Director’s note

In May 2017 the Fusion Evening Ensemble presented  ‘A Place called Maze’ for the first time. The show was the culmination of about 10 months devising practice. The starting point was Shaun Tan’s illustrated book ‘The Red Tree’. Magda, the director selected Tan’s story as a starting point because it is rich with
emotion and at the same time, rich with the ordinary everydayness of being human. The idea wasn’t to adapt the book but rather to be inspired by its rich images. Each week, an image or some lines from the book were explored though
discussion and improvisation. The actors brought their own meaning, feelings and words, investing their own experiences and perceptions to create a new world called Maze.

Movement, text, poetry, photographs, films, objects and drawings were used to stimulate the process and generate material. Within this process a palette of black and white, knitting and wool, and mediated performance emerged. This
black and white palette extended to the second work that year, when we were invited to perform at the annual multi-faith event in Dandenong, for which we devised a 10- minute performance The Signs are Everywhere.

In June 2019 Fusion performed A Place Called Maze as part of the LaMama Explorations. For this exploration we amalgamated the two works.

Created by Fusion evening ensemble

Directed by Magda Miranda

Fusion Artistic Director: Jo Raphael

Featuring : ALEX Litsoudis, ALEX Mallis, AMANDA Santuccione, ANDREW Robbins, ANDY McKinnon, Andrew BIZ Bisignano, EMILY Johnson, KATRINA Welsby, KRISHAN Dass, TONI Williams, VICKI Robbins

Design: Magda Miranda

Artistic support: Amanda Santucionne

Dramaturge: Rea Dennis

Intern: Alex Mallis

Front of House: Pippa

Tech team: Melissa Koh and Reis Low

Additional writing: Andy McKinnon (Rap – K-será), Fernando Arrabal (PicNic), Andrew ‘Biz’ Bisignano (Poem – Making the journey together).

Music credits: Guy Dubuc and Marck Lessard (Mutation); U2 (Numb), Chamber Symphony No. 1 (Schoenberg), Antony & The Johnsons (I Am a Bird Now), Ben Frost (Venter), Artist: Constantin Orbelian & Moscow Chamber Orchestra
(Cello Suite No.1 in G major), Franco Esteve (The Wait), Shout (Slow Ticking Clock).