Under Fluoros: Kolyang pilot project is a success!

On Saturday 22 June, an audience of industry professionals, performance makers and theatre enthusiasts assembled in the State Theatre Centre of WA’s Studio Underground for a matinee showcase of Under Fluoros.

The brainchild of creative producer Libby Klysz, Under Fluoros was the first initiative of its kind, offering audiences a unique insight into the first week of a rehearsal and pre-production process.

The showing featured a table-read of The Mares by Kate Mulvany and responses from the creative team into design and staging aspects that had been created and tested during the week.

Simplicity was key – no set, no lights, no costumes – just a great script and rare opportunity to witness artists at work, dreaming large and flexing their creative muscles.

Creative producer Libby Klysz said the concept was born as a response to increasing funding restrictions in the performing arts industry.

“Under Fluoros started as a furious defiance during the beginning of Covid, with the idea being that we would present the wildest, biggest, version of a show we could think of and then just mic drop with a ‘anyway, imagine if we had funding,’” Libby said.

She added: “As time passed, I realised that the funding was really just representing freedom, and so the concept morphed into a process in which limitations were lifted.”

“It always aimed to be a fun thing to do. All dreams, no delivery.”

Libby expressed how much the team enjoyed having the freedom to explore new ideas with “complete and gleeful disregard for logistics and budgets.”