into the business sector.“If participants are interested in further related study and feel they would benefit from supported learning and the co-curricular and industry connection approach, they might also be interested in the new degree, the Bachelor of Business (Industry Professional Practice).”Anyone interested to attend either or both of the free workshops needs to register on the Eventbrite site as places are limited: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/business-career-workshops-tickets-49675667258Choose to attend one or both workshops across two evenings:Workshop 1: Create a professional resume, from 5.30pm to 7pm on Thursday 13 September Register for this free masterclass to learn how to write a professional resume for your career in business.Workshop 2: Write a job application that gets shortlisted, from 5.30pm to 7pm on Friday 14 September 5.30pm to 7pmBook now to learn insider tips for creating a strong job application to get shortlisted for an interview in your business career.Email CSU's Career Development Service for more information about how the University supports students.

* Resources law focuses on environment, cultural heritage and sustainable development * Laws to protect the built, natural, and Indigenous heritage assets examined * Chifley Home Museum in Bathurst a significant example of legislated cultural protectionThe Charles Sturt University (CSU) Centre for Law and Justice last week hosted a residential school in Bathurst for students studying Resources Law as part of their online law degree.Subject convenor of Resources Law and lecturer in the CSU Centre for Law and Justice Dr Kim Browne said students from Sydney, Wagga Wagga, and the Hunter region engaged with a varied program of lectures and workshops conducted by academics and practitioners in various facets of Resources Law during the three-day residential school in Bathurst.“It was rewarding to see the students respond to legal discussion and debate in focus areas that included the environment, cultural heritage and sustainable development,” Dr Browne said.“A highlight of the residential school was a workshop held at Chifley Home Museum in Bathurst hosted by Bathurst Regional Council.“The visit to Chifley Home was part of the University’s continuing partnership with Bathurst Regional Council and its cultural facilities.“The students were guided on a tour of the former prime minister’s home by Charles Sturt University academic Mr Sam Malloy.“Council’s senior strategic planner Mr Nicholas Murphy presented a talk on heritage protection from a local government perspective.“He outlined various examples in the Bathurst area where local government planning laws protected the built, natural, and Indigenous heritage assets.“The building and collection at the Chifley Home Museum are listed on the NSW State Heritage Register which acts as a significant example of legislated cultural protection.”This year’s residential school program also included academic Ms Ros Vickers from Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory. Ms Vickers lectured on the Northern Territory coal seam gas ‘fracking’ inquiry, Indigenous communities and mining, and international environmental law using case-studies specific to the Northern Territory and the Asia-Pacific Region.Resources Law was developed by Dr Browne in 2015, and is one of two ‘capstone subjects’ that form CSU’s Bachelor of Laws.Find out more about CSU law courses here.

* Free one-hour masterclass will explore process of identifying and analysing Bathurst businesses’ stakeholders * Masterclass will help businesses to develop practical strategies to engage stakeholders with their businessCenWest Innovate will present a free ‘Public Relations Stakeholder Analysis Masterclass’ for business people in Bathurst on Thursday 6 September.The workshop will be presented by Dr Sharon Schoenmaker, the acting Head of the School of Communication and Creative Industries at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst.Prior to joining CSU in 2009, Dr Schoenmaker worked in professional communication practice spanning public relations, organisational communication, and project management. Her research explores the use of social media in interacting with others online.Dr Schoenmaker (pictured) said, “This hour-long masterclass will take participants through the process of identifying and analysing their stakeholders and assist them to develop practical strategies to engage stakeholders with their business.“The session will provide participants with the tools to prioritize existing relationships with stakeholders and identify opportunities to grow their business,” Dr Schoenmaker said.“Local businesses know their customers better than anyone else. This workshop will assist business owners to maximize those interactions with customers to benefit their business.”The ‘Public Relations Stakeholder Analysis Masterclass’ on Thursday 6 September will be held at the Upstairs Startup Hub, Level 1, 203-209 Russell St, Bathurst.Registration is from 8am, for the one-hour masterclass starting 8.30am to conclude at 9.30am.The masterclass is free but participants must register: https://www.facebook.com/events/503503743428939/