Anito

Justin Talplacido Shoulder

Justin Talplacido Shoulder’s last Fusebox performance (in 2018) was truly one of the most memorable, revered performances in Fusebox history. This year, as part of our 20th anniversary, we are presenting the US premiere of their latest creation, ANITO.

Honouring their roots in Sydney’s underground queer and diasporic club scenes,  ANITO’s artistic team build on their shared histories of costume, puppetry, drag, dance, and experimental electronic music to re-imagine myths and stories for the now.

More About the Performance:

In Philippine folk tales, the balete tree is considered the dwelling place for supernatural beings. In this live work, the balete becomes a portal to the Skyworld – ‘a Queer Filipinx Future Folkloric space of storytelling’—where installation, visual arts, theatre and dance combine.

Crawling upon a refurbished planet, a collaborative ecology of storytellers gather to tap deep into the grounds of their collective ancestral memory. In this space of latency miraculous forms emerge of intricate labour. Ancient babies dance megafauna in nonlinear evolutions. Seasons change in a world of sheer terror and tremendous beauty. The world of ANITO is a meeting place; a fertile petri dish incubating distinct and recombinant organisms.

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• Directed, Performed and Co-conceived: Justin Talplacido Shoulder
• Production Design: Matthew Stegh and Justin Talplacido Shoulder
• Costume Design: Matthew Stegh, Anthony Aitch, Justin Talplacido Shoulder
• Sound Design and Live Score: Corin Ileto
• Performer and co-generator: Eugene Choi
• Mentor and Collaborator: Victoria Hunt
• Lighting / Vision Design: Fausto Brusamolino
• Costume Design Technicians: Brenda Lam, Anthony Aitch, Luna Aquatica
• Produced by: Jason Cross at Insite Arts
• Special thanks: Marrugeku, Carriageworks & Talking Bodies

ANITO has been supported by the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative; Create NSW; the Australian Government’s Major Festivals Initiative, managed by Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals Inc., commissioned by RISING, Sydney Festival and MONA FOMA.