Kaedon Knight on Asha Bagal Kelly

Dear Asha, 

It has been only a few months since I found myself at the staged reading of My Carmilla, and my experience there made me so incredibly excited to catch the fully staged production. I had limited knowledge of Le Fanu’s classic novella, but understood its historical impact on the genre; and as a horror lover and queer individual, I was thrilled that the lesbian vampire horror romance was coming to life in my own community. 

First off, everyone in their right mind loves to see more theatre for and about women. Queer directed, female starred, and the script adapted by its leads from the source material. Second, it’s necessary to see a sapphic narrative that is not fetishized for a patriarchal gaze; My Carmilla shows its leads getting dirty and bloody, lying, and killing with rage that satisfies the desire for women to be portrayed with deeper nuance and depth. As the saying goes: “I support women’s rights… AND women’s wrongs.”

My Carmilla is an incredible artifact pulled from the past for us to consume in a new cultural context. I found myself constantly holding my breath and refusing to blink as the titular Carmilla and protagonist Laura shared the stage. I can’t overstate how unsettled this show made me feel. The allure of the romance pulls us in, only to thrust us into an eerie sense of danger; not just fear of death or the unknown, but the fear of being discovered. I was absolutely petrified by the way the story juggles classic frights and suspense with the very real fear of being exposed to a misunderstanding authority. As Laura and Carmilla undress together, we begin to wonder what form their hunger will take. The themes of nature vs nurture and predator vs prey keep us unable to decipher what they will do, and whether each one is safer with or without the other. 

All this is enhanced by the incredibly beautiful production featuring music, design, and choreography that brings the audience further and further in to see every detail; which is just when our attention is used against us. I audibly reacted as many times from the scene changes as I did from fear. 

I’m lucky to have been able to experience such an incredible show. Thank you!

Kaedon

Kaedon Knight is an actor in A Murder Most Felt, or, It’s Not Easy Being Green. 

Asha Bagal Kelly is one of two of the creator / performers of My Carmilla.