• Performers get existential in The Witch and the Goat.

THE Old Customs House in Fremantle will be shrouded in folklore next Friday when Existence Theatre perform The Witch and the Goat.

Couched in eerie sounds and mysterious video projections, the ensemble cast tell an allegorical tale about humankind’s deepest fears, which manifest as mythical beings and monsters.

“The Witch and the Goat associates with typical fairytales by critically observing gender, class and nation and the consequences that ensue if you hide feelings and keep secrets,” says Existence Theatre co-founder and performer Elisabeth Eitelberger.

“It shows prosecutors and defendants, the dark side of people’s minds and actions and the longing for a life free from bias and judgement. 

“Moral of the story: You can’t change things if you are driven by fear.”

For the past 20 years, Fremantle-based Eitelberger and Bello Benischauer have been collaborating on artistic projects in Australia and overseas.

Benischauer wrote, directed and created the video and sound for The Witch and the Goat.

During the performance he will synchronise live sound to the carefully choreographed movements and dialogue – conjuring up a preternatural forest and a bustling town square where folk gossip and dance to forgot about their woes.

“All our Existence Theatre works are about human existence, how existential questions, fears and crisis affect people individually and are played out in life,” Eitelberger says. “The story for each production develops in present context while reacting to what people’s concerns are in the here and now.”

 As part of the Fringe World festival, The Witch and the Goat is on at the Old Customs House on Phillimore Street on January 15/16/22/23/29/30. 

Tix at http://www.artinprocess.com/the-witch-and-the-goat/

By STEPHEN POLLOCK