Look Right Through Me program (2011)

LOOK RIGHT THROUGH ME SEptEmbEr 7 - SEptEmbEr 18 2011

Malthouse Theatre and KAGE present

LOOK RIGHT THROUGH ME ....

Conceived & Directed by Kate Denborough Creative Collaborator Michael Leunig Co-devised & Performed by Craig Bary, Fiona Cameron, Timothy Ohl, Cain Thompson, Gerard Van Dyck, Oscar Wilson, Declan Edwards Set & Costume Designer Julie Renton Lighting Designer Rachel Burke Composer Jethro Woodward Production Manager Emily O’Brien Stage Manager Alice Fleming Lighting Operator Stewart Birkinshaw Campbell Followspot Operators Tracey Baird & Lee Stout Set Construction Hans Van Dyck Assistant to Costume Designer Bridie Wilkinson KAGE General Manager Simone Collins Look Right Through Me opened in the Merlyn Theatre at The Malthouse on 9 September, 2011

MERLYN THEATRE, SEPTEMBER 7 – SEPTEMBER 18 2011

INKY HANDS & PAPER STAGES

....

To my cartoonist mind’s eye, the cartoon frame found in newspapers has always been a little stage of sorts; a paper proscenium arch surrounded by newsprint, where for forty years I have placed my characters and given them roles. I can therefore see that Look Right Through Me is something of a living cartoon, and I invite others to see it in this way for a moment also. But of course, there is more to it than that.

It is a peculiar and mysterious pleasure indeed to see my work used as an inspirational source for this entirely original piece of theatre by KAGE. Look Right Through Me is no literal transcription from my archive but rather an essential piece of my spirit borrowed and grown faithfully in the KAGE laboratory into a wonderful and very different new creature that I could never have imagined. What lovelier honour and influence could there be upon me than to see my work used in this way by an intelligent and prodigiously gifted new generation of artists. I think this is what’s called a blessing.

Watching this piece emerge has not been without amused personal reflection. My mind has been drawn back to the desperately isolated moments in youth as I sat at messy late night tables with inky hands; surrounded by scraps of torn paper, empty teacups and great swathes of self doubt, scratching

away at improbable, impertinent ideas wrought from the mess of my own shaky experience and little else. Both Einstein and Camus have noted the frequently ridiculous beginnings of worthy things and I couldn’t agree more.

How astounding it is to now behold the graceful consequences of such clumsy early inventions – descendents looking so at home in the world, so evolved, assured, and beautifully daring. Our artworks and our children are different to us; they go into the world to take on an independent existence and do what they will. Thanks be.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

....

Like so many others, my outlook on life has been enriched by Michael Leunig’s commentary on the human race. His voice has been a constant reminder of what it is possible to assert if you are brave enough.

He sheds light on the darkest of subject matters, giving us permission to laugh while gently guiding us with a firm and steady hand, encouraging us to be a more tolerant and compassionate society.

The collaboration between Michael and me has been based on the shared love of conversation, provocation, beauty and absurdity. While Look Right Through Me is by no means a literal translation of Leunig’s work, each scene has been inspired by particular cartoons or pieces of his writing. Familiar and contrasting themes of playfulness and disillusionment, hope and humility are realised through dance, music and physicality.

I hope you enjoy this journey and, as Michael always advocates, “expect the unexpected”. Perhaps think of this performance as an exchange, a moment when people can come together and dream of possibilities.

This work is a tribute to Michael and a celebration of our immeasurably delightful collaboration. I would also like to acknowledge the cast and creative team for their invaluable contribution to the work.

