Category: Review
In Short: Oh yes, you shadows, you have offended
We stumbled into the theatre space to be greeted by walls full of musty smelling coats and notices instructing us to put them on. From under the coats the ‘beings’ emerged – a somewhat floury pseudo-Victorian styled cast of five.
They talked at us. All but one who stayed close to the wall and gave great eye contact.
It became clear that this was a group promenade experience, not fully immersive.
And then the problems set in.
It began with really crass sexist tropes from one character who ended up with his head in an audience members lap and went on through supposedly ‘fun’ interventions we were pushed to take part in. I wanted to pay attention only to the set, which I liked, or to the ‘being’ that remained silent and outside. My whole experience became a frustration in figuring out how to refuse unacceptable entertainment without drawing an unBritish amount of audience focus.
I think ‘the problem of obeying rules’ may have been the point of the piece – but whether that is true or not – it played out as experiment in how to insult your audience. Despite decent acting from the cast, I left feeling extraordinarily angry.
Vital Stats:
Show: Instructionally Invited
Company: Gruff Theatre
Venue: The Cavern at The Vaults
Date: 13th February 2015
Event: The Vaults Festival
Expect a long form blog about communicating intention and /or setting audience expectation at some point and another on the reliance on ‘being surreal or ‘causing offence’ as a really irritating habit in pseudo immersive theatre
In Short: Brave, successful in its aims, left me both enthused and disappointed.
New Atlantis had Punchdrunk actors in the cast and one of the scientists was known to friends. I went hoping for something exciting and different, but nervous because the pre-event publicity placed the audience in role as ‘agents’ of a futuristic society, one of my pet hates.
It was an enjoyable evening and got great audience feedback. It definitely introduced a range of people to climate science that wouldn’t usually care, and was brave enough to hire an atmospheric building that fit perfectly. I enjoyed my 1to1 experience which was subtle, simple and involved ladling water.
But despite decent performances by the cast (and many of the scientists) the whole was theatrically weak – built around long speechifying to the audience at the beginning and end of the evening.
As for the game side of it, they used two sets of voting mechanisms – great ways to give audiences agency – however no consequences played out from these so narrative disappointment ensued. Moreover, there was a strange disconnect from the gameworld of 2050 and the science from 2015. The final disappointment was that in hunting for the rebellion hinted at in the opening I found myself drawn away from the science.
Vital Stats:
Show: New Atlantis
Company: The Enlightenment Cafe
Venue:The Crystal, Royal Victoria Docks
Date: January 2015
Long form exploration of some of the issues (and I do mean long!)
In Short: Tension, puzzles, characters, atmosphere – a Theatre made game that really worked
Heist is a team game, and I went with some of the most competent gamers and game designers I know. It was going to have to be good.
It was.
The premise was art theft, the location a disused office block – a perfect fit and cleverly used so that minimalist set dressing created maximum impact. All the character actors were strong and capable of interaction with us and most importantly of all, our actions changed the storyline that we witnessed – multiple different endings were clearly possible.
There was also loads of choice in tasks for the team – sneaking, hiding, planning under huge time pressure, code cracking, and we had a character guide in case we struggled and risked holding up the flow of the evening.
Minor niggles were a blurred threshold crossing space which included some nasty (supposed to be funny) real world insults in naming the team, and one question ‘do you trust me enough to do this’ really early on which had me needing to put a ticket buyer’s head on to stay in the game.
Impressive overall – though don’t bother planning your cover story, costume and ID cards in advance, you won’t need them!
Vital Stats:
Show: Heist
Company: DifferencEngine and Theatre Delicatessen
Venue: London
Date: 2014
In short: Hello opera, never mind the lack of game
Billed as a “roaming theatre game”, Silent State was really a roaming promenade performance with a tiny bit of game like tension and some great scenes which were a fun introduction to opera. Put together by Welsh National Opera, and Yellobrick (part of the Playark team) and featuring a local community choir that WNO had established, the game was set in (yet another) dystopia, one where music had been outlawed.
