Handspan Theatre was founded as a cooperative by Ken Evans, Andrew Hansen, Helen Rickards, Maeve Vella, Peter J. Wilson and Christine Woodcock in 1977. Drawing upon influences in visual arts, choreography, ensemble theatre, film-making, academic and education research Handspan was created to explore alternative forms of puppetry to add to the booth, shadow puppet or marionette shows that were prevalent in Australia at the time. Major Handspan works would often utilise multimedia and readily filled conventional stages or more unusual site-specific spaces in their presentation. Other works offered a more intimate audience experience and were scaled to suit venues as diverse as shop front windows or a local swimming pool. Handspan shows and those of many of their 1980s contemporaries led to the creation of 'visual theatre' label - i.e. performance where visual spectacle shared eminence with - and sometimes replaced - voiced text. The collective format was perhaps a strong element of the company's success as artistic and business roles were often rotated amongst the membership allowing for diverse professional development and load-sharing as part of the company's day-to-day business from the outset. The company went on to incorporate around its collective model gathering a board of directors, festival and corporate sponsorship, substantial government funding and many more members over the next 25 years - either as ongoing core members or as contributing participants to the production process at any given time. An annual 'dreaming meeting' would serve as both a group-devised business plan and creative agenda for the next year. A multi-level office studio space was found and developed and in Charleton USA, where its success helped establish 3rdSpoleto Festival in Melbourne, . Notable Handspan Theatre productions included:
Nigel Triffitt's Secrets
Cho Cho San: Original production written by Daniel Keene, directed by Geoff Hooke, designed by Ken Evans
4 Little Girls adapted, devised and directed by Ariette Taylor, designed by Ken Evans, composer: Peter Crosbie
Viva La Vida - Frida Kahlo written by Karen Corbett, directed by Angela Chaplin, designed by Ken Evans.
In June 2016, a comprehensive archive of the company - its history, its people and its productions and its pictures, was launched, created by Helen Rickards and Maeve Vella:
