Projection Design / Promotional // Theatre (2014)
19 Jul – 9 Aug 2014
Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane
A La Boite Theatre Company production
“Two possibilities exist. Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” Arthur C. Clarke
Here is a captivating new comedy about aliens, alienation and the terrifying and comforting thought that we are not alone.
Insurance fraud investigator Joel Pinkerton doesn’t believe in aliens. So when his company introduced UFO abduction insurance as a publicity stunt a few years ago, he never gave it much thought. Until now.
When Joel is called to investigate the possible alien abduction of 16-year-old schoolgirl Storm, he finds himself drawn into intergalactic intrigue and conspiracy theories. What happened to Storm during those missing 24 hours? And how did she wake up in an empty field 200km from home? As Joel gets sucked up in the vortex, he begins to feel increasingly alienated from his wife Holly and their newborn baby girl, who is exhibiting some very odd behaviours of her own…
Written by Kathryn Marquet, Pale Blue Dot was developed through La Boite’s Playwrights-in-Residence program, is directed by Michael Futcher, with music by Gordon Hamilton, Artistic Director of the world-beating The Australian Voices.
Production Photography by Dylan Evans
Written by // Kathryn Marquet
Director // Michael Futcher
Designer // Josh McIntosh
Projection Designers // optikal bloc
Lighting Designer // Jason Glenwright
Composer & Sound Designer // Gordon Hamilton
Dramaturgy // Jane Bodie
Cast includes // Lucy Goleby, Caroline Kennison, Ashlee Lollback & Hugh Parker
Matilda Awards – Silver Matilda Award, Best Technical Design (Pale Blue Dot), optikal bloc
“Josh McIntosh’s set design is also perfectly created for this production. A series of uneven circles create the round stage and create the appearance of looking down into a series of crop circles or up into the depths of space. This is an effect that is compounded by the stunning video projections from optikal bloc, literally bringing the stars to our feet.” ARTSHUB
“Pale Blue Dot is an excellent showcase of Australian talent, offering a profoundly thought provoking evening that will have you rolling in your seat with laughter and will also bring a little stardust to your life.” ARTSHUB
“Jason Glenwright‘s lighting design melds seamlessly with the dramatic projection design from optikal bloc and the action is cleverly intensified by Gordon Hamilton‘s sound design. This is a fabulously well-designed, dynamic production.” GREENROOM
“The mystique is achieved with Jason Glenwright’s lighting design, using elements already well known to us through all those sci-fi films and television programs with their intergalactic possibilities, and impressive projection techniques by Craig Wilkinson and Stephen Brodie’s video design.” DAILY REVIEW CRIKEY
“More than anything, however, it serves to showcase the work of optikal bloc, whose projections combine with the staging and soundscape to produce a hyper-reality highlight.” BLUE CURTAIN BRISBANE
“But as well as all this fine acting it was an equally brilliant technical production. Josh McIntosh’s flying saucer-like set, with high-ceilinged curtain at the back, Gordon Hamilton’s fabulous soundscape, and Jason Glenwright’s spooky lighting, were pivotal in the success of the show. The visual image was completed by amazing special effects from optikal bloc which helped to create the fantasy of aliens and the harsh reality of real life.” ABSOLUTE THEATRE
