Splinters Theatre of Spectacle

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Splinters Theatre of Spectacle was an Australian Performance Troupe formed in Canberra in 1985 by David Branson, Patrick Troy, Ross Cameron, and John Utans, that was known for large outdoor spectacles. [1] Between 1985 and 1996, Splinters produced more than 20 works that played at Australian theater festivals. In 1992, they produced Cathedral of Flesh which won the Best Promenade Theater Performance Award, at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. [2]

Australia Country in Oceania

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Canberra capital city of Australia

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of 410,301, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne. A resident of Canberra is known as a Canberran. Although Canberra is the capital and seat of government, many federal government ministries have secondary seats in state capital cities, as do the Governor-General and the Prime Minister.

David Branson was an Australian theatre director, actor, and writer.

History

Splinters evolved through a collective of writers, musicians, visual and performance artists creating loosely related skits and scenes, into a multi-format art concept production company. Working in a variety of venues with hundreds of artists Splinters produced displays all around Australia. Their offices were situated in the Gorman House Arts Centre in Canberra. [3]

Utilizing techniques of theater, dance, performance art, puppetry, pyrotechnics, sculpture, music, and crowd manipulation, Splinters performed one-offs, seasons, exhibitions, and events. Several performance and event groups gained momentum under the Splinters banner before launching their own companies including: Snuff Puppets, ODD Productions, Temple State, Triclops.

Puppetry form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets

Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performance is also known as a puppet play. The puppeteer uses movements of her hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move the body, head, limbs, and in some cases the mouth and eyes of the puppet. The puppeteer often speaks in the voice of the character of the puppet, and then synchronizes the movements of the puppet's mouth with this spoken part. The actions, gestures and spoken parts acted out by the puppets are typically used in storytelling.

Pyrotechnics science of self-contained, self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions

Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound. Its etymology stems from the Greek words pyro ("fire") and tekhnikos. Pyrotechnics include not only the manufacture of fireworks but items such as safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and fasteners, components of the automotive airbag and gas pressure blasting in mining, quarrying and demolition.

Sculpture Branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions

Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sculptural processes originally used carving and modelling, in stone, metal, ceramics, wood and other materials but, since Modernism, there has been an almost complete freedom of materials and process. A wide variety of materials may be worked by removal such as carving, assembled by welding or modelling, or molded or cast.

Splinters' first performance This Fantastic Lake in 1985 at the Downer Community Hall, Canberra was funded by International Youth Year. In 1988, Splinters received a grant from the Capital Arts Patrons Organisation. [4] After several national and rural tours funded by the Australia Council's Performing Arts Board, the last performance under the Splinters aegis was Orpheus at Gorman House, Canberra in 1997. In 2001, speaking at the Legislative Assembly for the ACT about the death of David Branson, the Australian Minister for Urban Services and Minister for the Arts called Splinters "one of the most innovative groups in Canberra's quite illustrious history of arts practice." [5]

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References

  1. ↑ Musa, Helen (2001-12-13). "Death ends Canberra artist's vibrant career". The Canberra Times . Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  2. ↑ "Artistic Director - David Branson". Artshunter.com.au. Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  3. ↑ Milne, Geoffrey (2004). Theatre Australia (un)limited: Australian Theatre Since the 1950s. Rodopi. p. 314. ISBN   90-420-0930-6.
  4. ↑ "A History of CAPO Grants 1983-2006". Capo.org. Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  5. ↑ "Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 1 Hansard". 2001-12-13. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
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