Alexis West is a proud Birri Gubba, Wakka Wakka, Kanak, Caucasian writer, poet, director, performer, artist, collaborator and facilitator. A current resident artist at Vitals Statistix, she will be performing at the 2018 Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair in new work BUKAL. Alexis recently co-curated the Australian Theatre Forum 2017 with Steve Mayhew. She has collaborated to create theatre with No Strings Theatre of Disability, Kururru and Karrikarrinya Theatre Collective. She co-wrote SISTA GIRL with Elena Carapetis for State Theatre South Australia and Yirra Yaakin. Alexis has written and directed several short documentaries for NITV’s Our Stories Our Way and was a presenter and producer for NITV’s Around The Traps. She has only recently crossed over mediums to radio as a producer and presenter for NUNGA WANGGA Radio Adelaide 101.5 online and digital.

 

She says “I love all platforms of storytelling, song, good communication and sharing. Living in Adelaide and raising my two sons as a single parent I was unable to commit to pursuing a passion for radio until recently. Adelaide does not have a First Nations Radio station it only has an ongoing program NUNGA WANGGA a 2 hour program on Monday nights 7-9pm
For several years I’d be invited in by either Uncle Stevie Goldsmith or his partner Christine Brown as a guest to share what work I was doing in the community. I loved it!
Last year in July Uncle Stevie passed away leaving not only a huge loss for our community but huge radio footprints to follow. The core team have carried on valiantly around the loss, continuing the show as well as bringing Yarning Country, Deadly Beatz and Deadly Graveyard to Friday nights. I was invited to come in to Yarning Country in late January as a guest. As a quiet feminist I felt a need to ‘break up the sausage fest’ and bring a female voice to our community’s ears. I’ve since crossed over to NUNGA WANGGA bringing my skills as a creative producer/practitioner in film and theatre to producing and presenting for radio. I’m taking a 4 month break to perform in Far North Queensland but will be back on the radio waves in October.

I entered the NFDS to challenge myself to develop my skills in story telling and radio. My story I hope is a humorous account of my train wreck dating choices. How I enable bad behaviour and how society conditions our thinking around gender roles, male toxicity and female enabling. It may not sound hilarious. But seriously IT IS!!!! If I didn’t laugh I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning to function. I have a self deprecating sense of humour and I’m happy to use my passionate but often bad choices to entertain and I hope empower other women.“