Skeleton Tree // Program (2019)

SKELETON TREE

16 – 23 MAR

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16 – 23 MAR BE C K E T T T H E AT R E

‘A MONUMENTAL TALENT’ – Time Out (for Stephanie Lake’s Colossus)

C R E AT E D & C H O R E O G R A P H E D BY / Stephanie Lake

COMPOSITION & SOUND DESIGN / Robin Fox

DA N C E R S / Marlo Benjamin Nicola Leahey James O’Hara

COSTUME DESIGN / Paula Levis LIGHTING DESIGN / Niklas Pajanti

D R A M AT U R G / Matthew Lutton

PRODUCTION MANAGER / Glenn Dulihanty

Malthouse Theatre and Stephanie Lake Company present – SKELETON TREE in association with Dance Massive.

SKELETON TREE is funded by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts and the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and supported by the University of Melbourne, Victorian College of the Arts and Creative Partnerships Australia. Photography by Pippa Samaya. #SKELETONTREE

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Skeleton Tree is inspired by the inevitability of death and the ways in which we experience loss and grief. Housed in a ‘funeral playlist’ of songs are a series of vivid portraits describing particular emotional states and the insistence of time. Don’t look for narrative or consequence, each piece is its own world. I encourage you to watch the work through the lens of your own mortality.

1. Final Bow Applause 2. Melting Mountain Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (Joan Baez) 3. Skeleton Tree Crystalline (Robin Fox) 4. I’m Still Here Soon To Be Software (Robin Fox) 5. The Whirling Thousand Year Seesaw (Agents of Abhorrence) 6. Ceremony and Breath Silence 7. Crows Calling Atomic Clock (Robin Fox)

10. Trying to Tell You Something Back to Earth (Robin Fox) 11. Hyper Alive Deathvox (Paula Temple) 12. Long Sleep Distant Sky (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) 13. Release The Dying Swan (Camille Saint-Saëns) Thank you to the utterly inspirational dancers and collaborators, Matthew Lutton and everyone at Malthouse Theatre, Dance Massive, Michaela Coventry, Anna Smith at the Victorian College of the Arts for the Studio Residency, Lucy Guerin Inc, Paul Malek at Transit Dance, Cloud Bookkeeping, Linda Herd and all of our company donors and supporters, the Australia Council for the Arts and Creative Victoria, the Stephanie Lake Company Board, Dylan Martorell for lending the bones for our photo shoot and special thanks to my family, Sapphire, Scarlett and Robin.

8. Ritual Gin Soaked Bones (Robin Fox) 9. Stuck Bach’s Sonata No. 1 in G Minor (arr. Chris Thile) #SKELETONTREE

A NOTE FROM THE CHOREOGRAPHER

STEPHANIE LAKE: 13 MEDITATIONS ON DEATH AND LOSS

CAST & CREATIVE BIOS

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STEPHANIE L AKE CREATOR & CHOREOGRAPHER Stephanie is a multi-awardwinning choreographer, dancer and the Director of Stephanie Lake Company. Her acclaimed works tour nationally and internationally and have been presented by Theatre Chaillot Paris, Concertgebouw Belgium, Dublin Dance Festival, Aarhus Festival, Hong Kong International Festival, Tramway Glasgow and many others. She has worked with New Zealand Dance Company, Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move, Queensland Ballet, Frontier Danceland, Tasdance, Expressions and Dancenorth. Stephanie was a recipient of the Australia Council Fellowship for Dance, the prestigious Sidney Myer Fellowship and the Peggy Van Praagh Choreographic Fellowship.

She was the inaugural Resident Director of Lucy Guerin Inc and currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Victorian College of the Arts. Stephanie has received multiple awards for Outstanding Choreography including a Helpmann Award, a Green Room Award and two Australian Dance Awards. She collaborates across theatre, film and visual art and has directed several large-scale works with over 1000 participants.

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MAT THEW LUT TON DRAMATURG

MARLO BENJAMIN DANCER

Matthew Lutton is Malthouse Theatre’s Artistic Director and Co-CEO. Prior to this, he was Malthouse Theatre’s Associate Director, and the Artistic Director of ThinIce in Perth. For Malthouse Theatre, he has directed Melancholia, Bliss, Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets, The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man, Away, Edward II, Picnic at Hanging Rock, I Am a Miracle, Night on Bald Mountain, The Bloody Chamber, Dance of Death, Pompeii, L.A., On the Misconception of Oedipus, Die Winterreise and Tartuffe. For STC he has directed The Trial, The Mysteries: Genesis, and The Duel. Other directing credits include Love Me Tender for Belvoir and Don’t Say the Words for Griffin Theatre Company.

