Hope horror play will empower

Siblings Chelsea McRae and August Gaiger are the minds behind feminist horror play Casketcase, debuting tonight as part of this year’s Dunedin Fringe Festival. Photo: Peter McIntosh

A Dunedin artist is taking her honours dissertation to the stage with a feminist horror play she hopes will empower people to speak up about violence and abuse towards women.

Chelsea McRae has also roped in her younger brother to design the soundscape for her play Casketcase, which is debuting tonight as part of this year’s Dunedin Fringe Festival.

McRae says the play follows a couple running a true-crime podcast and their latest episode covering the real life story of 17th century Italian poisoner Giulia Tofana, who sold her poison "Aqua Tofana" to women wanting to escape abusive marriages.

But the podcast takes a turn for the worse, and the audience can determine how the play ends by way of a live poll.

Casketcase was derived partly from her honours dissertation on the "good for her" horror sub-genre, which arose out of the Me Too movement, she said.

"It’s about taking back the horror genre.

"Previously, the horror genre has been quite problematic, particularly with sub-genres such as slasher and rape revenge," she said.

"They have been created primarily for the male gaze and they’ve been very violent towards women and, honestly, just quite horrific."

This sub-genre focused on the female gaze and creating narratives women could identify with, McRae said.

"It’s about women reclaiming their power in less-than-ladylike ways and usually around themes that women can identify with, such as sexual assault."

McRae, who also used to do social media for NZ Police, said she noticed New Zealanders were afraid to speak out when they saw something that was not OK, particularly around family harm.

Using live polls throughout the show meant the audience had to weigh up the situation in real time and decide whether or not it was OK, which ultimately affected which alternate ending they got.

Her younger brother, August Gaiger, came on board, having recently transferred to the University of Otago.

A music student, he had created original tracks that underscored the show much like that of an actual true-crime podcast, as well as a whole horror soundscape.

"I’m definitely his older sister and there’s definitely a lot of, ‘Have you done this yet, buddy? How’s this going?’

"But it has been really cool to have him on board."

McRae said she hoped audiences left the theatre with "a stronger voice in the back of their heads" that if they thought someone was not OK, they should check on them.

The play’s main character, Clare, was based on a couple of people she knew who had been through "some horrible things at the hands of someone who should love them the most".

"Some of the strongest, most incredible women you can know can be going through some very scary things and you would never guess it."

Casketcase is showing today, tomorrow, Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm, at Dunedin’s Globe Theatre.