An unflinching, rule-breaking performance that tests bodies, materials and expectations — at once absurd, terrifying and exhilarating.
In High Performance Packing Tape, celebrated Australian company Branch Nebula employs readymade materials—stationery and disposable hardware items—to place performer Skye Gellmann in a series of mind-bending planes and predicaments.
High Performance Packing Tape is performed by a single body on stage, the work unfolds over one hour, drawing the audience into an intense and concentrated theatrical encounter.
Climbing towers made out of items that will inevitably collapse, suspending the body in the air from materials that stretch and then snap, and balancing precariously on structures made out of things designed to decorate a party, High Performance Packing Tape invites the viewer to experience edge of the seat madness.
The tension of cheap materials pushed to breaking point, inevitable equipment failure, and imminent physical demise lead to horrific scenarios. Safety and wellbeing are de-prioritised in new and liberating ways.
High Performance Packing Tape faces fear, self preservation and risk management to create enthralling new possibilities for physical performance.
The show was absolutely AMAZING – truly astonishing, terrifying and profound!
–Gail Priest, Audience member
collaborating artists
Lee Wilson
Mickie Quick
Mirabelle Wouters
Phil Downing
performer
Skye Gellmann
sound design
Phil Downing
production managers
Neil Simpson
Aaron Clark
Nicole Hector
consultant
Antek Marciniec
producer
Michaela Coventry
originally produced by
Harley Stumm
commissioned by
Performance Space
This is quintessential “poor theatre” using an absolute economy of means to create tension. The effectiveness of the set-up is hidden in plain sight until the very end, when the tension is finally released and the audience erupts in applause. Highly satisfying.
–Jana Perkovic, The Age
Trailer
Full show documentation available on request.
Presenting High Performance Packing Tape
Why Program High Performance Packing Tape
- A formally rigorous solo work suited to curated contemporary performance programs
- Strong fit for studio theatres and smaller festival venues
- Minimal set with high conceptual and emotional impact
- Clear, contained technical requirements
- Appeals to audiences interested in live art, physical theatre and experimental performance
Format & Scale
- In-theatre solo performance
- One-hour duration
- Designed for studio theatres and smaller performance spaces
- Audience seated in close proximity to the performer
The work’s scale allows it to sit comfortably alongside larger festival works while offering contrast and intimacy within a program.
Touring & Presentation
High Performance Packing Tape is highly tourable and efficient to present, with:
- Single performer
- Compact set and equipment
- Integrated live sound design
- Flexible bump-in and bump-out schedules
This makes the work particularly suitable for festivals programming multiple venues or compressed schedules.
Technical Snapshot
- Theatre-based presentation
- Studio or small performance space
- Live sound design performed in real time
- Minimal lighting and set elements
- Full technical rider available on request
Tour History
Liveworks Festival of Experimental Art, Performance Space Sydney
24-27 October 2018, 7pm.
Carriageworks, Track 8
PAX Performing Arts Exchange, Sunshine Coast
27 August 2019, 4.50pm.
The Events Centre, Caloundra
Homo Novus Festival, Riga (Latvia)
9-12 September 2019, 7pm.
Space H2O6
UnWrapped,
Sydney Opera House
18-22 September 2019, 7pm.
The Studio
Melbourne Festival,
ArtsHouse
2-6 October 2019, 7pm.
The Meat Market
Adelaide Festival
5-8 March 2020, 6pm.
Main Theatre, AC Arts
Cambridge Junction (UK)
12-13 October 2022
Brighton Festival (UK)
17-18 May 2024, 3.30 and 7.30pm.
Brighton Dome
High Performance Packing Tape was commissioned by Performance Space for the Liveworks 2018 festival and originally Produced by Harley Stumm for Intimate Spectacle. The UK seasons of the work have been supported by the NSW government through Create NSW and the Australian Government and the British Council as part of the UK/Australia Season.
