Stories in the Dark – 2017

Stories in the Dark by Debra Oswald. Directed by Carole Patullo.

A terrified 12-year-old boy finds himself separated from his family in the unfamiliar streets of a war torn city. He takes refuge in a bombed-out house and in the total blackness his bravado crumbles into tears.
Into his life steps Anna – older, street smart and scornful of his crying. As a way of shutting the boy up, she starts to tell him a story that she vaguely remembers from her own childhood. And so begins a journey into the shifting, shimmering world of ogres, princes, singing bones, foolish lads and wolf-mothers.

Stories in the Dark explores the power of storytelling, mingling the magic and earthy wisdom of folk tales with the hard-edged story of violence, conflict and the struggle to survive.

With a cast of 17 ensemble members, this deeply moving and imaginative play was performed at the Southern Peninsula Arts Centre. The cast played multiple performance roles and also assisted with set construction, costume and props design, sound composition, poster and program design.