Arts Projects Australia

BALLET PRELJOCAJ The Rite of Spring (France)

"Whenever I listen to Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" - veritable gound-swell of music of the 20th century - what I fill tanspires through this work is as much a matter of fascination as of a feeling of ancestral terror.

This music unceasingly carries along with it a slowly rising force of desire, and at the same time, a kind of controlled panic.  A blend of madness at the thought of perpetrating an act literally dictated by the very molecules of our being and at the same time of jubilation stimulated buy our senses - a leap forward imbued here with the power of an irremediable force.  When faced with this ancestral mechanism, the bodies of the dancers, drunk with exhaustion have no choice but to participate in this ritual".  Angelin Preljocaj

A remounting of the original creation (2001) for 12 dancers with choreography by Angelin Preljocaj - to coincide with the 100th anniversary of this seminal work. 
 

BELVOIR The End (Australia)

"Eamon Flack's production of The End, with its characteristic combination of bleakness and rich humanity, is a theatrical triumph. It deserves to tour widely."  The Australian

An exquisite production from Sydney's acclaimed Belvoir, Beckett's extraordinary novella The End stakes a claim to be considered one of the great theatrical monologues of the 20th century. Robert Menzies' performance of the uncut text is widely regarded as a career highlight from one of the country's great actors and amongst the finest performances on the Australian stage in recent years.

A man enters a bare stage, reluctantly places his feet on a small white cross on the floor, slowly looks at us all, and begins to speak. He speaks about the last months of his life and his agitated search for a place to live out his days. Seventy minutes later, still on the cross, in a passage of startling beauty, he finds release.

The End is an unexpected Australian revelation of this magnificent Irish writer.

CIRKUS CIRKÖR Undermän (Sweden)

Undermän is the Swedish term for the base in pair acrobatics. The base, usually a man, is the one who lifts and supports, overshadowed by his partner's acrobatic skills.  (Under in Swedish also means wonder or miracle).  

Undermän is the true story of three male pair acrobats who lost their partners, and consequently their careers and dreams as well. They have lived a life supporting, balancing, lifting and saving their cherished ones. But who is there to support an abandoned underman?

In a quest to regain their zest for life, they decide to create something completely new. Together with the well-worn musician Andreas, they throw themselves into a performance full of truths, hidden talents, male strength, kettlebell choreography, live music, failure, an austere sense of humour and an important story to tell. They break all the rules by letting the stronghold outshine the embellishment and making sensitivity as important as strength. With raw strength, fragility, defiance, melancholy, cockiness and a need for revenge they now take a big step into the limelight to meet audiences as well as themselves in a surprising performance that is sure to move you to the core.
 

CIRKUS CIRKÖR Wear It Like A Crown (Sweden)

Wear It Like A Crown is the final part in Cirkus Cirkör's trilogy about the body. The first part, 99% unknown, took the audience on a journey inside the body among cells and neurons. Inside out follows the heart, and Wear It Like A Crown seeks order in the collisions between the left and right cerebral hemispheres.

On a revolving stage, the circus performers move through a world of illusions, shadow play, knife throwing, acrobatics, juggling and drama.  Six odd characters, feeling like they are the loneliest on earth, wrestle with their own dilemmas.  Every character has his or her own way of trying to reach the others, through ping pong balls and suction cups, among other things.  In Wear It Like A Crown, the director and circus director Tilde Björfors continues to examine the big questions in life in relation to the world of circus. This show has been created in an attempt to understand the chaotic order of the right cerebral hemisphere.

The music is composed by Rebekka Karijord and the title Wear It Like A Crown is from a song on her album The noble art of letting go.  In this tragicomic and absurd performance, Tilde Björfors explores chaos and order and the transformation of risks into opportunities. It is about choosing to wear our failures, fears and shortcomings like a crown. To polish it, and wear it with pride.
 

CONSTANZA MACRAS / DORKY PARK (Germany)

A company that integrates dancers, actors and musicians with performers that range from 4 years old to 72, combining text, live music, dance and video. 

Megalopolis
Megacities are a paradigm for the spaces in which people live together without knowing one another.  Megalopolis is not a specific but rather a metaphorical place – a promise and a curse.      

Big In Bombay
“…Constanza refers to the violent pictures of a chaotic era we all wade through.   She uses hysteria as a driving force for her spectacle…Big in Bombay does not stop twisting and turning…Defiant, even amused, she is targeting the Disney subculture and terrorism, subconsciously with a loving humanism.”  Le Monde
 

ATAMIRA DANCE COMPANY Kaha (New Zealand)

Creative New Zealand's Touring Australia Initiative in partnership with Arts Projects Australia

"Atamira is an exciting, assured company that is growing from strength to strength." - NZ Listener

From Haka to Breakin' in the 80s, KAHA is a smart and current collection of 8 short contemporary works that draw on a range of styles and themes. KAHA cleverly showcases the diversity of contemporary dance, and of the company. Atamira have created an explosive performance programme that speaks to dance lovers, family/whanau and anyone simply seeking a great night out.

