Standing outside the Umina Beach PCYC in April this year, the mother of a teenage boy wept. She wept for her son, who was inside, finally feeling safe, happy, and included. Through her tears, the mother thanked the organisers of the Youth Dance inside, telling them her son hadn’t left his room in two years. The PCYC would later tell the organisers they’d never had a dance party like it.
The party was the YAAS! Teen Dance Party, put on for Rainbow youth, their mates, family and allies. It’s just one of a collection of cultural events the changemakers at Naughty Noodle Fun Haus have added to their swag of success stories since breaking onto the local social scene four years ago. Their first event in November 2018 generated lines of people snaking down the street and birthed a local appetite for a new entertainment offering for the region.
The following year festivals were added. Initial crowd expectations of about 800 for the first Coastal Twist Festival were exceeded as a whopping 7,500 people showed up across a completely sold out three days of multi-arts events. And the interest hasn’t stalled – festival numbers this October increased by 33 per cent.
Naughty Noodle Fun Haus, Central Coast
So, who is behind this powerhouse of community culture vitalisation? We have Naughty Noodle Fun Haus co-founders, Glitta Supernova and Juan Iocco, to thank for the rising swell of support for an ambitious and forward-thinking arts, performance, and cultural scene.
Creative Director Glitta, as well as co-founder Juan, moved to the Coast from Sydney in 2012. With a solid list of accolades under her belt from festivals around the world, it took her no time to realise what was missing.
Despite the Central Coast being the third largest region in NSW, the pair noticed diverse representation was lacking in local contemporary arts and culture. A survey of more than 100 artists revealed they were intentionally bypassing the Central Coast when touring.
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Intro Coastal Twist Festival on the Central Coast by Naughty Noodle Haus
Together with Juan, Glitta had a vision for change. They pulled together a pilot six-month season of programming, and despite the challenges of the pandemic, have thrived, successfully extending the calendar of quality inclusive local events since.
Changing the narrative of arts and culture for the Central Coast, Glitta now rightfully boasts that in four short years Naughty Noodle Fun Haus has become the leading arts and culture organisation for the region through the delivery of contemporary, multi-arts and culture across theatre, cabaret, fashion, dance, live music, and large-scale festivals.
“All work is both original and inclusive and has changed the face and language of other arts organisations, groups and venues in the region ensuring we are all on the path to a more equitable, inclusive place to work, rest and play,” she said.
When asked what her hopes were, she told Coasties: “a thriving region which enables local businesses and creatives to share and breed their own unique local offering.”
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We hate to break it to you Glitta, but we think you’ve already nailed it.
Learn more about Naughty Noodle and get tickets to shows via their online home here.
Congratulation!