same, same but different, 2002
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
photo Heidrun Löhr
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
Same, same But Different takes its inspiration from our enduring ability to keep on struggling for love… whether from one relationship to another or in one, the same, relationship. The work creates lasting imagery of various states of co-dependence, frustration, tenderness and humour through a dexterous blend of film, dance and theatrical virtuosity. Within a moving set of frames, the action is exposed and edited before the audience’s eyes. Live action interacts with life-sized film imagery evoking the multiplicity of thought within each character…their fleeting desires… their unfulfilled expectations. Giant giraffes tangled in a mating ritual are background to a couple’s antagonistic, counterbalanced dance. A human race that runs in circles is a metaphor for our more desperate efforts to survive…and a marathon dance of repetition reveals nuances of intimacy that only exist through the stamina of emotional endurance. Drawing inspiration from diverse sources including the film They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, the Margaret Attwood short story “Happy Endings” and our own personal lives, the work uses movement/dance/physicality as its driving force. Same, same But Different defies categorisation with dancers who act, actors who move and film that lives and breathes through the flesh of the performers. In 2002 Same, same But Different received the Helpmann Award for Best Physical Theatre or Visual Performance and the Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer (Roz Hervey). (Text courtesy of Force Majeure.)
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
photo Heidrun Löhr
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
credits: director Kate Champion, performers Arianthe Galani, Brian Harrison, Roz Hervey, Kirstie McCracken, Veronica Neave, Nathan Page, Shaun Parker, Byron Perry, Ben Winspear, designer (set and lighting) Geoff Cobham, composer, sound designer Max Lyandvert, filmmaker Brigid Kitchin, associate producer Karen Rodgers
performances: premiere Sydney Festival, January 2002; Brisbane Festival, September-October 2002; Melbourne Festival, October 2002; Sydney Opera House, November 2002
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
photo Heidrun Löhr
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
reviews/articles – realtime
sydney festival: myths, histories and projections
keith gallasch, realtime 47, february-march 2002
video
One-minute compilation of already elsewhere and same, same but different
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
photo Heidrun Löhr
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
reviews/articles – other
same, same but different
hilary crampton, the age, november 1, 2002
agenda: melbourne festival: same, same but different
neil jillet, sunday age, november 3, 2002
something in the way they move
jill sykes, sydney morning herald, january 17, 2002
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
photo Heidrun Löhr
Same, same but Different, Force Majeure
cast changes in the power of walk off
alison cotes, courier mail, october 4, 2002
love’s beautiful dance survives many pitfalls
stephanie glickman, herald-sun, november 1, 2002
it’s the same difference, isn’t it?
deborah jones, the australian, january 18, 2002
‘the play’s the thing’ no longer: non-linear narrative in kate champion’s same, same but different
rosemary klich, australasian drama studies 46, april 2005, pp.58-69
