This book is medium to large size in format and just on a hundred pages .It is beautifully illustrated and is both poignant , sad and a celebration.
It is thirty years since the establishment of Kim Carpenter’s Theatre of Image, (TOI) a majorly important company in the Australian theatre world, and it is a retrospective of all the past productions, some of which have toured internationally. It was founded originally as a Theatre in Education company but is by no means ‘just’ for children and has evolved to become Australia’s premier visual theatre company.
Carpenter has sadly recently announced that the company will be closing at the end of 2019 , and this is a glorious reminder of major theatrical events such as the landmark The Happy Prince and The Book of Everything ( to name just two shows.)
The book opens with a table of contents, an introduction and an overview. It then looks at the early years and the shows that led to the creation of TOI ( eg Slice , Rapunzel in Suburbia) and the Art Gallery Projects performed at the Art Gallery of NSW.
It then looks at all the TOI productions , starting with this year’s exciting Brett and Wendy : A Love Story Bound By Art and goes back in time chronologically to 1997 with The Sky Wizard ( 1988 ) and Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery . Along the way we are reminded of great favourites such as Snow On Mars , Hansel and Gretel.. A Tale of Our Times , Jake and Pete – a Road Story For Cats! , Carnival of the Animals ,Monkey : Journey to the West , and Swimming in Light .. The World of Lloyd Rees to name just a few.
For each production there are spectacular photos (mostly in colour, some black and white) and quotes from the cast and creatives involved as well as occasional quotes by reviewers.
A short section looks at the creative school holiday workshops led by TOI and a separate segment covers the three main exhibitions held about TOI .
The final segment is about the future – Carpenter is involved with Graeme Murphy and the Australian Ballet in the eagerly awaited 2020 production of the Australian Ballet’s ‘The Happy Prince’.
Finally , at the back of the book is a list of all the various productions TOI has presented and the cast and creatives plus a list of supporters and partners.
The legacy of TOI can be seen in its ground breaking us e of digital imagery and stunning designs and also will remain with its mentorship program that has led to artistic directors heading various theatre companies for young people including Sandra Eldridge , co-Artistic Director Monkey Baa Theatre Company , Geoff Cobham Artistic Director of Patch Theatre Adelaide , Sam Routledge , Artistic Director of Terrapin puppet theatre company Tasmania and Matthew Edgerton the former Artistic Director of Barking Gecko in Perth.
A delightful important record of a major company but it would have been great to have even more detail and quotes /information about each production.
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