WTF16: A Festival of Contemporary Performance

Korea • New Zealand • Taiwan • UK • USA

Australia • Belgium • Cambodia • Indonesia

18–27 February

2016

brisbanepowerhouse.org

WTF SCHEDULE THU 18–SAT 27 FEBRUARY 2016 SHOW

P.

VENUE

THU 18

FRI 19

SAT 20

HUANG YI & KUKA

4

Powerhouse Theatre

7PM

7PM

7PM

심청 <SHIMCHONG>: DAUGHTER OVERBOARD!

6

Visy Theatre

7.30PM

7.30PM

2.30PM 7.30PM

CONFIRMATION

8

Turbine Studio

8PM

8PM

8PM

PENNY ARCADE: LONGING LASTS LONGER

9

Turbine Platform

9PM

9PM

9PM

AEON FREE

18

Stores Rehearsal Room

MANA WAHINE

10

Powerhouse Theatre

SUN 21

MON 22

TUE 23

7.30PM

10AM 8.30PM

7.30PM

5PM

WED 24

THU 25

FRI 26

SAT 27

7PM

2PM 7PM

6PM

BIGMOUTH

12

Visy Theatre

SMALLWAR

12

Visy Theatre

PIECE FOR PERSON AND GHETTO BLASTER

14

Turbine Studio

8PM

HANUMAN SPACEMAN

BY THE CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT FREE

15

Turbine Platform

9PM

THE LEPIDOPTORS: A SPACE OPERA FREE

16

Turbine Platform

HH: SYN-INFECTION FREE

17

Turbine Platform

7.30PM

7.30PM 7.30PM

2.30PM

8PM

3PM 8PM

9PM 9PM

BOOKINGS

LOCATION

ONLINE brisbanepowerhouse.org

Brisbane Powerhouse is located next to New Farm Park on the Brisbane

IN PERSON Brisbane Powerhouse Box Office

River. Street access is via the end of Lamington Street (continuation of

119 Lamington Street, New Farm QLD 4005

James Street).

BOX OFFICE OPENING HOURS

CITYCAT A well-lit 200 metre riverside walk from the New Farm Park

Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Sat, 12–4pm,

CityCat Jetty.

90 mins prior to the performance start time.

BUS The 195 and 196 stop at New Farm Park. Follow the riverside walk

TRANSACTION FEES

from the CityCat jetty. Service 199 stops on Merthyr Road within walking

A $3 (single ticket purchase) or $6 (multiple tickets purchase) transaction

distance via Lamington Street.

fee applies for all bookings (online, over the phone and over the counter).

BICYCLES Bike racks are located outside the Stores Building (beside the

When booking we’ll confirm all details with you. You will receive a

car park) and Brisbane Powerhouse. A CityCycle station is also located at

confirmation email when you book online, and a confirmation number

the entrance to the car park on Lamington Street.

when booking over the phone.

TAXI Collect and drop off area is in the car park beside the Stores

CONCESSIONS

Building. Free taxi phones are located in the foyer opposite the box office.

Brisbane Powerhouse may offer concessions to full-time students,

CAR Limited free parking is available on-site via Lamington Street. Further

pensioners, seniors and health care card holders. Concession cards

parking is available in New Farm Park via the car park link road.

and ID must be shown when collecting tickets or the full price may

WHEELCHAIR Wheelchair parking is available on-site via Lamington

be charged.

Street with lift access from the car park level beside the Stores Building.

PRINT-AT-HOME TICKETS You can now print your tickets at home for WTF shows. Postage via mail and Box Office collection are also available. For full ticketing terms, please refer to our website.

EAT + DRINK BAR ALTO Simply Italian (Level 1) +61 7 3358 1063 baralto.com.au WATT AND NEW FARMER’S KITCHEN Casual waterfront dining (Ground Level) +61 7 3358 5464 wattrestaurant.com.au

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 02

Come intrigued.

Leave inspired.

Welcome to WTF 2016. This is your opportunity to take a round-the-world trip of international contemporary performance—no long-haul flights required.

Join us as we welcome the world to Brisbane, with works from nine countries making up a program that celebrates the personal and political. Yes, it’s theatre, but really it’s an invitation to challenge the way you think about, see and experience the world.

And what’s an overseas trip without a few parties thrown in? This year we have created Club WTF— this is your chance to stick around and grab a drink while you enjoy a series of free music from across the globe.

