WHO ARE YOU?

 

Imagine a show that shuffles Bowie, Corelli, and DeepBlue originals remixed with lush strings, big beats and rock ‘n’ roll. The performers’ exquisite playing, precision moves and circus antics are guaranteed to delight audiences. Non-stop choreography, stunts and an incredible connection between players shatter the orchestral stereotype.

Who Are You is all about the music and the moments that shape our lives. From the moment of birth, to teen angst, from first falling in love to growing old, Who Are You takes the audience on a journey through the seven ages of life.

DeepBlue will dig deeper into the desires of their audiences, continuing a conversation, which has previously seen their fans text in their dreams and song requests. Audiences are invited to use their phones to access DeepBlue’s ESP, an Electronic Show Programmme full of information about DeepBlue’s music and performers. This ground-breaking web app also enables audience members to confidentially share identity-forming moments of their lives during the show which are merged seamlessly with DeepBlue's immersive visuals.

Who Are You toured to South Australia and Western Australia thanks to the generous support of Playing Australia as well as a sold out season to the Brisbane Powerhouse in 2012.

If you'd like to find out more about the Who Are You show, you can download our Who Are You ArTour Presenter Pack or to book this show at your venue, get in touch bookings at deepblue.net.au.

Check out this killer Review By: Nerida Dickinson from Arts Hub (Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5)

DeepBlue Orchestra made it to the finals of Australia’s Got Talent, but don’t think them flash in the pan reality television wannabes. The heights of the youthful performers’ enthusiasm are more than equally matched by the depth of talent in the ensemble – technical perfection seems to be the baseline requirement for membership.

Who Are You? started with a video loop and then a presenter explaining the interactive wifi dimensions of the show – a show where phones are checked to be ‘on’ at commencement. The mutual interaction was more than a gimmick, it was integral to the theme of ‘who are you?’ that directed the performance’s progress. However, while this may have been engaging for those used to multitasking between interactive media and real life, it was difficult to fully focus on both aspects of the show simultaneously – there was such a riot of music and movement on and spilling off the stage, that it was at times overwhelming.

Starting with a turbo-charged arrangement of the eponymous ‘Who Are You?’, the tone of the night was set – dynamic dance and movement, tight choreography that emphasised rather than distracted from the musical performance, and big bright smiles of highly motivated players shattering the audience’s preconceptions of orchestral music. No sheet music, no sitting (apart from some dangling legs over the front of the stage, or perched atop a prop ladder), no static counting of bars between parts – any break in playing was marked by spirited dancing or acrobatics.

The show progressed through life’s journey – from birth, childhood, the teenage years, falling in love, fitting in with society – using a range of styles, from Corelli’s ‘Christmas Concerto’ to Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid Android’, with Ennio Morricone, Cat Stevens, Penguin Café Orchestra and Gotye also featuring. The line between dance and music was blurred: pairs close dancing intertwined as they played their violins, cross bowing on cello, and an inflatable plastic guitar made a guest appearance. Amazing as it sounds, this is the concert to see a unicyling violist, jump-roping violinist and a stilt walking cellist – all playing their instruments as they careen about the stage.

Beyond the stage appearance, DeepBlue started work well before the lights went up, with young instrumentalists from the region having a masterclass with group members, and some of the players busking in the main street, walking and playing and handing out flyers to passers by. Each orchestra member seems fired by zest and zeal that leads to an inspired mix of high ideals and hands on approach to music.

A non-stop extravaganza, Who Are You? has plenty for classical aficionados and the shortest attention-spanned youngster alike.

 

PRODUCTION HISTORY

2012

10 -14 Oct – DeepBlue Who Are You – Brisbane Powerhouse
Sept 14 – Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre
Sept 12 – Moora Performing Arts Centre
Sept 9 – Queens Park Theatre, Geraldton
Sept 7 – Matt Dann Cultural Centre, South Hedland
Sept 5 – Walkington Amphitheatre, Karratha
Sept 1 – Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
Aug 31 – York Town Hall
Aug 29 – Cummins Theatre, Merredin
Aug 28 – Goldfields Arts Centre, Kalgoorlie
Aug 26 – Esperance Civic Centre
Aug 24 – Albany Entertainment Centre
Aug 21 – Arts Margaret River
Aug 16 – Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, Mount Gambier
Aug 14 – Chaffey Theatre, Renmark
Aug 11 – Middleback Theatre, Whyalla
Aug 10 – Nautilus Theatre, Port Lincoln
Aug 8 – Northern Festival Centre, Port Pirie
Aug 6 – Barossa Arts and Convention Centre, Tanunda
Aug 4 – Hopgood Theatre, Noarlunga

2014

10-12 July – DeepBlue Who Are You Show and Winter Workshops – Nambour Civic Centre
10 April – Who Are You – Voice of Vietnam Theatre – Hanoi, Vietnam

CREDITS

Show Directors: Heidi Chappelow, Jenny Marshall, Evan Setiawan
Sound: Michael Smallman, Andy Arthurs
Lights: Jon Harrison, Kevin Bolt
Tour Manager: Sophie Loades
Production Manger: Sophie Loades & Jon Harrison
Marketing: Greta Kelly, David Crilly-Jones
Producers: Andy Arthurs, Darren Clark
Community Engagement: Sophie Loades, Emma Hales
DeepBlue Mobile Web App: Richard Grantham, Harpreet Singh, Andy Arthurs, Alex Hodgins, Heid Chappelow

Performers:
Alex Hodgins - keyboards, sax
Allan Bremner - electronics, trumpet
Deanna Connelley - violin
Emma Hales - cello
Evan Setiawan – violin, stilts
Greta Kelly - violin, theremin
Gwen Warnick – double bass, bass
Heidi Chappelow – viola, unicycle
Hik Sugimoto – drums, v-drums
Imogen Gilfedder - violin
Liz Young - violin
Lyle Crombie - electric guitar
Richard Grantham - violin, viola
Sophie Loades - cello
Sophie Mathison - viola
Wayne Jennings - cello

Photography by: Ricky Sullivan, Fiona Cullen and Dean Loades

Signature Shows