DUNCAN MAURICE FOLIO PRESS CV CONTACT
LOS PHOBICOS
Director
Part street theatre, clowning and buffoonery; 4 masked 18th century European Boat people are paranoid that their new colony is under attack.
Debuted at the Amnesty International ARTillery exhibition, ‘Offshore and Outof Sight’ in Sydney an exhibition in protest against Australia's treatment of asylum seekers.
Performers Charles Upton, Ezequiel Martinez, Gabriel Jacob and Ben Scales developed Duncan's concept through a series of bi-weekly mask making workshops and improvisation movement based rehearsals.
Costumes designer Alex PF Jackson and Creative consultant Diane Busuttil
Caricature, parody and humour exemplify the parallels between the first European boat people in Australia and the culture of fear and selfishness that dominates contemporary attitudes towards modern day asylum seekers.
Los Phobicos is based on the study of Latin American masked dance dramas that have used public performance for centuries to expose injustice and European imperialism.
The group acknowledges that this performance does not negate the devastating impact Europeans had on the first nation people and cultures of Australia. They are deeply sorry for the past and present atrocities inflicted upon Indigenous Australians and offer the highest respect to the traditional and eternal custodians.