Sydney Theater Company + Bangarra Dance Theater
During December of 2021 I spent just under a month working with both Sydney Theater Company and Bangarra Dance Theater. I began by working with Neil Mallard ( Head of Scenic arts for STC ) and Ron Thiessen ( Deputy head ). Within this time I aided in the construction and finishing of over 250 rocks, a large meteorite and a watermill for the show Wudjang: Not the Past. After the completion of the sets I then spent time with the Props team, shadowing and learning from them. From this time I was able to get a job working for Bangarra Dance Theater as a technical theater stage hand, working on checking the lighting rigs, attaching the drainage and pyrotechnical systems for the large meteorite, creating the wattle and working Bump in / Out.
Wudjang: Not The Past
The Large Meteorite
The large meteorite was the centrepiece of the Bangarra show Wudjang: Not The Past. This piece was made from structural wood and a steel frame for the base. This was to support the dancer who were going to be standing onto. Compact polystyrene was used for the majority of the rock shape and carved. Tiling medium mixed with black paint was then applied on top to make a strong outer shell.
This entire structure also broke in half. This was done so that the show could tour more easily. Small pipes were also added for pyrotechnics and water drainage to complete the large piece.
The Rocks
Almost 250 smaller rocks were also created for this production. This included 9 ‘hero’ rocks, used for musicians to sit on. Similar to the large meteorite, these rocks were made from polystyrene, carved into a rock shape. They were then again all covered in tiling medium.
The Watermill
The wheel was the other large prop constructed for the show. The base was made entirely from MDF all CNC routed into the curved shaped needed to create the circle. The exterior water buckets were made from rubbish bin lids and art finished to look metallic.
Emily Lilley 