Atamira Dance Company is the leading Maori Contemporary Dance Company of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Our work embodies the essence of our unique landscape shaped by the cultural identity of our people and their stories. Our choreographers, dancers and designers reflect the diverse cross section of voices in Aotearoa today through the artistic expression of our rural and urban backgrounds.

The company creates compelling and high quality Maori contemporary dance theatre that reaches out to audiences and reflects the many aspirations of our Mana Whenua. Founded in 2000 as a response to the need for a platform for Maori urban identity through dance in New Zealand, the collective vision and history of Atamira Dance Company through the support of its community and supporters has continued its rapid rise as a world force in indigenous contemporary performing arts.

"Atamira are in fine form" - NZ Herald

"New Zealand contemporary dance at it’s most innovative." - Keeping Up With The Grid

WATCH MORE HERE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFD-QcARY34

JUMPBOARD PRODUCTIONS Live Live Cinema (New Zealand)

Creative New Zealand's Touring Australia Initiative in partnership with Arts Projects Australia

A conversation between film, theatre, live music and sound design

Live Live Cinema deploys musicians, actors, and a foley artist to create an immersive audio/visual environment. Actors on stage re-voice the on-screen characters and our lone, daring foley artist will once again take on a couple of thousand cues, providing the bumps, footsteps, crashes and a whole lot more.  

Jumpboard Productions holds a unique place in the Auckland performing arts arena, through its ability to deliver diverse creative and practical solutions for organisations locally, nationally and internationally.

For 15 years, Jumpboard Director Phil Evans has been involved with festivals, orchestras, touring theatre and creative producing. Drawing on extensive experience and contacts in the UK and NZ, Jumpboard combines the roles of creative producer and arts manager.

Following the success of Live Live Cinema: Carnival of Souls, Jumpboard Productions will assemble the same artistic team to present the next Live Live Cinema production.

"At one point we clutched each other and screamed like teenagers... The enveloping result - in our case at least - was embarrassingly effective. Exhilarating."
Janet McAllister, The New Zealand Herald

“The soundtrack, effects and live dialogue is impeccable.”
The West Australian

WATCH MORE HERE:
vimeo.com/46651533
 

LUC AMOROS THEATRE COMPANY Blank Page/Page Blanche (France)

A spectacular performance piece accompanied by live music in which live paintings are created, destroyed and then recreated.  Huge stretched canvases over large scaffolding are covered with pictures painted or carved - a collective fresco.

“Blank Page starts with music.  Jerome Fohrer, the double-bass player, gives an A.  In front of him seven actors start to sing before climbing onto the scaffolding for twenty minutes of “gestures, images and narrative to restore charm to the city”.  A first layer of black paint is applied to the frames quickly turned round to become white, then black again, to illustrate a magnificent blank page on which a story forms to the rhythm beat out by Jerome Fohrer’s hands on the double bass and the enchanting voices of the singers.” Julien Delattre - Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace

A production for the general public in a large venue – indoor or out.

MEOW MEOW Little Match Girl (Australia)

‘Leaving audiences dangling helplessly at her feet, the postmodern international diva proved that the world is her litterbox.'  Time Out New York

International sensation Meow Meow is back with a sizzling show that will defrost even the coldest of hearts.

Hans Christian Andersen's bittersweet fable is just a springboard into the wild realms of theatrical possibility. As our despairing match girl staves off the cruel cold of winter with her dwindling supply of flames, she turns to her dreams and the light of the stars to find a way home. With claws of humour and heartache, pathos and irreverence, Meow carves a tuneful trail through the icy reaches of the modern soul.

Collaborating with Malthouse Theatre Artistic Director Marion Potts, composer Iain Grandage, the Wild Dog Orchestra and the ever-dexterous Mitchell Butel, Meow and her team create a fantastical flight of fancy with the darkest of edges.

TAKI RUA PRODUCTIONS Michael James Manaia (New Zealand)

Creative New Zealand's Touring Australia Initiative in partnership with Arts Projects Australia

“One of the highlights of this year's Melbourne Festival - this is an electric production guaranteed to offer you a quintessential glimpse into Kiwi culture.”
– Australian Stage (Melbourne)

21 years after it burst onto the stages of the world, writer John Broughton’s iconic piece of Kiwi theatre returns. Michael James Manaia is a poignant story about a New Zealand man who, after returning from the Vietnam War, finds himself at odds with his culture, his history and his memories.

