Arts House Listening Program

Composer Kate Neal creates a compelling and intriguing multimedia exploration of signalling, communication and miscommunication in Semaphore. Using physical, visual and aural encoding systems – Semaphore, Morse code, pennants, lights and binary code – three dancers and eight musicians synchronize in a complex coordinated choreography of bodies, music and illumination, to generate an immersive display of sound and vision. Laura Sheedy’s direction, Jo Lloyd’s choreography, Sal Cooper’s animations, and archival recordings of World War II signalmen further augment Semaphore’s rich visual and aural composition. Regimented physical formations, outbreaks of cascading melody, intricate interplays of light and sound; Semaphore is an ingenious visual and sonic experience. Composer: Kate Neal Choreographer: Jo Lloyd Animation: Sal Cooper Director: Laura Sheedy Lighting: Marco Respondeck Producer: Wally Gunn Dancers: Harrison Hall, Rebecca Jensen, Shian Law With an ensemble of eight musicians