The Dust Palace

Last updated

The Dust Palace is a circus theatre company based in Auckland, New Zealand. It was co-founded by actors Eve Gordon and Mike Edward in 2009. [1]

Contents

The Dust Palace performs original devised works incorporating traditional theatre, physical theatre, dance and circus arts. [2]

History

In 2009 Eve Gordon created a fringe burlesque show Burlesque As You Like It: Not A Family Show which questioned the place of burlesque in contemporary society and engaged with its political and theatrical beginnings. The company was formed with members of the cast and crew following the success of this show. [3]

Being invited to open Q Theatre’s Loft space in 2011 was a notable step forward in their journey. For this they chose to develop Venus Is... which follows the conversation and corresponding reverie, between an older couple trying to figure out when they stopped being real with one another.

"As one of the people said after the show, “I pity the next group using this space, ‘cos how is anyone going to be able to beat that?" Sharu Delilkan, Theatre Scenes [4]

The Dust Palace's next significant step was the show Love and Money, devised from the real-life experiences and writings of director Mike Edward. This show was developed for the Hastings Opera House in 2011, re-developed for TAPAC Theatre Auckland 2012, and again in 2013 for Downstage theatre, Wellington. The show placed the circus work primarily within the context of a strip club, a setting which enabled a narrative flow, punchy dialogue and a bounty of physical comedy.

"There are not enough adjectives to describe the experience that is Love and Money. Breathtaking, beautiful, funny and poignant come to mind, but somehow words lack the required dimensions." Maryanne Cathro, Theatreview Wellington. [5]

In 2012 the Dust Palace leased a warehouse in Auckland suburb Maungakiekie-Tamaki, Penrose which became their studio [6] and also houses The Dust Palace School which teaches circus skills to adults and children. A scholarship programme was started in 2014 to provide a year's worth of free classes for twelve young people. [7]

By 2015, the company had toured with the South Island consortium taking ...with a stranger... to Oamaru, Ashburton and Nelson. Love and Money and Venus is... had performed at Erupt, the Lake Taupo Festival, and Cirque non Sequitur was staged at the Fuel Festival, Hamilton, at an independent season in Q, Auckland and at the Right Royal Cabaret Festival in Taranaki. Ready for new takes on how story and circus interact, they set about creating two new works: Top of the Heap and Ithaca. Top of the Heap, derived from a performance installation made at Splore, was set on a pile of (well-secured) furniture. The show’s unique storytelling was challenged and enhanced by the pathways the circus performers could take on the ‘set’. In contrast, Ithaca was an elaborate production: a cirque-musical re-telling of Homer’s epic narrative poem The Odyssey, told as a Space Opera.

During the research process for Venus is... in 2011 Eve had come across the narrative poem by Christina Rossetti, Goblin Market, and decided then that it was expansive enough to stage as circus theatre. In 2016 they began developing this work, a process that would take two years to fully satisfy their now more developed sense of telling a story via the spectacle of circus. We took The Goblin Market to OFF-CINARS, the world-renowned dance and circus-focused arts market in Montreal, the home of contemporary circus. The production, which involved considerable investment, was rewarded the following year, by being picked up for a season at The Cultch in Vancouver and at The Centaur in Montreal.

“With very few words, they captured some of the key themes of temptation, seduction, and redemption in beautiful, physically demanding circus performances. The moving balance beam, ropes, aerial hoop, and a stack of chairs all showcased the incredibly artistry of the three performers”Lauren Chancellor, The Review Weekly [8]

“Breathtakingly beautiful. Heart-stoppingly romantic. Stirringly erotic” Jo Ledingham, joledingham.ca [9]

After a performance for Lakeside Concert in Rotorua, The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra approached The Dust Palace about a collaborative work which culminated in a sold out Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre for the show Midnight. The show was so successful that they instantly entered a bi-annual agreement for these large-scale works, contribution towards the show KiwiKapers, and various other youth engagement plans. Midnight was the beginning of a trilogy of works, set in the same world, and was followed by Dawn in 2019, filling an estimate of 4000 seats.

Also in 2017, The Dust Palace were approached at the event industry conference, Meetings, by Venues and Events Palmerston North about providing a show for their stadium in 2018. This again sparked a bi-annual collaboration with the production of Le Cirque Volé and subsequent engagement from all levels of the Manawatu community.

