A Night in Cloud Cuckoo Land (BDA_AT03)

May 2007 twenty characters, designed from Aristophanes’ Birds, played host to  Adelaide’s corporate elite, politicians and art investors at the annual Helpmann Academy’s Maestroes and Apprentices dinner. A night of patronage, philanthropy and embedded music theatre. Phil Noack composed music for a walking 4 piece accordion, brass and percussion band based on the character designs. Sarah Minns’ massive wall of caricatured Australian politicians-as-Corellas formed the backdrop for the MC’s, a degenerate lush Iris and transvestite chorus leader Francine outrageously designed by Rachel Jones. The pan-theistic line-up included Lisa Hamilton’s eagle nosed Hercules and Blake Trio’s skate-headed Poseidon. The eclectic Chorus included Demelza Nussio’s Jurassic Peacock, Deb Moseby's Beardsley like flamingo, Kat Monteodorisio’s inept jail birds pursued by Rachelle Tonzing’s hilarious Soldier bird duo, Emily Wilson’s flirtatious French maid a taunt to the mute caged nightingale Procene, Lauren Rennie’s lovable obese woodpecker and Sarah Minns' bickering family of Silky Bantams. Emily Wilson also designed the ‘sustainable’ bird nest table settings.