Zizanie

“A show of beauty and perfection.”
– The Advertiser

“Zizanie is a whole lot of vivid zaniness, full of good spirit, lively imagination, warm heart, and sweet hope.”
– Barefoot Review

“Zizanie is a beautiful work for adults alone as much as families. And a timely reminder of the power of opening doors rather than building walls.”
– Fest Mag

“Imaginative, exhilarating, life-affirming and a little zany.”
– InDaily

“Full and bursting with wit and whimsy.”
– Limelight

“Zizanie is delightful; a clever series of images, vignettes and scenes that are woven together to celebrate difference, to ask the audience to embrace others… This is a moving piece of theatre which is very worth sharing with our younger humans.”
– Stage Whispers

“An emotionally moving presentation that brings tears to the eyes.”
– Sydney Morning Herald

Zizanie is a great French word that can mean anything from “shambles” or “discord” to wilfully “stirring the pot”. It can also mean “weeds”. This exciting new work for all ages created by Australian dance icon, Meryl Tankard for Adelaide’s own Restless Dance Theatre, celebrates the beauty in difference and reminds us of Grayson Perry’s inimitable words that “weeds are just flowers in the wrong garden.”

The grump next door wants everything to be as neat as a pin; for him, there’s no wall high enough to keep out life in all its wild, unruly splendour. Can he learn to embrace the zizanie and discover fun?

Designed by Girl Asleep’s brilliant Jonathon Oxlade, and featuring exquisite video projections by Regis Lansac and Chris Petridis, this joyful, whimsical piece is a worthy successor to 2017’s wonderful Intimate Space and it’s an added joy to see this unique company responding to the magic of one of Australia’s most influential choreographers.