Sideshow Physical Theatre (Artistic Director Della Davidson) in
collaboration with the Department of Theatre & Dance, UC Davis
Fall 2010, Vanderhoef Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center for the
Performing Arts
Who are we? What defines our identity? In a celebrity culture,
who owns our identity?’ The tragic fate of Michael Jackson has
left the world wondering who the private people behind the public
facades really are. Actors and entertainers surrender themselves
to their profession, and yet what lies behind the make-up and the
costumes?
Tilly No-Body asks these questions, through the lens of actress,
Tilly Wedekind – wife of world-famous German playwright, Frank
Wedekind (Spring Awakening and Lulu). Tilly devoted her life to
Frank’s work, and during their marriage, he wrote powerful plays
fuelled by their tempestuous relationship, insisting that Tilly
play the female leads. Private affairs became public consumables,
and Frank took control of Tilly in every respect, weighing and
measuring her body, and insisting that without him, she would be
a nobody. With nothing but his lines of dialogue, she was robbed
of her own voice. Until now… Actor and writer, Bella Merlin
weaves together Tilly’s letters and autobiography, with
Wedekind’s plays – and a fistful of fantasy, including original
cabaret songs, physical theatre, and a commissioned musical score
– to reveal what really goes on within the inner realm of the
actress’s troubled head.
