HOSTING MILLENNIUM 8

Millennium 8
Making Poverty History

a dance theatre production

This gripping production takes the audience through images and stories reflecting on the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals. These goals were set by the countries of the United Nations in the year 2000 in order to halve world poverty by the year 2015. In 2008 whilst some progress has been made, in many areas progress is far from being on track to reach the goals by 2015. Amongst much talk of statistics and analysis, Breakthru’ Artz seeks to keep the stories of real people in real poverty alive through dance, drama, music, photography and physical theatre, stirring us to ongoing action. Originally staged in 2005 and 2006 as MAKE POVERTY HISTORY images and stories, “Millennium 8” keeps some of the original ideas with completely fresh material, new stories, new cast and fresh approaches for this 2008 production.
 

AVAILABLE FOR TOURING!
Breakthru Artz is keen to share Millennium 8 broadly to help raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals and the Make Poverty History Campaign. The production can be shown as a whole (approx 40mins) or a single or several separate goals (3-6mins per goal) and is suitable for schools, churches, socials justice events, festivals and conferences. The production can be accompanied by workshops on the MDG’s, advocacy and the arts as well as other performance repertoire on social justice themes such as fair trade, maternal health and more.

For more information on hosting Millennium 8 contact:
Caroline Kilby (Breakthru Artz Event Manager)
Email: caroline@breakthruartz.org.au
Phone: 0406 265 593
Website: www.breakthruartz.org.au

Millennium 8 – The content
 

  MDG 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
A dance/physical theatre piece with a hip hop flavour reflecting on the phenomena of faceless statistics and drawing on the stories of 2 women. One who lives on a rubbish dump in Ecuador, the other works in a garment factory in India.
 

MDG 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
A duologue based on the stories of refugees in Australia and the contrast in the experience of opportunities and attitudes to education between the generations due to a change in geographic location.
 

MDG 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
A drama reflecting the global issues facing women as discussed in the forum of the United Nations and the implications for individual women in Bangladesh as they find empowerment in the context of loan groups.
 

MDG 4: Reduce Child Mortality
A dance/physical theatre piece depicting the shocking reality of children dying of preventable diseases such as measles and the effective and affordable solution of distributing immunisation, giving life to millions.

  MDG 5: Improve Maternal Health
A drama/physical theatre piece of a man in a remote village sharing his joys and concerns at his wife’s pregnancy and out of desperation, sends her on a long journey alone to seek out medical help.

MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases
A monologue and dance created in response to a visit to South Africa and the damaging implications of the AIDS epidemic on whole communities. A young child describes the disease as a monster coming to her village, attacking her neighbours and family.

MDG 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Contemporary dance and photography present images of a damaged environment due to agricultural technology, mining, deforestation, natural disasters and a lack of access to clean water.
 
MDG 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
A physical theatre piece portraying the connection and relationship between the developed world and the developing world in the areas of aid, trade and debt. This final piece invites the audience to engage in a response to the issues presented.