The very moment the audience arrived in 'The Warren's Blockhouse', we were asked to roll a dice to decide our fate; to establish whether we are worthy of the 'Elite' tickets, or the 'Standard' tickets. The holders of the Elites make the decisions in the story whilst the Standards have no say. Throughout, there are opportunities for Standards to move to the higher class, but only if they participate in the challenges set forth by the two storytellers. Sophie MacKenzie tells the story of a cloud boy from 'Highground' and Elliot Hughes tells the story of a girl spun from a spiders web from 'Lowground' on a quest exploring social mobility and the class system. Their characters are larger than life and highly captivating.
There is so much that happens in this show but due to spoilers, I will not explain what the activities and story entail. I would strongly recommend you see it, and be part of it yourself if you get the opportunity.
I will, however, express that this piece contains a lot of audience participation, with activities that allow everyone to laugh and talk. The atmosphere throughout was incredible. The storytellers explained from the start the rules for participation: that they encourage it but if you do not wish to participate, you can show a red card saying 'no thank you'. The way the 'Hidden Track Theatre' team handled this was respectful and ensured nobody in the audience felt uncomfortable or like they were being judged for what they did or didn't do. I joined in as much as possible and honestly, I laughed so much and had a lot of fun.
The piece explores the class system and social mobility in a fun, entertaining and accessible way through funny, memorable characters, creative games, and voiceovers attempting to end the conflict. Everyone in the audience took to this piece of interactive theatre and I think everyone felt a part of the action. I thought I was going to watch a simple piece of theatre but found myself on stage, being a part of the story.
The message behind the story is one that many can understand. It was about the way society groups us by class and yet, everybody is different and the Elites do not always deserve their privilege.
0 Comments