KATE DENBOROUGH

CRAIG BARY PERFORMER Craig graduated from the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) in 1998. Since then he has worked with The Royal New Zealand Ballet, Footnote Dance Company, Michael Parmenter's Commotion Company, Raewyn Hill, Douglas Wright Dance, Garry Stewart's Thwack and Australian Dance Theatre, Kate Denborough, Gideon Obarzanek's Chunky Move, Leigh Warren and Dancers, and the Sue Healey Dance Company. As a resident dancer at Tasdance for three years he worked with Tanja Liedtke, Shaun Parker, Natalie Weir, Chrissie Parrott, Phillip Adams, Anna Smith, Neil Adams, Fiona Reilly and Graeme Murphy. In 2005 he was nominated for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. In 2008 he won Best Male Dancer at the Auckland Tempo Awards for his role in Michael Parmenters Tent. He has choreographed for Sydney Dance Company, LINK Dance Company in Perth and recently on the NZSD 2010 graduating students. In 2011 he danced in Douglas Wrights’ Rapt, launched the New Zealand Dance Company Initiative and premiered Side to One, his first fulllength work with co-creator Lisa Griffiths at the Adelaide Festival Centre.

RACHEL BURKE LIGHTING DESIGNER Rachel has worked as a freelance lighting designer with most of Australia’s leading arts companies including The Australian Ballet, Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir and Playbox Theatre Company.

She is the recipient of six Green Room Awards for Outstanding Lighting Design 1994, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2010 and was nominated for a Helpmann Award and a Sydney Theatre Award in 2005 for Malthouse Theatre’s

Black Medea. Rachel is Senior Associate at Electrolight Pty Ltd. and her exterior architectural lighting design for the Arts Centre Hamer Hall Victoria won the IES National and State Award of Excellence 2005. Recent theatre designs include Moth for Arena Theatre/Malthouse Theatre, Porn.

Cake for Malthouse Theatre and Save for Crying with Angus Cerini at La Mama.

FIONA CAMERON PERFORMER Fiona has been performing, choreographing and teaching extensively in Europe and Australia over the last eighteen years. She began her career with Alias Company (Geneva), becoming Assistant Director before returning to Australia in 1996. A member of Chunky Move from 1997 - 2005, she has also performed with Sydney Theatre Company, Garry Stewart, Lucy Guerin, David Pledger, Prue Lang, Opera Australia and Force Majeure. She has created live performances both for traditional theatres, outdoor public spaces and for festivals such as Melbourne’s Next Wave and Lugar a Danca (Portugal). She has made three dance films which screened at Reel Dance (Australia), Mediawave (Hungary) and IFCT (USA). She has choreographed a number of collaborative projects including Fresh Dance New Beats for Ausdance, a dance film for Theatre of Speed and Victorian Opera’s Orphee and Eurydice with director Stephen Page. She first performed with KAGE in 1999 in This Side Up and subsequently in Nowhere Man in 2003.

SIMONE COLLINS KAGE GENERAL MANAGER Simone is a creative producer with an extensive history of arts management and festival organisation. She has a degree in Fine Arts Technical Production from the Queensland University of Technology. Originally from Brisbane, Simone managed the Valley Markets and worked for Ipswich Events Corporation as the Event Producer creating and delivering a wide range of corporate and community events for the region. She moved to Melbourne in July 2008 and immediately started work with the Melbourne Fringe Festival producing their four Federation Square projects. In 2009, she continued working with Melbourne Fringe as their Artist Development Coordinator, as well as becoming Producer for Western Edge Youth Arts' Big West Festival Show Frolic. Simone has also worked for Next Wave, Emerging Writers’ Festival, White Whale Theatre Company, St Kilda Festival, Moomba Festival and Opera Australia. In addition to working for KAGE, Simone also currently works for John Paxinos and Associates where her clients include the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

KATE DENBOROUGH DIRECTOR Kate is recognised as one of Australia's foremost choreographers and directors of dance theatre. She is an award-winning creator of multi disciplinary works that cross the mediums of film, television and live performance. In 1996 she co-founded KAGE with Gerard Van Dyck. As the Co-creative Director of KAGE she has devised, directed and/or performed in all of the Company's works. Many of these have won industry awards as well as national and international recognition.

The awards include the Canberra Critics Circle Award for Dance, a Green Room Award for Female Emerging Artist in

Dance and joint winner of the Eva Czajor Memorial Award, which salutes women directors. She was awarded the Paris residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts in 2001. Her work as a choreographer and performer has been seen internationally and nationally throughout Australia. In 2007 she directed Frank Woodley’s solo show Possessed as well as Appetite for KAGE for the 2008 Melbourne International Festival of the Arts. In 2009 KAGE was invited to be the inaugural Company in Residence at the Victorian Arts Centre. In 2010 she undertook a directing mentorship with Peter Evans, Artistic Associate with Melbourne Theatre Company. She recently directed Sundowner in partnership with Alzheimer's Australia Vic. She is a member of the Malthouse Theatre Artistic Counsel.

