Lucy Guerin Inc's Untrained in Wollongong, 10 & 11 June 2011

Merrigong Theatre Company is pleased to present Lucy Guerin Inc's acclaimed Untrained as part of its 2011 Season, on 10 & 11 June.

Is it dance, theatre or comedy? Either way, it's not your average contemporary dance experience. Untrained is a quirky and irreverent theatrical exploration that has had sell-out success at festivals in Hong Kong, Sydney and Adelaide.

Four men take to the stage. Two are highly skilled, professional dancers who have performed in theatres across Australia; two are Wollongong locals, Andy Aveling and Malcolm Whittaker, who have no dance training whatsoever. Andy and Malcolm will rehearse with the company for five days ahead of performing at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.

Throughout the show, each performer responds to a series of written instructions ranging from the banal to the hilarious: Sing a song! Be a cat that gets electrocuted! Fall down in slow motion! The complex, refined movements one man can do with ease another can only approximate -- but how they approach each task, even how they walk and stand -- reveals an intimate portrait of each man's character.

Untrained emerged from a workshop organised by Lucy Guerin, one of Australia's top contemporary dance choreographers, based on curiosity about how the movements of 'non-dancers' differ from trained dancers. The
concept developed into a theatrical exploration of dance and movement that gives audiences a rare and funny insider's view into the art form.

Melbourne-based Lucy Guerin has built her reputation on movement invention and choreographic structure. Recent works for Lucy Guerin Inc include Human Interest Story, Structure and Sadness, and Corridor. She has also recently collaborated on projects with visual artist David Rosetzky and the Australian Opera.

Concept / Direction: Lucy Guerin
Music: Cusp by Duplo Remote
Producer: Michaela Coventry
Toured by: Performing Lines

"Untrained is a wholly satisfying theatre experience... a fascinating combination of dance, theatre, improvisation and multimedia, all presented with just the right amount of quirk and irreverence...I left wanting to sit down and see it all again. It's wonderful, inimitable stuff." - Simonne Michelle-Wells, Australian Stage (March 2009)

"[Untrained] was certainly funny, but that transparent comedy was gently underlaid by something else, something profoundly humane, which was much more complex than it seemed." - Alison Croggon, Theatre Notes

Untrained is toured by Performing Lines for Road Work.

Recommended for ages 12+

A post-show Meet the Artists forum will be held after the 8pm, Friday 10th June performance.

Venue:
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, 32 Burelli St, Wollongong NSW

Performance times:
Fri 10 Jun 11am & 8pm, Sat 11 Jun 8pm.
Meet the Artists: Fri 10 Jun 8pm.

Prices:
Adult: $49; Conc/Group 10+: $44; Student Rush: $20

Tickets:
Call the box office on (02) 4224 5999 or visit www.merrigong.com.au

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Merrigong
• theatre
• dance
• Lucy Guerin Inc
• Andy Aveling
• Malcolm Whittaker
• Byron Perry
• Joseph Simons
• Rennie McDougall
• Illawarra
• Performing Arts
• IPAC
• Untrained
• professional dancers
• dancing without the stars
• Woonona carpenter
• Performing Lines
• Road Work
• Jannali artist
• social experiment