The setting was quickly established and a mixture of map based clues and recorded messages led us around Wrexham centre. The singing was dramatic, the character actors we encountered were strong and the team of gamers I was in amused ourselves and the organisers by taking far longer than expected, constantly changing our route in order to avoid the “enemy patrols”. A disorientating double ending and the wonderful artefacts of music gathered in the resistance headquarters were lovely touches.
The main problem? Keeping actor guides delivering ‘game’ and opera performers mostly separate meant that I never got out of ‘mildly entertained and curious’ mode and into being affected by the experience or connected with the characters, and since I couldn’t actually lose at the game either it was ultimately unsatisfying.
Vital Stats:
Show: Silent State
Company: Welsh National Opera and Yellobrick
Venue: Wrexham Town Centre
Date: May 2014
In short: Definitely impressive but really not groundbreaking at all
There has been so much hype about Golem being an experience that will change how we perceive theatre that I was desperate to see it. If I hadn’t been, this review might have been less bitter.
1927 company’s show is insanely clever and flawlessly executed, with a distinctly styled, quirky animated film projected onto one large and several small screens throughout the whole show, interfacing with the actors in various different ways, one or two surprising enough to make me laugh out loud. It is also a zeitgeisty look at the kind of dystopia that comes from over reliance on technology, though neither particularly insightful in its observations or exciting in how it presents them.
But my bigger issue is that it is not different to other theatre around at present, it is sitting right in the middle of it all. Accordion soundtracked dystopia? Hello from Kneehigh. Actors interact cleverly with film? Wave from over there Forkbeard Fantasy and Lepage. Produce characters so dislikable that the audience can’t possibly identify with them? That’ll be any Brechtian new writing ever then.
I find myself wanting to shout “stop playing pompously with my intellect and give me something to make my heart scream”
Vital Stats
Show: Golem
Company: 1927
Venue: The Young Vic
Date: 30th Decmber 2014
In short: Magical Winter, shame about the Lion
The Rose Theatre’s Christmas offering of ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’ is a great idea, large stage with great technical facilities and a handful of adult actors support 3 entire companies of youth theatre cast to deliver the show in rotation.
The set is great, a simple design making good use of moving parts and a toweringly giant wardrobe. The youth theatre members are focused, professional, and the Pevensey children convincing. When the wardrobe first splits to reveal the shadow lit woodland set and paper snow tumbles from the highest reaches of the Rose, Christmas magic lands.
Unfortunately the rest of the show doesn’t live up to that moment. Occasionally the movement work of the youth theatre adds to the atmosphere – a lovely blitz era opening, an affecting dream state for Lucy chez Tumnus and high tension at the stone table – but the rest of the time they portray strange creature spirits adding almost entirely unnecessary narration to the action. Worse are a White Witch who postures without standing out (partly a design issue) and an Aslan with the right voice but an irritating animalistic movement which just looks silly.
Better than most panto, but only just.
Vital Stats
Show: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Company: Rose Productions (Rose Youth Theatre and Ciaron McConville)
Venue: The Rose Theatre, Kingston
Date: Sunday 28th December 2014
Event: Christmas Production
In Short: Approach is everything.
In June I walked into The Drowned Man, fell in love with the set, the detail and began to explore only to hit an ‘edge of the world wall’ rapidly (phones). I was daunted by the huge crowds following main characters, and so tried to bring a spirit of curiosity to a general approach. I wound up disengaged, alienated and disappointed in dance sequences that seemed a constant rehash of early 90’s physical theatre routines specialising in sex and death tension. I wanted to investigate deaths marked by shrines but found no markers for the path.
For a return visit I needed a new plan and found it in deciding to follow minor characters and to make a heart leap, force myself to engage and care, rather than remain curious. It worked. I found narrative and questions answered and unanswered. I was engaged on more than a purely sensory level. And I had two 1-1’s which left me reeling through beautiful storytelling, sensory deprivation temperature and more.
