New theater production of "Black Swan" premieres in Cambridge

What is real and what is inside her mind? Those are some of the questions posed in American Repertory Theater's world premiere production of "Black Swan."

The musical, based on the 2010 film that earned Natalie Portman a Best Actress Oscar, is a rare psychological thriller on stage.

Scenographer Brett Banakis said, "We use void a lot. There's a lot of darkness and mystery."

"I think I've learned a lot about suspense and how to build that tension," added Marissa Todd, who is also part of the team responsible for creating the tone.

Banakis explained, "This is an example of a show where, particularly, the audience's own imagination enters the sphere."

One unique aspect in the piece? The use of blood.

"It's difficult to clean up. It is difficult to control," said blood designer Lillas Meeh. "It's a tool that horror gets to use and we don't get to do horror on stage that often. And so getting the opportunity to use that tool makes this show like something kind of extra special. The problem with blood is that you use too much of it; people end up giggling. So it's a really difficult balance to strike emotionally for your audience members."

"The things that theater can achieve on stage are so different than what we can achieve in a film. And we tend to really try and lean into the things you can only achieve on stage," Banakis said.

Banakis is the co-creator of Amp Scenography, which works to give underrepresented designers who are early in their careers the chance to develop their skills.

"We really wanted to just create a vehicle where we could not give someone that job, but give someone a hand up and to join us on a project where we can mentor through that process. We can design the show together, they can learn our tricks and tips of the trade, and they can move forward from that project with the tools to then succeed in that environment on their own," said Banakis.

 "It's not lost on me of what a wonderful opportunity this is," Todd said.

It's an opportunity for audiences to explore something different in the theater.

"This is one that is really emotive, deep, psychological. It's cerebral in a lot of ways," Meeh said.

All hope that what you see on stage will stay with you.

"Think when you leave Black Swan, you're going to feel like the choreography was incredible," says Banakis. "That the way that bodies moved in space and the way they appeared and vanished and moved through space and time was like nothing you'd seen before."

You can see "Black Swan" at the American Repertory Theater at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge through July 12th.