Stab Commission 'Body Double' Re-Writes Desire

Stab Commission Body Double Re-Writes Desire

Zanetti Productions presents Body Double

Created by Eleanor Bishop & Julia Croft with Karin McCracken

New Zealand’s most provocative theatre makers re-write the script on female sexuality in Body Double. This 2017 STAB commission by co-creators Eleanor Bishop and Julia Croft debuts at BATS Theatre Wellington 9-25th November and will blend live projection, erotic literature, science, and the language of Hollywood film to revolutionise the way women see themselves in the digital age.

Body Double explores the complexities and multiplicities of female desire. Is it possible to carve a female sexual identity outside of pornography, past relationships and film? Performing as one another’s body doubles, Julia Croft (Power Ballad; If There’s Not Dancing at the Revolution, I’m Not Coming; Indian Ink) and Wellingtonian Karin McCracken (Jane Doe, It’s A Trial) enact memories, fantasies and inherited scripts in a collage of live performance and projection directed by Eleanor Bishop.

Having only just emerged triumphantly from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with their respective shows Power Ballad (Julia Croft - The List and Total Theatre Emerging Artist Nominee) and Jane Doe (Eleanor Bishop - The Scotsman), it’s been a big year for the creators of Body Double, including working together for the first time on a feminist intervention of Foreskin’s Lament for Auckland Theatre Company. Both artists are committed to derailing oppressive vehicles of power as they relate to women, and are drawn to theatre as a place to create electric and transformative ways of doing so.

Praise for Jane Doe -

...flawless and powerful production. Low-key, intimate, with a thought-provoking script and a talented lead, Jane Doe is insightful, powerful and must not be missed – NZ Herald

Praise for Power Ballad -

It’s a bold attempt to redress the male access to amplification, to remould vernacular into a linguistic form unviolated by gendered power structures. It’s also frequently funny and filled with an antic spirit. – The Stage UK

Joining the team are US based Lucy Pope (set designer) and Kevin Ramser (media designer), who bring with them skills at the forefront of multimedia and performance integration.

Heather Carroll, Programme Manager at BATS Theatre is proud to support this new show:

“The purpose of STAB is to provide an exciting opportunity for artists to create a bold, new original work that pushes the boundaries of theatre making in New Zealand. I am particularly excited by this year's commission, Body Double, as I believe Eleanor and Julia are making some of the most contemporary, relevant and provocative work seen on New Zealand stages in recent times.”

STAB 2017 was commissioned by BATS Theatre and received initial funding through Creative New Zealand

Body Double plays

Dates: 09 Nov - 25 Nov
Time: 8PM
Venue: BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce
Tickets: $19 - $25
Bookings: https://bats.co.nz or (04) 802 4175

For the full programme of Zanetti Productions visit www.zanetti-productions.com

ENDS

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