2008, Live duet performance

The second work in a series inspired by the 1960’s classical picture book ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ by Maurice Sendak. Housed in a purpose designed and built set located in a dark Melbourne Laneway, Fiona performed young Max accompanied by Rob McCreddie as a friendly monster. The work delicately illuminated qualities of the human imagination especially the psychophysical experience of night time and bedroom nightmares.
Season
Melbourne International Design Festival Pop Up (Centre Place, Melbourne), 2008
Artists
Fiona Bryant (Choreography, Performance)
Kate Stanley (Direction, Choreography)
Rob McCreddie (Choreography, Performance)
Ben Edwards (Concept & Set Design)
Reviews
“Maurice Sendak’s children’s classic Where the Wild Things Are has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years. As the children of the original fans come of age (amazingly, the book has been in print since 1963), there has been a spate of tributes in such unlikely media as ballet, landscape design and tattooing. A live-action film directed by Spike Jonze is due for release in 2009, and already has movie fans in a frenzy. So the time was ripe for Ben Edwards, Fiona Bryant, Rob McCreedy and choreographer Kate Stanley to collaborate on their own interpretation of the much-loved story – one with a distinct Melbourne twist.”
“Max GRR, a performance inspired by Max’s adventures, will be held in the Centreplace Laneway on the evenings of July 23rd and 24th. Audience members will line the laneway on both sides; the performance can alternatively be viewed from Hell’s Kitchen, the bar overlooking the laneway.
Bryant, who plays Max, has adapted an existing dance piece from the stage to the long, narrow confines of the laneway, while McCreedie, a recent addition to the ensemble, represents the monsters. Edwards, an architect with Melbourne firm 1:1, has created a set designed to exploit the dark, eerie aesthetic of the laneway to the full. They’re not giving away much more than that – details of the sets and costumes are being kept under wraps until the first night. What is clear is that Max GRR will not adhere strictly to the original story – Edwards promises a darker, more abstract interpretation of the themes in the book, designed with a grownup audience in mind.”
Una Cruickshank, Melbourne International Design Festival
“MAX Grr is a temporary design installation and choreographed dance piece. Presented as part of the Melbourne International Design Festival, MAX Grr will be showing in Centreplace Laneway, Melbourne, Wednesday 23 – Thursday 24 July.Presented by architect, Ben Edwards, choreographer, Kate Stanley, and dancer, Fiona Bryant, this collaborative event is a major feature of the Melbourne International Design Festival’s PopUpsThe performance centres on Max, the lead character in Maurice Sendak’s children’s book ‘Where the Wild Things Are’. Working in the shadowy depths of the dank, grime-ridden Centreplace Laneway, Ben Edwards, Kate Stanley and Fiona Bryant will design and construct an installation to create an eerie, transient, illusionary setting for this exciting performance. A must see event in Melbourne this month.”
Indesignlive.com
“Architect Ben Edwards, choreographer Kate Stanley and dancer Fiona Bryant have played with Centre Place’s dankness, it’s high-walled shadows and natural nightly eeriness to pull Sendak’s story of Max’s mischief and his monstrous encounters out of the pages and into a choreographed performance.” Thethousands.com