Shooting the White Eagle – Just the Big Room, Just the Tonic at the Caves. ***

The audience provides the extras and crews in this shoot of the Gulag epic which features extracts from the testimonials of survivors. Produced by Pinhole Theatre, audience members are invited to play the guards, prisoners and doctors who are somewhat immersed in the horror and brutality of the subject matter. The cast of two works on their own material and piecing together a story with the help of an occasional lines from the extras. But with the presence of a camera, clapper board and the personable persona of the two actors leading the proceedings, the material is lost within the logistic of the show. Also, the lack of an end product is disappointing given it shouldn’t be that difficult to edit a rough draft of the film. It is an interesting idea with the right ingredients but lacking in refinement.