Observatory Theatre’s production Utopia! And the Caravan Calamity will play one performance in collaboration with Anywhere Festival and Moreton Bay Regional Council on May 15th at Redcliffe Museum.
The tap dance spectacular combines gypsy jazz music, eye-popping designs, slapstick comedy, and interactive performers to transport audiences to a new world.
The show will complement Redcliffe Museum’s new steampunk themed children’s exhibit Brain Child which celebrates inventions and imagination.
Utopia! And the Caravan Calamity’s co-director Rory Cooper said the world created in the show and a “heart-warming” story of mateship and cooperation will immerse audiences.
“Audiences should expect to be immediately immersed into the world as some very skilled and enthusiastic actors embark on this journey,” Mr. Cooper said.
“The performance will take audiences on an adventure that is fun for the whole family.”
The story follows a band of oddbods on a distant planet as they travel aboard a rickety caravan towards paradise.
However, the caravan collapses leaving the group stuck in a desolate wasteland with their only chance of escape being teamwork.
Utopia! And the Caravan Calamity’s co-creator and choreographer Kara Fisher said combining a plot and tap dancing is an unusual combination for live performance.
“Tap dancing in a show is not usually used in a plot setting, but rather reserved for concert and showcase style performances,” Ms. Fisher said.
“We’re telling the story through physical movement, not just tap dance, but clowning and other physical aspects.”
Utopia! And the Caravan Calamity was created by young Brisbane creatives Lachlan Driscoll, who is also the company’s director, and Kara Fisher.
The show will be directed by Lachlan Driscoll and Rory Cooper and choreographed by Kara Fisher with set design by The Black Box Collective.
Tickets are free via the Anywhere Festival website.
Observatory Theatre is a new independent Brisbane theatre company that creates meaningful, vibrant experiences for audiences in ways traditional theatre does not. They aim to devise inventive works that bend the boundaries of traditional theatre and transport audiences to the world on stage.
