In 2019 artist Emma Beech was gifted a box of family photographs by her elderly parents, a not uncommon experience for middle-aged adults. What is less common is that Beech is the youngest of nine children, from a family who have been central to the life of a regional South Australian town.
Creative development/residency
Commissioned by Brink Productions and Vitalstatistix
In 2019 artist Emma Beech was gifted a box of family photographs by her elderly parents, a not uncommon experience for middle-aged adults. What is less common is that Beech is the youngest of nine children, from a family who have been central to the life of a regional South Australian town.
This box of fleeting moments in time, soon revealed itself as a kind of balm, releasing in Beech half-memories, sudden recollections and a profound curiosity for unravelling unsentimental truths about how we all grow from childhood to adulthood.
Well known for making compelling theatrical portraits of real-life characters through deep conversations with other people, The Photo Box sees Beech turn her docu-drama lens on herself, in a work that, from the deeply personal, draws us into the truly universal.
The Photo Box by Emma Beech will be a surprising, heartfelt story-telling experience – think performance lecture meets cinematic installation – about family, choice, mythmaking and memory.
Creative Team:
Creator and performer – Emma Beech
Conceptual director – Mish Grigor
Production director – Chris Drummond
Dramaturg – Anne Thompson
Cinematic co-director and writer – Craig Behenna
Documenter/film maker – Shalom Almond
Set and costume design – Renate Henschke
Composer – Jason Sweeney
Lighting design – Chris Petridis
Movement consultant – Larissa McGowan
Outside eye – Alexis West
Stage Manager – Françoise Piron
Image: Sam Roberts
The Scene is the Seen performance night at Holy Rollers Studio.
Supporters
This project is supported by Adelaide Festival and Country Arts SA
This project was supported by RUMPUS in 2020
