Shapeshift is the creative home of Karen Gee, theatre-maker, movement director, writer and soundscape designer.
Karen has trained extensively in movement and corporeal mime: in Paris at L’Ecole de Mime Corporel Dramatique and in London at the International School of Corporeal Mime, both with Steven Wasson and Corinne Soum, the last assistants of Etienne Decroux; and in Sydney with Leisa Shelton, with whom she was teaching assistant and company member.
Most recently Karen directed a staged reading of 'Ghosts in the Branches' by Valeriy Puzik, for ProEnglish Theatre's 'War.Ukraine.Texts V' season in Kyiv, Ukraine. She was also movement director for 'A Flea in Her Ear', a development project directed by Kate Gaul at the University of Sydney (Rex Cramphorn Studio). She premiered 'Exploring the Depths' at La Mama’s celebrated reopening, the War-Rak/Banksia Festival in December 2021, and her piece 'Australian Gothic' will be showcased in 'Made from Scratch' for MerrigongX in June 2024.
Karen co-founded Ellipsis Movement Theatre and is performer, lead writer and movement consultant for the company. Work includes 'Falling from Grace' for Blink Dance Theatre’s Soft Landing; 'Have Yourself a Passive Aggressive Christmas' for The Earlwood Farm Christmas Climate Change Variety Hour at Verge Gallery, Sydney; 'The Possible Austens' for Thirroul Readers and Writers Festival; and 'The Apprentices of the Royal Explorers Society' for Spring Into Corrimal street festival, Viva La Gong and Geelong After Dark. Ellipsis were the recipients of a residency with Sydney’s renowned Legs on the Wall. Karen also co-founded TILT physical theatre company, who she wrote, devised and performed numerous works with. Other self-devised works include 'Reveal' and 'Come in Spinner' (Short and Sweet, Sydney), 'A Reverie for Things Lost' (Soapbox/MCA, curated by Performance Space), and her short play 'Compassion' was chosen for Menagerie’s Hotbed Festival of New Writing in Cambridge, UK. Karen is a classically trained singer and has performed in 'Sweeney Todd' (Seymour Centre, Sydney) and the Australian premiere of 'Aloft!' (Parramatta Riverside Theatres).
Karen is also a highly experienced publishing professional and content writer - see Imaginative Words for more.