I still object to anyone referring to Punchdrunk as accessible or interactive, and even immersive is highly debatable. But now I’m hungry for more characters’ journeys and a greater sense of the whole.
In depth: thoughts on the questions of accessibility, interactivity, immersion coming shortly
Vital Stats:
Show: The Drowned Man
Company: Punchdrunk
Venue: Warehouse in Paddington/Temple Studios
Date: June 2013 and March 2014
Event: Long running production
In Short: Another theatre company attempts games and fails
I love theatre, I love gaming, I love cities and I’m a fan of play tests so I headed to St James Theatre for The Rise and Fall of Geo Goynes with carefully tempered expectations.
For a game in development I expected (and got) tech fail – particularly disappointing for this game which aims to deliver much of its pre-prepped artistic content via audio link. I expected – and was really pleased to see neatly avoided through clever use of in-game security patrols – frustrating hold ups and pinch points. I was resigned to a narrative that would follow a very limited set of choices on a linear path.
So I had some fun. The in game instructions built a nice sense of paranoia and there were a couple of simple puzzles, some decent character acting and a brave choice to allow audience to plan/carry out physical interactions with the cast.
However there was also a limited understanding of game design meaning a whole raft of basic safety elements were missing, leaving the audience exposed and vulnerable. Nothing bad happened but, for a project supported by the Arts Council and two producing companies, that shouldn’t be down to luck not judgment.
Vital Stats:
Show: The Rise and Fall of Geo Goynes
Company: Root Experience
Venue: Around St James’ Theatre
Date: Thursday 20th March, 6.30pm
Event: Standalone prototype development
The Festival
Another year, another magical Festival at the Edge.
A ritualistic pilgrimage to Wenlock Edge to be swept by the weather, and escape from it in tents full of stories. To bemoan the fact that because I feel the need to see as many different storytellers as possible to make choices about bookings for the events I run I never get to drink in the fabulous music that Genevieve Tudor programmes.
Leaving the reviews for far too long, three performances left clear enough impressions for full impact and in my swirl of other thoughts are a smatter of brief observations: Ruth Kirkpatrick reminds me of Liz Weir, I hope that that’s a genuine shared delivery style rather than me simply grouping Scots/Irish tellers together; Eric Borrias’s character acting and audience connections are fab but I don’t like it as storytelling; Virgine Gulbenkian told something simple and delightful on Sunday morning that engaged me so much more than her commission from a few years ago; I should have seen Kamini Ramachandran doing South East Asian material in the Red tent, because I found her Ramayana set in the Green uninspiring and Dovie Thomason delivering animal tales is a hoot and a half!
Vital Stats:
Show: Various
Company: Various
Venue: Stokes Barn, Shropshire
Date: 19-21 July 2013 – next event 18- 20 July 2014
Event: Festival at the Edge
Individual Show Reviews Follow
Flashback: Festival at the Edge 2012 6x 200 word reviews
The Festival
I am a lizard creature, and so for an ideal festival escape my first need is sunshine. From this angle Festival at the Edge (FaTE) on Wenlock Edge from the 20th – 22nd July was almost perfect this year. My second need is a feeling of escape – from the city, the day to day, and from crowds – so I like my festivals small – but without sacrificing choice.
Where many a small music festival is reduced to just one stage and a children’s area, FaTE manages to boast two storytelling tents, a music tent (primarily folk), a children’s tent (mostly storytelling), a workshop space, a circus activity tent, as well as programming walkabout, a village stage and events in the bar – oh! and not forgetting the bonfire and the story walks.
It is a beautiful event and deserves to be attended in much higher numbers – a fabulous family experience, a truly romantic setting, a cliff top location that drains beautifully in all but the worst of weathers… On a weekend where I was mostly focused on catching up with friends old and new I still managed to watch seven distinctly different performances each in a very distinctive style. Try it next year!
Vital Stats:
Show: Various
Company: Various
Venue: Stokes Barn, Shropshire
Date: July 2012 – next event 19-21st July 2013
Event: Festival at the Edge
Individual Show Reviews Follow Continue reading
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