The University of Johannesburg’s Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) in partnership with the University of California Riverside, proudly present ‘DREAMSCAPE’ written by Prof Rickerby Hinds.
“Dreamscape”, a hip-hop spoken word, and physical theatre performance depicts the death and inner life of a young woman, Myeisha Mills, as she dreams through the impact of the twelve bullets that kill her. This performance is a meditation and reimagining of the night of December 28, 1998, when nineteen-year-old Tyisha Miller was shot and killed by four Riverside Police Department officers while she lay unconscious in a car. These performances offer a powerfully clear-eyed examination of the relationships between race, the body, and violence.
The narrative unfolds through beatboxing, spoken word, and dance, structured around an autopsy report recited by a dispassionate coroner. As each of the twelve bullet wounds is described in horrifying clinical detail the damage to the arm, shoulder, scalp, teeth, thigh, neck, back, breast, eye, mouth, and skull Myeisha reminisces about her life. Each body part becomes a jumping-off point for her memories, as she recalls the pleasures of softball, dancing, kissing, and hair styling with the sweetness, humour, and insight of a nineteen-year-old.
The tour includes two public performances and workshops targeted at established and aspirant actors. It will be presented at the University of Johannesburg’s Bunting Theatre in Auckland Park from 12 to 17 July 2024.
Tickets are available for Dreamscape at R100 (General) on Plankton.
For more information, contact mpendulon@uj.ac.za
About UJ Arts and Culture
UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA) produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.