"something really special" - Simon's Horrible Hothouse of Horror

"A key high point is Doulton who seems to be taken over by his various forms... quite remarkable," - The Reviews Hub

Drayton Arms, London Lovecraft Festival, 12th February 2024

This was the first of what would become a series of solo interactive shows for the London Lovecraft Festival.

"You are invited to a demonstration of the alleged powers of a dreamer; to join their ritual and explore the Dreamlands. Together, attendees will control the dreamer’s exploration of that rumoured place of strange cities and peoples.

"If useful, there may be ways to exploit their arts in pursuit of knowledge, power, or protecting what matters. For there is a poison in the Dreamlands, and many rumours of what it might be.

"Offered anything you can dream of, what will you do? What will you learn? And what can you afford to lose?

What does the dreamer want?"

More particularly, it was the start of an ongoing exploration of H.P. Lovecraft through contemporary philosophical lenses. His fantasies of wandering the Dreamlands are clearly informed by Victorian-era colonial fantasies; this show offered guests a way to break through that fantasy.

First, it emphasised collective control and influence over the individual hero-protagonist. We are the protagonist.

Second, it valued 'lesser' activities - drawing and bad singing were as important as being the people discussing and making decisions. Childish/feminised activities ought to matter.

Third, and least important, it opened with a short, humorous monologue pretending to be Lovecraft himself listing all the things he was frightened of. I recorded it shortly afterwards, and you can watch it below.

It's a fun little piece I enjoyed doing. Good times.