Community Performer Expression of Interest

Community Performer — Hyper Temples Opening Ceremony

Performers will work as an ensemble to guide and activate Hyper Temples Opening Ceremony, supporting audiences to move from observation into collective participation. The work is responsive and improvisational rather than traditionally choreographed, with performers working across the gallery, building and surrounding landscape.

Community Performers will be involved in:

• Activating sculptural forms — carrying, wearing, arranging, moving and interacting with soft sculptural and ritual objects throughout the space and landscape.

• Guiding audiences — gently inviting participants into movement, breath, sound, play, listening and collective actions.

• Moving between inside and outside — contributing to the ceremony and carrying the large scale sculptural objects through the building and into the surrounding environment, creating a relationship between architecture, people and place.

• Embodied performance — using walking, gesture, stillness, repetition, rhythm, improvisation, voice and responsive movement.

• Working with wearable objects — activating masks, adornments, sculptural wearables and other materials as extensions of the body.

• Collective movement — creating formations, processions, gatherings and temporary spatial compositions with other performers and members of the public.

• Sound and breath — contributing breath, vocalisation, rhythm, environmental listening and simple collective sound-making where directed.

• Audience care — maintaining awareness of participants and supporting an environment where people can choose their own level of engagement. Participation is always invitational rather than compulsory.

• Responding to place — observing and responding to the architecture, landscape, weather, sound, other bodies and the changing energy of the gathering.

• Co-creation and rehearsal — participating in a development/rehearsal process with Melissa Gilbert / UnitePlayPerform to learn the UPP Method™, explore the objects and develop a shared movement and ceremonial language.

The roaming performance culminates in a collective activation: breathing, carrying and moving the sculptural forms through and beyond the building as an energetic offering back to the place that holds and nourishes the gathering.

What’s Involved

• Guided professional development and character development

• Wearable art and costumes supplied by UnitePlayPerform

• Arrive: 9:45am - Meet Melissa Gilbert founder of UnitePlayPerform

• Briefing and rehearsal 10am - 11:30am

• Costume and warm up: 12pm - 1pm

• Performance procession: 1pm - 2pm

20 costumes, masks and percussive instruments provided by UnitePlayPerform. Dress code provided closer to the event.

There are some videos below to give you a taste of our experiential ceremonial performances.

By participating you as a community performer you will be learning new skills in experiential/immersive performance work with full support and choreography by Melissa Gilbert. Participation for the Hyper Temples Opening Ceremony is voluntary.

If you are interested in participating as a community performer, please fill out the below form. This is open to all genders, ages and abilities. If you have accessibility requirements please let us know.