APHIDS
A playful performance work that burrows into pop culture’s most beloved stories and pulls the stuffing out of the orphan trope.
Season: 15-17 June 2023
Sessions during APAM Gathering: Thu 15 & Fri 16 June at 8:00pm, Sat 17 June at 3:30pm & 8:00pm
Venue: The Capitol
A wide-eyed fawn alone in the forest. A circus elephant who learns to fly using his ears. A powerful ice princess whose parents are lost at sea.
Movie theatres, books and comics are full of little lost orphans who depend on themselves, pluck up the courage for adventure and make a few wisecracking friends along the way.
An orphaned character is the classic shortcut to depicting self-sufficiency, hijinks or the bumpy road to vengeance.
Of course, in reality, not everyone gets a happy ending. And the years don’t play as montages. But, for one hour, experimental art collective APHIDS make a lively new space with adults who’ve lost a parent to share some perfectly pleasant pathos.
Everyday people drape themselves in outfits akin to orphan drag. Once in character they test the fiction, form temporary bonds, act out, and become their own protagonists.
Grilling pop culture, one tissue at a time.
Created by APHIDS
Lead Artist / Creator: Lara Thoms
Dramaturg: Mish Grigor
Producer: Anna Nalpantidis
Choreographer: Amrita Hepi
Costume Designer: Verity Mackey
Lighting Designer: Katie Sfetkidis
Video Artist: Solomon Thomas
Sound Design and Composition: Tom Smith and Rob Curulli
Stage Manager/Assistant Director: Cass Fumi
Production Manager: Nate Evers
Performers: Liv Fay, Jason Hood, Panda Wong, Yoni Prior, Joshua Tavares, Robert Draffin, Roslyn Orlando, Josh Glanc, Amrita Hepi, Lara Thoms, Hallie Shellam, Tony Yap, Bron Batten and more.