Theatre of Dreams

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https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/whats-on/season-2026/theatre-of-dreams

Date Reviewed: 13/03/2026

I am one of those people who remember their dreams in the morning. Some of my dreams are real and some are surreal.

 
Theatre of Dreams by Hofesh Shechter Company,  a boundary-breaking dance company that produces exceptional work created by Artistic Director Hofesh Shechter OBE, has created a dance world based on dreams where the curtains are equal performers with the dancers.

 
I think the program notes sum up the production perfectly – “Twelve dancers move through portals of darkness and imagination; they tumble into a rabbit hole of evolving emotions and dreams. A hedonistic paradise where there is always more curtains, always more music, always more life. Theatre of Dreams takes a plunge into the subconscious exposing the fears and desires that elate us.”

 
Key to the success of the production are the sets of moving curtains operated by the dancers. The layers of curtains seem to be endless. They mask, reveal, and have a life of their own. The final curtain reveal is magnificent and takes us to a grand theatre and a sense of awe.

 
Tom Visser’s lighting designs accentuate the curtains and actors. They take us from the dark shadows of the mind to the flamboyance of the Latin American section in the middle of the production.

 
Osnat Kelner’s costume designs are specific for each dancer and highlights their character. The production features each dancer in their own right and their ability to blend and unify as a ‘dance unit’.

 
The dancers themselves - Alex Haskins, Robinson Cassarino, Tristan Carter, Frederic Despierre-Corporon, Cristel De Frankrijker, Rachel Fallon, Mickael Frappat, Justine Gouache, Zakarius Harry, Keanah Simin, Juliette Valerio, and Chanel Vivent are exceptional, not only in their technique, but also in their endurance and ability to regroup in the dark. They are always on the move, running, crawling, dancing or convulsing, if not in our view then behind the curtains.

 
The dancers are backed by recorded music and also by live musicians - Norman Jankowski, Bart?omiej Janiak, and James Keane, resplendent in red suits who seem to disappear, appear  and reset at the drop of the hat.

 
Praise should be given to the production staff. This is an extremely complex production and must have hundreds of lighting cues. The opening night seemed to go off ‘without a hitch’, no mean feat when transferring a production across the world to a very different stage.

Highlights for me are – the dance break in the middle of the production when the audience are encouraged to stand and dance with the company, the quick ‘snapshots’ of dancers displaying various emotions, the unison sections when the company dances as a united force, and the final moment with the cast with their backs to us standing in wonder at the last and grandest curtain.

 
 
My only reservation with this production has nothing to do with the dancers or choreography. If you sitting on the sides of the theatre the sight lines obscure some of the action due to the nature of the moving curtains.

 
Theatre of Dreams is a trip into the imagination or dreams and is one of the most ingenious productions I have seen and will take you the dark imaginings of your mind!

 
Barry Hill OAM

Images Andrew Beveridge