THE biggest ever Young Entertainers in the Street Festival (YESFest) took place on Friday night, with more than 2000 people making their way to the region’s premier celebration of young people in the performing arts.
The culmination of weeks of Fairfax Festival workshops, the event saw young people from schools throughout northern Victoria strut their skills in the streets of the Pioneer Settlement. Every year, organisers draw artists who are experts in their field to the district to work with students in workshops designed to inspire creativity within the performing arts.
This year’s event also featured The X Factor star Taylor Henderson as the headline act, with screaming fans flooding the Settlement’s wharf area for his live show.
Swan Hill’s director of performing arts Adrian Corbett said he had been “astounded” by the level of support shown by the community on Friday night.
“I was blown away,” Mr Corbett said. “It exceeded everyone’s expectations.”
About 2500 people attended the festival, up from 1100 last year and 400 in its inaugural year four years ago.
Mr Corbett said thanks to the efforts of volunteers and those involved, the event had shown a balance between theatre, music and technology, the theme of the 2014 event.
“This event is the culmination of the Fairfax Festival, which is about theatre, and last year I think the music overpowered the festival participants a little, whereas this year it was a great celebration of music, theatre and technology,” he said.
“Those different elements were never in competition, and that goes down to the volunteers.”
In addition to the more than 40 volunteers who put their hands up to help out, the festival also featured performances from 17 different school groups from throughout Victoria and New South Wales, leadership from nine artists and three simultaneously running stages.
In keeping with the theme of technology and its role in the performing arts, films made by students and artists were played against the walls of the Pioneer Settlement, while young people staged skits at random intervals at various locations.
“[The students] had an absolute ball,” Mr Corbett said.
“The Fairfax story used be told on stage in the Town Hall for friends and family… now these kids are learning important skills by performing to thousands.”
Taught to use their phones, cameras and other equipment to produce theatre, Mr Corbett said the students — from schools as far as Shepparton and Mildura — were eager to learn more.
“I’ve had so many enquiries from the kids about our Artist in Residence program and the artists are keeping in contact with them,” he said.
“This was an opportunity for them to realise what is possible out there, and that just because you live in a remote area doesn’t mean you can’t follow your dream.”
