Billed as a hybrid-opera, and presented in association with the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, orb.IT examined the phenomenon of information technology and globalisation through young people’s experiences and reactions. orb.IT was performed in the cavernous shed 2 within the Docklands precinct on the boundary of the CBD. It was without doubt the most successful and highly acclaimed project the company presented during the year.
Over a number of months St Martins members met regularly with Brett Adam - director, Darryl Cordell - designer, and Estelle Pizer - composer, to workshop concepts and themes, fashioning them into theatrical material which eventually formed the piece itself. During these workshops the members were constantly encouraged to contribute their own writing, choreography and other theatrical ideas. Every aspect of orb.IT; the design, the seating arrangement, the music, the performance styles, etc directly challenged the audience’s notions of what opera and theatre are or could be.
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