A second development period for WOMB took place at the Adelaide Festival Centre between 17-28 January 2022 as part of their InSpace residency program (more information here). Having the opportunity to revisit the piece allowed for a period of refinement I’ve not often experienced, with development periods often contingent on funding. Sam captures these thoughts well in his interview with InDaily:

“Both of [the previous development] experiences were really fruitful,… Now, we’re letting it settle… but also ruminating over it in the back of the mind and figuring out what we can extend, and what were the really beautiful treasures that we found that we can explore more of.”

After two weeks of revising and reworking the piece’s sound, in spite of challenges posed by Omicron, an audience of 30 descended into the Drama Rehearsal room for the showing, fully immersed in the amniotic world conjured by Sam and Lily.

Seeing out the end of a frenetic latter half of 2022 were the final performances of Sam Hall’s WOMB. As Sam describes, ‘WOMB is an immersive contemporary dance performance that invites you to dive between dimensions and shed your old skin. Drawing from our hopes, fears, and vulnerabilities, it evokes in us a deep sense of connection and an ineffable understanding’.

Presented in The Lab on Adelaide’s Light Square between 23-24 November, it was a delight to see and hear the work presented amidst the immersive screen and surround setup, some of which you can catch in the adjacent video.