Shaun Parker & Company presents
IN THE ZONE
The Twyford – Theatre venue
2.00pm Thursday 9 October 2025
Hold new worlds in the palm of your hand … Hip-hop dance meets gaming technology in this ground-breaking performance by Shaun Parker & Company.
Length: 1 hour show including Post-Show Q&A
Recommended for: Ages 8+ | Primary School Years 2-6, Secondary School Years 7-10 | Families
TICKETS
- Show at 2.00pm (1 hour): Adult $30 | Concessions $25 | Kids under 12 $20 | Family 4 People $80
- Hip Hop workshop at 11.30am (30 minutes) prior to the show: $10 per person or free if you have already booked for the IN THE ZONE show (limited places – you must book in separately for this workshop).
- Discount for Twyford Subscribers – check your e-news email for promo code
- Twyford Gift Certificates NOT valid for this performance
- Please note that there is tiered seating in the Theatre. Contact the box office to book a seat in Row J if you have a wheelchair or mobility disability – all other rows in the Theatre are accessible by steps only. Best alternative to Row J: Row H (2 steps only).
- The Twyford Foyer Box Office and Cafe open 1 hour before the show for coffees, ice creams, soft drinks and snacks.
- Warnings: Show contains theatrical smoke and haze effects. Audio effects including gunshots, explosions, air raid sirens. Some enacted violence
ABOUT THE SHOW
Conceived by award-winning choreographer Shaun Parker and digital sound designer Alon Ilsar, IN THE ZONE is not only fun and exciting dance theatre, but it also empowers young audiences to consider themes such as technology, man-made global warming, personal choice and resilience.
IN THE ZONE features captivating new technology called AirSticks, developed by Alon Ilsar, which create live sound through movement and features Western Sydney hip-hop artist Libby Montilla and choreography by award-winning director Shaun Parker.
Hip-hop dance meets gaming technology in this ground-breaking work by Shaun Parker & Company. Conceived to engender emotional resilience in young people, IN THE ZONE features captivating new technology called AirSticks, which create live sound through movement. Developed with AirSticks co-creator, Alon Ilsar PhD, IN THE ZONE features Western Sydney hip-hop artist Libby Montilla and moves by award-winning choreographer Shaun Parker.
With AirSticks technology in the hands of Libby Montilla, the audience enters the world of a video game through the dance forms of locking, popping, waving and body-ticking, inspired by the stunning soundscape which includes crunchy electronica, atmospheric strings, funky drum loops and the sounds of birds, ocean waves and nature – all intrinsically linked to Libby’s outstanding body animation and storytelling in a bravura solo performance.
IN THE ZONE takes gaming and escapism as a point of inspiration and celebrates the spectacular worlds that we can explore with technology today. It also examines the potential for loss of control through gaming, encouraging a renewed appreciation for nature. IN THE ZONE provides young audiences (and the young at heart) with the insight that they are much more in control of their own emotional responses than they think they are.
A perfect show for the entire family, with adults enjoying the show just as much as their children!
“Solo performer, Libby Montilla, impressed his audience with the highly detailed precision of his hip-hop and street dance skills. Make no mistake, this dancer’s virtuosity within his own style of dance is as impressive, as graceful and fluid as any of this country’s top ballet or contemporary dancers. Over almost an hour (without intermission), Montilla used his movement and mimetic skills, musicality, dynamic range, comedic timing and the Airsticks themselves to carry the audience into the depths of a shared immersive and imaginative experience… Highly recommended. And likely of particular interest to the young and anyone with an interest in gaming and/or new technologies.” – Dance Australia
“It was exceptional, innovative, creative. It involved the whole audience. The use of technology is just incredible.”
– Jenny, 69 years Audience member“Energetic exploration…It was about video games, and discovery/ exploration, and about climate change. The guitar at war was GOLD! I was amused, and enjoyed exploring with him (discovering each world)”
– Finn, 15 years Audience member“It felt like I was actually in the places being acted in by the dancer.”
– Zach, 9 years Audience member
DANCER / WORKSHOP TUTOR
Libby Zyrel Montilla is a graduate of CAPTIVATE. Libby migrated to Australia with his family as a young boy from the Philippines and joined Shaun Parker & Company’s youth program The Yard in 2011. From 2012-2019, Libby has toured regionally and internationally Parker’s works The Yard touring schools from 2015 onwards whilst also teaching workshops to young adolescents from different age groups through primary and high school. In 2016 Libby led Parker’s TUT for Art and About City of Sydney and performed in Parramatta Lanes late 2017, teaching workshops and co-leading preparations for the performances. In 2016 Libby had the opportunity to teach a TUT workshop for students in Kaohsiung, Taipei alongside Shaun Parker. Libby recently toured the Middle East and Western Europe with the company’s new work KING.
CREATIVE TEAM
- Director/Choreographer: Shaun Parker
- Sound and Instrument Designer: Alon Ilsar
- Lighting Designer: Ben Brockman
- Associate Dramaturg: Felicity Nicol
- Education Resource Writer: Olivia Karaolis
CURRICULUM LINKS
Creative Arts (Dance and Music), Design and Technology, PDHPE, STEM
‘Proudly funded by the NSW Government, with thanks to our Major Donors Penny & (the late) Richard Hunstead, the Wales Family Foundation, and our Global Partners the Denise & Michael Kellen Foundation.’