In 2019 the Dust Palace moved to a new, larger premises [10] with better facilities for creating circus theatre. [11] It also being their ten year anniversary they decided to celebrate by programming a full year of our works; Angel for Breakfast debuted at Splore Festival; The Goblin Market went on tour; Human filled the ILT Stadium Southland twice in one day; they created and premiered Dawn; and The WonderWombs toured Nelson, Blenheim and Carterton, was brought back to Auckland and also picked up by The Cultch, Vancouver.

2020 pre-covid, saw The Dust Palace tour The WonderWombs to The Cultch in Vancouver and develop PULP for Hamilton Gardens Festival. [12] Later in 2020, they re-developed Ithaca into the stadium scale requested by Venues and Events Palmerston North, marking their largest and most successful story-circus combination to date.

2021 has seen the development of Haus of Yolo [13] and The Ice Cream is Melting!, an environmentally focussed show for 4 - 8 year olds.

Productions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirque du Soleil</span> Canadian contemporary circus company

Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 June 1984 by former street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix.

<i>Goblin Market</i> Narrative poem by Christina Rossetti

Goblin Market is a narrative poem by Christina Rossetti. It tells the story of Laura and Lizzie who are tempted with fruit by goblin merchants. In a letter to her publisher, Rossetti claimed that the poem, which is interpreted frequently as having features of remarkably sexual imagery, was not meant for children. However, in public Rossetti often stated that it was intended for children, and went on to write many children's poems. When it appeared in her first volume of poetry, Goblin Market and Other Poems, it was illustrated by her brother, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Douglas James Wright was a New Zealand dancer and choreographer in the New Zealand arts establishment from 1980 until his death in 2018. Although he announced his retirement from dance in 2008, on the occasion of the publication of his first book of poetry, Laughing Mirror he subsequently continued to make dance works, including touring The Kiss Inside during April 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Clique</span>

La Clique is a cabaret/variety show with Australian roots first conceived for the 2004 season of The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was originally performed in The Famous Spiegeltent with a small circular stage at fringe festivals, but since 2008 it was also performed for extended periods in permanent theatres keeping the same characteristic stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Soirée</span>

La Soirée is a cabaret/variety show presented by Brett Haylock, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin that debuted in London in October 2010 to rave reviews. The show features a number of artists who previously appeared in La Clique, a variety show co-created by Brett Haylock. Haylock was also the Creative Producer of La Clique. La Soirée is traditionally presented with a small, circular red stage as its centerpiece, with the audience sitting in rows surrounding the stage. The show features a rotating cast of approximately 25 artists, with the acts varying from night to night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eve Gordon (New Zealand actress)</span> New Zealand actress and aerialist (born 1982)

Eve Gordon is a New Zealand actress and performer and producer of physical and aerial theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Reihana</span> New Zealand artist (born 1964)

Lisa Marie Reihana is a New Zealand artist. Her video work, In Pursuit of Venus [Infected] (2015), which examines early encounters between Polynesians and European explorers, was featured at the 2017 Venice Biennale.

Thomas "Thom" Monckton is an entertainer from Patea, South Taranaki, New Zealand. Monckton trained for two years at New Zealand's circus school CircoArts and two years at the physical theatre school Lecoq in Paris. He has worked around New Zealand as a solo artist and as an actor with the Ugly Shakespeare Theatre Company. He is now based in Europe. Thomas Monckton's solo silent work of circus and clown, The Pianist, has been performed in Finland, Scotland, England, New York and various cities in New Zealand. It won the 2014 Total Theatre Award for Best Circus Show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His previous show, Moving Stationery, was the big sell-out hit of the 2012 Wellington Fringe, sweeping the awards and going on to win Monckton a Best Actor gong at that year's Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards. His production Only Bones, has been performed in Finland, Belgium, England, New Zealand, France, China, Czech Republic, and in Mexico. An acclaimed piece of physical theatre, Only Bones v1.0 the Best in Physical Theatre NZ Fringe 2015 and Best in Fringe at both New Zealand and Auckland Fringe Festivals in 2019. In Autumn 2017, Monckton premiered physical comedy The Artist, which has toured Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Its final season will be at Sydney Festival in January 2023.

Anapela Polataivao is a New Zealand actor, writer, and director of stage and screen.

Goretti Chadwick is a Samoan-New Zealand stage and television actress, writer, director and tutor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Brugh</span> New Zealand actor and comedian

Jonathan Brugh, also known as Jonny Brugh, is a New Zealand comedian, actor, and musician. He is best known for his work in What We Do in the Shadows (2014). In the 1990s he was part of the comic duo Sugar and Spice.