His opera directing credits include Make No Noise for the Bavarian State Opera, Strauss’ Elektra for Opera Australia and West Australian Opera, and Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman for New Zealand Opera.

Marlo is an Australian-based contemporary dancer. She began her career at age 13 performing with Force Majeure for national and international audiences. In 2014, Marlo began studying at the Victorian College of the Arts and continued training at Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year.

Since graduating in 2015, she has performed with major companies and renowned independent choreographers including Chunky Move, Australian Dance Theatre, Dancenorth, Stephanie Lake Company, Force Majeure, STC, Martin Del Amo, Gideon Obarzanek, Kynan Hughes, Sara Black, Sydney Dance Company and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

In 2018, Marlo received a Green Room Award nomination for Best Female Dancer in Chunky Move’s ANTI—GRAVITY.

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CAST & CREATIVE BIOS

NICOL A LEAHEY DANCER

JAMES O’HARA DANCER

Nicola is an Adelaide-born dancer.

She received formal dance training at Terry Simpson Studios and received a RAD Solo Seal at age 16. In 2009, Nicola graduated from the New Zealand School of Dance and joined Dancenorth. She has worked with Ross McCormack: (SIC) and Nowhere Fast, Rob Tannion: FreeFall and Raewyn Hill: MASS and The Cry. In 2011, Nicola relocated to Belgium and has since performed extensively in Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s works: Faun, Puz/zle, Les Indes Galantes, Satyagraha, Shell Shock; A Requiem of War, the music video Valtari (Sigur Ros), Icon and Stoic (GöteborgsOperans Danskompani) and Nomad (420PEOPLE). She has performed with Compagnie Thor: Clear Tears Troubled Waters, Cocktails, Revolt, Damien Jalet: Vessel, Ross McCormack/Muscle Mouth: AGE, and Elie Tass and Lauren Langlois. Nicola has taught Faun repertoire to the Royal Ballet of Flanders and the Bolshoi Ballet, and is a qualified yoga instructor.

James is a dance performer, teacher, assistant, and choreographer who works internationally. He was a member of Ballet Junior de Genève and was the recipient of a Princess Grace Bursary in 2004.

James has worked with Ballet Preljocaj, Matthew Lutton, Ross McCormack, Michael Keegan Dolan, Marina Abramovic, Marina Mascarell, Damien Jalet, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and guested with Cedar Lake/Ohad Naharin, Australian Ballet/Gideon Obarzanek, Paris Opera Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet.

He has worked extensively with Steps Youth Dance, National Youth Dance Company Sadler’s Wells and was a tutor at NZSD in 2017–18. In 2018, James created Manifest(Oh) in Montreal, A snail watches dust particles in sunlight with Eliza Sanders on Footnote, Movement: A Manifesto with Balázs Busa and The Sky Is Not So Different From Us, Perhaps on Royal New Zealand Ballet. James has received nominations at the Helpmann Awards, Green Room Awards and Australian Dance Awards and was a recipient of a West Australian Dance Award.

ROBIN FOX COMPOSITION & SOUND DESIGN Robin is a leading Australian audio-visual artist working across live performance, composition, exhibitions, public art projects and contemporary dance. His AV laser works, which synchronise sound and visual electricity in hyper-amplified 3D space have been performed in over 60 cities worldwide to critical acclaim. In 2017, his work Single Origin premiered at Unsound Krakow and toured extensively in 2018, headlining shows at Berlin Atonal and Mutek (Montreal and Mexico). He has released numerous sound works on labels across Europe, Australia and US. He is a founding director of MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio) a notfor-profit organisation dedicated to giving everyone access to electronic musical instruments. Robin has a PhD in Composition from Monash University and has written a history of experimental music in Melbourne in 1975–79.

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CAST & CREATIVE BIOS

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PAUL A LEVIS COSTUME DESIGN

NIKL AS PA JANTI LIGHTING DESIGN

Paula is a Melbourne-based costume designer. Her design credits include: Replica (Stephanie Lake Company), Forever & Ever, Meeting, Sentinel, Black Project 2 & 3, NYX, Keep Everything, Drift, RGB, Blazeblue Oneline, I Like This (Antony Hamilton), Two Faced Bastard, Mortal Engine, GLOW, Singularity, I Want to Dance Better at Parties (Gideon Obarzanek/ Chunky Move), Human Interest Story, Corridor, Structure & Sadness, Aether (Lucy Guerin Inc), Sundowner, Headlock, Nowhere Man (KAGE), Re-make and the Keir Choreographic Award-winning Personal Effigies (Melanie Lane).

