‘Rramp’ tells the story of The Collector, her archives and the memories they stir.

Described as a mix of “electronica metal, black comedy and love stories”, Christine (The Collector) explains that, “the show incorporates various media, dance, animation, live music and song.”

However the focus of the piece is not to display myriad media but rather to tell a unique story. “Central to the work are the stories and memories retold by The Collector and her accompanying Archivist and Electrocrat. This is where the heart, tragedy, humour and strangeness of the experience lies.” The stories and memories are “encased within a very dramatic performance delivery, with a huge guitar-driven, pounding, electronic score.”

Asked about the use of multimedia and its place within the performance, Christine elaborates on the staging. “The premise of ‘Rramp’ is that The Collector, The Archivist and The Electrocrat appear together on stage as a band. We began the process of making the show by sitting down and writing songs as a band would. The songs were very detailed in their storytelling, so we felt it important to give the audience a visual storyboard. We had all been very keen admirers of Ahmarnya Price’s work so we approached her to create the animations for ‘Rramp’.” She likens the experience to that of a band set for a different kind of stage. “The process was very much like creating film clips for the songs.”

The cast had some in-jokes regarding the idea that Christine was a collector herself having “collected” Lisa and Peter, her counterparts on stage. This idea gave rise to The Collector. “We constructed the ‘Rramp’ house, where The Collector lives with her memories and procured companions, The Archivist and The Electrocrat. We also wanted to create a platform with which we could share particular stories, true stories that we felt would resonate with the audience.”

The cast is extremely excited about the upcoming tour, moving on from Brisbane to Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Campbelltown. “It’s really important as performance-makers to test and travel your work, to present to audiences in- and outside of your local community. The venues and audiences in each place have quite different personalities or social nuances, which means there can be different responses to different things. It makes it interesting and keeps you on your toes.”

Christine's past is one of performances for young and old, taking in cabaret, comedy and the arts. “Sometimes a history of performance making can feel like an ongoing conversation with the audience, especially with those who always return. I have felt that from early days.” Evidently she feels that this has made for a rich carrier to date. “I’m all for bridging gaps between young and old. Having said that, ‘Rramp’ is an adult show where perhaps it will appeal to the child within.” Lisa (the Archivist) spoke of her happiness to be performing in Queensland again, having worked all over the world. “I love presenting my work here.”

She justifies this love explaining that “those people who have followed one’s performance trajectory and body of work for so many years perhaps have a closer connection, relationship and more critical eye.” Peter (The Electrocrat) looks back on the process to date and the bonus of performing works for an adult audience. “With adult works, the atmosphere has an extra dynamic, as we can allow ourselves to further explore the music, character development and movement. Nuances and subtleties can linger and we're able to open ourselves up to extremes from the introspective to dark guitar-driven numbers. From a creative development point this has been a great challenge and incredibly rewarding.”

‘Rramp’ is at Brisbane Powerhouse July 25-28.