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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

The Blue Room Theatre

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Duration: 50 mins
 

The Astronaut Facebook page

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Click here for information on Samantha Chester

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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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Cicley Binford, Perth Arts Live, June 27 2016

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

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