RECLAIM THE CRONE Comes to Theatre Works Explosives Factory in July

Returning after a celebrated premiere season at the 2023 Mornington Peninsula Drift Festival, The Space Between Performance Collective will bring their production of Reclaim the Crone to the Theatre Works Explosives Factory this July.

A bold and haunting performance that uses contemporary Butoh dance theatre, projection, poetry, and song, Reclaim the Crone celebrates the archetype of the Wise Old Woman, taking audiences on a fantastical adventure where they fight for recognition, mourn loss, and get dirty as they clean house. At a time when older women are forced into the shadows, The Crones are here to weave a new world where humanity reconnects with the ultimate crone - Mother Earth. 

A multi-layered journey of defiance, growth, and transformation, Reclaim the Crone is a provocative treat - asking audiences to imagine a world where age, experience, and knowledge equate to power, beauty… and trouble.

“My research often starts with looking into myths and archetypes and drawing on those to tell stories that resonate today”, explains Creator, Director, and Performer Gabrielle Leah New.

“I began my journey with The Crones when I was turning 50. I'm interested in mythic adventures and the quintessential hero’s journey, and this work is a hero’s journey. I was researching how women were portrayed in social media and through public art and discovered a plethora of information about the invisibility of older women. So many messages of anti-aging, staying young, and non-acceptance of the old. The Crone represents wisdom, fierceness, compassion, and the cycles of life and death. I wanted to explore the idea that if older women were recognised for all these traits and were not so invisible, could humanity move in a more positive direction? At the heart of this work is my desire to be a wild old woman! I want to break the rules, create a new paradigm, and find a way to heal the original old crone - Mother Earth.”

A multi-disciplined performance weaving together the beauty of Butoh - a movement artform created to represent the oppressed and marginalised - with stunning imagery, song, and poetry, Reclaim the Crone promises a rich and dynamic world for audiences to experience. 

Developed over many years, multiple interviews with older women (from a variety of backgrounds) were conducted to inform the work. Their real voices and experiences now included in the show as a part of the original sound score by world-renowned composer Norm Skipp. Marrying The Crone with Mother Earth, the work also explores how the invisibility of older women is impacting nature, and our planet as a whole. 

With original choreography by Gabrielle Leah New, Reclaim the Crone features an ensemble entirely comprised of seasoned, mature-aged artists and promises to be a unique highlight on the 2024 Victorian Arts Calendar. Running for a limited season, this unconventional Melbourne premiere production is not to be missed.

Founded in 2009 by Gabrielle Leah New, The Space Between Performance Collective invites collaborators to develop new multi-dimensional performance works primarily aimed at pushing the boundaries of the live performance experience. Past works include Creature (2009-2011), Ten Worlds (2013), and Thing with Feathers (2013). 

After taking a hiatus The Collective now returns with Reclaim the Crone.  

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