Shy Magsalin

Performance Maker In Residence

Aug 17 – 28

A Murder Story, Retold

A Murder Story, Retold is the telling and retelling of a suburban murder story performed to Max Richter’s musical re-compositions of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

A cramped domestic dwelling sets the scene for a revenge killing by fatal poisoning. The story is told three times with a narrative that warps and shifts according to the music chosen for each retelling.

An experiment in form, A Murder Story, Retold investigates how repetition, physical scoring, music and sparse dialogue are interlaced to depict a non-naturalistic narrative. Framed by symphonic music, we magnify the physical nuances and details of the ordinary world and find a sense of majesty in the mundane.

Ninefold’s works are known to be unrelentingly intense, precise and imaginatively rich, illustrative of a signature style honed by a commitment to cultivating a shared language through regular physical performance training. Strong sonic and visual elements are crucial to the group’s aesthetic. These explored alongside physical devising, result in sensorially harmonic shows that envelope audiences with their operatic grandeur.

After a successful development with Brand X’s Flying Nun 2019 residency program, Ninefold is proud to present A Murder Story, Retold to interstate and international audiences for the first time.

Shy Magsalin

Shy Magsalin is a director and actor. She is head of the ensemble Ninefold in Sydney and works and trains regularly with the Suzuki Company of Toga (SCOT) in Japan. Shy graduated from UWS with a Bachelor of Performance (Theatremaking) before continuing to study the Suzuki Method of Actor Training with Zen Zen Zo (Brisbane), OzFrank Theatre (Brisbane), SITI Company in New York (2007, 2009) and SCOT in Japan (2008, 2012-current). She has directed and performed locally, interstate and internationally.

Projects include ‘The Whistling Man’ (imPACT Ensemble, 2016), ‘The Blue Book’ (International Theatre Ensemble, Sweden 2009), ‘Macbeth: 9 Scenes Rehearsed’ (Sydney, 2014), ‘Room’ (Earthcrosser Company/PACT Vacant Room, 2014), ‘The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria’ (I-SCOT, Japan 2014), ‘Kachi Kachi Yama’ (SCOT, Japan 2016), ‘The Tragedy of Antigone’ (Ninefold/PACT Axis Sydney 2016) and ‘Greetings from the Edge of the Earth’ (SCOT, Japan 2017) and ‘Wyrd: The Season of the Witch’ (Ninefold/PACT 2018), ‘A Murder Story Retold’ (Ninefold/FlyingNun 2019), ‘Sauvage (Wild)’ (BATCH Festival, Griffin Theatre), ‘The Blue Bird’ (I- SCOT, Japan 2016-19), ‘The Gaslight Project’ (Ninefold/PACT 2019).

Shy has been officially approved to teach the Suzuki Method of Actor Training and teaches across various institutions such as Actors Centre Australia, NIDA Open, The HubStudio, Riverside Theatres and Sydney Theatre School.

Artist Testimonial

Artist In Isolation has been a brilliant program to be part of. During a time when artists, companies and organisations have had to reduce or cease work altogether, I feel incredibly lucky to have the phenomenal support of the Sydney Fringe. Being housed at Fringe headquarters for a month has meant guaranteed and dedicated space to focus on my creative work, easing the logistical pressures of working during a pandemic. This paired with the stipend meant I could financially support the project as needed- a real gift during a time that has been economically challenging for artists.
– Shy Magsalin