A Belloo Production

or fish
あるいは...魚

Image of an oarfish.

An Australia-Japan bilingual absurdist theatre work featuring a talking fish, a drunken philosopher, and a warning for humanity.

or fish is a dynamic, bilingual, absurdist theatre work created between Australia and Japan.

Set on the rooftop of a buried home in a deserted fishing village, or fish follows a man trying to keep the past alive and the sudden arrival of an oarfish — a mythical deep-sea creature carrying a warning for the future.

As rising waters swallow the village below, the pair are forced to confront what must be remembered, what must be let go, and whether humanity is capable of change.

or fish is a hybrid comedy that follows on from more than a decade of Belloo’s transcultural practice and brings together an extraordinary creative team from Australia and Japan.

Integrated projection brings the design world to life and provides bilingual translation.

  • Artform/genre: Contemporary performance / interdisciplinary

    Intended audience: Adult / general audiences

    Language: Bilingual with surtitles – Japanese and English

    Estimated duration: 60–70 minutes (TBC)

    Development status: In development (2026) with confirmed creative developments at Redland Performing Arts Centre and international collaboration with Japanese artists.

  • CREATIVES

    Writer / Co-Creator Katherine Lyall-Watson
    Director / Performer / Co-Creator Caroline Dunphy
    Writer / Performer / Co-Creator Noriaki Okubo
    Dramaturg Kathryn Kelly
    Lead Composer / Sound Designer Guy Webster
    Song Writer / Musician Isabel Yamazaki
    Producer Kristen Maloney
    Production Manager Haruka Tanji
    Videographer Vanessa van Dalsen, VIVID Visual Co
    Video Designer Nevin Howell
    Set & Costume Designer Josh McIntosh
    Translator Kay Watanabe

  • This project is supported by Redland Performing Arts Centre and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

    Photos by Barbara Lowing, RPAC & members of the creative team.

GALLERY

  • Throughout the week of 20–24 April 2026, we’ve been discovering the world of or fish — playing with a bilingual script and an original score, alongside early design discussions.

    or fish brings together an extraordinary creative team, blending original composition (Guy Webster & Isabel Yamazaki), poetic text (Noriaki Okubo & Katherine Lyall-Watson), dynamic performance (Caroline Dunphy), and immersive design (Josh McIntosh).

    We’re excited by what’s emerging from the deep!