Emily Hurley (24) graduated with a bachelor of performing and screen arts in 2018 and has received mentorship from the likes of Kate Parker (Red leap Co-founder) and international artist and puppeteer Alfredo Iriarte. She has also completed an internship with Red leap Theater company and has begun performing and making theater successfully. In 2019 She co-founded Lunar collaborative alongside Bridie Sisson and Sheyney Ansin and toured locally as an actor for Net-safe . In 2020 She was employed as a teaching artist and director for Auckland Theatre Company and finished her residency at Studio one Toi Tu with a presentation of her latest work "The Judas sheep”. Recently, she has begun her Te Reo learning at Te Whare Wananga O Wairaka.
Organisation/Company
Name: Lunar Collaborative
My Role: Co-founder
Lunar Collaborative was founded in 2019 by Emily Hurley, Sheyney Ansin and Bridie Sisson. Together under the mentorship of Kate parker and with the support of Te Pou’s Rangatahi programme they developed their show “Lunar State” and established a kaupapa around female empowerment and social activism. Specialising in visual storytelling, clown, puppetry and movement all three women are outstanding performers in their own right .Sheyney Ansin brings a strong indigenous voice to the company which shines in “Lunar State” through the central character of Aria. In 2020 they became Studio one Toi Tu’s company in residence. The debut of Lunar State at the Auckland fringe festival was a success, receiving good reviews, The PANNZ “tour ready” award and the Taurima vibes “grassroots award.
Lunar State
Artform: Theatre
Development Status: Tour Ready
Media Uploads
Trailer
Full Length
Synopsis
About “LUNAR STATE`
Running Time: approx 45 minutes, no interval.
LUNAR STATE is an award-winning devised work created by lunar collaborative and Kate Parker.
A scientist of the future, Cookie Sheila Levin (Bridie Sisson) is looking back in time to answer the preeminent question: Why did the moon leave? Where did she go?
Inspired by Italio Calvino’s “The Distance of the Moon” Lunar State is a tale of a surreal world where the moon used to visit the earth. A young girl - Aria, who speaks solely in te reo maori, is called upon by Marama, the moon and discovers a precious moon milk which she then gives to her people and learns that the milk is a source of life and vitality. However, when Marama receives an unexpected and naive visitor (Emily Hurley) , the gentle balance of give and take in this world is disrupted and we get to watch as Aria fights to rebalance the chaos that ensues. An achingly funny, fragile and poignant play about consumerism and listening to the planetary voice, Lunar State takes you on a journey through space and time, as Cookie Sheila Levin endeavours to find the truth behind the moon's disappearance.
Witness the puppetry of a 10 foot moon, billowing rivers of white silk and the chaos of Moon milk mania.
“ Lunar State is a perfectly balanced performance that translates a surrealist concept into relevant contemporary ideas.” - Jennifer Cheuk Theatre scenes.
WINNER: Taurima vibes “grassroots” award , Auckland Fringe Festival 2020 WINNER: PANNZ Tour Ready Production 2020 .
Restrictions: Recommended for ages 10+ (contains mild mild sexual references )
Content warnings: Flashing lights.
We are looking for Venue, festival and funding partners who could support us to go on a national tour of New Zealand.
Creative Team and Crew
Alice Kirker - Producer
Kate Parker – Director
Kate Parker studied devised theatre at the John Bolton theatre school in Melbourne. She is best known for her role as the co - director of renown physical theatre company Red Leap Theatre 2008-15, creating award winning works and touring internationally. In 2017 she was an artistic associate for Auckland Theatre Company and In 2018 she directed the development of ‘Lunar State’ at Unitec and the second development season at Te Pou in 2019.
Emily Hurley – Actor.
Emily Hurley graduated with a bachelor of performing and screen arts in 2018 and has received mentorship from the likes of Kate Parker and international artist and puppeteer Alfredo Iriarte. She has also completed an internship with Red leap Theater company. In 2019 She toured locally as an actor for NETSAFE . In 2020 She was employed as a teaching artist and director for Auckland Theater Company and recently finished a residency at Studio one Toi Tu with a presentation of her work "The Judas sheep”. She recently began her Te Reo learning at Te Whare Wananga O Wairaka.