ALICE FLEMING STAGE MANAGER Alice returns to work with KAGE after previously stage managing Sundowner, which premiered at Castlemaine State Festival earlier this year. She most recently worked with Melbourne Theatre Company on The Gift. She began the year in the role of production coordinator at the WOMADelaide Arts & Music Festival, where she has worked for the last three years. Her previous stage management roles include Do Not Go Gentle..., produced by 45 Downstairs and Wind in the Willows produced by the Australian Shakespeare Company. She was production manager for Next Wave Festival's Sports Club Project. Other festival experience includes All Tomorrow’s Parties and The Falls Festival. She graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2009 where she was the recipient of the VCA Daryl Wilkinson Stage Management Encouragement Award.

MICHAEL LEUNIG CREATIVE COLLABORATOR Michael was born in East Melbourne in 1945, a slaughterman's son and the second eldest of five children.

He was educated at various state schools, kitchen tables, paddocks, rubbish tips, loopholes and abattoirs in Melbourne's industrial Western suburbs. Enid Blyton, Arthur Mee, Salinger, Milligan and The Beatles were early creative influences and his political consciousness intensified radically upon reading his notice of military conscription sent to him from the Australian government in 1965. He fled from formal education and pursued a successful career as a factory labourer and meatworker where he nurtured his art and philosophy before beginning work as a daily newspaper cartoonist in Melbourne in 1969. The Penguin Leunig, his first book of collected cartoons, was published in 1974 and since then he has produced twenty more collections including books of poetry and prayer. His prints, paintings and drawings have been exhibited broadly and are held in various public and private collections. In 1999 he was declared a national living treasure by the National Trust and awarded honorary degrees from La Trobe and Griffith Universities and the Australian Catholic University for his unique contribution to Australian culture. His work appears regularly in the Melbourne Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

EMILY O’BRIEN PRODUCTION MANAGER Emily has worked extensively in the field of production both locally and internationally, working primarily in theatre, dance, events and film. She graduated from the VCA School of Production in 2002 and completed an internship at the prestigious Performing Garage for The Wooster Group. She is currently undertaking a Masters in Arts Management at the University

of Melbourne. She has worked primarily in production and stage management, with clients and projects including; the Circus Program - Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival, Token Events, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Westside Circus, Eleventh Hour Theatre, Comedy@Trades, The Business, KAGE, BalletLab, All Tomorrow’s Parties, Film Victoria, Boogie Festival, Feel Presents, Melbourne Workers Theatre, Easy Tiger in Smith Street, Ausdance, the Belong Group, the City of Manningham, the City of Whittlesea, Federation Square, the North Richmond Community Health Centre, Polyglot Theatre, Stephen Helper, Next Wave Festival, the Other Film Festival and A.R.A.B. TIMOTHY OHL PERFORMER QUT trained, Timothy has worked with Garry Stewart’s Australian Dance Theatre, performing in Birdbrain, Held, The Age of Unbeauty, Devolution and Vocabulary touring throughout Australia, Europe, UK, USA and Japan, with Force Majeure performing The Age I’m In directed by Kate Champion, with KAGE performing Headlock directed by Kate Denborough, with Shaun Parker for World Youth Day 08, Sydney Festival 09 and The Song Company's Tenebrae 3, in Opera Australia's Baroque Masterpieces choreographed by Lucy Guerin, with Alice Lee Holland for Preparing to be Beautiful, with Theatre of Image directed by Kim Carpenter, with Meryl Tankard understudying The Oracle, for Legs on the Wall understudying My Bicycle Loves You directed

by Patrick Nolan, and with Stephanie Lake for Mix Tape, commissioned by Chunky Move. As well as creating his own work, performing and composing music, he is developing new works with KAGE, Anton, Sarah-Jayne Howard and Lisa Wilson and recently created and performed a short solo for Expressions Dance Company’s Solo-Festival of Dance season. In 1997 he co-founded Raw Metal

Performance Company in Brisbane where as an Assistant Choreographer, Writer and Performer he toured to Asia and throughout Australia. He has choreographed short works for ADT’s Ignition 06 and for Company 34 UNSW. This year he received a 2010 Green Room Award for his role in Mix Tape.