So step onboard—eat, drink, discuss, debate and most importantly, share your opinions and stories with your fellow travellers.

Make the most of your journey—be an explorer and an adventurer. Remember, every show is a jetlag-free stop over.

KRIS STEWART ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 04

TAIWAN

HUANG YI & KUKA AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Created and choreographed by Huang Yi (Taiwan)

Image by Jacob Blickenstaff

See the line between humanity and robots blur as award-winning dancer, choreographer and inventor Huang Yi transfers his human qualities to his robot, KUKA. As a child, Huang Yi longed for a robot companion.

As an adult, he was drawn to the fluid, almost humanlike, design of the KUKA robots and eventually he was gifted one to dance with. For every minute of KUKA’s movement, Huang Yi spent ten hours programming it.

“The dance elements combine with exquisite precision to produce an abstract painting in motion …a visual masterpiece.”

You’ll marvel as this poetic work flawlessly intertwines the art of dance, the science of mechanical engineering and the realm of robotics.

“Utterly new and original.”

ARTSHUB

BLOGCRITICS

Huang Yi and KUKA are joined on stage by dancers Hu Chien and Lin Jou-Wen.

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEYMOUR CENTRE DATE

Thu 18–Sat 20 February

TIME 7pm

VENUE

Powerhouse Theatre

DURATION 60 mins

TICKETS

$49(f), $39(c), $25(schools) + transaction fee ($3 single ticket/$6 multiple tickets)

Q&A

A free Q&A session will follow Friday’s performance

Please note: this show does have a lockout and latecomers will be unable to enter

Suitable for all ages WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 05

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 06

AUSTRALIA/KOREA

심청 <SHIMCHONG>: DAUGHTER OVERBOARD! WORLD PREMIERE Motherboard Productions (Australia/Korea), written by Jeremy Neideck and Kathleen McLeod after Oh Tae Suk, directed by Jeremy Neideck

Image by Victor Rijken

Following sold-out seasons of 지하 Underground in Brisbane and Seoul, Motherboard Productions returns to WTF in 2016 with a bold new work of transcultural storytelling. 만약 인당수가 아닌 인도양에 ‘심청이’가 뛰어든다면? 그리고 그녀를 다시 바다로 뛰어들게 한 것은 무엇인가?

Most Koreans can recite Shimchong’s tale—her mother died in childbirth, her father is blind, and she sacrifices herself to the Dragon King in order to restore her father’s sight. But what if Shimchong was reborn in Australia as a young woman with a burning desire to see revolution?

이 어둡고, 정치적이고, 유쾌하기까지 한 ‘심청’의 새로운 이야기! 술, 팝 음악, 한국의 전통 판소리와 신체극이 곁 들여진 이 독특한 공연에 당신을 초대합니다!

In this dark, political, and often hilarious retelling, you’re invited to drink and sing along as contemporary pop music, pansori and physical theatre combine in an event that is as uniquely Australian as it is Korean.

“...bold, adventurous, inspirational performance-making.”

REALTIME ARTS ON 지하 UNDERGROUND

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE AND MOTHERBOARD PRODUCTIONS DATE

Thu 18–Tue 23 February

VENUE

TIME

Thu, Fri, Sun, Tue 7.30pm,

DURATION 100 mins

Sat 2.30pm + 7.30pm,

Mon 10am + 8.30pm

TICKETS

$35(f), $30(c), $25(schools) + transaction fee ($3 single ticket/$6 multiple tickets)

Q&A

A free Q&A session will follow Friday’s performance

Suitable for ages 15+

Visy Theatre

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 07

UK

CONFIRMATION AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Produced by Warwick Arts Centre and China Plate (UK), written and performed by Chris Thorpe, developed with and directed by Rachel Chavkin, commissioned by Northern Stage and Battersea Arts Centre

What lies at the heart of conviction?

Is it fact or a burning belief that isn’t explainable? A fiercely intelligent theatre experience, this one-manshow explores the phenomenon of Confirmation Bias—our choice to look beyond the facts and see only the evidence that proves we’re right.

Using real-life dialogues and imagined struggles, Confirmation shines a light on both political extremism and social liberalism to decode our everyday decision making processes.

êêêê THE SCOTSMAN

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE DATE

Thu 18–Sat 20 February

TIME 8pm

“…an absolutely compelling performance from a man who is fast becoming one of the most powerful performers in the UK.”

