Artisitic Policy
Michelle makes theatre. She is passionate about devising visually exciting, cutting-edge pieces of theatre through collaboration. Her practice embraces puppetry, movement, dance and site-specific spaces. This includes solos, duos, work with companies and independent productions.  Michelle has recently been honing her puppetry skills by creating fractured fairytales with a variety of disparate objects (including fruit, vegetables, roadside junk and kitchen implements). She enjoys building imaginary worlds and sharing their inherent illusions. She revels in small intimate performances where she can develop a relationship with the audience.  Much of her work originates out of improvisation and non-text based explorations to create a unique and adventurous performance. Current fascinations include the art of foley, animating everyday objects, what happens when we sleep, bicycles and short stories. She enjoys telling funny stories that make you sad.

Reviews
“Michelle Robin Anderson brings both humour and powerful emotion to her various roles”
The West Australian, March 2007, The Laramie Project

“an exciting blend of stylised performance set in a universe of magical eccentricity with a Dolly Parton soundtrack. It entertains, moves and delights”
The West Australian, June 2007, Hope is the Saddest

“Michelle Anderson creates an appealing character, gauche and goofy with her large heavy-rimmed glasses, whose quirky passion ranges from the silly to the very funny to the quite touching”
Karen Smith (USA), UNIMA, April 2008, The Mary Surefoot Shoe Collection

“A unique experience, good fun and very cleverly put together”
theatre.asn, April 2008, Red Lashes

Current Work
Soundbite
A 12-minute solo adaptation of the tale of Blue Beard using a cast of fruit and vegetables. Inspired by the art of foley, spooky radio tales from the 30s and the aural possibilities of fruits and vegetables.
12 minutes, 1 on stage, 1 on the road.

Red Lashes
An evocative site-specific performance that weaves together puppetry, shadows, song, double-bass and the cavernous space of an old engineering shed (can be adapted for large spaces). Red Lashes emerged from an improvisational process that responded to the history of the site. Selected as part of the program for the 2008 UNIMA World Puppetry Festival.
1 hour, 4 on stage, 6 on the road.

Hope is the Saddest
Collaboratively devised with Jeffrey Jay Fowler and Natalie Holmwood, Hope is the Saddest combined performance, machinery, subversion and song in a heartbreaking comedy. It tells the story of a young woman called Hope, who has set out on a mission to bring happiness to the world by sharing her love for Dolly Parton. This eclectic piece of hybrid theatre received rave reviews, sell-out audiences, a Blue Room best production Award, Equity Guild Award and toured to the Brisbane festival in 2008 as part of their Under the Radar program.
50 minutes, 3 on stage, 5 on the road.  

The Mary Surefoot Shoe Collection
Performer/Puppeteer in this intimate solo performance created in collaboration with Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. Ten people sit inside a giant shoebox with one very enthusiastic and obsessive collector. This unique piece of object theatre transforms stilettos morph into opera singers, boots into boats and runners are revealed as space ships. Included in the 2008 UNIMA International Puppetry Festival.
25 minutes for an audience of 10, 1 performer, 2 on the road

Wraparound
Post-performance discussions, workshops on puppetry and performance.

Recent Tours
2008 Brisbane Festival ‘Under the Radar’ Hope is the Saddest
2008 UNIMA International Puppetry Festival Red Lashes
2008 UNIMA International Puppetry Festival The Mary Surefoot Shoe Collection

Work available for performance, presentation, exhibition or touring
Soundbite – from July 2009 onwards
Red Lashes – from Spring 2009
Hope is the Saddest – from Spring 2009