'Lucie in the Sky' Is the World-Premiere Stage Show That's Combining Dancers and Drones at QPAC

When a trend spreads its wings everywhere from Coles to KFC — and above Australian beaches, too — you mightn't expect it to zip into theatres as well. But humanity's love of drones just can't be stopped, whether they're helping shoot sky-high aerial footage for cinema and television, taking to the heavens to put on a dazzling light show or, at Australasian Dance Collective's new world-premiering production Lucie in the Sky, providing almost half the cast for a new choreographed stage show.

Performing at Brisbane's Queensland Performing Arts Centre, in the South Bank venue's Playhouse, this production pairs six dancers with five drones, with the latter mimicking the former's movements. The robotic part of the piece definitely isn't just about hovering around. The drones are named, given personalities and — in a big change to the usual drone shows — treated like individual players rather than a swarm.

From Friday, May 5–Saturday, May 13, audiences will meet the friendly Lucie, the show's namesake with the Beatles-inspired moniker; M, the leader of the group; jester Skip; Rue, the wise drone; and the rebellious Red. As well as their own vibe, which could be anything from joyful to melancholic, each has their own light colour to match.

The flesh-and-blood component of the show sees the five drones create relationships with ADC's dancers, all in a performance that's about exactly what you think it is: how people interact with technology, what that says about both us and the gadgets that we use in our lives, and also what it means to be human.

"Contemporary dance and technology push boundaries and connect people. I wanted to explore this through not only melding drones and dancers but, ultimately, humanising the drones," explains ADC Artistic Director Amy Hollingsworth, who conjured up Lucie in the Sky.

"I am deeply interested in how the relationship between humans and autonomous machines can transform when the drones are imbued with human-like behaviours."

The production's drone work capitalises upon technical advice from World of Drones and Robotics Congress founder Dr Catherine Ball, and the overall project also includes am education and research program with World of Drones Education and The Australian National University's School of Cybernetics.

"Creative experiments intertwining arts and technology enhance our ability to imagine our place in our future. AI already permeates our lives but how humans and AI agents interact in the arts can be inspired and guided by projects like this," says Hollingsworth.

You probably won't see a ChatGPT dance piece hitting QPAC next — but never say never.

Check out the trailer for Lucie in the Sky below:

Lucie in the Sky plays QPAC's Playhouse from Friday, May 5–Saturday, May 13. Head to the venue's website for tickets and further details.

Images: David Kelly.