A compelling and memorable look beyond the headlines and our contemporary relationship to war, Perth Theatre Company (PTC) in association with Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) present a unique multi-artform piece inspired by stories of women in conflict zones the world over in From the Rubble for a limited season from 16 March 2015.
From the Rubble is inspired by stories from Perth’s own Walkley Award winning writer and journalist Sophie McNeill, recorded and written during her time as a foreign correspondent for SBS’ Dateline. Twice winner of a Young Journalist of the Year Award, Sophie has reported from countries as varied as Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Thailand and Mexico.
Perth Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Melissa Cantwell uses the evocative images embedded in Sophie’s stories to give you a glimpse into the lives of civilians in conflict zones in this world premiere work.
“The first time we met, she came into the Perth Theatre Company office with her duffle bag and flak jacket on the way to SAS training. She went off to leap out of a helicopter, I dove into her stories,” said Director Melissa Cantwell. “There began the process of unearthing the imagery in her work which would form the basis of what we hope will be a compelling and moving immersive piece.”
Exploding the boundaries of theatre, PICA’s Performance Space will be transformed using multi-layered artforms including performance, paper, projection, animation, puppetry and film footage created by visual artist Fleur Elise Noble (2 Dimensional Life of Her) and a team of Perth innovators.
Joining the team will be Perth songstress Mei Saraswati in her theatre debut, Iranian-Australian performer Tina Torabi, independent theatre-maker/performer Mikala Westall, PTC’s writer-in-residence Ian Sinclair as Assistant Director, composer Joe Lui and acclaimed audio visual designer Mia Holton.
From the Rubble
PICA Performance Space, Perth Cultural Centre, 51 James Street, Northbridge (Perth)
Season: 16 – 28 March 2015
Bookings: (08) 9228 6300 or online at: www.pica.org.au
For more information, visit: www.perththeatre.com.au for details.
Image: by Fleur Elise Noble