Play moves between dreaming and escaping

On 28 December 1998, a 19-year-old American woman was fatally shot by police officers in the Californian city of Riverside while she lay unconscious in her car. 

This killing of Tyisha Miller is the inspiration behind Dreamscape, a compelling hip-hop spoken word and physical theatre performance that explores her inner life and her death. 

Dreamscape, which was written by Rickerby Hinds, a professor of playwriting in the Department of Theater Film & Digital Production at the University of California, Riverside, opens at the University of Johannesburg tonight.

Speaking to the Mail & Guardian, Hinds explained the deeply personal reasons for choosing to tell Miller’s story. 

“I had moved out here to go to the University of California, Riverside,” he says via Zoom. 

“I had been a resident of this community for a while. So, when this incident took place, I was aware of it and, simultaneously, I was reluctant to write about it.” 

His reluctance stemmed from a fear of appearing to capitalise on such a horrific event and doubts about his ability to do the story justice. 

Despite these reservations, he ultimately decided to bring Miller’s story to the stage, using his unique artistic vision to create a powerful narrative. 

Hinds emphasised the significance of bringing Dreamscape to South Africa, highlighting similarities in the interactions between authority and those they govern. 

“In the US, so many of these incidents that occur have race as an overt foundation, so I thought that at least that parallel might resonate in South Africa. 

“The form of storytelling as well —music and the elements of hip-hop, movement, dance and singing — I thought that those elements might find an audience, in order to tell that story,” he said. 

The narrative of Dreamscape unfolds through a combination of beat-boxing, spoken word and dance, structured around an autopsy report recited by a dispassionate coroner. 

As each of the 12 bullet wounds is described in detail, Mills’s memories come to life. Each injured body part becomes a trigger for her to reminisce about her past, recalling moments of joy and normalcy such as playing softball, dancing, kissing and styling her hair. 

Hinds plays with themes of dreaming and escaping to enhance the storytelling, hence the title Dreamscape. 

“The idea is that she is using this form of existence — dreaming — as a means of trying to escape from this situation,” he shared. 

Through these memories, the performance juxtaposes the brutality of Mills’s death with the vibrancy of her lived experiences.

Hinds tells the story through movement and music, creating a beautiful, yet emotionally taxing, narrative. 

“I have found that even as I am participating in Dreamscape, whether in production or otherwise, I find it important to disconnect. I try my best to stop myself from feeling all the things that I felt when I first wrote the play,” he explained. 

“I will usually check out at certain points in the play because it is too painful to go through those moments in real time over and over again.”

Despite the emotional toll, Hinds believes in the transformative power of the play. 

He sees it as a contribution to making a change in the dynamics between authority and those without it. “My hope is that the audience finds themselves and connects with the story as well as the issues that are being discussed”,  he concluded. 

Dreamscape offers a poignant and thought-provoking examination of critical social issues, inviting audiences to reflect on the impact of violence and the preciousness of life through the lens of innovative and engaging performance art.

The University of Johannesburg’s Arts & Culture division, in collaboration with the University of California, Riverside, will present Dreamscape at the Bunting Theatre in Auckland Park from 12 to 17 July.