With over 30 years of professional industry experience, Taki Rua Productions is Aotearoa/ New Zealand’s leading contemporary Maori theatre company. Taki Rua operates as a national and international touring company with a commitment to developing innovative, new Maori theatre works, Maori theatre practitioners and promoting the use of Te Reo Maori in theatre. Taki Rua engages creative teams, processes and business practices that meet the demands of national and international touring, delivering a rich annual programme of works to audiences throughout Aotearoa and the world.

“I can safely say this is the most raw and rewarding play I’ve seen for a long time - never have I seen an audience so stunned and subdued when leaving a theatre.”
– Theatrescenes (Auckland)

“This is potent theatre - immediate and confronting”
– Time Out (Melbourne)

WATCH MORE HERE:
vimeo.com/37873253

MAU Stones In Her Mouth (New Zealand)

Creative New Zealand's Touring Australia Initiative in partnership with Arts Projects Australia

“Ponifasio's imagery is of an unparalleled beauty: austere, stylized, precise, quiet, expansive, ritualistic. But it cuts emotionally to the bone.” - De Volkskrant, Netherlands

The new work by Lemi Ponifasio, Stones In Her Mouth, introduces ten Maori women, transmitters of a life force through oratory, ancient chants, choral-work and dance. The all women cast of MAU confront us with the potency of their lives. Their voices articulate intense personal emotion while observation of the natural world and the human spirit is channelled through multi-layered metaphors and myths.

Theatre artist Lemi Ponifasio established MAU in Auckland in 1995, an ensemble of dancers and artists from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. MAU is a Samoan word that means a declaration to the truth of a matter or revolution, as an effort to transform.

Originally from Samoa, Ponifasio illuminates compelling and potent subjects through the power and majesty of his theatre poetry, touching the nerve point of our times. He is unique internationally for his vision and for the originality of his aesthetic, born out of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.

In his artistic universe, Ponifasio repeatedly takes the modern individual to a different space of consciousness by way of the decelerated rhythm of his strict aesthetic, making use of striking images, movement and dynamic interplay of light and darkness.

Lemi Ponifasio presents his productions in major theatres and festivals including the Lincoln Center New York, Edinburgh International Festival, Theatre de la Ville Paris,  Holland Festival, Santiago a Mil Chile, Roma Europa Festival, FTA Montreal, and Berliner Festspiele.

”Ponifasio’s high voltage mix of static gestures, choreographic tempi changes and sheer motionless presence, he condenses and concentrates the possibilities of contemporary dance and staging.”
Suddeutsche Zeitung 18.09.12, Prometheus Carl Orff, Ruhrtriennale 2012

“They are not people on the stage, but a higher cosmic force.”
De Standaard, Belgium

WATCH MORE HERE:
From Birds with Skymirrors: youtube.com/watch?v=XbU2kiAJyuU
 

RIFLEMAN PRODUCTIONS Terrain (New Zealand)

Creative New Zealand's Touring Australia Initiative in partnership with Arts Projects Australia

"densely crafted, intricate and awesome choreographic manoeuvres in tiny spaces." - NZ Herald

An exploration of landscape, scale and place, Terrain is a performance in which the miniature and the giant collide in a very human exploration of precariousness and the inevitability of change.

Award-winning choreographers Malia Johnston and Guy Ryan have created some of New Zealand's most innovative dance productions. Terrain, their most sought after piece, was first made for the Wellington Fringe Festival in 2004. It has since been performed over 100 times at arts festivals and venues throughout New Zealand and Australia. With its humanist themes, Terrain has taken on new significance in recent times in light of the forces currently at play in our world.

Rifleman Productions is the production company of New Zealand based Choreographer and director Malia Johnston. The company creates, supports and promotes professional contemporary dance and dancers, and has a reputation for producing sophisticated new dance theatre work.

"capitivating and beautifully realized" - NZ Listener
"Terrain still manages to subvert even the most recent ideas about what contemporary dance can be." - Theatreview

WATCH MORE HERE:
vimeo.com/54262887

KILA KOKONUT KREW The Factory (New Zealand)

Creative New Zealand's Touring Australia Initiative in partnership with Arts Projects Australia

"The Factory demonstrates that musical theatre is the ideal form for expressing the heightened emotions and indomitable optimism of the immigrant story." – NZ Herald

"The Factory is a Pacific Island musical that tells the story of Samoan immigrants coming to New Zealand in the 1970s in search of opportunity. Vibrant, high-energy but textured and moving, this is a story of and for the Pacific.  The book and libretto are conceived by Pacific Islanders and the work breaks new ground in using the popular format of musical theatre to tell a truly Pacific story.

