Before the curtain rises, there is another kind of performance taking place. In the foyers, dressing rooms and backstage corridors of a theatre, small rituals unfold: glances exchanged, nerves steadied, bodies readied and a world quietly assembled out of view.

It’s this liminal space that rising Australian choreographer-director Tegan Jeffrey-Rushton brings into focus with OVERTURE, her award-winning immersive contemporary dance work making its Sydney debut at Eternity Playhouse this September. Moving beyond the traditional boundaries of the stage, the work follows four characters – a performer, bartender, cleaner and stage manager – through the often unseen architecture of a theatre, gradually dissolving the distinction between spectator and performer.

Ahead of OVERTURE’s Sydney season, we spoke with Jeffrey-Rushton about the intimacy of being watched, finding choreography in everyday gestures, the cinematic language of costume and light, and what remains in a theatre when the audience has gone home.

OVERTURE focuses on the moments before a performance begins. What drew you to that liminal space rather than the performance itself?

I’m really interested in letting people intrude on a private moment and seeing something recognisable or ‘everyday’ through a new and curious lens. Creating OVERTURE, I really wanted to challenge people’s perspectives and expectations around performance itself.

I came across an art exhibition when I was 21, on a three-month dance training and soul-searching journey in LA. It was Footprints of Performance by Guillermo Kutika. He painted the energies left behind in different theatres around the world and quoted something along the lines of, ‘There’s no louder place than an empty auditorium that once had the roar of thousands.’ This really stuck with me because I’ve also felt this indescribable feeling in theatres. Seeing it visually inspired me to one day create something that allowed others to feel this too, especially people who may never otherwise be exposed to it. It also became the inspiration for the final 10 minutes of OVERTURE, where 35 dancers culminate in the audience auditorium… I won’t spoil too much more.

There’s something inherently voyeuristic about being allowed backstage. What were you interested in revealing by giving the audience access to spaces and moments they wouldn’t ordinarily see?

I’m interested in the audience seeing the parts of theatre that are usually hidden or overlooked. I wanted to reveal the small interactions, rituals and tensions that exist around a performance, rather than just the polished final product.

I like imagining the different emotions this might stir in an audience member – discomfort, empathy, curiosity, etc. Ultimately, my goal is for people to feel something and to recognise something of themselves within what they’re watching.

OVERTURE amplifies gestures and interactions that might otherwise seem mundane. What changes when you begin to treat everyday behaviour as choreography?

I like to find super-recognisable images and moments in my work, and I love to use gesture. From there, I can disrupt or distort them, but I like to build from a human place first. I think that gives the audience something to anchor to and creates a sense of relatability before we start to shift what they’re seeing.

The distinction between audience and performer becomes increasingly unstable throughout the work. What does that blurring allow you to explore about the act of watching – and being watched?

I think it makes the audience much more aware of their own role as a watcher. When you’re in such close proximity to a performer, you become aware of all the tiny details – a glance, a breath, a nervous gesture – that you might normally miss from the audience.

It also makes the relationship feel much more human. You’re not just watching a ‘performer’; you’re watching a person, and I think that can create a really different kind of connection.

There’s a cinematic quality to OVERTURE, from its costuming to the way audiences move through different spaces. How do film and visual culture influence the way you think about choreography?

‘Cinematic’ is a word that a lot of people have used after watching the show, which I was stoked about, as I do want the audience to feel as though they’ve stepped into a movie scene and are watching it all unfold.

I’m really inspired by film, particularly lighting states, set design and costume. The visual world of OVERTURE is an amalgamation of many films I’ve watched and been inspired by over the years.

Fashion and costume can completely alter the way we read a body. How did you approach costuming in OVERTURE, and what role does it play in building these characters?

I wanted the costuming to feel really human and realistic for the most part, set within a 1940s theatre in NYC. There’s a distinct difference with Ginnie, Holly Finch’s character, who plays ‘the performer’ in OVERTURE, and that juxtaposition is really important and almost unsettling.

I believe costuming and fashion play an extremely important role in storytelling and in making a character feel believable. They can completely shift the way we perceive someone before they’ve even done anything.

The work moves through foyers, dressing rooms and backstage corridors before eventually arriving on stage. How does architecture inform the choreography, and how much does the work change when it enters a new theatre?

The work is designed to be site-specific to every space we enter. The lead cast are all incredible and very adaptable to each new space. The choreography was created collaboratively with them, so a lot of moments can adapt depending on the venue.

We always want the space to feel lived-in and created for that theatre, rather than detached from it. This also comes into play with the lighting design, which aims to highlight the unique aspects of each theatre and draw the audience’s focus there. Ultimately, it’s a celebration of theatres and their unique beauty.

OVERTURE is interested in the lives, dreams and private tensions behind the creation of a show. How much of your own experience as a dancer and choreographer found its way into these characters?

I think a lot of my lived experience, and my cast’s lived experience, has shaped this show. People always say to create from what you know, and theatre and the arts have been the biggest part of my life (and obsession!) since I was very young, so naturally I’ve drawn from that.

You can particularly see this through Ginnie’s character and some of the darker and more complex sides to being a performer… The cast also really inspired and shaped the characters as the work progressed, so it became a combination of my experiences and theirs.

OVERTURE will be performaned at Eternity Playhouse from 16 – 26 September. Find your tickets.