Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre presents new full-length work autoplay in Cape Town next month
Following the success with ULTRA at the National Arts Festival, Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre is proud to present a new, full-length work by Louise Coetzer.
autoplay is produced by multiple award-winning Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre and will be performed from 10 – 28 September at a uniquely transformed site within Longkloof Studios in Cape Town.
This production is made possible thanks to a grant from the National Lotteries Commission, The National Arts Council of South Africa, and The Western Cape Government Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport, in partnership with Dance For All SA.
This hybrid work blends dance, Live Art performance, sound installation and digital art to bring dance theatre to a range of alternate dimensions.
autoplay is a surreal encounter between human and machine. The performance conjures a moving landscape that ebbs, shifts and transforms as it frames the experience, presenting a breathtaking and multi-discipline production, with the calibre for which Darkroom Contemporary have become renowned.
Louise Coetzer, co-founder and Artistic Director of Darkroom Contemporary, and director of autoplay, says:
“We wanted to create an expressly contemporary experience, set in the heart of the city, that dovetails into our desire to present dance out of traditional spaces.”
“autoplay is a surreal encounter between human and machine. In this immersive performance, we confront traditional notions of identity and autonomy, in an era where our lives have become intricately woven into the fabric of a digital landscape. Through its interaction with Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, this charged game of musical chairs confronts questions of agency, autonomy, influence and the blurred boundaries between free will and manipulation in a digital age.”
“We use absurdity and satire to challenge the acceptance of our present, where others know more about ourselves than we do. By blending traditional and contemporary symbols of learning, autoplay imagines us learning to navigate a brave new world.”
The performance features a new original score by renowned music artists Brydon Bolton (Benguela) and Njabulo Phungula, with vocalist Inge Beckmann (Lark, Beast).
Combining organic and manufactured soundscapes, the score fuses digital and analogue processing which invite the audience into this surreal game, while experimenting with the viewers’ perception.
This production is made possible thanks to the grant from the National Lotteries Commission, The National Arts Council of South Africa, and The Western Cape Government Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport, in partnership with Artscape Theatre and Dance For All SA.
Choreography, direction and set design are by Louise Coetzer. autoplay is performed by Bronwyn Craddock, Darion Adams, Vuyelwa Phota and Gabrielle Fairhead.
Bold and innovative, Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre is a leader in the production and distribution of distinctive contemporary works. Equally adept at creating for the stage, site responsive performance and film, Darkroom Contemporary’s works by founders Louise Coetzer and Oscar O’Ryan have garnered global recognition. Recent awards include the Artist Award at POOL Movement Art Festival Berlin 2022, and the 2023 DCAS award for Most Innovative Contribution to Dance.
Louise and Oscar’s latest film, Blue Funk, is currently doing the rounds on the international film festival circuit, with recent screenings as Official Selection for Cinedans 2024 (Netherlands); Dance Camera West 2024 (LA); and New York Buenos Aires Film Festival 2024 (Buenos Aires). Blue Funk is headed to Utah Dance Film Festival in Salt Lake City this August; Bucharest International Dance Film Festival in September.
Projects spearheaded by the founders Louise Coetzer and Oscar O’Ryan provide platforms to create opportunities for skills development and exchange among all artists involved. An emphasis on the use of New Technology and Digital Media frames their artistic approach, with a focus on three pillars of activation – Performance, Film and Development.
Show Information
autoplay
Cape Town:
Longkloof Studios
Dates & Times:
10 to 28 September 2024
10 September at 20h00 (Preview)
11, 12, 13, 20 & 21 September at 20h00
22 and 24 September at 16h00 (24th followed by an Artist Talk and Q&A session)
25, 26, 27 & 28 September at 20h00
Ticket Prices:
From R250 (including VAT)
Bookings:
Bookings through Quicket
Age Restriction:
No under 13’s
Connect with the Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
About Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre
Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre is a multiple award-winning company which was formed as a vehicle to reimagine Dance, through its innovative approach to staging and presenting Interdisciplinary Works. Darkroom Contemporary creates unique audience experiences representing Dance through Live Art, Screendance, Interdisciplinary & Tech – Based Performance, and Site – Specific & Public Performance.
Projects spearheaded by the founders Louise Coetzer and Oscar O’Ryan provide platforms to create opportunities for skills development and exchange among all artists involved. An emphasis on the use of New Technology and Digital Media frames their artistic approach, with a focus on three pillars of activation – Performance, Film and Development.
* Commissioned by the SA State Theatre for the Kucheza Afrika Festival, and the TOYOTA US Woordfees (2023), with support from the National Arts Council and the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport. This performance tour is made possible through support from the National Arts Festival and the National Lotteries Commission.
* Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre is grateful to the funders, sponsors and partners who support its programmes and projects:
- The National Lotteries Commission of South Africa, The National Arts Council of South Africa, The Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme, Dance For All South Africa, The Western Cape Government Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport, The National Arts Festival, The City of Johannesburg, The Toyota US Woordfees, The South African State Theatre.
