Persephone in Adelaide — Reviews from Adelaide Fringe 2024

Persephone was presented at the 2024 Adelaide Fringe at the invitation of Garage International.

The performance brought together contemporary dance, physical theatre, mythology, and visual imagery, drawing on stories of life and death from different cultural traditions, including the Greek myth of Persephone, as well as Iranian and Japanese narratives.

The production received attention from several Adelaide critics. Their responses focused particularly on the physical relationship between the two performers, the use of fabric and a tent as recurring images, and the production’s movement between birth, death, loss, and rebirth.

Reviews

David Cronin — The Clothesline

David Cronin highlighted the transformation of the two performers within a single piece of fabric, describing a constantly changing sequence of mythical forms. His review focused on the production’s movement between life and death and the recurring image of the tent as a space connected to both nature and the underworld.

Read the full review — The Clothesline

John Doherty — That Guy in the Foyer

John Doherty described Persephone as an experimental theatre work combining contemporary dance and physical theatre. He drew particular attention to the tent, the performers’ bodies, and the recurring image of birth and growth created through the use of fabric.

Read the full review — That Guy in the Foyer

Simon Lancione — Glam Adelaide

Simon Lancione focused on the production’s combination of Iranian and Japanese stories with the Greek myth of Persephone. His review also noted the performers’ physical commitment, the use of Persian and English, and the production’s minimalist use of darkness, shadow, and sound.

Read the full review — Glam Adelaide