The Astronaut
“This is what I remember
My heart squeezing shut and this place –
The lonely life of a lost lander”
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Enter the wreckage of a woman, who for twenty-something years has not ventured outside. She is a shut-in. Driven indoors by her grief and fear of human contact she has surrounded herself with the things that provide her comfort – Elvis Presley songs and her collection of jigsaw puzzles. She is obsessed with the 1969 moon landing and watches it over and over again as a signpost of hope and possibility. She is stuck in time, chased by the ghosts of her past until an inevitable calling arrives.
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This solo physical theatre piece celebrates the courage of the human spirit and its capacity to change. The Astronaut an intimate tale that looks at the choices we make and the seemingly impossible act of letting go.
Winner
Best Overall Design,
The Blue Room Theatre Awards, 2016
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Nominated
Best New Work
2016
Best Indie Production 2016
Best Actor (Female) 2016
Performing Arts WA Awards, 2017
Season dates:
23 June – 9 July 2016
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Duration: 50 mins
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"...mysterious, superbly executed and ineffably sad...
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...A performance of great emotion and technique."
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David Zampatti, The West Australian, June 27 2016
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"Chester invited operator Timothy Green to take a bow with her in the end as it truly was a collaborative, fluid exchange between performer and operator, and well-timed cues are absolutely essential in this work."
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Creative Team
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Concept & Performer
Samantha Chester
Director
Frances Barbe
Lighting Designer
Matthew Osborne
Composer
Ekrem Mülayim
Designer
Isabel O’Neill
Dramaturge
Julie-Anne Long
Publicist
Alison Welburn
Stage Manager and Collaborator
Tim Green
The Astronaut Image by Jessica Russell, 2016
The Astronaut Image by Jessica Russell, 2016
The Astronaut Image by Jessica Russell, 2016