Written by: Khaled ElSamman Ahmed
Dreamcatcher is one of the most intriguing shows at this year’s edition of Gothenburg Fringe.
It is an hour-long improvised performance that morphs dreams into reality to bring the audience a memorable and peculiar experience to reflect on. The show is performed by Sandra Johansson and Martin Gustafsson of Drömduo and accompanied by live music played by Robin Backgård and Maria Nyström.
The show has an engaging format. The artists pick two dreams provided by the audience and they use them as the basis for the improvised performance aided by live music that reacts to the show.
The live music on the show plays a crucial role. Robin and Maria use different innovative techniques to transition to the dream world and back to reality. For example, they use musical blackouts and layering for that purpose. “We have a lot of power as musicians in the group,” said Robin.
The group has a self-sustain inspirational cycle for the show. Robin gets his inspiration from listening to a wide array of ambient music and sounds, Sandra gets her inspiration from music that Robin sends her and Martin gets his from Sandra’s abstract paintings which are inspired by Robin’s music recommendations.
Like most artists, the group was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They found it hard to perform live and to get an audience. They hope this year’s festival with its focus on Gothenburg’s local arts scene will help to breathe life into it.
Dreamcatcher will be performed at Kvartersscenen 2Lång on Saturday 5 September at 18:30 Sunday 6 September at 21:30. The performances are in English and tickets are available here.