She has worked with Lyon Opera Ballet, MTC, Skånes Dansteater, Sydney Dance Company, Victorian Opera, Australian Dance Theatre, Danceworks, Dancehouse, TasDance, Dancenorth, Red Stitch Actors Theatre and La Mama.

Niklas is an award-winning lighting designer across theatre, dance, opera, circus, musical theatre, comedy, major events, exhibitions and public spaces. Niklas’ work has been presented in Australia, Europe, UK and US. He has designed for Malthouse Theatre, STC, MTC, Belvoir, Chunky Move, Victorian Opera, Brink, Ilbijerri, Dancenorth, Dancehouse, Ranters Theatre, BalletLab and ACMI. Design credits include: Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster (Nicola Gunn), Spectra, Dust (Dancenorth) Complexity of Belonging, An Act of Now, Black Marrow, 247 Days, Singularity (Chunky Move), The Collapsible Man and Appetite (KAGE). He is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and RMIT. Niklas has received a Helpmann Award for Best Lighting Design, a Sydney Theatre Award and two Green Room Awards.

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GLENN DULIHANT Y PRODUCTION MANAGER Glenn has collaborated with Stephanie Lake Company for several years and has worked across theatre, festivals, events and dance. He has worked with major festivals including Yirramboi, MOFO, Sydney Festival and Melbourne International Arts Festival. Glenn is currently working on Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and local and touring dance works. These include international tours of Motion Picture (Lucy Guerin Inc) and Meeting (Antony Hamilton/Alisdair Macindoe) and local works One Infinity (Gideon Obarzanek) and Pile of Bones (Stephanie Lake Company).

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ABOUT MALTHOUSE THEATRE

YOUR JOURNEY WITH MALTHOUSE THEATRE AWAITS. At Malthouse Theatre we collaborate with local and international artists to create inventive performances that cut to the core of the human experience. Theatre has the power to interrogate, disrupt and to be an agent of change— and we think it always should. At Malthouse Theatre, the work we produce explores the world personally, socially and politically. Based in a dedicated venue, The Coopers Malthouse in Melbourne, we are a home for live experiences that entertain and provoke a dialogue with and within audiences.

Welcome to Malthouse Theatre.

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ARTISTIC & PROGRAMMING

TICKETING & BOX OFFICE

VENUE MANAGEMENT

Artistic Director & CO-CEO / Matthew Lutton

CRM & Ticketing Manager / Prue Sutherland

Front of House & Events Manager / Anita Posterino

Executive Producer & CO-CEO / Sarah Neal

Box Office Manager / Allie Stapleton

New Work Manager / Mark Pritchard

Box Office Team Leader / Fiona Wiseman

Resident Artist / Declan Greene

Box Office Staff / Abbey Barnes, Simon Braxton, Paul Buckley, Emily Burke, Bronya Doyle, Lachlan Hywood, Mellita Ilich, Nicola James, Lucy Kingsley, Liz White

Front of House Staff / Gianni Agostononi, Ben Anderson, Mitchell Brotz, Kate Calton, Georgia Cam, Jai Cameron, Emma Corbett, Alice Dixon, Amy Dowd, Sophia D’urso, Mark Hoffman, Dirk Hoult, Ryan Jones, Kathryn Joy, Tom Kantor, Lara Kerestes, Mick Klepner Roe, Aly Loren, Hannah Mckittrick, Nicole Mckenzie, Abi Murray, Anita Posterino, Dom Simonelli, Lee Threadgold, Kenny Waite

Director in Residence / Ming-Zhu Hii Manager of Strategic Planning / Toby Sullivan Associate Producer / Jason Tamiru Company Manager / Marline Zaibak FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Finance Manager / Mario Agostinoni Finance Administrator / Liz White Company Producer / Annie Bourke MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Marketing & Communications Manager / Caraline Douglas Digital Marketing Coordinator / Alexia Jordan Marketing & Communications Coordinator / Jacqui Bathman Publicist / TS Publicity DEVELOPMENT Development Manager / Fiona Kelly Philanthropy Coordinator / Belinda Locke Sponsorship Coordinator / Julian Dibley-Hall

MARKETING & ADVERTISING /

AKA +61 3 8866 8335 AKA-AU.COM

PRODUCTION Production Manager / David Miller Technical Manager / Baird McKenna

We acknowledge the Land and Songlines of the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation.

