Black Milk New Zealand Tour 2006
Photograph by John Savage
Presented by DOUGLAS WRIGHT DANCE COMPANY
Supported by Creative New Zealand and the Douglas Wright Charitable Trust
INVERCARGILL – Civic Theatre 25 March 2006
DUNEDIN – Regent Theatre 28 March 2006
CHRISTCHURCH – James Hay Theatre 31 March 2006
AUCKLAND – Sky City Theatre 5-8 April 2006
WELLINGTON – Opera House 12-13 April 2006
Director/Choreographer/Writer Douglas Wright
Producer Fenn Gordon for Tandem
Set/Costume Designer Michael Pearce
Composer/Sound Designer David Long
Lighting Designer Robrecht Ghesquière
Rehearsal Director Megan Adams
Marketing Director Bridget van der Zijpp
Marketing Assistants Melanie Clark, Kate Radford
Production Manager/Stage Manager Robyn Tearle
Production Assistant Sian Tucker
Head Mechanist/Truck Driver Andrew Hampton
Assistant Mechanist/Truck Driver Ed Thomson
Sound/Light Operator Robrecht Ghesquière
The Ventriloquist Brian Carbee
Dancers Craig Bary, Sarah-Jayne Howard, Helaina Keeley, Alex Leonhartsberger, Claire O'Neil, Jessica Shipman, Taiaroa Royal
Dancers/Understudies Kelly Nash, Guy Ryan
Recording Musicians Carolyn Mills (Harp), Andrew Jarvis (Tuba), Edward Allen (French Horn), Mark Carter (Trumpet), Peter Daly (Viola), David Long (Banjo)
Class Teachers Megan Adams, Ann Dewey, Claire O'Neil, Susan Trainor
Graphic Designers Neil Pardington and Sorelle Palmer at Base Two
Photographer John McDermott Construction of Second Dummy Roger Murray for Mainreactor
Costume Construction Elizabeth Whiting for Elizabeth Whiting
Costumes Flamenco Teacher Chloe Davison
Set Construction Grant Wackrow for Set Scenarios Front Curtain
Construction Walter Coleman for Selecon Reid
Other Curtains Christine Klingenberg
Flying Rig Scott Anderson for UniRig
Harness Construction Peter Gardner
Media Release
In March 2006 acclaimed New Zealand choreographer Douglas Wright will premiere a new full length production, Black Milk, culminating 25 years of making dance theatre. The tour will premiere on 25th March 2006 in Invercargill's recently renovated Civic Theatre and proceed to Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington.
Not only has the internationally lauded choreographer produced some of this country's most memorable and confronting dance theatre, he has also demonstrated an exceptional flair with the written word, winning the EH McCormick Best First Book Award (Non-fiction) at the 2005 Montana Book Awards for his memoir, Ghost Dance. The desire to create a new performance began to haunt Wright as he was working on a new book, an insight into his creative process and his recent life.
“After Inland in 2002, I intended to focus exclusively on my writing,” Wright said. “I didn’t think I would make another large-scale dance-theatre work, however the central idea for Black Milk wouldn't leave me alone, and in the end I had to give in to it.”
Black Milk is an exploration of the boundaries of love, fear and memory, expressed through Wright's uniquely physical language and trademark earthy black humour. This is the first major new work since 2002 from Douglas Wright (an inaugural Arts Foundation of NZ Arts Laureate and recipient the Creative NZ Choreography Fellowship) and will showcase the gifts of some of New Zealand's leading dancers. Sarah-Jayne Howard and Claire O'Neil are both returning from overseas for the tour. Leading male dancer Craig Bary also had a planned performance at the Opera House in Australia rescheduled in order to be available, commenting: “When I heard Douglas was creating a new work I knew it would be because he was intensely inspired. This is a rare and precious opportunity to be part of that experience.” The ensemble will also feature Helaina Keeley, Tai Royal, Alex Leonhartsberger and Jessica Shipman.
The choreography will be set to the music of famed Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti, integrated into an original score by Wellington's David Long (recent recipient of a 2005 NZ Screen Award for his work on The Insiders Guide to Happiness). Formerly a member of The Mutton Birds and Six Volts, Long recently produced Dave Dobbyn's widely-acclaimed album Available Light and created musical sound design with Plan 9 for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong.
Wright's long-time collaborator Michael Pearce will design the set and costumes. Pearce is an exhibiting artist in his own right, whose set work includes stage design for the Australian Dance Theatre, Sydney Dance Company, Nederlands Dance Theatre and the Australian Ballet.
The 2006 season of Black Milk will coincide with the release of Douglas Wright's second book, Terra Incognito, to be published by Penguin.
The tour has been assisted by a $165,000 grant from Creative New Zealand.