The Dreamer (written and directed by Emma Robinson) is a highly creative, semi-surrealist work which shifts back and forth through space and time, following its title character and her journey with mental illness. 

The Dreamer focuses mostly on three stages of the protagonist’s life. As a teenager with her mother, recovering in a hospital, and as a young adult living with her partner. 

The Dreamer’s sole confidant is her teddy bear, Samson (playfully puppeteered by Hugo Randall), who is constant through shifts in time. Samson helps The Dreamer with her curiosities, including her sexuality, illness and goals for the future. Samson is a very direct teddy bear and at times his questions leave The Dreamer blushing and the audience jaw-dropped.  

Throughout the show we enter into The Dreamer’s fears, anxieties and dissociations though the use of a brilliant physical chorus.  

The black-clad chorus physically manipulate and launch The Dreamer into the air. At other times they use puppetry, physical score and motif to transform and transcend the space. Of particular note is their formation of a large beating heart which alone is worth the ticket.  

Jasmine Shadbolt’s design again shines this New Zealand Fringe season. Her set includes a mobile bed which transforms to float over the sea, and a stunning animal mobile with hanging stars. I assume that she is also responsible for the beautiful puppets, including a breath-taking tiger that slinks through the space like a Chinese dragon, and man-sized dragon shadow puppets.  The set and puppetry are brought to life by keen and subtle shifts of lighting and sound by Abigail Helsby and Amand Gerbault-Gaylor. 

In the title role, Mouce Young is stunning. Her performance is understated and honest and the audience are drawn into her journey, even if she does come across as the most stable character in the play at times.

As The Dreamer’s mother, Alida Steemson provides a stellar performance. Steemson partners the need to love and nurture with the frustration, leading to guilt, which comes from not being able to solve or understand.

In the other roles, Jane Paul (Riley), Alice Lean (Nurse), and Jessica Coppell and Thomas Pepperell (ensemble, respectively) all perform competently. As a chorus the company presents with a strong awareness of space, shape and the ensemble. 

Although the play largely leans itself towards surrealism, the dialogue is incredibly literal and overt. The characters tell us how they feel which causes the actors’ performances to become double percussive.  

While the play’s physical theatre and puppetry are incredible, the actual narrative is largely unclear. I’m left guessing which form of mental illness we are addressing here; I assume paranoid schizophrenia. This, coupled with the unclear timeline, leaves the audience trying to catch up rather than being present with the scenes.

Likewise, the ending is inclusive. Without wanting to give it away, the final moment seems to arrive with very little setup and subsequently its symbolism is confusing as to exactly what decision The Dreamer has made.   

The Dreamer is well-worth a view. Physical and surrealist theatre of this calibre of creativity is currently rare in Wellington. Emma Robinson’s theatrical direction must be seen to be believed.

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