Borderline Vultures, Secret Location, Salford Quays 19/10/12

Borderline Vultures is the latest of the productions in the InOnTheAct festival commissioned jointly by The Lowry and The Quays Arts and Cultural Development. It is turning out to be a wonderful series of works, and this latest creation is no exception. In fact ‘normal’ theatre is going to seem ever so dull after this!

Ever since I’d seen Happystorm Theatre’s brilliant ‘CryptProject : New Depths’ earlier this year I had been excited to see what they would come up with next, so, when details began to emerge about their latest commission, Borderline Vultures, there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to experience it. Happystorm ‘get’ social media, and on the run up to this production they’ve used it very effectively in order to keep in touch with their supporters and build up interest in the production, without ever giving anything away.

Immersive theatre seems to be becoming more common these days, or maybe I’m actively seeking it out. It’s where you get to fully experience a production rather than just watching it. When done well it can fool with your head and before you know it you forget you are an observer of a creation and almost become part of it. This production takes that one step even further by allowing the participants a degree of independence in the way they experience the event, and allows them to actually influence the action. It must require a real leap of faith by the actors involved as you can’t ever predict exactly how your audience will choose to react. The creators, performers and designers of this production did an amazing job in creating a truly absorbing and unforgettable experience.

The only drawbacks to something as unique and exciting as this are that you can only ever really experience it to full effect once with the magic intact (but that really makes it all the more special in my eyes), and that, as a blogger I have the same dilemma as I did with You Once Said Yes – how do I convey how great it was without spoiling it for someone who has yet to experience it?  So this account will be necessarily light on detail I’m afraid.

Audience members gather in the bar of the Holiday Inn and are welcomed to the experience by representatives of a mysterious organisation Syntech (this isn’t a spoiler – it’s on the website!). They are then escorted in small groups to a nearby secret  location where events will unfold. And then, to a great extent, it’s up to you to explore this strange world and interact with its inhabitants, most of whom do not share a common language with you. Initially I was a bit confused as to what my purpose was (although I did prove myself to be completely incapable of following a very simple instruction – sorry Laura!), but quickly the intrigue builds as you explore the environment and interact with and observe some of the characters that inhabit the facility. Before too long you are completely absorbed in the adventure, searching for clues that will help you understand what is happening, building up conspiracy theories, joining up with complete strangers to explore spaces, and in my case proving without a shadow of a doubt that what I lack in co-ordination I can make up for in enthusiasm! The more you open up to this experience, the more you will get out of it.

Cleverly designed and devised, the attention to detail is amazing, there is so much to engage the curious mind. The cast are excellent, completely convincing and engaging from the start, even without a common language, and you really start to care about them. There is a nice blend of mystery and playfulness, and an extremely joyous denouement culminating in an onsite bar where the participants excitedly discuss their experience.

All in all, this was a wonderfully innovative and well realised creation that I was so glad I experienced. It left me feeling excited, energised and reluctant to leave – I could have stayed in that world for much longer. In fact, if you’ll excuse the dreadful pun I left this amazing Happystorm adventure stormingly happy, and once again privileged to have been a part of it.

The Crypt Project : New Depths Lowry Theatre, Salford 17/1/12

Well, Happystorm Theatre’s production of The Crypt Project turned out to be a fascinating night and one I will not forget in a hurry.

It was billed as a promenade performance, taking place under the Lowry Theatre, exploring elements of addiction and mental health. An email arrived on the day of the performance advising sensible shoes should be worn, adding to the anticipation and I really didn’t know what to expect.

Each performance was limited to an audience of 30. We met in the main foyer of the theatre and were then led back outside, round to the rear of the building and in through a service entrance. Our small group were then issued with hard hats, and further split into four teams who would be guided round the performance separately.

We spent the next hour being led through corridors, into under-stage spaces, into the theatre auditorium, onto and behind the stage. It was completely disorientating and an extremely intense experience. Sometimes we would pause to witness events, such as an exchange between two characters in a corridor, at other times you would catch glimpses of activity as you passed by. You could also hear other things happening that you never saw. From time to time characters would rush past you, or you would glimpse things happening in rooms or corners as you were led by, or sometimes the audience itself would become almost part of the performance. At one point I was sitting in the theatre, watching action on the stage, with an actor sitting next to me, observing and commenting on the events on the stage.

Each of the four groups went round separately but consecutively, occasionally joining with another group to witness elements of the piece, and all experiencing the ‘whole’ in a slightly differing order. It must have been a superhuman feat of logistics to organise, yet it ran like clockwork.

Because the groups were so small it was an incredibly intense experience, and a real privilege to be seeing quality performances at such close quarters.

There were four main characters – Daniel (Matthew Ganley) Frances (Susi Wrenshaw), Jeanette (Denise Kennedy) and William (Ian Curley) - as events unfolded you realised that all of them were dealing with mental health or addiction issues, some more immediately apparent than others, and you got glimpses into their lives, and what might have influenced those issues. But this wasn’t a linear story with a beginning, a middle and an end, and in my opinion it was all the more clever for that.

Daniel’s issues are the most immediately apparent, the kind of person you might avoid in the street, but as events unfold you start to see the complexities of his character and the interactions between him and Frances are extremely touching. The intensity and energy of Matthew Ganley’s performance was amazing to witness. Frances and Jeanette on initial impression are both confident professionals, but as the event progresses you see they are both extremely complex and vulnerable people. Susi Wrenshaw’s portrayal of Frances was extremely moving, especially in the ‘bathroom scene’ as her issues and vulnerabilities become clear. Ian Curley as William shows us a lonely man, struggling with life and past regrets, and of all the characters his left me with the most questions.

But the highlight performance of the night for me was Denise Kennedy’s Jeanette. When we first properly meet her, as part of her project team meeting, it was an extremely humorous performance, and one that I recognise all too well from my day job. However, when we next see her, as silent observers in her hotel room, her dramatic unravelling is shown in a quite breathtaking portrayal that had the audience gripped.

When we eventually emerged back out into the theatre foyer I had the sense of having experienced something very special that had my mind in complete overdrive for long after I had left the building. The cast, crew and creative team should be very proud of themselves, it was an extraordinary night out and I consider myself very lucky to have been part of.