The night is a series of 10 minutes performances for artists to test their ideas. The George and Hazel show by Nayantara Kotian starts off with a mixture of film and live performances set in 50s. It is not surreal enough to be quirky and lacks any sort of narrative to hold the attention. The second is A Time of Growth by Roisin O’Mahony and Chiara Goldsmith. The third is Hurt Club by Ana Esmith which is a great comedic creation with a faux doctor full of innuendos and audience participation. Definite potential here.
After the interval, Shifting Mirrors by Burning Theatre created a audience participation show which starts off by reading instructions from each seat which prompts each audience member to act at a prompt. It is great fun as everyone has a different task and when it runs smoothly, it can be impressive. It needs a better narrative and further development. Observations of a Stick Stirrer by Nonsuch Theatre with Edward Booth, Eva Solveig and Anna Korolainen, creates a show surround all things coffee and every jokes and puns one can think of to accompany it. It may be fun for short while but I’m not sure about the mileage in it. The Cruel Mother by Simon Ryninks and Hanna Harlyn is an adaptation of the book by Sian Busby. The final segment is Car Crash by Kris Rowland, James Allum and Partick Ashe. This has real potential to be a full blown show, playing around with the idea of a car crash of a show. From shambolic cues to car crash karaoke, it’s a series of highly choreographed foul ups which should impress if done well.
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