the Festival has ever programmed. Spencer says
that while Arts Centre Melbourne’s State Theatre
is designed to easily handle shows of this size,
“the production has many contemporary features
that were not even conceived at the time the
Arts Centre and State Theatre were built. We are
fortunate to have a highly skilled production team
and to get the show up—quite literally—the current
fly system will be supplemented with additional
chain motors added to accommodate the weight
of the show’s screens. Our expert production crew
have revelled in the challenges and their skill and
passion for a successful show always come up
trumps in even complex circumstances.”
Spencer says that the combination of world-
leading choreography, visual artistry and musical
wizardry as experienced in a venue like the State
Theatre is an opportunity for a truly remarkable
experience. “Melbourne audiences have always
been keen followers of contemporary dance,
and this production sets the barre at a level
that will surely delight the festival audience in
Melbourne.” Its situation within a festival context
also encourages audiences to meet and exchange
thoughts about their experience in the surrounding
foyers, restaurants and bars nearby.
Tree of Codes isn’t merely a remarkable work in
its own right, but is one of the rare events that
will likely go on to influence local artists for years,
perhaps decades to come. “A season like Tree of
Codes is a chance to reach out to a huge range of
audiences, and I’d expect that for young creative
minds who are beginning their career journey
the production will spark in them future ambition
and to give them the courage to continue,” says
Spencer. “In a large-scale work such as this, there
will be so much to absorb that it will be difficult not
to come away from the theatre with some sense of
inspiration and engagement.”
Holloway concurs: “Every show in the Festival has
masterclasses, workshops and talks attached,
and so I suspect that the gauntlet thrown down
by this work will provoke challenging and
creative responses from Melbourne artists for
years to come. Being Melbourne, the results are
fabulously unpredictable.”
—JOHN BAILEY