Last Man to Die

Bio

Last Man to Die are a cross-artform group based in Canberra, Australia. Their charter is to create new connections between three art forms: acting, percussion, and drawing through new interactive technologies and experimental performance.

Hanna emitting DNA. Hanna emitting DNA.

The group formed in 2008 after a collaboration with Canberra's Hunting Season produced "Cognition" in Canberra and Melbourne. Since then, the group has created two major cross-artform works using an iterative process of experimental performances to prototype each aspect of the productions. "Vital LMTD" was produced as part of The Street Theatre's Made in Canberra season and was also performed at the inaugural Crack Theatre Festival in Newcastle in 2009.

Throughout 2010 and 2011 the group toured "The Last Man To Die", a one-hour interactive work that explores possible consequences of artificially extending human lifespans. "The Last Man to Die" was performed in Canberra at the Street Theatre for National Science Week, in Brisbane as part of the Brisbane Festival's Under the Radar programme, in Perth as part of the Blue Room Theatre's curated programme and at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists in Sydney as a Space Program Residency.

Productions

  • The Last Man to Die (2010). Blue Room Theatre, Perth, Street Theatre, Canberra, PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, Sydney, Brisbane Festival Under the Radar Program.
  • Canberra Youth Theatre Residency (2009)
  • Vital LMTD (2009). Street Theatre, Canberra.
  • Cognition (with The Hunting Season, 2008), Belconnen Theatre, Canberra, Street Theatre, Canberra, La Ma Ma, Melbourne.
QR Code Scanner and time-shifted performance space QR Code Scanner and time-shifted performance space

The Last Man to Die

An installation/performance produced in Canberra and performed at Belconnen Theatre, PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, Sydney, Street 2, Canberra, Brisbane Festival’s Under The Radar programme and at The Blue Room, Perth.

"THE LAST MAN TO DIE" explores a future where humanity has triumphed over ageing and death and looks back at a time when people lived for barely a single century. Audiences experience first hand the brave new world explored by those first immortals and the choices faced by the last to die.

Canberra Youth Theatre Residency

(December 1-10, 2009.)

Videos are available of two works-in-progress exploring computer vision and wearable interfaces with a blend of physical movement and projection

Vital LMTD (2009)

A cross-artform work presented at The Street Theatre, Canberra in collaboration with Hanna Cormick and Benjamin Forster.

Cognition (2009)

performed at M.Mus. performance exam, February 2009

Soundtracks

Excerpts from soundtracks for LMTD productions. Each of Last Man to Die's works included full length soundtracks, including composed and improvised elements played on percussion and electronics. These works were composed in SuperCollider, Pure Data, Apple Logic, and Ableton Live. The performance elements were controlled by custom interface built into the costumes, sets, and props and in each show Charles performed live on the Alternate Mode MalletKat.

Video

A recording of a full performance of "THE LAST MAN TO DIE", as staged at the Street Theatre, Canberra, in July 2010. This video shows audience members using the interactive elements of the show and each of the nine scenes that were accessible by scanning QR code tickets.

Performance Images