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 and academic 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.
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 (refer: Twyla Tharp & David Byrne Songs from the Catherine-wheel; Robert Wilson - Einstein on the Beach & La Claca - Miro) led to the creation of 'visual theatre' label - i.e. performance where visual spectacle (accompanied by silence or soundscapes) shared eminence with - and sometimes replaced - voiced text.
Handspan earned several awards from touring the world stage, including at the 1983 Spoleto Festival, Italy for the astonishing multimedia work Secrets conceived by and devised with Nigel Triffitt.