'The Gloaming' is a contemporary fairytale about a mother and son and the power of story to comfort and reassure in the times of our greatest peril.

High in a tree house, in a forest somewhere in Australia, live a mother and her son. She keeps him safe and protected by keeping him confined. Their world is a constant retelling and recreation of stories from the one book in the house: a collection of the Brothers Grimm.

Then one day the earth shakes as it’s blasted open. Trees topple and crash. The outside world comes roaring to their hideaway in the guise of a hunter with his dogs, roaming the land for mineral wealth. A battle to the death ensues.

Onstage the world is created through the interplay between the mother and son, a male narrator/hunter, a foley artist and performer (Christine Johnston), and the heightened visual aesthetics of the Dead Puppet Society.

'The Gloaming' engages with environmental themes and makes comment on the current battle for Australian wild spaces through the fairytale form. The intensity of the stories – their constant surprises and dark twists – makes for an enthralling theatrical experience.

Venue Format
Theatre, Black Box Venue
Considerations

We are seeking expressions of interest and hoping to premiere 'The Gloaming' in 2016, possibly with an immediate tour.

Ellen Belloo is Katherine Lyall-Watson, Caroline Dunphy, Kathryn Kelly and Danielle Shankey working together to create new Australian work that combines text and contemporary performance.

Caroline has worked over the past 18 years as an actor, performance maker, director and teacher. She has created a repertoire of original theatre works dedicated to developing innovative performance, whilst studying a training methodology and philosophical practice with Brisbane-based company Frank Theatre specialising in avant-garde theatre.

Katherine was shortlisted for the 2013 Patrick White Playwright's Award, for the 2008 Queensland Premier's Drama Award and has been the recipient of fellowships and residencies for her playwriting.

Company Website
ellenbelloo.com

Community Engagement

Puppetry or creating instruments from items around the home are possible workshop topics. This will be clarified after the development finishes in July this year.