Responses to Previous Work
'Conservatory' - Melbourne Fringe Festival 2020
"This highly imaginative whimsical performance also creates as Jen Parker-Starbuck puts it "Imaginative worlds [that] carry a great potential to influence actual worlds." Here the aesthetics of the exotic plants in the greenhouse and the reflection of the trees outside on the interior glass walls renders the objects of modernity time-based, pending obsolescence, and indifferent to the Anthropocenean. The non-dominating Anthropos becomes then a species in a multi-species world."
Prof. Denise Varney, "Caught in the Anthropocene: Theatres of Trees, Place and Politics” (Theatre Research International · Vol. 47 | no. 1 | pp7–27)
'Madame Tulalah's Magnifcent Box' - Melbourne Fringe Club, 2016
Hailed as: "one of the 20 must-sees of Melbourne Fringe 2016 (theurbanlist.com) and 5 Acts Not To Missed at Adelaide Fringe Festival 2017 (australia.com)."
‘Fly By Night’ Arts Centre Melbourne - Hamer Hall, 2015
"I can honestly say this was one of the best art interactions I have ever experienced..."
(Katelyn Rew, Arts on the AU)
‘A bird, a tree, the moon’ Melbourne City Square, 2012
“A Bird, A Tree, The Moon did feel like a reclaiming of the commons… a reminder of a possible generosity. […] What’s striking is the imaginative ingenuity of the puppetry, which is the simplest kind of transformative animation, the closest thing you get to magic in the theatre, and the physical precision of the performances. It’s comic, moving and utterly joyous.”
(Alison Croggon, Theatrenotes)
‘The Lost Story of the Magdalen Asylum’ Melbourne Fringe Festival, Abbotsford Convent, 2010
“Inventive and spooky, humorous and poetic… The show unites disciplines, from puppetry and acrobatics to narrative theatre and lighting installation. That director Melinda Hetzel can merge such disparate talents speaks volumes for her creative intelligence. The final scene is utterly miraculous… See it while you can.”
(The Age, Sept 2010)
“Peepshow Inc are well known for evocative productions that engage the senses and The Lost Story of the Magdalen Asylum is undoubtedly a feast for them. The use of the spaces is brilliant… The design and effects are breathtaking…”
(Simonne Michelle-Wells, Australian Stage Online)
‘The Mysteries of the Convent ‘08’ Melbourne Fringe Festival, Abbotsford Convent, 2008
“Mysteries of the Convent is one of those rare shows that will stay with you for days afterwards.” (Zoe Marron, BEAT magazine)
“Peepshow Inc takes us out of the theatre into a world made theatrical. Mysteries of the Convent ’08 is gorgeous, delicate and inspiring.”
(Anne-Marie Peard, Aussie Theatre online)
“…a fine out-of-theatre experience” (Tim Richards, The Age)
“Peepshow Inc are known for works that challenge and provoke whilst also entertaining and enchanting audiences with both the beautiful and the grotesque.”
(Jan Chandler, Australian Stage Online)
“There were moments of sweeping beauty, one sequence with a revealed overhead projection that used water to effect it was transformative.” (Martyn Coutts)
“This is simply one of the most exhilarating, magical and haunting theatre experiences I’ve had in a long time.” (Lisa Clark, thegroggysquirrel.com)
“…masterfully subtle control of attention...” (John Bailey, RealTime issue #89 Feb-March 2009 pg. 12)
‘Slanting into the Void – a puppet opera’ Arts House, 2006
“Slanting Into The Void is a visually stunning excursion into a surreal world of myth and transformation… It's impossible to overstate how visually assured the production is… [The facets of theatre-making at work here] fuse under the direction of Melinda Hetzel to create an experience as magical as opening a music box, or watching a master illusionist in action.” (Cameron Woodhead, The Age, 2006)
