THE STRANGER

SCRIPT + DIRECTION: BRETT BAILEY

MUSICAL DIRECTION: NKOSENATHI KOELA

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'He brought us music,

taught us to sing,

and slowly we began to remember.'

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Invite Brett & Nkosenathi

to your city to make

a unique iteration

of THE STRANGER

 with local musicians

and performers.

A meditative, ritualistic performance work based on the myth of Orpheus. THE STRANGER is a continuation of Brett’s exploration of the intersections between ancient myth and contemporary realities; ritual and theatrical performance; dream and waking actuality; and the immigrant and shaman as traversers of frontiers. 

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THE STRANGER is set in a dystopian contemporary city: humdrum, grinding, materialistic and bigoted. A gifted musician arrives from across the national border; his music is transformational: it unifies people, shifts their priorities, brings the natural world into focus, and reveals an underlying harmony in the universe. On his journey to the Underworld to retrieve his murdered wife, he experiences a reality devoid of duality, meaning, morality and form, and the songs he sings on his return are haunted by despair at the unfolding devastation of the world. 

 

The work’s primary thematic threads include the significance of myth, the sacred and memory within our lives; the power of the arts to transform consciousness and to imbue our lives with meaning; the fragile, precious interconnectedness of the biosphere; and the value of immigrants within our societies. Visual design and live music are essential elements within the dramaturgy.

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We have two models for the making of this work:
-    we are currently on a drive to raise funds to make it with a South African cast. 
-    we are approaching international presenters to bring Brett and musical director Nkosenathi to their cities to make unique iterations rooted in the local context with local casts of musicians and performers.