HUNTER

by Courtney May Robertson

HUNTER
horror as a form of unearthing

In the depths of a private locked room, HUNTER toys with the redemptive process of a classical tragedy, whereby a character is made to gain insight through suffering. Though in this tragedy, performer and choreographer Courtney May Robertson enacts so-called life-affirming monstrosities upon herself, her life-sized doppelgänger in doll form. The duo - one of flesh and blood, the other crafted from foam and silicone - map out the internal torments and ecstasies of an individual in conflict with a society that upholds purity as a moral standard.

Inspired by Horror, BDSM and Melodrama, a tapestry of images are woven in which the grotesque, sexual perversion and excessiveness become triumphant symbols for bodily autonomy and empowerment. Spectators are invited to enter a space where the rigid dichotomy between repulsion and attraction dissolves. Courtney is convinced that when shame is suspended the visceral emotion of disgust, generally associated with aversion, has the capacity to transform into paradoxical intrigue. Propelled by an industrial soundscape composed by ‘Acidic Male’, in HUNTER self-destruction is embraced as an act of self-preservation.

*HUNTER was awarded the VSCD Mime / Performance Prize at the Netherlands Theater Festival*

PERFORMANCE DATES

07.12.24 - OFF RECORD!!! version - Fade Into You, De Studio, Antwerp (BE)
24.01.25 - Theater Rotterdam X Netherlands Theater Festival (NL) tickets
19.03.25 - Grand Theater Groningen (NL) tickets
16.04.25 - Theater Ins Blau, Leiden (NL) tickets
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17.01.24 - Theater Rotterdam - world premiere tickets
18.01.24 - Theater Rotterdam tickets
20.01.24 - Korzo, Den Haag tickets
10.02.24 - Grand Theatre, Groningen tickets
14.02.24 - Theater Kikker, Utrecht tickets
16.02.24 - Frascati, Amsterdam tickets
17.02.24 - Frascati, Amsterdam tickets
22.05.24 - Toneelschuur, Haarlem (NL) tickets
01.06.24 - Murf/Murw Festival, De Nieuwe Vorst, Tilburg TICKETS
10.09.24 - Frascati, Amsterdam / Nederlands Theater Festival (NL) TICKETS
11.09.24 - Frascati, Amsterdam / Nederlands Theater Festival (NL) TICKETS

CREDITS

Concept, Choreography, Video Design & Performance: Courtney May Robertson
Sound Design: Puck Schot (Acidic Male)
Light & Stage Design: Manuel Boutreur
Dramaturgy: Lara van Lookeren
Puppet Design: Ronald Schinkelshoek
Wig Design: Zoe Morgan
Costume Design: Matija Franjes
Discomfort Devices: BNDSN
Movement Assistant: Olympia Kotopolous
Additional Sound Curation: Courtney May Robertson
Creative Producer: Lena Meijer
PR & Communication: Jannes Heidinga
Graphic Design: Lejla Vala Verheus
Poster Image: Lisa Schamlé
Co-produced by: Dansateliers, Dans Brabant, ICK Artist Space & Grand Theatre Groningen
Financially supported by: Stimuleringsfonds Design Grant, Fonds 21, AFK & Gemeente Rotterdam
With thanks to: Yoko Haveman