Handspan Theatre
Encyclopedia
Handspan Theatre, Visual Theatre, Melbourne
puppet
company
, Arts collective
Handspan Theatre 1977 - 2002 was a Melbourne puppetry
collective
founded by Ken Evans, Andrew Hansen, Helen Rickards, Maeve Vella, Peter J. Wilson and Christine Woodcock.
Drawing upon influences in visual arts, choreography, ensemble theatre, film-making, academic and education research Handspan was created to explore alternative forms of puppetry to add to the booth
, shadow puppet or marionette
shows that were prevalent in Australia
at the time.
Major Handspan works would often utilise multimedia
and readily filled conventional stages
or more unusual site-specific
spaces in their presentation. Other works offered a more intimate audience experience and were scaled to suit venues as diverse as shop front windows or a local swimming pool.
Handspan shows and those of many of their '80's contemporaries (refer: Twyla Tharp
& David Byrne
Songs from the Catherine-wheel; Robert Wilson
- Einstein on the Beach & La Claca - Miro) led to the creation of a theatre format label:
Visual Theatre - i.e. performance where visual spectacle (accompanied by silence or soundscapes) shared eminence with - and sometimes replaced - voiced text.
The collective format was perhaps a strong element of the company's success as artistic and business roles were often rotated amongst (though not exclusive to) the membership allowing for diverse professional development and load-sharing as part of the company's day-to-day business from the outset. Other well known Melbourne arts collectives at that time were the Theatre-in-Education ensemble Magic Mushroom Mime
Troupe and Circus Oz
.
The company went on to incorporate around its collective model gathering a board of directors
, festival
and corporate sponsorship, substantial government funding and many more members over the next 25 years - either as ongoing core members or as contributing participants to the production process at any given time. An annual 'dreaming
meeting' would serve as both a group-devised business plan
and creative agenda for the next year.
A multi-level office studio space was found and developed (in the old 'Vardar Studios' a former photographic studio at 108 Gertrude St Fitzroy) and Handspan was able to add to their own performance commitments by fostering other artists work as shows in rehearsal, exhibitions, or as a 'build-to-order' collaboration. Handspan moved their studio and offices to larger premises in Richmond then finally to join other major Arts entities in South Melbourne in the eminent Southgate Arts Precinct.
Many Handspan members developed substantial business, creative and technical professional skills and in time added their own careers as significant individuals to the Australian artscape.
Handspan's merits abound beyond Australian shores, earning several awards from touring the world stage. Possibly their most germane accolade was awarded at the 1983 Spoleto Festival, Italy
for the astonishing multimedia work Secrets conceived by and devised with Nigel Triffit. The founder of the Spoleto Festivals, composer Giancarlo Menotti, was reported to be so taken with the work he was moved to visit Melbourne and went on to establish a 3rd Spoleto Festival there (now renamed the Melbourne Festival) - the 2nd Spoleto Festival
being held in Charleston, South Carolina
, USA.
Notable Handspan Theatre productions included:
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
, Arts collective
Handspan Theatre 1977 - 2002 was a Melbourne puppetry
Puppetry
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC. Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects...
collective
Collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project to achieve a common objective...
founded by Ken Evans, Andrew Hansen, Helen Rickards, Maeve Vella, Peter J. Wilson and Christine Woodcock.
Drawing upon influences in visual arts, choreography, ensemble theatre, film-making, academic and education research Handspan was created to explore alternative forms of puppetry to add to the booth
Booth
-In architecture:* Isolation booth, device used to prevent a person or people from seeing or hearing certain events* Photo booth, vending machine or kiosk which contains an automated camera and film processor...
, shadow puppet or marionette
Marionette
A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms...
shows that were prevalent in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
at the time.
Major Handspan works would often utilise multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
and readily filled conventional stages
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
or more unusual site-specific
Site-specific art
Site-specific art is artwork created to exist in a certain place. Typically, the artist takes the location into account while planning and creating the artwork...
spaces in their presentation. Other works offered a more intimate audience experience and were scaled to suit venues as diverse as shop front windows or a local swimming pool.
Handspan shows and those of many of their '80's contemporaries (refer: Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer, who lives and works in New York City.-Early years:Tharp was born in 1941 on a farm in Portland, Indiana, and was named after Twila Thornburg, the "Pig Princess" of the 89th Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana.she spend hours working on it to help her...
& David Byrne
David Byrne
David Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
Songs from the Catherine-wheel; Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson (director)
Robert Wilson is an American avant-garde stage director and playwright who has been called "[America]'s — or even the world's — foremost vanguard 'theater artist'". Over the course of his wide-ranging career, he has also worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video...
- Einstein on the Beach & La Claca - Miro) led to the creation of a theatre format label:
Visual Theatre - i.e. performance where visual spectacle (accompanied by silence or soundscapes) shared eminence with - and sometimes replaced - voiced text.
The collective format was perhaps a strong element of the company's success as artistic and business roles were often rotated amongst (though not exclusive to) the membership allowing for diverse professional development and load-sharing as part of the company's day-to-day business from the outset. Other well known Melbourne arts collectives at that time were the Theatre-in-Education ensemble Magic Mushroom Mime
Mime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
Troupe and Circus Oz
Circus Oz
Circus Oz was founded in December 1977, with its first performance season in March 1978. Circus Oz was the amalgamation of two already well-known groups - Soapbox Circus, a roadshow set up by the Australian Performing Group in 1976, and the New Ensemble Circus, a continuation of the New Circus,...
.
The company went on to incorporate around its collective model gathering a board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
, festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
and corporate sponsorship, substantial government funding and many more members over the next 25 years - either as ongoing core members or as contributing participants to the production process at any given time. An annual 'dreaming
Dreaming (spirituality)
The Dreaming is a common term within the animist creation narrative of indigenous Australians for a personal, or group, creation and for what may be understood as the "timeless time" of formative creation and perpetual creating....
meeting' would serve as both a group-devised business plan
Business plan
A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals....
and creative agenda for the next year.
A multi-level office studio space was found and developed (in the old 'Vardar Studios' a former photographic studio at 108 Gertrude St Fitzroy) and Handspan was able to add to their own performance commitments by fostering other artists work as shows in rehearsal, exhibitions, or as a 'build-to-order' collaboration. Handspan moved their studio and offices to larger premises in Richmond then finally to join other major Arts entities in South Melbourne in the eminent Southgate Arts Precinct.
Many Handspan members developed substantial business, creative and technical professional skills and in time added their own careers as significant individuals to the Australian artscape.
Handspan's merits abound beyond Australian shores, earning several awards from touring the world stage. Possibly their most germane accolade was awarded at the 1983 Spoleto Festival, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for the astonishing multimedia work Secrets conceived by and devised with Nigel Triffit. The founder of the Spoleto Festivals, composer Giancarlo Menotti, was reported to be so taken with the work he was moved to visit Melbourne and went on to establish a 3rd Spoleto Festival there (now renamed the Melbourne Festival) - the 2nd Spoleto Festival
Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the world's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy...
being held in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, USA.
Notable Handspan Theatre productions included:
- Live theatre:
- Secrets
- Madam Butterfly
- 4 Little Girls
- Viva La Vida