VENUE

Turbine Studio

DURATION 80 mins

TICKETS

$39(f), $34(c), $25(schools) + transaction fee ($3 single ticket/$6 multiple tickets)

Suitable for ages 14+

“Thorpe and director Rachel Chavkin energetically take a liberal Fringe audience to the edge of the abyss of belief and hang them over the side in a conversation for our times.” êêêê THE INDEPENDENT

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 08

Image by Arnim Friess

Prepare to question what you believe and why you believe it in this multi award-winning Edinburgh Fringe hit.

USA

PENNY ARCADE: LONGING LASTS LONGER Written and performed by Penny Arcade (USA)

Image by Steven Menendez

Fresh from rave-reviews at Edinburgh Fringe, New York’s undisputed queen of the underground presents an exuberant performance anthem and passionate rumination on love, longing and loss.

Penny Arcade is a former Andy Warhol Factory Superstar who has worked with Paul Morrissey and theatre legend John Vaccaro.

Driven by her magnetic rock n’ roll energy, Penny Arcade creates a crack in the post-gentrified landscape where you can think, laugh and dance at the same time!

In equal parts memoir and manifesto, Arcade’s razor sharp satire is performed live to euphoric soundscapes inspired by four decades of pop culture.

WINNER SCOTSMAN FRINGE FIRST AWARD 2015 WINNER HERALD ANGEL AWARD 2015

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE DATE

Thu 18–Sat 20 February

TIME 9pm

VENUE

Turbine Platform

DURATION 75 mins

TICKETS

$35(f), $30(c) + transaction fee ($3 single ticket/$6 multiple tickets)

Suitable for ages 14+ WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 09

“The smartest, most quotable theatrical party in town. Audacious and irresistible!”

THE TIMES

“Hot and hysterically funny.”

NEW YORK POST

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 10

NEW ZEALAND

MANA WAHINE AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Okareka Dance Company (New Zealand), written, directed and choreographed by Taiaroa Royal, Taane Mete and Malia Johnston, music composed by Victoria Kelly

Image by Alex Efimov

Celebrate powerful women with this all-female dance work that draws strength from traditional Maori mythology.

Three of New Zealand’s best choreographers combine dance, theatre and film in this powerful performance.

Inspired by the true story of Te Aokapurangi, a young maiden from Mokoia Island who single-handedly saved her people from slaughter, this collage of imagery and movement transcends time and space.

“Five extreme dancers, three choreographers at the top of their game… one of the best contemporary dance performances we have seen in years.”

From the stunning opening to the spine tingling finale, be inspired by this display of courage, determination and fearlessness as Mana Wahine evokes the spiritual status of “the woman” within us all.

“Never had I seen an audience so transfixed, so attentive, so mesmerised, so moved all at the same time.”

NZ HERALD

THEATRESCENES.CO.NZ

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE AND OKAREKA DANCE COMPANY DATE

Fri 26 + Sat 27 February

VENUE

TIME

Fri 7pm, Sat 2pm + 7pm

DURATION 70 mins

TICKETS

$39(f), $34(c), $25(schools) + transaction fee ($3 single ticket/$6 multiple tickets)

Q&A

A free Q&A session will follow Friday’s performance

Powerhouse Theatre

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 11

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 12

BELGIUM

BigMoutH / SmallWaR SKaGeN/Richard Jordan Productions Co-produced by De Tijd & STUK, directed and performed by Valentijn Dhaenens (Belgium)

Image by Christophe Engels

Take a journey through history with these two performances as BigMoutH captures the moments that spurred the masses to war and SmallWaR tells the stories of the individuals affected.

BigMoutH

SmallWaR

Witness this powerful recital as writer and performer Valentijn Dhaenens pays tribute to 2,500 years of oration, from the Grand Inquisitor to Socrates and Mohammed Ali through to Osama Bin Laden.

Where BigMoutH offered a platform to the statesman and leaders, SmallWaR shifts focus to the individuals affected by their stirring words.

With five microphones and indefatigable energy, Dhaenens traverses declarations of war, farewells, final arguments, victory speeches and eulogies. As fragments exchange and intersect with each other, BigMoutH reveals that the tricks of rhetoric have hardly changed.

“…take a drink in and brace yourself for an unnerving, technically risky and thought provoking show…

I would hate to have missed it.” êêêêê THE TIMES

Through ingenious video projection Dhaenens evokes multiple characters, drawing heavily from letters and memoirs of those who served in wars across the centuries.