Kila Kokonut Krew was created in 2002 from a desire to fill a void in the Pacific Island Performing Arts Industry. Vela Manusaute and his partner Anapela Polataivao, both Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School graduates, believed there was no other Theatre company that focused on committing solely to the recognition and celebration of Pacific voices. The desire for such a company was the impetus to create Kila Kokonut Krew, in addition to the belief that Pacific Theatre was not embraced to the extent of its European counterparts. Based in South Auckland, the Kila Kokonut Krew’s objective was clear – to create art with a strong political and social focus that the rest of the world could not ignore.

With a ten year history of sell out shows including The Taro King, Playaz Night, SuperFresh, Strictly Brown, outstanding critical reviews and an ever-growing following of loyal supporters, the company has also branched out into music, producing over twelve albums supporting both popular and emerging Pacific Island artists.

"Whilst their focus is Pacific, the relevance and significance of their work is universal. The Factory will become a new pillar of New Zealand theatre" - Metro Arts

"A solid blend of drama, comedy, music and dance that ultimately explodes with literal electricity. You'll know what I mean when you go". – Theatreview

WATCH MORE HERE:
youtube.com/watch?v=Yxd7vCddsEI

THEATRE BEATING The Magic Chicken (New Zealand)

Creative New Zealand's Touring Australia Initiative in partnership with Arts Projects Australia

“Brilliantly contrived madcappery - you won't see anything better anywhere”
 - Lexie Matheson, Theatreview

The Magic Chicken is a critically and commercially successful non-lingual family show. Made with high production values, virtuosic performers and professional dedication, The Magic Chicken is a slapstick treat of culinary chaos: two underlectual chefs in a Seussian kitchen mixing up a hilarious concoction of punk-mime physical comedy, live foley and ninja-puppetry.

Theatre Beating is an award-winning production and creative company formed in 2003 by Barnie Duncan, Trygve Wakenshaw and Geoff Pinfield, all experienced producers, directors and performers.

Embracing absurdism, high-stakes physical comedy and energetic unpredictability, the company has toured basement carparks and opera houses, gained four star reviews in the Edinburgh Fringe and critical celebration for originality and flair. Notable productions include Happy Hour For Miserable Children (Best Comedy 2004 New Zealand Fringe Festival), The Magic Chicken, Join us at Ricks (Auckland International Arts Festival), This Is A Plum (Best Outdoor Performance 2006 New Zealand Fringe Festival), plus internationally touring productions Squidboy and underground Edinburgh cult-hit Constantinople (STAMP award, Auckland Fringe). Theatre Beating has just premiered ...him at the Melbourne Fringe.

“A well-crafted, truly accessible exceptional production”
– Ginger O'Neill, Express Magazine

“Guaranteed to amuse the children and the inner kid in us all”
– Gilbert Wong, Metro Magazine

WATCH MORE HERE:
vimeo.com/52504619
 

BLACK GRACE Vaka (New Zealand)

Creative New Zealand's Touring Australia Initiative in partnership with Arts Projects Australia

"Powerfully elegant and possessed of technical finesse of almost archaic rawness" - Nahe-Zeitung, Germany 2012

Black Grace is New Zealand’s leading contemporary dance company and has held a unique position on the world stage for over 17 years. Fusing Pacific and contemporary dance in an extraordinary and dynamic form, Black Grace has become internationally renowned for its artistry, creative excellence and innovation.

Black Grace is New Zealand’s leading contemporary dance company and has held a unique position on the world stage for over 17 years. Fusing Pacific and contemporary dance in an extraordinary and dynamic form, Black Grace has become internationally renowned for its artistry, creative excellence and innovation, while also becoming the world’s leading exponent of Pacific contemporary dance. Black Grace has toured extensively throughout New Zealand and internationally to audience and critical acclaim.

In 2005, the Company celebrated its tenth anniversary and performed to sell-out seasons in Auckland, followed by an extensive tour of the US and Mexico. During this time, the Company performed a return season at the prestigious Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, debuted on New York’s 42nd Street for a four-week season, and performed at Mexico’s renowned Cervantino Festival. Black Grace also performed at Tourism New Zealand’s ‘100% Pure’ event in Sydney, at the Aichi World Expo and for the New Zealand Embassy at the Tram Theatre in Tokyo.

“(Neil Ieremia) has spread his artistic roots in several rich pasts and grown up and out into a sunlight of his own making.” - New York Times

“Black Grace is the most positive, living expression of any New Zealand art…” - Sunday Star Times

WATCH MORE HERE:
youtube.com/watch?v=H8pQv7ktVes