I don’t read the program before a show. Or after.
So I sat down in the theatre knowing nothing about It’s Dark Outside. What I experienced was bewildering, beautiful and sad.
Afterwards I broke my rule and had a peek. According to the program, dementia was the starting idea of the artists’ process – in particular, a phenomena called Sundowning Syndrome, which is a “confusion and restlessness” experienced by some patients.
Photo by Richard Jefferson
So that’s what I saw. I could blame my lack of awareness on my own parochial nature, but I prefer to blame society. This disease affects so many, but we often ignore it.
Creators Arielle Gray, Chris Isaacs and Tim Watts have produced some magical melancholy. Built fundamentally from puppetry and projection, it’s visually stunning. Wordless, its power comes from the brilliant performances of the creators and the evocative musical composition of Rachael Dease.
An old man is being chased. Or is he doing the chasing?
Pursuing or being pursued; these are fundamental aspects of the human experience. They’re a direct function of the dimension of space. Unfortunately, they’re not a function of that other dimension we live in – time. It allows movement in only one direction. And that’s the sorrow.
Veronica Kaye
It’s Dark Outside by Arielle Gray, Chris Isaacs and Tim Watts
Riverside Theatre til 29 May
http://riversideparramatta.com.au/show/its-dark-outside/
It’s Dark Outside is currently on a national tour.
http://www.perththeatre.com.au/show/its-dark-outside/
Theatre Red 
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