Be transported to a 1914 field hospital as SmallWaR explores the reverse side of the glory of war in this intimate performance.

“Unbearably poignant and fascinating!” êêêêê THE GUARDIAN

“A sensitive, thoughtful and often beautiful response to the continuing suffering caused by war.” êêêêê THE TELEGRAPH

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE

DATE

DATE

Fri 26 + Sat 27 February

TIME 7.30pm

TIME

Fri 7.30pm, Sat 2.30pm

VENUE

VENUE

Visy Theatre

Thu 25 + Sat 27 February

Visy Theatre

DURATION 80 mins

DURATION 70 mins

TICKETS

$44(f), $39(c), $25(schools), Two Show Package $60

TICKETS

$44(f), $39(c), $25(schools), Two Show Package $60

+ transaction fee ($3 single ticket/$6 multiple tickets)

+ transaction fee ($3 single ticket/$6 multiple tickets)

Suitable for ages 15+

Suitable for ages 15+

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 13

AUSTRALIA

PIECE FOR PERSON AND GHETTO BLASTER Written and performed by Nicola Gunn (Australia), tour produced by Performing Lines, choreographed by Jo Lloyd

This thought-provoking onewoman-show is the story of a man, a woman and a duck. It is about the excruciating realms of human behaviour and trying to become a better person.

As acclaimed writer and performer Nicola Gunn recreates scenarios on stage, she will attempt to dissect our motivations for conflict and ask the big question: why can’t we all just get along?

“She combines performance art and anthropology like no other artist… an enlightening, enthralling experience.”

CRIKEY DAILY REVIEW ON IN SPITE OF MYSELF

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE DATE

Thu 25–Sat 27 February

VENUE

TIME

Thu + Fri 8pm, Sat 3pm + 8pm

DURATION 70 mins

TICKETS

$35(f), $30(c) + transaction fee ($3 single ticket/$6 multiple tickets)

Q&A

A free Q&A session will follow Thursday’s performance

Turbine Studio

WARNING This show contains adult concepts, coarse language and haze effects

Suitable for ages 15+ WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 14

Image by Sarah Walker

Are you willing to take part in conflict in order to transform and change the future for the better?

CAMBODIA / AUSTRALIA

HANUMAN SPACEMAN

BY THE CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT Image by David A. Rosenberger

Created by Channthy Kak and Julien Poulson, directed by Carlos Gomes, video by Samuel James, produced by Harley Stumm of Intimate Spectacle (Cambodia/Australia)

Take a trip to outer space with this trippy tropical rock opera by Cambodian rock sensations The Cambodian Space Project.

“I first heard TCSP on ABC radio, something about Channthy’s voice, one of those voices that gives you the shivers…”

Dance the night away as The Cambodian Space Project’s 21st century sound mashes traditional Khmer rock and soul, while tropical visuals tell stories of adventure and big dreams.

PAUL KELLY

NICK CAVE

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE DATE

Thu 25 February

TIME 9pm TICKETS

FREE

Suitable for ages 15+

VENUE

“They’re a great band, the singer is amazing, really beautiful, the guitars really jump out at you, very affecting, great stuff.”

Turbine Platform

DURATION 60 mins

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 15

INDONESIA / AUSTRALIA

THE LEPIDOPTERS: A SPACE OPERA Gird your loins! Alien moths have invaded the Indonesian archipelago and plan to colonise Earth through inter-species reproduction.

Prepare yourself for this cross-genre, cross-cultural avalanche as a choir, an Indonesian prog-metal band, a virtuoso pianist, a gamelan machine, a narrator and a visual artist combine for one mind-bending night of fun.

“At times reminiscent of Arvo Pärt, at others like Sufjan Stevens, Herbie Hancock and Bikini Kill decided to play a triple bill in a museum.”

ARTSHUB

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE DATE

Fri 26 February

TIME 9pm TICKETS

FREE

Suitable for ages 15+

VENUE

Turbine Platform

DURATION 60 mins

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 16

Image by Selina Ou

(Indonesia/Australia)

TAIWAN

HH: SYN-INFECTION Image by Etang Chen

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE (Taiwan)

Join experimental music duo HH as they push the boundaries of syncronisation between sound and image in this sense-explosive evening.

Created by sound artists Yao Chung-Han and Yeh “A doorway to more possibilities has been Ting-Hao, Syn-Infection explores the transforming qualities opened by HH.” THE SUBCONSCIOUS RESTAURANT MAGAZINE of experimental noises and music. Immerse yourself in the sounds and illuminations and be transported into the grey regions between rationality and recklessness.

