Lamesha Ruddock
Tonight my name is Myeisha, and I’m Black”
A transformative, illuminating disruption to the escapism of theatre. In 1998, Tyisha Miller was killed by four police officers as she dreamed. Dreamscape is a lyrical autopsy of a stolen future. Prepare to leave this performance with anger, love, and her name on your mind.
The life and death of Tyisha Miller is immortalised in this fable. Dreamscape demands you say her name. The show roots us in the worlds of dreams, meanings, and the superstitions passed along to us, dreams as places of solace, entirely yours, and what happens when that is taken from you. This was a show for the Ishas of the world (like myself), anyone who has faced judge, jury, and executioner. What do you do when you can’t holler, can’t scream, can’t move?
This is Myeisha, and she is from the Inland Empire. Deeply rooted in a Black cultural context, from LA to Kwanzaa the piece is a sorrowful performance that reimagines her dreams and beliefs and her resolutions that would turn into revolutions. But she never makes it past the turn of the millennium, never sees the Y2K. From missed BBQs to Blackouts, we lament the future cut short. Even playful commentary on who she’d rather kiss (Denzel or Wesley) anchors us in the 90s while reminding us the story is stuck in the past with only one outcome. Hip hop and rap touch on lighthearted themes like star signs while weaving through the inevitability of her ending. Dreamscape deeply reminded me of Freeman from Strictly Acts from Edinburgh Fringe 2018, recognising the constant and unfair mistreatment of Black bodies and the pursuit for justice.
Jada Evelyn Ramsey commands the stage, shifting Myeisha from confident to playful to a final plea with captivating ease, gliding through punchy choreography by Carrie Mykuls. She shifts from hip-hop to preppy cheerleader to carefree twerking, until her innocence shatters. She owns the stage, yet cannot outrun the looming medical examination. The repetitive counting of the dozen bullets that penetrated her body becomes inescapable.
Josiah Alpher’s live beatboxing and sound artistry is a revelation, moving from rhythmic pulse to the monotonous drone of a 991 operator, from 90s medleys (Bell Biv DeVoe to Aaliyah) to a recurring tap and stutter motif that acts as an uncomfortable constant reminder of the tragic ending. Together, the two performers create a magnetic dynamic that keeps the audience locked in both the joy and inevitability of Myeisha’s story.
Rickerby Hinds’ direction and script balance lightness and gravity, letting the humour and charm of Myeisha’s world shine while never letting us forget the violence that cuts it short. The medical dissection scene starkly demonstrates the dehumanisation of Black bodies, making the audience sit in discomfort.
Ultimately, Dreamscape is a call to memory and justice. It keeps the loss of Tyisha Miller alive authentically through the culture.
Unflinching. Rhythmic. Immortalising. Say. Her. Name.
You can catch Dreamscape until Sunday 24th at Bramley at Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower from 13:30 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Phoebe Bakker
