we are not afraid of the dark
So far Tine Van Aerschot has staged two intimate but intense performances: I have no thoughts and this is one of them (2006) and Triple Trooper Trevor Trumpet Girl (2009).
For TTTTg she worked together with the Canadian actress Tracy Wright. Several weeks after the opening performance Tracy was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Tine and Tracy decided to talk about fear and what it does to you for as long as circumstances permitted. These discussions formed the basis of We are not afraid of the dark. Tine combined them with writings about surviving in the harshest conditions, including the tales of polar explorers and isolated communities.
We are not afraid of the dark is not about Tracy or being sick or dying. It is an exercise in survival, sometimes joyful, sometimes dark, a somewhat unusual guide to dealing with fear and an attempt to understand our transient lives.
Tine Van Aerschot: ‘I have mixed together various life expectations and the different meanings of life and death. Here and there, every now and then, you find those little moments of near-understanding. That kind of sublime moment when, just for a fleeting moment, you think you come close to understanding how the greater good works. And then, just as quickly as it comes, it disappears again, quickly, quietly, almost shyly. It is at the crossroads of all these stories that the magic is created.’
We are not afraid of the dark is a monologue for one actress, the American Diane Gaidry (who appeared in the film Loving Annabelle), and two spirits, narrated by Claire Marshall (Forced Entertainment) and Don McKellar (director, actor and Tracy Wright’s husband).
Available in our webshop:
- text I have no thoughts and this is one of them (2006)
- text Triple Trooper Trevor Trumpet Girl (2009)
concept, text, direction Tine Van Aerschot | inspiration & co-thinker Tracy Wright (1959-2010) | performer Diane Gaidry | voice ghost #1 Claire Marshall | voice ghost #2 Don McKellar | lighting design, technique Luc Schaltin (Kaaitheater), Herman Venderickx (Kaaitheater) | production Palindroom vzw | co-production Kaaitheater (Brussels), Vooruit (Ghent), Mousonturm (Frankfurt), PACT Zollverein (Essen) | support Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie