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE DATE

Sat 27 February

TIME 9pm TICKETS

FREE

Suitable for ages 15+

VENUE

Turbine Platform

DURATION 50 mins

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 17

AUSTRALIA

AEON WORK IN PROGRESS SHOWING Created by Lz Dunn, Shian Law, Lara Thoms, Lawrence English and Catherine Ryan (Australia)

Did you know that pigeons sense the earth’s magnetic field?

And that thousands of starlings can move together by reacting only to their seven closest neighbours?

This is a work-in-progress showing of Aeon, currently in development as part of the Mobile States initiative produced

by Performing Lines.

About the artist: Lz Dunn works with performance, movement, sound and video through site-engaged processes to consider ecology, nature, queerness and space.

Take part in this first public work-in-progress showing as Aeon artists collaborate with local performers in this immersive performance.

PRESENTED BY BRISBANE POWERHOUSE DATE

Sat 20 + Mon 22 February

VENUE

TIME

Sat 5pm, Mon 6pm

DURATION 75 mins

Stores Rehearsal Room

TICKETS FREE

A feedback session will follow each showing

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 18

Image by Lz Dunn

Using sound, movement and mass choreography, Aeon experiments with the fascinating flocking strategies of urban birds. Navigate your senses as you explore and engage in this interplay of ‘natural’ behaviour.

PARTNERS AND DONORS

WTF PARTNERS AND DONORS

EVENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Aeon

Huang Yi & KUKA

Aeon was commissioned by Mobile States and produced by Performing Lines, with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Special Thanks to: KUKA Robot Automation Taiwan Co. Ltd., KUKA Robotics Corp. (USA), Quanta Arts Foundation, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, LMF Dance Fund, National Theater (Taiwan), HITACHI, ATOM 3D, Asia Cultural Council, Minister of Culture (Taiwan), 3-Legged Dog, Mr. Wen-Hung Kao, Ms. Kuang-Hui An, iMakr (NYC) HUANG YI STUDIO +

BigMoutH / SmallWaR BigMouth is produced and presented by SKaGeN and Richard Jordan Productions in association with STUK and De Tijs and funded by Flemish government

SmallWaR is produced and presented by SKaGeN, Richard Jordan Productions and Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with STUK and de Singel; funded by Flemish government and the city of Antwerp

Mana Wahine

Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster was commissioned by Mobile States, produced by Performing Lines, with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and the Besen Family Foundation. Also supported through Punctum Inc. Seedpod program and the City of Melbourne through Arts House’s CultureLAB.

Confirmation Warwick Arts Centre and China Plate present Confirmation. Commissioned by Northern Stage and Battersea Arts Centre.

심청 <Shimchong>: Daughter Overboard!

The development and presentation of 심청 <Shimchong>: Daughter Overboard! has been supported through funding from the Australia Council for the Arts, Korean Arts Management Service, Arts Queensland and through HotHouse Theatre’s Month In The Country residency program.

Hanuman Spaceman by The Cambodian Space Project Hanuman Spaceman is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and developed with the support of Khmer Cultural Development Institute in Kampot, Cambodia; Khmer Community of NSW Inc; Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre; and Arts Centre Melbourne.

Syn-Infection Special Thanks to Sobright Lighting (Taiwan), Digital Art Center Taipei, Soundwatch, Lim Giong, SONO Lab.

Longing Lasts Longer

The Lepidopters - A Space Opera

Longing Lasts Longer is produced in Australia by Theatre Works and London Artists Projects.

The Lepidopters at WTF 2016 is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia-Indonesia Institute of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

WTF16 — A Festival of Contemporary Performance — Page 19

Australia • Belgium • Cambodia • Indonesia Korea • New Zealand • Taiwan • UK • USA

BRISBANE POWERHOUSE 119 Lamington Street, New Farm QLD 4005 PO Box 364, New Farm QLD 4005 TEL +61 7 3358 8622 BOX OFFICE +61 7 3358 8600 EMAIL info@brisbanepowerhouse.org brisbanepowerhouse.org BUILDING OPENING HOURS Mon 9am–5pm, Tue–Sun 9am–9pm Brisbane Powerhouse is a not-for-profit organisation, owned and supported by Brisbane City Council.

COVER PHOTO BY SARAH WALKER PIECE FOR PERSON AND GHETTO BLASTER