Operations Manager / Dexter Varley Production Coordinator / Tia Clark Head Technician (Lighting) / Rob Ballingall Venue Head Mechanist / Ivan Smith Theatre Technician / Nathanael Bristow Head of Wardrobe / Delia Spicer Wardrobe Assistant / Rebecca Dunn Workshop Manager / Goffredo Mameli Head Carpenter / David Craig Workshop Assistants / Elizabeth Whitton Mitch O’Sullivan Scenic Artist / Patrick Jones EDUCATION Education Coordinator / Alexandra Macalister-Bills

PHOTOGRAPHY /

PIPPA SAMAYA

DESIGN /

HOURS AFTER HOURSAFTER.COM.AU

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MALTHOUSE THEATRE STAFF

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Fiona McGauchie (Chair), Michael Kantor (Deputy Chair), Debbie Dadon AM, Andrew Myer, Jan Owen AM, Sue Prestney, Pamela Rabe, Nick Schlieper, Kerri Turner & Mary Vallentine AO.

SUPPORTERS & PARTNERS

OUR SUPPORTERS AND PARTNERS GOVERNMENT

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MAJOR

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TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS

For partnership or donation enquiries, please call our Development Manager on (03) 9685 5162 or email development@malthousetheatre.com.au Page 10—11

CALLIOPE—MUSE OF POETRY—$50,000+ Craig Reeves URANIA—MUSE OF THE STARS—$25,000+ Andyinc Foundation, Annamila Fund, Bardas Foundation, Debbie Dadon AM, Maureen Wheeler AO & Tony Wheeler AO CLIO—MUSE OF HISTORY—$10,000+ John & Lorraine Bates, Jennifer Darbyshire & David Walker, Michele Levine, Simone Lourey, James Penlidis & Fiona McGauchie & Family, Janine Tai, The Vera Moore Foundation, Anonymous (2) THALIA—MUSE OF COMEDY—$5,000+ Daniel Besen, Gjergja Family, Colin Golvan AM QC & Dr Deborah Golvan, Suzanne Kirkham, Richard Leonard & Gerlinde Scholz, Elizabeth & Donald McGauchie AO, The Pratt Foundation, Mary Vallentine AO, Moana Weir & Jordie van der Schoot, Anonymous (1) MELPOMENE—MUSE OF TRAGEDY—$2,500+ Rev Fr Michael Elligate AM, Dr Sian Fairbank, Rosemary Forbes & Ian Hocking, Linda Herd, Michael Kingston, Sue Prestney & Paul Glen, Dr Jenny Schwarz,

Robert Sessions & Christina Fitzgerald, Fiona Sweet & Paul Newcombe, Leonard Vary & Dr Matt Collins QC, Jon Webster, Jan Williams, Dr Terry Wu & Dr Melinda Tee, Anonymous (1) EUTERPE—MUSE OF MUSIC—$1,000+ Marc Besen AC & Eva Besen AO, Sally Browne, Ingrid & Per Carlsen, Ros Casey, Tim & Rachel Cecil, Min Li Chong, Jason Craig, Andrew Curtis, Susanne Dahn, Mark & Jo Davey, Roger Donazzan, Brian Goddard, Val Johnstone, Fiona Kelly, Julie & Michael Landvogt, Craig Lynch & Luis Ibaceta, Susan Nathan, Rosemary & Roger Redston, Viorica Samson, Carol & Alan Schwartz AM, Lynne Sherwood & the late Tim Sherwood, Maria Solà, Toby Sullivan, Rosemary Walls, Pinky Watson, Anonymous (3) TERPSICHORE—MUSE OF DANCE—$500+ Frankie Airey & Steve Solly, Graham & Anita Anderson, Greg Andrews, Michael Arnold, Rowland Ball OAM, Sandra Beanham, David & Rhonda Black, Annie Bourke & Darren Clyne, Nan Brown, Dr Rob Brown & Dr Lynne Millar, Priscilla Bryans, Bruce R Butler, MaryAnne Carroll, Chris Clough, Georgie Coleman, Dr Ross Coller, Alan Connolly, Carolyn Creswell, Prof John Daley & Dr Rebecca Coates, Dr Bronwen Evans, Peter & Roxane Fearnside, Evelyn Firstenberg, Taleen Gaidzkar, Mary Garcia, John & Helen Gibbins, John Douglas Guppy, David Geoffrey Hall, Tyler Hill, the late Leonie Hollingworth, Brad Hooper, Russell Hooper, Dr Irene Irvine, Joan & Graeme Johnson OAM, Irene Kearsey, Ann Kemeny & Graham Johnson, Angela Kirsner & Dr Richard Kirsner, Virginia Lovett, Ian Manning & Alice De Jonge, John McCallum,

