Phantasmagoria

Phantasmagoria is a new show written and created by Bernadette Trench-Thiedeman, a multi-disciplinary artist who works in performance, animation and puppetry. Presented by Carapace, it is currently on at Theatre Works.

There are a broad range of definitions when searching for a meaning of phantasmagoria - it can be a sequence of real and imaginary images and / or a shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined. Thiedeman has been working with indigenous communities across country far and wide making a series of short animation pieces that reflect on Dreamtime mythology. Her new work Phantasmagoria, which endured postponements during the pandemic, captures her colourful and versatile creative palette.

Thiedeman performs as Briony - she is perhaps in her thirties, a time in her life when she is looking to settle down. Her boyfriend Pat (performed by Yuchen Wang, who also doubles up as her father), is a doting and loving partner. Briony’s past has come back to haunt her - an artist, she embraces the drug induced vivid memories of her early childhood, when she was a young girl (Meg Dunn and Elnaz Sheshgelani) living in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) with her parents.

Thiedman offers a powerful dramatic performance; the unravelling of her traumatic family life is an engaging true story. Her father, a senior army man, leads his troops through World War Two - his war scars are cross generational, belonging to an army lineage that goes back over a hundred years.

Her father, also brutal alcoholic, died at seventy-five when Briony was only twelve years old. She recalls being called upon to read a eulogy at his funeral; her bad memories of him plague her. She recoils into her dreamlike nightmarish world where the imaginary beasts come to taunt her. Puppets, shadow play and slide show drawings are intrinsically part of the performance. There is a childlike innocence in Thiedeman’s show - the many stories told are simple, some are shockingly brutal, and some are enchanting and magical.

Phantasmagoria is a fascinating exploration and a hauntingly elegant true story that explores family trauma. A must-see show!

Flora Georgiou

Photographer: Rick Evertsz.