THE DREAM
DeepBlue’s second show, The Dream, follows a young musician’s journey, and explores the fine line between dreams, nightmares and reality…It is a perfect combination of multimedia, film, music, rock, electronics and classical.
Deep Blue dreamt of a time when Martin Luther King inspired a nation and David Bowie stood as a cultural icon. It dreamt of a place where you dance the Nutbush in Bollywood, to Abba and the Easybeats, in a kaleidoscope of colour. It dreamt of a psychedelic soundscape where Tina Turner shares the stage with orchestral classics.
Mostly, Deep Blue and its their show 'The Dream' imagines a unique night at the theatre you’re bound to remember after waking up.
The infectious players plug the orchestra back in. It’s a band for the iGeneration; an interactive multi-media experience something akin to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo on fistfuls of trippy drugs. In a Rage video.
As the troupe themselves tell it: “There is no conductor, no music stands and no stuffy traditions. You don't have to know when to clap and when to be quiet – you can just enjoy it.”
The opening night crowd for this clever new work certainly did. Not that you have much choice. Deep Blue demands participation, taking its music to the aisles and the ether.
Not only do they not ask you to turn your mobile phone off, they insist you leave it on to take photos and SMS song requests. Or, as some in the crowd did, wave it above your head as the new-age candle.
Now you won’t see that at any of the Australian performances of the currently-touring London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dane Alexander, a dreadlocked conductor of sorts, skillfully plays an Apple laptop and guides his furiously bowing strings musicians via earpieces and radio frequency. When he’s not bounding around his players, that is.
Less orchestra pit, more mosh pit.
The strings selection – which, too, suggests a passivity that belies the agile ensemble – is possessed by the beat. And yet it never misses it (the beat, that is), whether dancing on stage, climbing the bleaches or, in the case of one particularly coordinated player, balancing on stilts.
These are all fine players, with or without the gimmick. Electrified (in every sense) pop arrangements from Alexander and guitarist Phil Wilson are interspersed with tricked-up classics. It is a full, rich sound that shows off some terrific young talent. Emma Hales' solo, to unfairly name one, was simply brilliant.
Deep Blue presents a vivid Dream – all lights, camera and action. It’s the most fun you’ll have sitting down with an orchestra.
“These infectious players plug the orchestra back in…it’s an interactive multimedia experience…It’s the most fun you’ll have with an orchestra…” Jason Whittaker – Australian Stage Online, Oct 2009
“Pushing the concert format into new territory, it looks easy as the players, washed in nightclub lighting, wander around the space delighting in unconventional ways…” Gillian Bramley-Moore - Courier Mail, Oct 2009
Check out this Arts Hub Review
PRODUCTION HISTORY
The Dream Toured extensively to:
Queensland and Victoria (2009)
New South Wales, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory (2010)
A season at Brisbane's Laboite Theatre (2011)
Western Australia (2011)
2009
FEB 3 BRISBANE, ATN Universities Conference
FEB 27 BRISBANE, QUT Institute for Creative Industries & Innovation
MARCH 19 NEWCASTLE, City Hall, NSW
MARCH 20 TAREE, Manning Entertainment Centre, NSW
MARCH 24 BATHURST, Memorial Entertainment Centre, NSW
MARCH 27 NOWRA, Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, NSW
MARCH 29 CANBERRA, Canberra Playhouse, ACT
APRIL 16 IPSWICH, Civic Theatre, QLD
APRIL 17 GOLD COAST, Arts Centre, QLD
APRIL 19 TOOWOOMBA, Empire Theatre, QLD
APRIL 21 BRISBANE, Parliament House, QLD
APRIL 24 BUNDABERG, Moncrieff Theatre, QLD
MAY 1 LISMORE, City Hall, NSW
JUNE 5 MOUNT ISA, Q150 Shed, QLD
AUGUST 21 REDCLIFFE, Cultural Centre, QLD
AUGUST 26 CALOUNDRA, Events Centre, QLD
AUGUST 16 GOLD COAST, Convention Centre, QLD (Corporate Event)
SEPT 6 BRISBANE, Riverstage, QLD
SEPT 11 MARYBOROUGH, Brolga Theatre, QLD
SEPT 14 BRISBANE Festival , Speigal Tent, QLD
SEPT 18 WANGARATTA, Performing Arts Centre, VIC
SEPT 19 WANGARATTA, Performing Arts Centre, VIC
OCT 7 – OCT 17 BRISBANE, La Boite Theatre, QLD – New Show Season
2010
NOVEMBER 6th IPSWICH, Ipswich Civic Theatre
OCTOBER 30th WARRNAMBOOL, Warrnambool Entertainment Centre
OCTOBER 29th MELBOURNE, The Clocktower Centre
OCTOBER 27th SHEPPARTON, Eastbank Centre
OCTOBER 25th WOLLONGONG, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre
OCTOBER 9th LISMORE, Northern Rivers Performing Arts
SEPTEMBER 13th & 14th BRISBANE, Brisbane Festival, Speigeltent
AUGUST 17th WANGARATTA, Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre
AUGUST 15th ALBURY, Albury Entertainment Centre
AUGUST 14th WAGGA WAGGA, Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre
AUGUST 13th CANBERRA, Canberra Theatre Centre
JULY 18th MACKAY, Mackay Entertainment Centre 7:00pm
JULY 16th ROCKHAMPTON, Pilbeam Theatre 7:30pm
MAY 26th GOLD COAST, Gold Coast Arts Centre
MAY 15th BUNDABERG, Moncrieff Theatre 7:00pm
MAY 18th BRISBANE, University of Queensland St Lucia Campus, Forgan Smith Green Dusk Spectacle
APRIL 15th IPSWICH, Ipswich Festival, River Links River Event
2011
Oct 23 – DeepBlue The Dream – QUT Gardens Theatre, Brisbane
9 September DANDENONG, Drum Theatre
7 September WARRAGUL, West Gippsland Arts Centre
6 September SALE, Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre
3 September GEELONG, Geelong Performing Arts Centre
1 September MT GAMBIER, Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre
29 August BENDIGO, The Capital Performing Arts Centre
27 August SUTHERLAND, Sutherland Entertainment Centre
25 August QUEANBEYAN, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre
23 August ORANGE, Orange Civic Theatre
21 August BATHURST, Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre
20 August DUBBO, Dubbo Regional Theatre
19 August, TAMWORTH, Capitol Theatre
18 August PORT MACQUARIE, The Glasshouse Entertainment Centre
CREDITS
Darren Clark & Andy Arthurs - Co-Producers
Peet Gardner - Sound
Tristan Hoogland - Sound
Alex Hodgins - piano/wurlitzer/keyboards
Alice Buckingham - viola
Amanda Tio - double bass
Dane Alexander - electronics
Emma Hales - cello
Evan Setiawan - violin
Greta Kelly - violin
Hik Suigmoto - drums
Liz Young - violin
Namoi Otto - violin
Phill Wilson - electric guitar
Sallie Campbell - violin
Sam Pankhurst - double bass/electric bass
Silas Palmer - viola
Sofia Di Stefano - violin
Sophie Loades - cello
Wayne Jennings - cello
Photographers - Fiona Cullen, Adrian Vaughan, Steve Swayne, Andrea Hodgins
Videographers - Alex Hodgins, Will Forster, Jeff Row, Tim Howard
Photography by: Seth Buchanan
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