Taki Rua is a theatre organisation based in Wellington, Aotearoa / New Zealand that has produced many contemporary Māori theatre productions. Taki Rua has been going since 1983 and has had several name changes over that time including The New Depot, Depot Theatre and Taki Rua / The Depot. The full current name is Taki Rua Productions. Since inception the mission of Taki Rua has been to showcase work from Aotearoa. Because of this and the longevity of Taki Rua many significant New Zealand actors, directors, writers, designers and producers have part of the history including Riwia Brown, Nathaniel Lees, Rachel House and Taika Waititi.

Elisabeth Easther is a New Zealand actor, broadcaster, journalist and playwright. She played Carla Crozier on New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street from May 1995 to July 1996, and has since had a varied career in television, radio, journalism and playwriting. Her play Seed won the Adam NZ Play Award for Best Play in 2014.

That Bloody Woman is a 2015 punk-rock musical written by Luke Di Somma and Gregory Cooper. It is based on the life of Kate Sheppard and charts the suffragism struggle in New Zealand and its opposition by Richard Seddon. The musical was commissioned by Christchurch Arts Festival and premiered there in August 2015. It played in Auckland and Christchurch in 2016, and toured New Plymouth, Wellington and Dunedin in 2017. An original cast recording was made and released in 2016. That Bloody Woman is set to hit the Christchurch stage once again as Showbiz Christchurch prepare for their opening night on 5 July, featuring an all female creative team and rock band.

Mitch Tawhi Thomas is a New Zealand playwright, actor and drama teacher.

Tupe Lualua is a New Zealand-Samoan choreographer, director, founder of the dance company Le Moana. She is also the current artistic director and producer for the Measina Festival, and award winning choreographer Tupua Tigafua. In 2019 Lualua was the Creative New Zealand Samoa Artist in Residence.

Tawata Productions is contemporary Māori and Pasifika performing arts company established in 2004 based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), New Zealand. They produce theatre, screen and digital work as well as the festivals: Kia Mau, Breaking Ground and the Pūtahi Festival. Tawata showcases work by Māori, Pasifika and Indigenous writers and makers and is led by Hone Kouka and Mīria George.

Mateheke "Tweedie" Waititi is a New Zealand film director and producer. The whāngai sister of Taika Waititi, she is best known for her work co-directing production company Matewa Media, which since 2016 has produced Māori language versions of Disney animated films.

Stacey Leilua is a New Zealand actress and producer. Since the early 2000s she has regularly acted in Pasifika theatre in New Zealand and was a founding member of the Kila Kokonut Krew. She played Ata Johnson, the mother of Dwayne Johnson, in the comedy show Young Rock from 2021 to 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Dekker, Diana (8 March 2013). "A Divine Body of Work". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Simei-Barton, Paul (21 February 2013). "Theatre review: Amazing acts of derring do". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  3. ↑ The Big Idea (19 September 2012). "TBI Q&A: Eve Gordon". The Big Idea. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Delilkan, Sharu (11 September 2011). "Q's Loft loses its virginity". Theatre Scenes. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  5. ↑ Cathro, Maryanne (10 August 2013). "ALIGNMENT OF THEATRE AND CABARET CREATES A BETTER FUTURE FOR BOTH". Theatreview. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  6. ↑ Bertrand, Kelly (9 November 2012). "Mike Edward and Eve Gordon: 'Our unconventional romance'". The New Zealand Woman's Weekly. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Rogers, Ben (2 July 2014). "Swing in to circus fun". East & Bays Courier. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Chancellor, Lauren (16 October 2017). "The Goblin Market mixes poetry and circusry for a sensual performance". Thereviewweekly. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  9. ↑ Ledingham, Jo (4 October 2017). "The Goblin Market". joledingham.ca. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  10. ↑ Press Release, The Dust Palace (22 January 2019). "The Dust Palace Opens New Studio After Successful Campaign". Scoop Media. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  11. ↑ Christian, Dionne (8 July 2018). "Cirque company The Dust Palace moves to fly higher". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  12. ↑ Brennan-Tupara, Nicola (1 March 2020). "The Dust Palace's, Pulp". Stuff. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  13. ↑ Hanne, Ilona (1 August 2021). "Haus of YOLO is magically mesmerising and thrillingly dangerous". The New Zealand. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.