A not-for-profit company based in Sydney, New South Wales, The Red Room Company's manifesto has been to create, promote, and publish a spectrum of poetry by Australian writers in unusual ways. Through a range of forms such as radio, television and live performance, the company attempts to broaden the public's definition of, and experience with, Australian poetry. They work in collaboration with poets, schools, and community organisations.
The Red Room Company grew out of the Red Room Radio Show, first broadcast on 89.7fm Eastside Radio in 2001. Produced and presented by Johanna Featherstone, the show presented poetry, writing, reviews, and interviews with Australian writers to a local Sydney audience. In 2002, The Red Room Epic project was created, whereby 30 writers under 35 years of age were commissioned to write poetry for national community radio broadcast and online. Poets were interviewed and an audio epic poem was crafted. This project won the prestigious 'Best New Innovative Radio Program' at the 2002 National Community Radio awards, run by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. By the end of 2002, The Red Room Radio Show and the Red Room project had developed a network of poets and poetry supporters Australia-wide.
In order to continue creating original poetry-inspired projects for the public in a free and creative environment, Johanna Featherstone established the Red Room Company in 2003. Among its later projects has been The Wordshed series, first broadcast in 2006 by Sydney community television station TVS. The Red Room Company also developed Australia's first interactive poetry-mapping app, which featured over two hundred poems, commissioned for the project.
Among the community projects with which the Red Room Company has been involved are Poetry Object (a free poetry competition for young writers and their teachers) and Unlocked (an educational arts program run in collaboration with educational staff from correctional centres across NSW).
In 2018, The Red Room Company developed the Poetry in First Languages Program for students in years 3-11.
Sources include The Red Room Company website http://redroomcompany.org/ (Sighted: 05/03/2019).
