THE Paratrooper Project
The residue of what has past remains on our skin, deep in our pores, eating its way into the core of our being…
‘This is not comfortable escapist theatre… This work is gripping and moving, and pulls you into its orbit'
– XS Entertainment
‘A unique experience, told through dance theatre installation. The audience is invited into an immersive space that falls and shifts as the artists manipulate the fabric of time’
— Modmove
ABOUT
The Paratrooper Project thrusts our history’s conflicts into the firing line alongside current political regimes to examine exactly who and what we’re fighting for.
Originally inspired by mementos left by Richard Matthaei, a paratrooper in WWII, and in honour of the Anzac centenary, Phluxus2 creates an entangled world where war stories, historical imaginings and horrible realities become knotted, woven and laid bare. We infiltrate military and political histories and their impact on the everyday. We interrogate how these histories have imprinted our present and explore the stains they will leave on our tomorrow.
The Paratrooper Project is a uniquely rich experience, told through dance theatre installation. Enter the trenches of our past and present conflicts. Survey our heritage. Contest our imagined memories. Explore how the past has divided our present generations. Question what this might mean for our future.
… will this residue harden into a layer protecting us against a battle yet to come, or will it peel, crumble to dust, and allow us to step forward into a better tomorrow?
Nominated for Best Independent Production, Australian Dance Awards Long list
'You won't just witness this rumination on conflict... you'll be a part of it' - Concrete Playground
~
'You won't just witness this rumination on conflict... you'll be a part of it' - Concrete Playground ~
Credits
Performers & Co-Creators: Nerida Matthaei, Garth Belling, Gabriel Comerford and Margi Brown Ash
Production Design and Costume: Libby McDonnell
Sound Design: Andrew Mills
Lighting Design: Ben Hughes
Head Rigging: Cam Brown
Producer: Nerida Matthaei & Phluxus2 Dance Collective
Presented as artists in residence at The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, and with funding from Arts Queensland.
