Reviews

Darkin Ensemble: DisGo

Darkin Ensemble: DisGo

February 10th, 2012 by

From the moment we arrive at the Arnolfini and are asked to remove our shoes and put on white socks, there is a kinetic sense of anticipation in the air, the audience bunching nervously towards the entrance of the auditorium. Darkness envelops us, and the space into which we must step is fenced by shoulder-height […]

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Curious Directive: Your Last Breath

Curious Directive: Your Last Breath

February 9th, 2012 by

If science and philosophy did not sit comfortably within theatre then last year would not have seen the frustratingly engaging Schrödinger from Reckless Sleepers or the beautifully desperate The Writer from Ulrike Quade. Yet somehow Curious Directive, who set out in their manifesto to ‘interrogate the simple role which science plays in everyday life’, have produced a work that […]

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Improbable: The Devil and Mister Punch

Improbable: The Devil and Mister Punch

February 7th, 2012 by

Improbable’s new show, led in this case by director / designer Julian Crouch, is a strange and stirring affair. The opening moments are near perfection, for me. In a gilt frame, against a blue sky, a single, gloveless hand presents itself: the puppet unmasked. Through another small panel, a hand reaches out and sets a […]

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The Llanarth Group: Echo Chamber ¦ Photo: Katie O'Reilly

The Llanarth Group: Echo Chamber

January 27th, 2012 by

The Echo Chamber is an introverted and largely impenetrable hour-long piece of work that hovers between installation and performance. The piece is a collaboration between renowned psycho-physical actor trainer Phillip Zarrilli and Song of the Goat performer Ian Morgan, directed by experimental performance and installation group MKultra’s Peader Kirk. On stage: two men, two rooms. The […]

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Rhum and Clay Theatre Company: Shutterland

Rhum and Clay Theatre Company: Shutterland

January 27th, 2012 by

With the mechanically open charm of the Lecoq performance style Rhum and Clay present a space of illusive freedom and hegemonic control. Three men in gas masks and trench coats guide, affect and respond to the world of the central character Lublin, a ministry clerk of no import, deftly played with an anxious energy by […]

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