Createability internship program welcomes host organisations and interns for 2025

Twelve talented interns are gearing up for exciting professional development internship roles with arts, screen and music organisations through the NSW Government’s groundbreaking Createability program, aimed to support the creative industries overcome the invisible barriers to employment for practitioners living with disability.

According to 2022 research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 5.5 million Australians or 21.4% of the population live with disability. Participation in the arts as creators, volunteers and donors is higher for people with disability than people without disability, yet disability employment statistics in the creative industries reveal a different picture.  The most recent economic study of professional artists in Australia (Throsby and Petetskaya 2024) found 16% of professional artists live with disability, and artists with disability experience unemployment at greater rates than artists without disability.

The Createability Internship Program opens doors for creative practitioners with disability or who are d/Deaf by facilitating paid internships in hands-on roles with leading arts, screen, music and cultural organisations. This year’s program has the largest cohort of interns and host organisations to date.

The program has proven to be a profoundly career-enhancing and capacity-building initiative in previous years for the creative industries in NSW and is now the model for a national pilot scheme.

Createability host organisations and interns for 2025 are:

• ABC – Children’s and Family team - Intern: Annidette Puni
• ABC – Compass – Intern: Sarah Korte
• Community Broadcasting Association of Australia – Intern - name withheld 
• Drama Queen – Intern: Dominique Carr
• Erth Visual & Physical Theatre Inc – Intern: Rose Pascoe
• Milk Crate Theatre – Intern: Tonya Lee
• Musica Viva Australia – Intern: Emily White
• Performance Space – Intern: Anna del Rosario
• Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) – Intern: Inez Playford
• Sprung Dance Theatre – Intern: Amy Bauder
• Sydney Theatre Company – Intern: Liliko'i Schneiders
• The House That Dan Built – Intern: Leila Harris

Interns build networks and skills to pursue long-term professional careers, while host organisations benefit from increased capacity and knowledge to create accessible pathways to employment.

The Createability Internship Program is delivered by Create NSW, Sound NSW and Screen NSW, in partnership with Accessible Arts.  For more information, visit create.nsw.gov.au.

Kyas Hepworth, Head of Screen NSW said:

“Stronger participation, representation and diversity in the screen industry ensures genuine inclusion, and allows our industry to tell more untold stories. Right from the start, the NSW screen industry has embraced this groundbreaking program. Our host organisations find the program to be rewarding and many return year after year. We’re pleased to see so many doors open into the screen sector through the internships.”

Karen Rodgers, Director Arts, Create NSW said:

“This remarkable program has set the benchmark as we strive towards a truly accessible and inclusive arts and cultural sector.

“The impact of this program can be felt long after each internship. Createability has been a catalyst for career advancement for many creative practitioners living with disability or who are d/Deaf, and has connected organisations with some incredible creatives.”

Emily Collins, Head of Sound NSW said:

“This program is doing much more than removing barriers to access and inclusion – it’s supporting organisations to tap into the enormous potential of music industry professionals with disability and create long-term pathways to success.” 

Accessible Arts CEO Liz Martin said:

“The Createability Internship Program continues to grow from strength to strength, and Accessible Arts is proud to partner with the NSW Government through Create NSW, Screen NSW and Sound NSW on this program to provide training, support and advocacy.

“The success of the Createability Internship Program can be attributed to the wonderful host organisations who openly embrace the opportunity and the fantastic interns who bring so much passion and talent. I look forward to seeing this year’s interns make their mark in their chosen fields.”

Anne Dunn, Executive Director and co-CEO, Sydney Theatre Company said:

“Sydney Theatre Company is committed to advancing inclusion and meaningful representation in the workplace. Through STC’s engagement with the Createability Internship Program since 2022, we’ve deepened our understanding of how to remove barriers and expand opportunities for people with disability to shape and contribute to the theatre landscape.  Internships offer invaluable, hands-on experience for those pursuing a career in the theatre; the Createability interns STC has hosted in our Props and Costume departments over the last few years have also been invaluable in helping our teams to understand how we can better connect with and support people with disability in the workplace’’.

About Accessible Arts

Accessible Arts is the peak arts and disability organisation in New South Wales. The organisation works to advance the rights of, and opportunities for, people with disability or who are d/Deaf to develop and sustain professional careers in the arts and have equitable access to arts and culture across NSW. As a leading disability, access and inclusion training provider for the Arts and Culture sector, Accessible Arts provides a range of courses and resources, including innovative quarterly panels, professional development masterclasses, webinars, videos and podcasts. Accessible Arts is proudly supported by Create NSW. https://aarts.net.au/ 

Image: Screen NSW Createability Interns and Hosts 2025 L-R: Veronica Milsom, Annidette Puni, Liz Martin, Inez Playford, and Screen NSW's Danielle McCarthy