Jepke Goudsmit 

Sydney-based performing arts company Kinetic Energy Theatre Company turned 40 this year. It is a miraculous achievement to survive in a dog-eat-dog world. Our consumer society is ruled by commercialisation and profit-making. The powers that be would rather feed cultural atrophy and political amnesia than cultivate intelligent artistic endeavours for the health and vibrancy of the people.

The election showed Most people in our country Still unwilling to take the plunge Towards system overhaul Chosing instead to remain Blind in the face of climate change Deaf to the groans of the earth and its poor Dumb to the call for justice and peace Heads spinning with doublespeak And massive media manipulation Wondering how to cope with this Collective conservatism and the Pettiness of political leaders I wander around the flat A little bewildered and sad To find myself in front of My bedside bookshelves Metamorphosis Why Marx was right Unfinished Animal

The Kinetic Energy theatre company, a Sydney-based independent company, has just returned from its first national tour of the year: four weeks of performing our Village Space theatre-in-education program in Tasmania, Melbourne, Gippsland, and the Riverina, across April and May. Over the years, we have developed an engaging way of educating young people about social justice. We focus on issues such as poverty, inequality, refugees, Indigenous struggle and the environment, and how these issues are interconnected.

Sydney-based Kinetic Energy Theatre Company's team of six actors performed their show about the Australian 1965 “freedom ride” at Sydney University on December 14. The performance was part of a conference organised by the Aboriginal Studies Association and attended by teachers and Aboriginal counsellors from all over NSW.