THE ACT

Amrita Hepi with Mish Grigor and Tilly Lawless

A collaboration between two professionals that tests the transactional limits of art and erotic power.

The body is a vehicle for desire and for expression. The art of sex work. The seductive pull of dance. The possibility that, when lost in the act, or when observing moments of irreverence or desire, we can forget the transactions or transgressions that have led us there.

Amrita Hepi, a Bunjalung Ngapuhi artist is one of Naarm/Melbourne’s pre-eminent voices in contemporary dance. Tilly Lawless is a writer and sex worker who shares sharp and heartfelt insights into queer romance and the stigma faced by sex workers. The two developed The Act, with co-writer and director Mish Grigor, after Hepi reached out to Lawless to tell her she was a fan. Over several years they’ve built an absorbing and original performance language that explores the hidden parallels between their worlds. Through movement and intimate dialogue, they interrogate the delicate balance between personal expression and professional service, between artistic integrity and market demands.

Co-creator and Performer: Amrita Hepi
Co-creator and Performer: Tilly Lawless
Director and Co-writer: Mish Grigor
Composer and Sound Designer: Daniel Jenatsch
Lighting Designers: Katie Sfetkidis and Harrie Hogan
Set Designer: Francesca Carey
Costume Designer: D&K Ricarda Bigolin and Chantal Kirby
Production and Stage Manager: Celina Mack
Produced by: Performing Lines and Vitalstatistix
Dramaturg: Nisha Madhan
Choreoturg and Body work: Sarah Aiken
Photos: Gregory Lorenzutti

This project is produced by Performing Lines and Vitalstatistix and supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts investment and advisory body; by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture Programme; APHIDS and TRANSFORM (UK), and originally developed with support from the City of Melbourne through Arts House’s CultureLAB; and Lucy Guerin Inc.

Supported by APHIDS through SUPERDRIVE