MAKE//SHIFTcompany: Insomniac's Fable

Work in Development

’Insomniac’s Fable’ is a wordless, narrative performing arts piece combining circus, dance and visual arts. Performed by circus artist Sakari Männistö and dancer Emma Lister, it communicates its story through strong visuals and two highly skilled performers.

The genesis of this project was our interest in the art of printmaking, specifically the techniques involved in woodcuts; where the relationship between a carved wooden block with ink applied, and the paper upon which it impresses a mirror image can be seen as a metaphor for two people’s perception of one event. Everyone is the protagonist in their own narrative and invariably people carry different memories and different interpretations from encounters. Around these ideas we constructed a narrative that’s somewhere between ‘Vertigo’ and ‘Inception’, loosely inspired by the Renaissance book ‘Hypnerotomachia Poliphili’.

Cast against an eclectic soundtrack, with specially commissioned woodcuts as projections, Insomniac’s Fable promises to be an intimate contemporary circus piece about the realities- or unrealities- of love.

Age guidance 5+

Current state of project

In development

Looking for
Co-commissioning, Development Time, Funding Advice, Production Support, Rehearsal Space, Space in Kind, Tour Booking Advice

Set / rigging & technical details

tbc, will require dance floor, some rigging possibility,

Music
Recorded
Min width
8.0m
Min depth
8.0m
Min height
6.0m
Full tech spec
No
Lighting plan
No
Get-in / get-out
8 hours get-in /1.5 hrs
Requires tech support for get-in
Yes
Performers / crew on tour
3