Anonmyity, 24:7 Theatre Festival, 25/7/14

Two workers, Brendan (Gareth George) and Al (Joe Bateman) start work in the basement of a building. Their instructions are precise but mysterious, there are strict rules that must not be broken, and both seem afraid of the consequences of failure to follow the rules and step over the lines, real or imaginary. This play, written by one of the performers, Gareth George, examines themes of trust, fear, deception and misdirection of each other and the audience.

This is a play where nothing much actually happens, there is little narrative, a lot of it makes no sense whatsoever, it has a slightly unsatisfying ending and a lack of any explanation of circumstances or characters. This is just the type of writing that usually drives me mad. It often indicates a lack of respect for an audience and a writer who wants to show off. But somehow here, despite a long week of theatre going, and possibly an increasingly short attention span, I really enjoyed it and was gripped for the majority of it!

I think it was probably down to the quality of the performances from George and Bateman, together with an interesting script, a simple but effective staging, and excellent sound that combined to great effect to build a sense of menace and intrigue. The character of Brendan in particular was fascinating, often inconsistent, possibly hiding something, possibly behind this whole strange situation. Al was a more 'straight up' kind of guy, wanting to get the job done but clearly in great fear of the consequences of not delivering to the brief.

It wasn't perfect, I think there was probably one character that was surplus to requirements, and that strangely unsatisfying ending, but I personally was completely absorbed, enjoyed it, it made me think and stayed with me long after I left the venue.

Three Women, 24:7 Theatre Festival 25/7/14

I try not to put too many spoilers in my blog entries, but it's quite hard to talk about Three Women without revealing the event that has led to the situation we witness in this play by Mari Lloyd. As I saw this on the last festival day though I think I'm pretty safe!

Three generations of the same family gather on the morning of a funeral, that of daughter Ellie's child, a concealed pregnancy stillborn at 22 weeks. Ellie (Lily Shepherd) has not yet come to terms with, or even fully processed, what has happened, Mum Lorraine (Jackie Jones) has arranged everything trying to put right events of the past when she herself lost a child and sank into depression, Nan (Annie Edwards) just wants her family to get through this but doesn't know the right way to support both mother and daughter.

This is pretty emotional subject matter and the play tries to deal with a lot in the short running time. It's an interesting situation to explore with complex feelings to portray and I feel it probably needed a bit more time to develop the characters fully. It's also told in real time, and as such the emotional journeys each of the characters take in such a small time frame seem a little unrealistic.

Despite that there are moments of really touching emotion and realistic interaction portrayed by the cast, and a very impressive set has been created by designer Emily Adamson. All in all I felt it was an interesting concept and something that with a bit of further development could have a life beyond the festival.

Pass, 24:7 Theatre Festival, 24/7/14

The 24:7 Theatre Festival turns ten this year, and in tribute I am on a mission to see all ten original plays and blog about them. This week I've spent every lunch hour at the theatre, and quite a few after work outings too, but I'm on track so far!

Today's lunchtime session was to see Pass, by new writer Naomi Sumner which focuses on three characters, Jake (Ethan Rogers) a schoolboy studying furiously for his mocks with a hope of going to college and building a better life for himself away from the Manchester estate he has grown up in, his girlfriend Maddie (Natasha Davidson) whose only ambition is to get married to Jake and settle down at any cost, and idealistic young teacher Louise (Johanna Hilton) who tries to help Jake realise his potential.

If I'm honest, I found this play to be somewhat predictable and cliched. There was no real complexity to the characters, and I found it hard to invest in them or care about the outcome. Some of the characters' actions and reactions to events seemed emotionally flat and unrealistic.

The idea of exploring actions and consequences and the folly of youth was an interesting one, and there were elements of the writing and performance that showed promise, but for me it didn't quite come off here and isn't a play that will stick in my memory I'm afraid.