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STAMPIN’ IN THE GRAVEYARD
“This is a dispatch from the last theatre still open on this earth: your imagination.”
Rose is an AI chatbot that gives advice for the end of the world, she is powered by a black box of memories from people whose worlds have already ended. Throughout the hour, Rose unfolds the stories she has salvaged (and makes up some ‘facts’ in true AI fashion) in a process of collective re-enactment and reflection.
Designed to be experienced with silent disco headphones, STAMPIN’ IN THE GRAVEYARD uses a mix of poetry, live music and movement to draw the audience into this ephemeral apocalyptic world. Blending poetry, soundscapes, live music, and movement within a set built from recycled electronics, the audience shapes the story in real time by interacting with Rose, choosing paths that lead to multiple endings.
The piece is developed by an international team, but we all have lived through the irrecoverable destruction and cleaving away of our places of belonging—worlds that no longer exist. The piece follows the thread of loss and loneliness that winds through experiences of inherited trauma, displacement, rootlessness, and ecological grief, to investigate pathways towards joy.
Based on our critically-acclaimed concept album of the same name, STAMPIN’ IN THE GRAVEYARD has been in development since 2020.
Written & Performed by Elisabeth Gunawan
Co-created by Elisabeth Gunawan & Matej Matejka
Music Composed & Arranged by Jack Parris & Orest Sharak
Movement Direction Matej Matejka
Sound Design & Engineering Orest Sharak
Stage & Production Management Hui Tse Liu
Lighting Design Natalia Chan
Scenography Mona Camille
Assistant Direction Marina Hata
Video Design Elisabeth Gunawan
Costume Design Elisabeth Gunawan
What Audiences Have Said
“A visionary journey into the soul of humanity”
-MORNING STAR
“Electrifying … This remarkable piece of writing weaves shards of devastating stories to build a wider, hopeful narrative.”
-THREE WEEKS
“A disorienting meditation on the end of days.”
–THE LIST
“It made me think about moving to the U.S., the return visit, the kind of liminal aspect (like I was torn into two different people) that has existed ever since inside of me. Through feeling closer to you, I felt a bit closer to an internalised metacognitive (whatever term you want to use) side of me.”
(anonymous, New York)
“There was darkness, but the music brought light and hope. I felt like I was with you, presence and spirit. Unexpected tears rolled down my cheeks – an overwhelming unplanned spark of creative yearning. Thank you.”
(anonymous, Los Angeles)
Photos by Valeriia Pogolsha
kisswitness.art 