JULIE RENTON SET AND COSTUME DESIGNER Julie is a Melbourne based set and costume designer. Credits include: set realisation for Sundowner (KAGE), set and costume design for King John at the 2010 Adelaide Festival of the Arts (Eleventh Hour Theatre), costume design for Quartet the Razor with A is for Atlas, and set design for Ariadne auf Naxos for Victorian Opera, a remount of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame for the Melbourne International Arts Festival (Eleventh Hour Theatre), The Scoundrel That You Need for Moriarty’s Project Inc, Othello Retold and For Samuel Beckett with Eleventh Hour Theatre, and The Fire Raisers for Union House Theatre, University of Melbourne. International productions include: Harlem Duet, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Watermonsters, and Oswald’s Backyard in New York, and costume design for three Videocabaret productions in Toronto, Canada. Julie is the recipient of the Green Room Award for Set Design in an Independent Theatre Category 2006 (For Samuel Beckett).

CAIN THOMPSON PERFORMER In 2006 Cain graduated with a Bachelor in Acting from the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Since graduating he has worked professionally as an actor in film, television and theatre. More recently his passion has grown to include dance and physical theatre along with writing and directing. As a primarily self

taught dancer, acrobat & Capoeirista he has also worked professionally with these skills. He continued his Capoeira training in Brazil in 2011. He is soon to produce and star in a production of The Chocolate Frog & The Old Familiar Juice by Jim McNeil, directed by Malcolm Robertson with his company wattle we do next.

GERARD VAN DYCK PERFORMER Gerard’s training includes contemporary dance, slapstick, puppetry, motion capture, flying (on cables), acting and modelling.

Gerard choreographs, teaches, critiques and discusses dance. After training at VCA he co-founded KAGE with Kate Denborough and has performed in all of KAGE’s award winning works throughout Australia and overseas.

Gerard clocked up 50+ performances of his solo The Collapsible Man and won some awards for it too. He has toured extensively with BalletLab and Polyglot Puppet Theatre, and worked locally with artists such as Nat Cursio, Eleventh Hour Theatre, Legs on the Wall, desoxy Theatre and Sandra Parker. Gerard has danced in a piano costume for Sarah Blasko, and floated in a space ship for David Noonan. He has directed circus and comedy, and provided dramaturgy for ballet. When Gerard isn’t busy with KAGE he works at Shop Bluebottle. He chairs the dance panel of the Green Room Award Association, teaches at VCA and is a regular guest on Triple R’s Smart Arts program.

JETHRO WOODWARD COMPOSER Jethro is a composition graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, School of Music.

He has recently composed music for Small Odysseys with Rawcus, Tis Pity She's a Whore for Malthouse Theatre and Life Without Me for Melbourne Theatre Company. Other recent work for theatre includes: Moth, Criminology and Goodbye Vaudeville Charlie Mudd for Arena Theatre Company and Malthouse Theatre, The Urchin for Encyclopedia of Animals, The Apocalypse Bear Trilogy, Black Swan of Trespass and Eisteddfod with Stuck Pigs Squealing, Pillowman, Antigone and Black Medea for Belvoir, The Girl Who Cried Wolf with Arena Theatre Company, Another Lament with Rawcus and Chamber Made, The Heart of another is a Dark Forest with Rawcus and Restless, and Hunger with Rawcus and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Composition for dance includes: Human Interest Story for Lucy Guerin Inc, and Slack and Zero Sum for Australian Dance Theatre. Films include Van Dieman's Land and The Heartbreak Tour for SBS. Jethro has received Green Room awards for his work on Goodbye Vaudeville Charlie Mudd, Moth, and Irony Is Not Enough (Fragment 31).

KAGE would like to thank Adam Haddow, Maryanne Lynch, Sarah-Jayne Howard, Kristina Chan, Paul White and Luke Smiles for their contribution to the initial development of this work.