Ian McRae AO & Åsa HasselgardRowe, Ned’s, Jan Owen AM, Salvatore & Lea Posterino, Vivienne Poznanski & Michael Jankie, Craig Semple, Tom Smyth, Naum Tered, John Thomas, Kerri Turner & Andrew White, Phil & Heather Wilson, Anonymous (1) ERATO—MUSE OF LOVE—$250+ Simon Abrahams, Dr Sue Beeton, Nicole Beyer, Robert & Jane Bird, Bruce Boell & Angela Kayser, Jennifer Bourke, John & Alexandra Busselmaier, Diane Clark, Fiona Clyne, William Donaldson, Mark Duckworth & Lauren Mosso, Carolyn Floyd, Damyn Gordon, Marguerite Griffith & Dr Vincent Griffith, Joanne Griffiths, Peggy Hayton, Russell Hooper, Arechea Hounsell, Susan Humphries, Sarah Hunt, Ed Johnson, Cliff Johnston, Mira & Dr David Kolieb, Jayne Lovelock, Judith Maitland-Parr, Ann McLaren, Susan McLean, Suzanne Mellor & Warren Prior, John Millard, Gayl Morrow & Gib Wettenhall, Dr Anne Myers, Linda Notley, Dr Helen Nugent AO, Tom & Ruth O’Dea, Tony Oliver, Kaylene O’Neill, Frances Pascale, Dean Pavitt, Robert Peters, Anda Petrapsch, Pinkerton Abbey Family, Gerard Powell, Dr Suzy Redston, Rosalba Renzella, Dr Jessica Robertson & Henry Gardner, Jean Ross, Rae Rothfield, Dr Rob Selzer, Hugh Stephens, Andrew Stocker, Chris Teh, Lee-Ann Walsh, Jillian Wells OAM, Gary Westbrook, Jo Whyte, Barbara Yuncken, Anonymous (3)

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SUPPORTERS & PARTNERS

THANKS TO OUR MALTHOUSE MUSES

STEPHANIE LAKE COMPANY

Melbourne-based Stephanie Lake Company is a highly acclaimed contemporary dance company established in 2014. Known for a gutsy, original choreographic style and striking visual aesthetic, Stephanie Lake Company strives to create performances that are affecting and relevant.

Working in collaboration with Australia’s leading dancers, designers and composers, the company has been presented in major festivals and venues across Australia and has toured internationally to France, Germany, Hong Kong, Denmark, Singapore, Scotland and Ireland.

Stephanie Lake Company works have won multiple awards including Helpmann, Australian Dance and Green Room Awards for Outstanding Choreography, Best Dancer, Ensemble and Design.

Stephanie is currently the recipient of the Australia Council Fellowship for Dance. She is also a past recipient of the prestigious Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship and the Peggy Van Praagh Choreographic Fellowship. The video trailer for SLC’s most recent work Colossus has gone viral online reaching a global audience of millions.

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STAFF Artistic Director / Stephanie Lake Executive Producer / Claire Bradley Duke North American Agent / Cathy Pruzan International Agent (Colossus) / Wolfgang Hoffman, Aurora Nova Financial Management / Cloud Bookkeeping BOARD Jerril Rechter (Chair) Matthew Lutton Peter McCoy Robin Fox Stephanie Lake

ON A S 019 SE——2 —

CLOUDSTREET 6 MAY – 16 JUN

The house at number one Cloud Street is a great continent where two damaged clans collide. The two families—the Lambs and the Pickles—are as contrasting as the Australia they inhabit.

This is a once-in-a-generation chance to see Tim Winton’s award-winning story on stage. Directed by Matthew Lutton, Cloudstreet will be a monumental new production unprecedented in scale and ambition.

ADAPTED BY / Nick Enright and Justin Monjo from the novel by Tim Winton

DIRECTION / Matthew Lutton

CAST INCLUDES / Natasha Herbert Bert LaBonté Guy Simon Greg Stone Alison Whyte

Malthouse Theatre and Black Swan State Theatre Company present Cloudstreet. Cloudstreet was first commissioned by Black Swan State Theatre Company and Company B Belvoir in 1998. #SKELETONTREE

WHAT’S UP NEXT

HAUNTED HOUSE. MONUMENT OF LOVE. GRE AT CONTINENT.

& NE D E R SC EA H

In most of Stephanie Lake’s works, a field recording of her daughters is featured in the sound design. In Skeleton Tree, it’s the sound of glasses played as instruments.

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