In Shadows (Dalam Bayang-Bayang) at Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre

A ghost story told through shadow puppetry, live music and dance, In Shadows (Dalam Bayang-Bayang) reimagines a classic tale from Southeast Asian folklore and immerses audiences in a world of shadow, sound and memory.  

Created by visual artist Liang Luscombe, musician and ethnomusicologist Isobel D’Cruz Barnes, and writer–producer Haneen Mahmood Martin, the work follows a woman transformed by betrayal and loss into the pontianak, a spectral figure known for her long black hair, haunting laughter, and lingering presence among the banana trees and frangipani-scented air.  

Enter a world of shadow puppetry inspired by Malaysian wayang kulit, live music by the five-piece ensemble Hantu, and dance-theatre influenced by butoh. Moody, evocative, and steeped in the supernatural, In Shadows (Dalam Bayang-Bayang) offers a contemporary experience of Southeast Asian storytelling, immersing audiences in a haunting spirit world.