THE WITCH AND THE GOAT – ART IN PROCESS

a postmodern fairytale about destiny – written, directed, video and sound by bello benischauer

ABOUT THE PIECE
Harness your imagination! Fear meets truth, and social isolation confronts you with the darker side of mythical creatures. Don’t be fooled by what you see, as something else lurks behind you already. And what you hear is not necessarily what has been told.

The Witch and the Goat is an allegorical tale of generational change, telling about human destiny and the complexity of escaping the recreation of inherited patterns. But while breaking one cycle we are prone to create another. In reviving metaphorical creatures, the performers engage with the deeper meaning of myths and their morals and bring classical archetypes to life in a present context. Based on their newest written piece, EXISTENCE THEATRE creates a narrative and movement guided performance, personated by five performers.

Performance – Old Customs House

As usual, EXISTENCE THEATRE will take the audience on an emotional journey that won’t be easily forgotten.

performers: Emma Benischauer, Elisabeth Eitelberger, Sarah Healy, Helah Milroy, Gala Shevtsov, Joey Valency

ART IN PROCESS | EXISTENCE THEATRE PRODUCTION 2021

Venues: Old Customs House, 8 Phillimore St, Fremantle, WA, 6160

AUDIENCE REVIEWS

G.O.A.T for the Goat! Such an intense, primal, contemporary take on allegorical storytelling. I’ve never felt so uncomfortable, intrigued and captivated all at the same time! Brilliantly put together, definitely worth seeing. – Audience Member

Love every show that Existence Theatre do! I always love the experience of being in their audience. – Audience Member

This is how fairytales were before Disney came along giving them a happy ending. Emotionally provoking and thick with intrigue. I felt I was in a dream state at times. Great work Existence Theatre! – Audience Member

ARTICLES: Herald | Seesaw | SceneStr | Stage Whispers

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Existence Theatre, the duo of Elisabeth M Eitelberger and Bello Benischauer, have been challenging audiences for twenty years with their peculiar brand of confrontational and thought-provoking theatre (X-PRESS Mag, 2020). They work with changing ensembles and create poignant, powerful, engaging, critical, non-conventional, poetic and surreal performances. Their performers approach the audience in a unique way by breaking down the fourth wall.

RETELLING:
Only some time ago there was a witch with her goat. They lived in the woods quite peacefully. But one day a woman came running by and saw them. The witch granted the woman one wish so that she would not tell anyone of their existence. Not long after, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a little goat. She remembered the free wish and asked for the goat to change into a girl. Much later when this girl had grown into a woman herself and started to run through the woods, the mother told her of the witch and the goat, breaking her promise not to expose them. But the daughter did not listen and went anew into the woods and surely enough met them. She again gave birth to a little goat but decided not to use her wish, as she wanted to avoid things to repeat themselves. She tried to find the witch and her goat but they had disappeared. As it happened, she moved with her daughter goat into the woods to escape people’s curious looks. Very well, afer some time a woman came running by and discovered her. And because that woman seemed scared of her, she realised that she had become the witch and the goat. Out of shear horror she decided to strangle and eat the woman so that all this madness would find an end. But many women came after that and she turned from a life granting into a life taking witch, cursed by her own attempt to change fate.

PHOTOS by Keef Hickey

PHOTOS by ART IN PROCESS