THE RAPTURE
"THE RAPTURE is the result of the exquisite passion of many artists. It grew from a desire to create Wunderkammer, a Human Illuminated Manuscript of the Sacred and Ruined Heart. Some of the earliest manuscripts were written on skin and The Rapture takes all that has been written on and within my skin; the years, the passions, my training and life as an Environmental Scientist and conservation activist, my human rights and gender violence work, my work on family violence, my wild times performing in clubs, in the future and in gesamtkunstwerk, the total work of art." Moira Finucane.
First presented at fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne (2017) before touring to China and Germany. It continues to evolve and be re-presented in numerous, ever changing guises.
MOIRA FINUCANE - CREATOR, WRITER AND PERFORMER
Trained in environmental science, with a background in environmental law, gender-in-development and world heritage conservation; Moira Finucane’s love of literature began with fairy tales, her love of performance with underground clubs. Finucane is internationally acclaimed as a director, performer, writer, and creator of polymathic worlds and “Salons of Humanity”. Her works span drama, beyond-genre cabaret, installation, provocative variety, and surreal indoor carnivals. Her works have been presented in 15 countries, winning 13 awards from Cuba’s CHAMACO Award for Best International Presentation, to Miami’s Climakaze Award for outstanding artwork in climate justice.
Finucane and Smith - PRODUCERS
Internationally renowned for their arresting mix of provocation and entertainment, the house of Finucane & Smith Unlimited creates Salons of Humanity - intimate theatrical spectacles, surreal indoor carnivals, dark drama and beyond-genre cabaret - hijacking myriad art forms, engaging unique and extraordinary artists and pecking the eyes out of old-style entertainment to create indelible visions of humanity, freedom, power & desire. They have created the world’s most awarded provocative variety, their works have been seen across 5 continents from the major Latin American festivals, to cherished collaborations in regional & remote Australia, and ground-breaking work in China.
JACKIE SMITH
Jackie Smith is a Patrick White Playwright Award winning playwright and director., and co-founder of Finucane and Smith Unlimited. Her writing spans fiction, plays and cross form works. In 2012 her Gothic drama, The Flood, toured Australia for 4 months and in 2016 became the first Australian drama to be invited to the Shanghai International Theatre Festival. In 2017 it was realised as a Chinese language production by Vertebra Theatre in Beijing and Shanghai. In 2019, her new drama The First Son, commissioned by Beijing Wenxin Huiying Culture Communication Co, will premiere at Beijing's National Centre for Performance Arts.
Shinjuku Thief - Composition.
Eleanor Nalyirrima Dixon - Songwriter for Ngarna
Jennifer Hector - Lighting Design
William Eicholtz - Visual Art
Catherine Lane - Visual Art
Josh Weeks - Visual Art
Arts Project Australia artists - Visual Art
Andrea Brabazon (Loafer Bread) - Edible visual art
Gun Shy Design - Costume
Anastasia La Fey - Costume
Kate Durham - Costume
Bryn Meredith - Costume
Angela Clark - Costume
Shirley Keon of Keon Couture - Costume
Isaac Lummis - Costume
David Anderson - Costume
kath Papas - Associate Producer
cover photo - Simon Schluter