NORPA has announced that one third of local hip hop outfit Teddy Lewis King will join the theatre company for a residency next month.

Yaegl and Bundjalung performer and creator Mitch King will be researching and developing a new work with the working title Flow as part of NORPA’s Indigenous Makers Studio initiative.

“Flow is a piece about the connections we have with water and the relationships we’ve had with this element throughout history, from our ancestors to the present,” King said.

“I’ll be exploring how the universal theme of ‘water' Flow connects with the Bundjalung nation and Yaegl country, respecting the stories that make us who we are, not only from the land but also the rivers, lakes, waterfalls and ocean.

“The stories continue to create connections to the places we call home, family and community.”

King is a creative producer specialising in hip hop music and dance and has previously worked with NORPA as an associate producer and is currently a NORPA associate artist.

He is one part of local hip hop group Teddy Lewis King and a youth educator through the Dream Bigger initiative in Northern NSW.

He will be researching the project on Yaegl country on the coast in the weeks prior to the residency and will be collaborating with community and other artists during this time.

There will be a community sharing of the work - which will include elements of projection, music, poetry and dance - at NORPA at Lismore City Hall on August 16. 

NORPA’s Indigenous Makers Studio supports emerging and mid-career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island artists originating from or based in NSW to deepen their performing arts practice, hone their professional skills and develop ideas for new works.

As part of the initiative, King will receive an artist fee, access to NORPA’s studio space, production support, producer support and access to the theatre company’s creative expertise.

"This residency at NORPA will be a great opportunity for me to explore and extend on what these stories mean to not only myself but to the community,” he said.

“Through this research and development I also want explore artistic mediums that will continue to keep these stories alive."