Often, however, it’s the things that we don’t want to think about that need to be publicly discussed in order for them to be understood. Shedding a little light on the topic of dementia, It’s Dark Outside opens at Judith Wright Centre on Tuesday May 6. The show uses puppetry, animation and live performance to tell a heartfelt and tender tale of an old man who gets caught up in a wild adventure when he wanders into the wilderness. Billed as grand western adventure, the show takes audiences into a surreal setting where they can empathise with the old man’s plight as he tries to escape from a mysterious hunter.

It’s Dark Outside was commissioned by Perth Theatre Company and created by Arielle Gray, Chris Isaacs and Tim Watts. Dementia research formed the inspiration for the show, as well as the phenomenon of Sundowning Syndrome, which sees dementia patients wandering off for no apparent reason as the sun begins to set.