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Marion Potts Jo Porter

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Box Office Staff Liz Bastian, Paul Buckley, Mark Byrne, Sonja Fea, Rachel Dyson-McGregor, Cindy Elliott, Kate Gregory, Michelle Hines, Ross Lutey, Fiona Wiseman, Janine Watson, Liz White.

With special thanks to Michael Kantor, Stephen Armstrong & Catherine Jones.

Malthouse Theatre would like to acknowledge the people of the Kulin nation on whose land this work is being presented.

This program has been printed on 100% recycled paper using soya based inks.

MUSE DONOR PROGRAM

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the following donors: URANIA (Muse of the Stars) Annamila Pty Ltd, The Dara Foundation CLIO (Muse of History) Berry Liberman & Daniel Almagor, John & Lorraine Bates, Michele Levine

THALIA (Muse of Comedy) Betty Amsden OAM, Daniel & Danielle Besen, Eva Besen AO & Marc Besen AO, Debbie Dadon, Roger Donazzan & Margaret Jackson AC, Neilma Gantner, Colin Golvan SC, Peter and Anne Laver, Richard Leonard, Elisabeth and John Schiller, Philanthropy Squared, Trawalla Foundation, Anonymous (1) MELPOMENE (Muse of Tragedy) Chryssa Anagnostou & Jim Tsaltas, Terry Cutler, D.L & G.S Gjergja, Ian Hocking & Rosemary Forbes, Tim & Lynne Sherwood, Simon Westcott & Dr. Ben Keith, Tom Wright, Anonymous (1) EUTERPE (Muse of Music) Ingrid Ashford, Beth Brown & Tom Bruce AM, Ingrid & Per Carlsen, Dominic Dirupo & Natalie Dwyer, Carolyn Floyd, William J Forrest AM, John & Helen Gibbins, Brian Goddard, Scott Herron, Michael Kingston, Naomi Milgrom AO, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, Rae Rothfield, Neil & Barbara Smart, Leonard Vary & Matt Collins, Jason Waple, Phil & Heather Wilson, Angelika & Pete Zangmeister TERPSICHORE (Muse of Dance) Roger Blythman, Sally Browne, Diana Burleigh, David Byrne, Min Li Chong, Sieglind D’Arcy, Rev Fr Michael Elligate, Taleen Gaidzkar, Leonie Hollingworth, Brad Hooper, Graeme & Joan Johnson, Ann Kemeny & Graham Johnson, K & J Lindsay, Pamela McLure, Sir Gustave Nossal AC CBE & Lady Nossal, Robert Peters, Karen Russel, Ernie Schwartz, Jenny Schwarz, Fiona Sweet & Paul Newcombe, Dr. Victor & Dr. Karen Wayne, Anonymous(2) ERATO (Muse of Love) Stephen Alley, Graham & Anita Anderson, Amanda Bede, Sandra Beanham, John Carruthers, Tim & Rachel Cecil, Dianne Clark, Patricia Coutts, Mary Crean AM, Tania de Jong AM, Doreen Dempster, Paul Gardner, Peggy Hayton, Shirley Hickey, Roberta Holmes, Susan Humphries, Irene Irvine, Irene Kearsey, Ruth Krawat, Anna Lozynski, Brad Martin, Robyn & John Morris, Dr. Kersti Nogeste, Linda Notley, David O’Connell & Jarrod Haberfield, Tony Oliver, Irene Purcell, John & Margot Rogers, Maria Sola, Thea & Hadyn Snow, John Thomas, Ann Tonks, Rosemary Walls, Jan Watson, Joanne Whyte, Dr. Roger Woock & Fiona Clyne, Angharad Wynne-Jones, Anonymous (11) To find out more about the Malthouse Theatre Muse program, please contact Philanthropy Manager Tamara Harrison on 03 9685 5162 / tharrison@malthousetheatre.com.au.

Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

Malthouse Theatre & Melbourne Festival present The Border Project’s

HALF – reAL

September 28 – OctOber 15 Malthouse Theatre & Melbourne Festival present a Back to Back Theatre production

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September 29 – OctOber 9

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