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I Love You
Janet Diane (Sydney NSW)
- A new theatre performance telling the story of a young woman who lives with a disability in Western Sydney.
Janet is a young woman with dreams: Janet was a professional tango dancer but something happens to her, the world as she knew it ceased to exist. She lay in a hospital bed for many months, she was unable to walk, unable to talk, only able to mutter the words “I love You”. The tango dance lends itself quite beautifully to the performance of I Love You as the main character and a dancer will be using Tango as one of the ways to interpret elements of Janet’s story.
Don't DIS my ABILITY event details
Performance date
- 4 December 2009, 7pm
Process
The I Love You theatre project, based on a real story from a young woman who lives with a disability, is in the second-stage of creative development.
“I want to show the audience some of the many challenges I faced through my life and what I had overcome to succeed in life with my abilities,” said Janet Diane, writer and performer of I Love You.
Started in 2008, Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT) has been supporting Janet Diane to write her first performance based on her life experiences as a young woman who defies expectation to pursue her own dreams.
Over the next few weeks Janet Diane, the director Tanya Dickson, and dancers Yamila Falcon and Alvaro Gonzalez, will embark on the project’s second creative development phase, exchange ideas and push the boundaries of 
integrated performance. The project will launch a work-in-progress showcase on 4 December 2009 as a part of International Day of People With a Disability celebration.
“This will be a piece of theatre knotted through with emotion, Tango and humour,” said Tanya Dickson, Director of I Love You. “A collaborative exploration, delving into dance, memories, desires and of course a young woman’s love of shoes.”
“We are very excited about the second-stage of I Love You, particularly for the chance to create awareness amongst a wider audience of the work that is going on in the field of integrated performance,” said Claudia Chidiac, Artistic Director, Powerhouse Youth Theatre.
When asked about the benefits of being involved in theatre, Janet responded, "I have the opportunities to express myself, I can step out of the norm, I can be anyone or anything. When something dramatic changes in your life, you can still reach for your goal."
Media information and coverage:
About the artist and organisation
About Janet Diane
Janet Diane is a performer, writer and a qualified bookkeeper. She had participated in drama, acting and theatre workshop with PYT, Accessible arts, NIDA and ATYP. Her performance credits include: Hard Daze (PYT), I Love you a reading (PYT) as part of youth engagement Showcase at STC; Craving (ATYP), Blackrock (Chullora Tafe), More than Water (Bangarra Theatre). Janet has also worked as a facilitator assistant for people with a disability in Unlock your Creativity. Janet was also the face of the Don't Dis my ABILITY campaign from 2004 to 2007.
About the Director
Tanya Dickson’s directing credits include Gordon Graham’s The Boy’s, (Arts Theatre UNE), C.S Lewis’s Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (NBYT), Ten Minutes in my Shoes (Short & Sweet) and Jonathan Ari Lander’s Measure (Brand Spanking New Festival - New Theatre). This year Tanya has worked as an Assistant Director on Cosi (New Theatre), No Man’s Island (Old Fitzroy Theatre), and Decadence (Tap Gallery), as well as working for Legs on the Wall’s Three Feet First emerging artist program. She is a proud member of MEAA.
Powerhouse Youth Theatre
Powerhouse Youth Theatre is the leading youth theatre company in Western Sydney. By engaging with young people from across the region, PYT creates new, innovative and inclusive performing arts opportunities led by collaborative processes and participation.
Project partners
Powerhouse Youth Theatre, Janet Diane