Photo: Jeff BusbyAbout
Deep underground, something is stirring. Ideas are spreading and change is beckoning. The Captives have a choice: embrace the terrifying uncertainty of change or maintain the status quo.
A fusion of digital puppetry, live animation, music and performance, Captives of the City was a radical exploration of the desire for change. The Captives face the choice between the terrifying uncertainty of embracing change and the safety of maintaining the status quo.
Captives of the City was presented in 2015 in the underground spaces of Arts Centre Melbourne.
Collaborators
Sarah Kriegler, Co-writer & director
Ben Grant, Co-writer and dramaturg
David Young, Composer
Dave Jones, Animation & digital puppetry design
Jethro Woodward, Sound design & musical direction
Jacob Williams, Designer, maker & puppeteer
Caroline Lee, Voice
Mark Cauvin, Double bass
Matthias Schack-Arnott, Percussion
Adam Pierzchalski, Performance
Awards
2016 Winner, Victorian Green Room Awards Experimental & Emerging, 'Best Design and Realisation in Contemporary Performance'.
2016 Winner, Victorian Green Room Awards Experimental & Emerging, 'Best Puppetry Performance'.
Presentation History
2015 Arts Centre Melbourne, Australia
Reviews
'As an act of digital puppetry it’s astounding.'
'…amidst all the starkness of this space, and the austerity of the sounds, amidst the cages and the concrete, you find yourself beginning to notice something unexpected emerging: beauty and humanity and even a sense of hope … Captives of the City’ is astonishing.'
'Schack-Arnott’s solo improvisation on a close-miked cage with knitting needles … conjures silvery tones, phasing swathes of sound and deep bass notes out of the bars … stunning musical performances.’
Partners
Captives of the City was a collaboration between independent company Lemony S Puppet Theatre and Chamber Made Opera.
Captives of the City was co-presented by Chamber Made Opera and Arts Centre Melbourne. This project was assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
