Harley Stumm has been producing performance for over 20 years, and established the independent producing company Intimate Spectacle in 2012, based in Sydney. We work across genres, from dance and dance theatre, to physical performance, contemporary performance and live art, to rocknroll and popular culture events. We’re interested in new work that speaks to our times, work that’s engaging, surprising, perhaps playful, but with substance, and full of heart, inviting audiences to work with us on animating the spaces, physical or virtual, in which we live, work or play. Some of our work is experimental, some is more accessible, reaching bigger audiences in major festivals & venues, or regional communities. Current collaborators include hiphop choreographer Nick Power, and physical performance company Branch Nebula.

Nick’s DM17 hit Between Tiny Cities is still touring, following 2018 (Hong Kong Festival, George Town Festival, ImPulsTanz Vienna, Tanz im August Berlin, Tanzmesse & Sziget Festival Budapest) with Sydney Opera House, Arts Centre Melbourne, NT remote communities this year, and international touring in train.

Nick is also developing a new international collaboration between breakdance crews in Sydney & Paris, to premiere 2020.
Branch Nebula is working to tour its Liveworks hit High Performance Packing Tape. It’s also developing a new large scale work of street-style choreography (skateboard, BMX, parkour & dance) for public plazas, to premiere late 2019.

Previously we produced work with indigenous choreographer Vicki Van Hout, rocknroll band Cambodian Space Project, and visual theatre makers Sam Routledge & Erth.

Prior to that, Harley was Producer at Performing Lines 2005-11, managing the Mobile States contemporary touring program, and Executive Producer at Urban Theatre Projects 1995-2003. He undertook the National Touring Framework consultancy with Rick Heath for the Australia Council in 2011-12, and produced the IETM Caravan to Sydney 2014.

Curatorial Statement:

Intimate Spectacle is an independent performing arts producing company based in Sydney, founded by Harley Stumm in 2012. We work across genres, from dance and dance theatre, to physical performance, contemporary performance and live art, to rocknroll and popular culture events. We’re interested in new work that speaks to our times, work that’s engaging, surprising, perhaps playful, but with substance, and full of heart. For us this often involves inviting the audience into some kind of relationship beyond passive spectatorship – perhaps animating the spaces, physical or virtual, in which we live, work or play.

Some of it is experimental, sitting in a context like Liveworks, some is more accessible, reaching bigger audiences in major festivals & venues, or regional communities.

We have worked with a number of dance and choreographic artists inin this time, including indigenous choreographer Vicki Van Hout (Briwyant tour, Long Grass at Dance Massive 2015); and are currently collaborating with hip hop choreographer Nick Power (Between Tiny Cities, DM 2017) and contemporary physical performance company Branch Nebula (Whelping Box, Snake Sessions, High Performance Packing Tape, Stop-Go KCA finalist 2017).

Nick’s DM17 hit Between Tiny Cities is still touring, following up last year’s gigs (Hong Kong Festival, George Town Festival Penang, ImPulsTanz Vienna, Tanz im August Berlin, Tanzmesse & Sziget Festival Budapest) with Sydney Opera House, Arts Centre Melbourne, NT remote communities mid-year, and international touring in devt.

Nick is also developing a new international collaboration between breakdance crews in Sydney & Paris, to premiere 2020.

Branch Nebula is currently working to tour its Liveworks 2018 hit High Performance Packing Tape, and its Helpmann Award-winning skatepark spectacle Snake Sessions. It’s also developing a new large scale work of street-style choreography (skateboard, BMX, parkour & dance) for public plazas, to premiere late 2019.