ROOMAN

Fleur Elise Noble

  • A scene from <ROOMAN>. Large paper sets stand on either side of the stage, with a projected landscape of blue sky, yellow fields and red earth. On a small boat in front of the left-hand set, a figure in a black suit and a figure in white stand side by side, and a huge black shadow with a kangaroo's head is cast behind them. Torn scraps of paper are scattered across the floor.
  • A scene from <ROOMAN>. A black-and-white film is projected across the front of the stage, showing the facade of an old brick building. Several people stand or sit on the pavement in front of a shuttered doorway, and a figure in a hat stands alone before an arched wooden door at the left.
  • A scene from <ROOMAN>. A star-filled night sky is projected onto the paper sets on both sides of the darkened stage. An old beetle-shaped car sits at the centre of the stage, with a small campfire burning orange beside it.
  • A scene from <ROOMAN>. A wallpapered room built out of paper stands at the centre of the stage. Inside, a figure with a fox's head and a figure in a hat sit facing each other under blankets, with a white table between them. At the left, a shadow of another figure falls behind a folding metal gate. Torn scraps of paper cover the floor.
  • A scene from <ROOMAN>. On a stage made of grey paper, a white plaster statue of a human figure with a rabbit's head stands on a pedestal at the centre. Below it, a figure in brightly patterned clothing and a figure in a pink furred mask stand on either side. White paper panels are propped around them and black paper scraps litter the floor.

ⓒ Bryony Jackson

  • Director Fleur Elise Noble
  • Genre Theater
  • Date 10.8.Thu 7:30pm 10.9.Fri 2pm, 6pm
  • Rating 16 and above
  • Venue SFAC Theater QUAD
  • Duration 50 min.
  • Premiere 2024 Tangente St. Pölten, Austria
  • Tickets 40,000 won

 

Introduction

<ROOMAN> is a new visual-performance by Fleur Elise Noble. It’s a rich tapestry of puppetry, projection, drawing, dance and live music. Like a low-tech hologram, or a high-tech paper pop-up book, <ROOMAN> takes the audience on a journey inside worlds of animated universes as they unfold upon a giant 3-dimensional paper set. A world sung into being by the beautiful young Jamaican-Canadian singer, Sarah Reid.

<ROOMAN> is a story of romance, fantasy and the pursuit of happiness. A story that we can all, in some way, relate to. A girl meets a kangaroo man in her dreams and falls in love. Obsessed by his reality, and the idea of becoming a part of it, she takes desperate measures to spend more time with him. Her obsession leads her into the darkest depths of the human psyche.

<ROOMAN> is about following your dreams, and seeing what kind of a journey that can take you on. But more importantly, it’s about waking up and living.

Director

Fleur Elise Noble

Fleur Elise Noble has been described as a ‘Polymath’ who roams fearlessly between art-forms. She is a multi-dimensional artist interested in the performative possibilities of her creations. Fleur was awarded scholarships from art schools in Adelaide and New York, where she studied drawing, painting, and sculpture. She went onto equip herself with an arsenal of creative forces, including puppetry, design, animation, film, projection mapping, performance, dance and writing.

Best known for her unique visual performances, she has been invited to perform at over 50 arts venues and festivals around the world, where her works became the catalyst for deep reflection and heated debate. Fleur’s major solo productions <2-Dimensional Life of Her> and <ROOMAN> were created over five-year periods, after which they toured extensively. <2-Dimensional Life of Her> represented Australia at the World Congress of Theatre for Young People in 2011 and was awarded the 2013 Bessie (New York Dance and Theatre Award) for most Outstanding Visual Design.

Most recently Fleur co-created, co-designed and performed in Windmill Theatre Company’s <Creation Creation>, which premiered at the Adelaide Festival Centre in 2021, before going on to perform at the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Arts Centre, and State Theatre Centre of WA. Fleur has worked on countless other creative arts and community projects. She was a workshop facilitator and media producer on SharingStories’ Digital Storytelling Workshops for 7 years, and the program co-ordinator of <Same Like Yesterday>, a three-dimensional projected installation developed with the Adnyamathanha Community of the Flinders Rangers, presented as a part of the 2019 DreamBIG Children's Festival.

Fleur is currently a PhD Candidate at Flinders University, where she is researching new ways to talk about digital addiction and persuasive technology with young people. She believes in the power of creativity to make complex ideas accessible and engaging.

Credits
  • Creator, Director, Designer, Dreamer, Dancer, Drawer, Animator, Performer, Puppet-maker, Projection ArtistFleur Elise Noble
  • Projected characterZaachariaha Fielding, Sarah Reid & Fleur Elise Noble
  • Sound DesignMissi Mel Pesa
  • Production Operator & Stage ManagerNiccolo Gallio
  • Contributing PerformerDaniel Fels
  • Contributing Composers & MusiciansZaachariaha Fielding, Sarah Reid, Tim Bennett, Peter Knight, Mal Webb, Missi Mel Pesa (AKA Melbient) & Opiuo
  • AnimatorsTim Bennett & Isobel Knowles
  • Costume creatorsBryony Anderson, Kasia Tons & Sara Yael/Lily Castel
  • ProducerInsite Arts
  • Contributing dancersDaniel Fels, Sarah Reid, Jack Ladd, Tina Torabi, Helen Smith, Alana Hoggart, Adam Forbes, Tim Bennett, Ruby Ladd, Clare McDonald, Tom Carlyon, Gabrielle New, Pierre Proske, Tony Martin, Mish Birch, Jack Tuathail, Jonathan Van Dujin, Matthijis Bill Rietveld, Falco Ara Macao, Marlin-Jack Melis, Emelia Bickerdike, Roy Chang and Yollana Shore
  • Lead ArtistFleur Elise Noble
  • Set BuilderTony Martin
  • Performers / Shadow PuppeteersLouise Harte, Anna Kastrissios, Tony Martin
  • Producer / Tour managerStella Webster, Insite Arts
  • Thanks toArts SA, Australia Council, Arts House, Coopers Malthouse Theatre, Windmill Theatre, Arts QLD, WOMADelaide, Mel Cantwell / Perth Theatre Company, Daniel Fels, Lucy Scott, Ruby Ladd, Jack Ladd, George the Man, Kasia Tons, John Feely, Adriana Navarro, Peter Stafford & Keez Duyveez
  • FundingThis project was funded and supported by Australia Council for the Arts, Arts SA, Arts Queensland and Windmill Theatre.
Fleur Elise Noble

  • <ROOMAN> is a heart-warming, heart-breaking, visual-musical extravaganza by extraordinary artist Fleur Elise Noble. Beautifully weaving a rich tapestry of visual performance, puppetry, projection, drawing, dance and live music, <ROOMAN> is a visual feast.
    — Australian Arts Review
  • Sublime visual and sound design and inventive animations create a playful maze of 2D and 3D storytelling, driven by a fast-flowing dream logic with alarming ecological and cultural undercurrents.
    — Cameron Woodhead, Sydney Morning Herald