AN IMMERSIVE MUSIC THEATRE PERFORMANCE
“The dead are not your tools”
The stories of spirits, jinns, ghosts and other worldly beings hold a strong importance in our culture. These stories are re-explored and retold in a new digitally immersive performance project.
Necromancy for Beginners takes the audience on a journey between the worlds of the living and the non-living.
Necromancy for Beginners is a hybrid multimedia music theater directed by composer, Piyawat Louilarpprasert and, stage director, Martin Butler, in collaboration with Wen Liu (Studio M.A.R.S.), Dr. Marcus Doering (PMD-ART), Kittiphan Janbuala, Thanapat Ogaslert and Tacet(i) Ensemble.
The work amalgamates artistic disciplines among contemporary music concert, performing arts, immersive theatre with advanced digital technology.
Through a series of ritualistic séances that were inspired by the ten “Khon reyk phi” (คน เรียก่ผีี) rituals from Thai culture, which have striking connections to European necromancy practices. Each scene is designed to evoke the spirit of one ghost, mediated through a series of performative actions and narrative stories that are based upon characteristics of that ghost. Each ghost is taken from either local Thai stories like Mae Nak Phra Khanong(แม่นาคพระโขนง), Phi Nang Ram (ผีนางรําา) Krasue, ghoul, Krahang (กระสือ ปอบ กระหัง) and Kuman Thong (กุมาร ทอง) as well as German ghosts such as Roggenmuhme, Poltergeist and more.
The duration of work is an hour with the total of 10 scenes.
Scene Orders: 1) Ghost Hunting “ล่า ท้า ผี”
2-3) Revealing Phra Phum Shrine “ลองของ”
4) The Ritual “เปิดโลกวิญญาณ”
5) Necromancy Begins “ปฐมิบท ไสยเวทย์” 6) Talking to (un)deads “มิติพิศวง”
7) Ghostly Mixed and Berserkers “ภูติ ผี ปีศาจ”
8) Incantation “อักขระมนตรา”
9) Summoners and Prayers “คน เรียก ผี”
10) Samsara “สังสารวัฏ: เวียนว่ายตายเกิด”
TEAM
Music director, music structure and composer – Piyawat Louilarpprasert
Stage director, scenic structure, and scenic script-Martin Butler
Conductor – Boon Hua Lien
Musicians – Tacet(i) Ensemble
Dancers – Parama Sirapakul and Tas Chongchadklang
Visual and installation artist – Kittiphan Janbuala and Thanapat Ogaslert
Interactive and technological artist – Dr. Marcus Doering and PMD Art
Sound score – Wen Liu
INT:ACT Festival Thailand, Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre
The project was generously supported by International Coproduction Fund (IKF) – Goethe-Institut 2022.
Martin Butler 