Past Event

1 — 24 Sep

Brisbane Festival and Northshore Present

Salamander

Two artistic visionaries Maxine Doyle and Es Devlin combine forces for an epic new work.

World Premiere

Conceived by Maxine Doyle and Es Devlin

An emergency, The colour red,

Time to go, Time to wake up

Time to stand up and hold each other
before it is too late

Before there is nothing left

Do we fight and stay?

Do we make a change? Or do we adapt?

A dance-theatre visual feast, Salamander sees a warehouse at Northshore, Brisbane transformed into a fully immersive, climate-fiction dream-like world through light, sound, design, and movement. Es Devlin’s labyrinthian and kinetic sculptures live within a flooded landscape which is inhabited by characters desperate to make a change before it’s too late.

Maxine Doyle – together with a dynamic ensemble of international, national and local dancers, including Brisbane’s Australasian Dance Collective, with extraordinary Australian composer and singer Rachael Dease – will bring this world to life with visceral dance, and haunting melodies.

With lighting by Ben Hughes and costumes by Bruce McKinven, Salamander is a transformative performance experience set in an epic installation created by the legendary Es Devlin.

This project is supported through the Giving Program by Tim Fairfax AC & Gina Fairfax AC, Carolyn Vincent - The Ubuntu Foundation and Cass & Ian George.

This project is supported by the British Council.

The small maze design used as part of the set in this production of Salamander was originally conceived by Es Devlin for Here not Here, (by Maxine Doyle and Es Devlin) GöteborgsOperans Danskompani 2022.

Brisbane Festival acknowledges the generosity of arts collective Superordinary in facilitating the use of their venue at Northshore, Hamilton.
Image by Damien Bredberg and Seán Downling

LEAD CREATIVES
Maxine Doyle – Director and Choreographer
Es Devlin – Stage Sculpture 
Rachael Dease – Composer, Sound Designer and Vocalist

CREATIVE TEAM
Bruce McKinven – Costume Designer
Ben Hughes – Lighting Designer
Amy Hollingsworth – ADC Artistic Director
Ellie Wintour – Associate Designer (Es Devlin Studio)
Rozina Suliman – Associate Designer

ENSEMBLE
Choreography developed in collaboration with the ensemble Australasian Dance Collective (ADC) and Guests:
Gabrielle Nankivell – Dancer/Rehearsal Director
Chase Clegg-Robinson – Dancer
Harrison Elliott – Dancer
Jack Lister – Dancer
Jag Popham – Dancer
Lilly King – Dancer
May Greenberg – Dancer (Guest)
Paul Zivkovich – Dancer (Guest)
Rachael Dease – Vocalist (Guest)

CONTENT CREDITS
Giuseppe Verdi – Composer, Requiem Dies Irae
Hector Harkness – Writer and Voice Over, Diary Entries
Joy Harjo – Author, Perhaps The World Ends Here
Margi Brown Ash – Voice Over, Perhaps The World Ends Here

PRODUCTION TEAM
Nick Norris – Site Manager
Jacinta Way – Stage Manager
Kathryn O’Halloran – Production Stage Manager
Erin O'Shea – Assistant Stage Manager
Caitlin Scott – Assistant Stage Manager
Geoff McGahan – Sound Engineer
Gavin Hampstead – Iceworks Construction Design
Lee Stretton – Iceworks Construction Manager
Alison De Frenne – Audio Operator
Shannon Barclay – Lighting Operator
Sidney Younger – Lighting Assistant

WARDROBE AND COSTUME
Gayle McGregor – Costume Supervisor
Frances Pyper – Costume Supervisor
Sharon Clarke – Costume Maker
Ella Lollback – Costume Maker
Oz Rubber Fetish – Costume Maker
Alison Little – Costume Prop Makers
Sam Hideborn – Costume Prop Makers
Christine McDougall – Costume Maintenance
Mary Pitman – Costume Maintenance
Cassandra Mann - Dresser
Elissa Meyer-Thomas – Dresser
Josie Reid – Dresser
Anita Sweeney – Dresser

Production Partners

Price

$74 - $89

Times

Evening performances Tue to Sun, 7pm
Matinees at 12:30pm 15, 17, 23 Sep

No performances on Sat 16 Sep

Duration

95mins (no interval)

Sold Out

Immersive experiences

Physical feats

Where

Northshore, Brisbane
L Shed Dock B
175 MacArthur Ave,
Hamilton QLD 4007

Getting Here

Accessibility

Wheelchair access

75% Visual Content. Minimal dialogue, some background music and/or sounds

Important Info

This production contains:

Fast flashing lights
Strobe lighting
Full blackouts
Nudity
Theatrical smoke and haze
Sound pressure effects (loud noises)

Recommended for ages 14+.

This is a promenade style performance. It is accessible by wheelchair, walker and scooter, and service animals are welcome.

The first part of the show is standing and audiences are required to stand-up for approximately 40-60 minutes. Limited seating will be available for patrons with access requirements. For more information, please call QTIX on 136 246. The second part is seated.

There is a lockout after the first 30 minutes of the performances. Latecomers will not be admitted after this point.

Read Less

Dates in September

A spectacular fable of evolution, extinction and rebirth, nothing quite like Salamander has splashed down on this side of the river before.
Brisbane Times
★★★★★

Taking dance theatre into a heightened experiential realm, Salamander is a work of global stature.
The Guardian

Salamander will be talked about for some time by those lucky enough to see it. It’s a beg, borrow, commit-a-crime-to-get-a-ticket scenario.
Brisbane Times
★★★★★

Salamander is an extraordinary theatrical work encompassing diverse art forms....
ARTShub
★★★★★

Salamander’s concept, scale and scope are breathtakingly next-level.
The Guardian

Haunting images from Salamander keep returning to me, and I continue to think about it.
Limelight

#Sizzle Reel

#Gallery

#Artists

Maxine Doyle

A renowned international choreographer and director, known for her work with companies like GöteborgsOperans Danskompani and Balletboyz. She is a frequent collaborator with Punchdrunk, co-directing several notable works.

Es Devlin

Es Devlin CBE, acclaimed installation artist and designer, known for creating largescale public works and luminous sculptures. Her work has been shown in Trafalgar Square, The V&A, The Louvre, Serpentine Gallery, and in theatres and arenas worldwide.