Wrecked: A Magic Lantern Show at the Headland Writers Festival
01 Dec '24
In October 2024 I travelled to Tathra on the NSW South Coast to perform Wrecked, a magic lantern show, as part of the prestigious Headland Writers Festival.
Wrecked was the latest in our Magic Lanter performances led by Martyn Jolly and Anita Pollard as magic lanternists, Andrew Gray as narrator, Bronwyn Coupe handling video production, and Alexander Hunter and me as composers and musicians.
As alwasy, this show drew on the history of magic lantern performance and nineteenth-century technology in a modern reenactment with contemporary music. The themes this time: maritime disaster and the coastal history of the NSW south coast.
The show this time, advertised as family friendly attracted an enthusiastic full house who responded exactly as intended with Andrew leading sound effects during the comedic slides and weeping and woeing during the tragic scenes. An excellent show!
The Headland Writers Festival
The Headland Writers Festival is held each October in Tathra, a small coastal town between Merimbula and Bega on the NSW Sapphire Coast. The festival brings together writers, artists, and performers against the backdrop of Tathra’s beautiful headland and beach. Performing in the heritage Tathra Hall, a classic country hall, felt entirely fitting for a magic lantern show.