Rivers of the Underground (return season)

Text 

Boom Shed, Fort Hill Wharf, Darwin City

August 20-25, 2002
Festival of Darwin

"What happens after we die?"

Rivers of the Underground was first performed in 2001. Culturally the 2002 performance took on a different focus. The role of Young Man was played by a Filipino dancer Marko Taopo and the cohort was Indonesian Dance Jola George. In 2001 the dancers in these roles where Indian and Sri Lankan. As a result we had to rework the material to match the cultural dancing we had.

"What happens after we die?" is probably the oldest question in the world. What would your journey into the underworld be like if you grew up in the Northern Territory exposed to assorted cultural and spiritual beliefs? Do you face Lord Shiva, an angel with a harp, or even a Mimi-like spirit? Rivers featured a large cast of culturally diverse dancers from Hip Hop to Classical Indian to Torres Strait Islanders. Performed in a vast, cavernous concrete bunker- the Boom Shed, with a live DJ, the audience was led into the underworld, to a crossroad of cultures and mythologies.

This year, Tracks was invited to remount Rivers of the Underground following a successful 2001 season for the Festival of Darwin, and to run youth promotional performances around Darwin and Palmerston leading to an exclusive youth preview. Rivers of the Underground celebrates the rich mixture of cultures and mythologies that thrive within our diverse community.  Tracks is renowned for creating exciting performance in unique locations and the Boom Shed is no exception.

Creative Personnel

Conceived: David McMicken
Director: David McMicken
Assistant Director and Designer: Tim Newth
Choreography: David McMicken, Gerard Veltre, Julia Quinn, Betchay Mondragon and assistance from the cast
Original Compositions and Live DJ: Space Ace - David Pratt
Lighting Designer: Matthew James
Multimedia: Peter Coulter
Cultural Adviser: Betchay Mondragon

Production and Promotion Personnel

Lighting Operator: Daniel Lade
Poster Image and Design: Mark Marcelis​​​​​​​
Admin/Front of House: Heather Richards
Production: James Forrest
Lighting Operator: Daniel Lade
Security: Jenny Lee

Performers

Young Man: Marko Taopo
Hermes: Gerard Veltre
Hermes’ Cohorts and Demi-Gods: Jolanda George, Yoris Wilson
Cerberus (Hades guard dog): Nicole Cridland, Emily Pegler
Denizens of the Underworld
Women: Zoe Crawford, Raylee-Jo Rozario, Emily Mornane, Nina Pantazis, Estelle Quindara, Julia Quinn, Stephanie Quinn, Kristy Rickert, Tara Robertson, Dana-Rose Dizon
Men: Erwin Fenis, Evan Dixon, Darren Minchin, Josh Mu
Torres Strait Islanders: Pethrie Bagiri, Ruth Bagiri, Annie Luta, Gloria Luta, Lency Luta, Relma Luta, Veronica Luta
Manipulators: Guy Bannister, Eddy Barr, Tristram Boveington, Simon Purdy

Scenario

  • An untimely end.  A young man lost to us in his prime
  • Enter the world of the Underground.
  • Hades’ Kingdom:  led by Hermes (messenger of the Gods and trickster) and his cohorts.
  • Caron:  Paying the Ferryman. Did you pay the price while you were alive?  If not, remain forever a lost soul doomed to wander the edge of the River Styx.
  • Cerberus:  a multi-headed dog guards the gates to the Underworld.  You may enter never to return.
  • Cocytus:  the River of Wailing and Lamentation. Unbounded grief.
  • Acheron:  the River of Sadness and Woe.
  • Once crossed, there is no return.
  • Elysian Fields:  the final resting place of heroes and the godlike.
  • Tartarus:  a place of torments for the most wicked, those who have wronged the gods.
  • Phlegethon:  the River of Fire, burning away our wickedness, asking for forgiveness.
  • Lethe:  the River of Oblivion and Forgetfulness. Releasing our attachment to the living.
  • The Tree of Dreams:  the final letting go.

Tracks 2002

Artistic Directors: David McMicken and Tim Newth
Office Administration /Bookkeeper: Heather Richards
Production Manager: James Forest
Multicultural Artist in Residence: Betchay Mondragon
Grey Panthers Coordinator: Merrilee Mills
Publicist: Sue Camilleri

Committee Members:  David Taylor (Chair), Jackie Wurm (Vice-Chair), Glenn Bernardin (Treasurer), Kyleigh Hindson (Secretary/Public Officer), Ken Conway, Nicole Cridland, Kay Brown (Ordinary Committee Members), David McMicken and Tim Newth (Ex-Officio Members)

Photos: 

Explore Further

Eras of Youth Dance

A Culturally Diverse Voice

Iconic Tracks Works

Responses

"Sensory overload…overflows with energy." Suellen Hinde, NT News

Search for Work by Title or
by Person:

› Search for Work by year