On Saturday at The Lock-Up, Heart Open will collaborate with Hunter Young Professionals and Hunter Innovation Festival to bring everything from heartfelt discussion to Brazilian percussion.
Performers from Newcastle dance organisation Catapult will launch the evening, and from there guests are invited to a 90-second open mic pitch session to share their passion, ideas or business.
The night includes a panel titled "Innovate to Regenerate" hosted by ABC TV's Kirsten Drysdale with panellists INSIDE ELANDS Lock-UP Exhibitor Una Rey, AfriB Creations business owner Bronwyn Hassan, Hunter Young Professional Daniel Drayton and environmental activist and poet George Woods.
Later comes SambaFrog, a multicultural percussionist group performing Brazilian rhythms. The night wraps up with improv teacher, writer and actor Lou Chapman sharing improv games.
It's one of dozens of events that Newcastle writers Alex Morris and Chloe Warren have been producing since 2017.
The two work together creatively in different capacities to bring together a variety of events, first focused on performance and then based on workshops after COVID hit.
Their first event was held at The Grain Store in Newcastle East, and their most recent event was a Drag King Show at Adamstown Uniting Church,
Since 2019, the Hunter Writers Centre has supported Heart Open by paying a range of artists, writers, dancers, musicians and performers brought on board by Warren and Morris.
"Storytelling comes in all forms and HWC, while being the peak literary body in the Hunter, is always seeking ways to support a variety of story formats and story creators," HWC director Karen Crofts says.
"We've seen so many different events take place through Heart Open.
"There was Ivy Ireland reading poetry at The Wickham Park Hotel, musical trio The Illume Girls performing at The Lock-Up, retro aerobics group Fondalicious at the Newcastle Art Gallery and a rap-science collaboration between rapper Dawn Laird and scientist Heather Stevens at the Newcastle Museum.
Tickets via @HerArtOpen on Instagram or Facebook.
