One of the most hotly anticipated theatrical events from this year’s program comes 887, an introspective piece from acclaimed theatremaker Rober Lepage. Written, directed, designed and performed by Lepage, the production sees him cast his eye onto the most difficult subject of all – himself. Making its Australian premiere, the play begins in his childhood home of 887 Avenue Murray in Quebec City and subsequently moves across decades in a tale that proves inseparable from the dramatic events of the half century in which it plays out.
What would you do to discover the most essential part of yourself? How far would you go to bring it back? These are the questions asked by the groundbreaking and intimate production, The Echo of the Shadow. Built for a single audience member to experience one at a time, you will enter a labyrinth inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fable of the traveller who lost their shadow before undertaking a sensory experience – listening, smelling, tasting and feeling your way through a dreamlike underworld that unfurls around you.
From Canada’s Les 7 Doigts (The 7 Fingers), comes a performance that straddles the line between circus and dance like no other. Inviting a trip of renowned choreographers to re-imagine these forms, Triptyque is a surreal melange of impressionistic movement coupled with reality defying artisty that pushes the boundaries of what the human body is capable of. Both melancholy and playful, the work moves between hospital walls and dreamscapes in a production that seems to suspend gravity and belief – if only for one night.
Forget everything you thought you knew about ice skating. From Canada’s Le Patin Libre comes Vertical Influences, bringing the technical virtuosity of contemporary movement together with the visceral nature of street dance – all taking place on the ice. Five performers turn their backs on sequins and scorecards in favour of adrenaline-pumping athletics and theatrical sophistication in a production renowned across the world for its unique vision.
Coming from renowned Japanese visual artist Chiharu Shiota is The Home Within, making for an immersive and textural artistic experience. The work invites curious punters to step inside a weblike structure of vibrant red string, enveloping the viewer in a creation that is equal parts strong and fragile. Shiota’s work will be coming to Melbourne for the first time ever, with The Home Within raising questions between the tangible and intangible; the visible and the distant.
