This piece is a flight of fancy, and it emerged from a series of 'what ifs'. What if the familiar gag "a horse walks into a bar" wasn't a gag at all, but the first line of a fairytale? What if the horse had a tale to tell in response to the bartender's query "why the long face"? And what if this story became a musical form? Fable is intended to be fun and fantastical, full of playfulness and whimsy.

Beyond this, it is a further exploration of two themes that are becoming hallmarks of my work. The importance of maintaining a capacity for childlike play and imagination into adulthood is one theme. The other is my beleif that the inner lives of animals are richer than we know.

Fable was commissioned by Ensemble Offspring with the generous support of Silo Collective. It premiered at Avant Gardens in Sydney homes on 31 August and 1 September 2024.