Sheyney Ansin – Actor
Graduating from Unitec with a bachelor's degree in Performing and Screen arts in 2018, Sheyney completed a summer course with the Shanghai theatre Academy learning traditional silk sleeve dance and peking opera singing. She has also taken wānanga with Māori Movement as well as Level 1 and 2 Te Reo Māori with Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi..
Bridie Sisson – Actor
Another 2018 graduate of the performing and screen arts programme at Unitec . Bridie has trained with The Shanghai Theatre Academy in their Chinese Opera Summer Intensive Course and has worked for film and television projects as well as toured with the 2019 Ugly Shakespeare Company in their season of The Taming of the Shrew.
Benny joy Smith – Tour Manager/Stage manager
Benny is a professional photographer, stage manager and producer. She produced and managed our show for the Auckland Fringe 2020 and has assisted in the production and management of shows such as Victoria Abbott’s “Run Rabbit” and Tim Bray’s “We’re going on a bear hunt”
Number of People in the Touring Party
5 - 3 actors, a stage manager and a Tech person
Previous Seasons
Lunar State (while in development) was performed as part of the Unitec graduation season 2018.
Lunar state was performed at Te Pou as part of the Rangatahi Season 17th and 19th October 2019.
Lunar State was performed at TAPAC as part of the Auckland fringe festival Feb 28-March 1 2020.
Reviews and Quotes
“Lunar State is a perfect balance between abstraction and narration, translating the narrative into dance or haunting song where necessary...The choreography of Lunar State is beyond what I expected: each movement is performed with a planetary gracefulness in mind, as though really in space. This celestial choreography is heightened by amazing set design and lighting, creating the illusion of an endless stage; we stare into an infinite abyss, the actors dancing on nothingness. Each prop or piece of set design is carefully constructed to give the movement and texture of planets in space… I forget we are in a theatre – the experience that I live for when watching performance...The cast do a fantastic job of encompassing different modes of performance and changing characters in seconds, moving from graceful dance to absurd humour. I also love the fact no translation is provided for the Te Reo sections of dialogue, which forces a confrontation with our own greed and extravagance in Aotearoa...Lunar State is a short, modest performance – less than an hour, but it says everything it needs to say. It is to the point, but not dogmatic. It is sentimental, but not saccharine. Lunar State is a perfectly balanced performance that translates a surrealist concept into relevant contemporary ideas.”
Jennifer Cheuk, theatre scenes.
Technical Rider & International Touring Info (if applicable)
- View/download document #1 here
The Judas sheep
Artform: Theatre / Performance art
Development Status: Ready To Premiere
Media Uploads
Synopsis
Actor Emily Hurley and Director Grace Augustine came together along with a brilliant creative team to devise "The Judas Sheep" in the latter half of 2020.
Inspired by the mysterious life of her Great grandmother (whom she was named after) along with her own lived experience of mental illness ; Emily devised the Judas sheep based on archival records from sunny side mental hospital that documented the time that her Great mother Emily was institutionalized with post partum psychosis from 1930 - 1932.
The performance utilizes projected photographs, archival documents, animations and video along with movement, puppetry and poetry to guide the audience through Emily's journey in and out of sanity.
Lynchian visuals and low drones of live double bass build an atmosphere of tension to a breaking point. But at the end of the performance the audience is left with a feeling of relief and hope. The Judas sheep is a tribute to the strength of the human spirit told through the story of one Woman and performed by her great grand daughter.
For mature audiences.
Creative Team and Crew
Grace Augustine - Director
Emily Hurley - Actor/Creator
Amber Liberte - Movement director
Yin Chi Lee - Puppeteer
Chris Marshall - Musican
Ifat Vayner - Director of puppetry
Number of People in the Touring Party
4 - Stage manager, puppeteer, musician and Actor
Previous Seasons
Development Season at Studio one Toi tu 1st - 4th of October 2021
Reviews and Quotes
Relevant Audience feedback from The
Judas sheep Development showings
“Great intensity, the puppetry and animation was amazing,
as well as the live bass”
“One of the most captivating and enticing performances I
have ever seen”
“great sound, raw and emotional”
“such a powerful piece, use of movement and projection was
amazing!”
“Thought provoking and moving – disturbing that depth of
psychosis, brilliant work!”
“powerfully hypnotic...Multi layered, deep, immersive, wavy – great experience!”
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