What begins as a spoken word night in a local community space evolves into a daring, ensemble‑driven theatre work blending spoken word, music, movement, and activism. This new work will centre the lived experiences of Global Majority (BIPOC) young adults; exploring intersectionality, belonging and self-discovery.

To kick off the process, we’re running some free theatre and music workshops, exclusively for Global Majority community members aged 18 - 35. The theatre, spoken word and rap workshops led by Yasmin Gurreeboo (ActNow Theatre Artistic Director), Valerie Berry (ActNow Theatre Associate Artist) and Kultar Ahluwalia (hip-hop artist, The Mixed-Race Tape), will be a fun opportunity to learn new performing arts skills in an inclusive space and connect with your community through sharing stories.

Participants may also be invited to join future stages of development as professionally paid performers in Everything I Was Told Not To Be.

Workshop Facilitators

Yasmin Gurreeboo is the CEO & Artistic Director of ActNow Theatre, bringing over two decades of experience in the performing arts as a director, producer, and Community Arts and Cultural Development (CACD) practitioner. Yasmin’s international career includes leadership positions at prestigious institutions including West Wing Arts Centre (UK), Harrow Arts Centre (UK), and the Barbican Centre (London).
A graduate of the University of Exeter with First Class Honours in Drama, Yasmin further honed her craft at the renowned Jacques Lecoq International Theatre School in Paris.
Her recent directorial achievements include the world premiere of ‘Here and There’ (DreamBig Festival/ActNow Theatre) and ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ (State Theatre Company of South Australia). Notable career highlights include the award-winning ‘That Boy’  (Holden Street Theatre/Adelaide Fringe), the innovative digital-theatre hybrid ‘Decameron 2.0’ (ActNow Theatre/State Theatre Company of South Australia), ‘An Ode To My Sisters’ (UK Tour), and the award-nominated ‘And No More Shall We Part’ (Bakehouse Theatre, SA).
Throughout her career, Yasmin has championed new works by South Australian artists, collaborating with early career playwrights like Manal Younus, Lur Alghurabi, Holly Brindley, Martha Lott, and Julian Janesch. 
Yasmin remains deeply committed to amplifying historically underrepresented voices and fostering diversity in all its forms on stage.

Kultar Ahluwalia is a multidisciplinary hip hop artist from Southern Adelaide with Punjabi and Irish roots. At a young age coming to terms with his identity, Kultar found wisdom in the empowering words of revolutionary hip hop artists.  Kultar has been releasing and performing music over the last two decades under various pseudonyms and in the group, We Move Like Giants. More recently, Kultar began creating works under his birth name. 
In 2023, Kultar was selected as one of six artists in the Nexus Arts Interplay Program. During his time in the program, Kultar created a new stage show and accompanying EP “The Mixed-Race Tape”. 
In 2024, “The Mixed-Race Tape” was premiered at OzAsia Festival across two capacity shows at Nexus Arts with glowing reception. Kultar was invited for performances and media appearances on outlets such as ABC Radio National, SBS, Channel 9, themusic.com.au and Glam Adelaide. 
In 2025, is taking “The Mixed-Race Tape” into new territories across Australia and, as always, hitting the home studio and sharing new music. And, in a full circle moment, Kultar recently commenced working with Nexus Arts supporting and mentoring the next cohort of Interplay artists.

Valerie Berry is a theatre maker and arts worker. Throughout her practice, she has focused on cross cultural, collaborative and interdisciplinary processes. Recent works include, Future World Hypothesis, with Performosa Theatre, performed at Cloudgate Theatre, Taiwan; Directed Danielle Lim’s Caught In Between, and Van Badham’s play Bang On The Nerve at Goodwood Theatre; Australian Performance Exchange’s (Sydney) development collaboration with Performosa Theatre (Taiwan), The Island Project, 2023; CAAP (Contemporary Asian Australian Performance) as a facilitator: 2021- 2024 Artist Lab SA, and Double Delicious: writer/performer for Sydney Festival and Asia Topa 2020, remount director/performer for OzAsia Festival 2021, and performer/co-director touring regional VIC and NSW 2022; North/Eastern States tour of The Folding Wife (Urban Theatre Projects, toured by Performing Lines); National Theatre of Parramatta (Swallow, 2016-performer) and Directed (Let Me Know When You get Home, 2021). In 2022, Valerie was the Associate Director for State Theatre South Australia’s production of Single Asian Female. Valerie is an Associate Artist at ActNow Theatre and works as a coordinator, facilitator, mentor and collaborator. She is the Artistic coordinator for their Cultural Leaders program. Valerie has had an ongoing collaborative partnership with multimedia artists, Anino Shadowplay Collective (Manila, Philippines) and Paschal Daantos Berry, since 2005: The Folding Wife; Within and Without (Performance Space and Blacktown Arts Centre); Arkipelago, and Arkipelago2: Intima-sea (Yogyakarta, Indonesia); and This here.Land, Performance Space: Liveworks Festival, 2017.

Upcoming Workshops

Rap & spoken word workshops with Northern Sound System  

6:30 - 8:30pm
Thursdays - 16th October + 23rd October
Northern Sound System (Elizabeth)

Led by Kultar Ahluwalia

Weekend theatre workshop with Northern Sound System

10am - 4:30pm each day 
Saturday 18th + Sunday 19th October
Northern Sound System (Elizabeth)

Led by Valerie Berry, supported by Kultar Ahluwalia, Delia Olam and Salemah Abdalaal

Weekend Spoken word & Theatre workshop with The Gathered Sound

10am - 4:30pm each day 
Saturday 22nd + Sunday 23rd November
ActNow Theatre (Pirltawardli/North Adelaide)

Led by Yasmin Gurreeboo, supported by Alexis West, Nita Kaye and Arantza Garcia

Registrations open 22nd October

Weekend Theatre workshop with ActNow Theatre

10am - 4:30pm each day 
Saturday 15th + Sunday 16th November
ActNow Theatre (Pirltawardli/North Adelaide)

Led by Yasmin Gurreeboo, supported by Valerie Berry, Chris Best and Nescha Jelk

Registrations open 17th October

Weekend Theatre workshop with ActNow Theatre

10am - 4:30pm each day 
Saturday 15th + Sunday 16th November
ActNow Theatre (Pirltawardli/North Adelaide)

Led by Yasmin Gurreeboo, supported by Valerie Berry

Registrations open 17th October