At a time when dying is really expensive, Scott Tumbull, a former funeral director, and artiste Lara Thoms talk about the business of death, in a surprisingly casual and pleasant way.
The Director, a play by APHIDS Group from Australia staged at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala on Monday, is a performance that demystifies and exposes the layers of the death industry in a satirical manner.
The one-hour performance balances macabre reality, playfulness and the tragic elements of death. It never slipped, not even for a second, to the shade of grief and despair.
From his long association with the death industry, Tumbull digs a little deeper on what happens after we go. While discussing this taboo but universal topic, they do not leave any detailing, including the smell of a crematorium, the tools of the mortuary, music of funeral, flowers or driving tractors into a funeral chapel.
Lucrative business
When death brings grief for somebody, it is a lucrative business for some others. There are various levels of bargaining, quality checks, and value-added services.
As the funeral director and theatre director, Turnbull and Thoms ask each other to perform their tasks, share knowledge and give feedback on each other’s actions. The artistes involve in meaningful exchange with audiences through performance and critical dialogue.
Lara Thoms, a queer artiste, is the director of the play. “The Director questions the Western death industry that does not offer many options to grieving families. It is an industry that encourages outsourcing all aspects of death care at great expense,” says Lara Thoms. “Scott and I met in 2016, and he was a rare find when it comes to the funeral business — someone who was able to perform traditional, over-priced funerals for a multinational company alongside installing eclectic installations in his chapel or hand-making cat coffins. This dichotomy was fascinating to me. The Director is ultimately a conversation between two friends about something that is uncomfortable for Westerners to talk about,” says Lara Thoms.
APHIDS is a 25-year-old artiste-led experimental art organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. Collaborative and future-focused, APHIDS is led by Eugenia Lim, Lara Thoms and Mish Grigor.
