Sunbury’s BoilOver Performance Ensemble will present the magic of physical theatre at the Sunbury Arts and Cultural Precinct opening day this weekend.
As part of the open day at Jacksons Hill on Saturday, February 15, the inclusive theatre group supported by Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health will perform The Birds – a roaming physical theatre performance involving audience interaction, public space activation, and advanced audio performance equipment.
A collaboration with 5AngryMen Theatre Company, audiences will be able to roam the precinct grounds and follow the actors as they appear and reappear before guiding viewers to an exciting finale.
Ensemble creative producer and artistic director Carmen Maddison said the performance explores themes around social perceptions.
“The Birds is an exploration of the ideas of what it means to be caged … [and] what it means to be free … from some of the social perceptions. This is particularly relevant for people with a disability because of the social cages or boxes or perceptions that can be limiting,” Ms Maddison said.
“Another dimension to the work is that we’ve had the opportunity to work with a not-for-profit sound company called Sonicrats, and we are wearing interactive sound devices that enable us to trigger bird calls and soundscapes through our movement.
“The work is really innovative in that it explores AI and this public space exploration … we’ve got mics, we’ve got speakers … and these amazing vintage costumes .. it’s kind of like AI meets steampunk.”
The performance will begin at 11.10am on February 15 at Building 22 at Jacksons Hill, Sunbury.
Oscar Parry