Nativity

Synopsis  

Part Twilight Zone. Part Australian Childhood circa 1950's.  Nativity is an intimate, surreal tour of Phillip Adams' fantastic parallel worlds of domestic detail and visions of utopia. Fluctuating between a contemporary dance performance and an installation, Nativity challenges audience expectation of dance presentation.  The performance takes place in a 1950's suburban house, complete with coffee table, fruit bowl, hills hoist, backyard fence and the staircase to nowhere.

Premiered Melbourne
Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, 2003

Choreography and Direction: Phillip Adams
Set and Lighting Design: Bluebottle 3
Sound Design: Soncha Iacono
Performers: Brooke Stamp, Ryan Lowe, Toby Mills, Joanne White and Rachel Ogle

Notes from Phillip Adams

The world of museum cases and life like replication of animals and objects began to play a major part in my creative process. I believe that during the creation I was actually being subliminally influenced. My psyche takes in an abundance of information at a fast rate. I remember imagining a world that once existed and fantasising about the idea of being alone after closing hours in an anthropological museum. The action and behavior of a lost world comes to life.  Animals and objects begin to exit and enter new living conditions.
 
It is hard to categorise or define this work. There are obvious recurring themes and links in the overall history of each of my past projects. The process was a creative investigation into the direct relationship between theatre and visual arts practice. This style of presentation was intentional, however I am pleased with the realisation of how much emphasis I place upon my passion for visual arts in theatre. The importance of visual arts within the contextualisation of Nativity stresses the innate need for my personal choreographic and theatrical development to deepen in order to satisfy my current practice. Working with some of Australia's best performers and creative collaborators, Nativity disregarded the conventional practice of choreographic, theatrical development and presentation and forged a new way of creating and presenting modern theatre.

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