Such as They Are is a collaboration between sculptor/designer Eliza-Jane Gilchrist and writer/actor Mark Penzak. Our performances are held inside specially created installations, effectively mini-theatres where sensory effects, hands-on audience involvement and the proximity between the action and audience enable novel experiences. We’re seeking a hybrid form, a style that embraces the expectations of theatre but is equally informed by the installation, visuals and puppets. We want the audience to respond, perhaps unconsciously, to symbolic representations and fairytale imagery, to tap into their half-remembered childhood anxieties and joys.
“Intriguing, surprising and involving, Such As They Are stretch the limits of animated storytelling.”
Eliza-Jane Gilchrist is a sculptor, prop/set/puppet builder and puppeteer. She has a BA (Hons) in Fine Art (Sculpture), and emigrated to Australia in 2009. She has exhibited in group exhibitions in the UK and Australia and had several solo exhibitions in Australia. Eliza has worked extensively with Mark Penzak designing and constructing props, sets and puppets for BlueBoat which creates performances for young audiences. Eliza also conducts workshops with children and adults, building sculpture and puppets.
Mark Penzak has been creating theatre since 1986. His principal education is a BA Theatre/Media from Charles Sturt University with a Masters of Design (Film/TV) from Edinburgh College of the Arts. He has studied acting with John Bolton, Phillip Gaulier and Desmond Jones. He has written/performed and directed cabaret, stand-up comedy and highly visual storytelling. In addition to his work with Such As They Are, he directs and performs with BlueBoat, a company which creates animated theatre for children and families. Presently he is writing Monsters in my Wardrobe an epic poem in a novel form.