Back to Back Pictures presents SHADOW - Friday, January 20 at 5:30 p.m.

Pay What You Decide

You reserve your space and pay what you decide following the event as a social experiment as you decide the value of the art.

Note: Film runs approximately 56 minutes, with a talkback to follow

Simon, Scott and Sarah, a trio of activists with intellectual disabilities, hold a town hall meeting about the future impacts of artificial intelligence. Simon, considering himself a savior for the community, quickly appoints himself the mayor, and Scott reluctantly steps into the role of facilitator, but soon becomes enamored with his own power and begins to dismiss the experiences of others. Sarah, often overlooked and underestimated by her counterparts, explodes, confronting the self-appointed leaders on their inadequacies. What begins as a polite discussion quickly descends into bickering and chaos, seemingly provoked by a force within. Sarah acts to unite the group, only to realize the battle to get their message across may be lost already. 

“When artificial intelligence overtakes human intelligence, how will people be treated?”

Join the creators of SHADOW in a post-film moderated discussion with Cast member/Coauthor Simon Laherty, Director/Coauthor Bruce Gladwin, and Executive Producer Tim Stitz.

ABOUT

Australia’s internationally acclaimed Back to Back Theatre, a professional theatre company with an ensemble of actors with disabilities at its core, has produced its debut feature-length film, SHADOW.

Directed by Bruce Gladwin, SHADOW is a darkly humorous 56-minute film based on Back to Back Theatre’s award-winning stage play THE SHADOW WHOSE PREY THE HUNTER BECOMES (2019), which was developed, in part, at the 2019 Sundance Theatre Lab at MASS MoCA, and was described by The New York Times as “extraordinary”. 

THE SHADOW WHOSE PREY THE HUNTER BECOMES was co-conceived and co-authored by Back to Back Theatre’s professional ensemble: Michael Chan, Mark Deans, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, Simon Laherty and Sonia Teuben, together with Gladwin. 

The piece was adapted for film by the cast and director with script consultants Madeline Stuart, Louise Gough and Melissa Reeves. SHADOW was co-funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, and the City of Greater Geelong through the Arts & Culture Department’s Arts Industry Commissions Program in partnership with UNESCO Creative City of Design.

SHADOW stars Back to Back’s professional ensemble, with Scott Price, Simon Laherty and Sarah Mainwaring in lead roles. The film also features new ensemble member Breanna Deleo, theatre veteran Brian Lipson as The Reporter and Belinda McClory (THE DOCTOR BLAKE MYSTERIES) as the voice of the sinister A.I.

SHADOW was adapted from THE SHADOW WHOSE PREY THE HUNTER BECOMES, which was co-commissioned for the stage by Carriageworks, Theater der Welt 2020 Düsseldorf, the Keir Foundation, the Thyne Reid Foundation and The Anthony Costa Foundation, supported by Creative Partnerships Australia through Plus 1, with development support from the Geelong Arts Centre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Une Parkinson Foundation, The Public Theater (New York) and ArtsEmerson (Boston). THE SHADOW WHOSE PREY THE HUNTER BECOMES was developed, in part, at the 2019 Sundance Theatre Lab at MASS MoCA.

SHADOW was funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, the City of Greater Geelong through the Arts & Culture Department’s Arts Industry Commissions Program in partnership with UNESCO Creative City of Design, with additional support from Give Where You Live and the Une Parkinson Foundation.

SHADOW was supported by Screen Australia through the COVID-19 Budget Support Fund Program.

Back to Back Theatre is supported by Australia Council for the Arts, Creative Victoria, and the City of Greater Geelong, and acknowledges the support of the Department of Education & Training, Victoria, through the Strategic Partnerships Program.