A Multimedia Thing (Era Schaeffera) @ Tom Fleming Centre (Summerhall)

A Multimedia Thing is an offsite production from the Summerhall venue at The Tom Fleming Centre. This venue is grander in size and the production of A Multimedia Thing is all the better for it.

The structure of the performance revolves around the rehearsal of a play. The two main performers on stage battle each other for recognition and respect. The performance consists of seemingly non-sequitur and abstract motifs, where the actors (Waldemar Obloza and Marek Frąckowiak) question art, culture and music.

Throughout the performance a video of the writer/composer/artist Boguslaw Schaeffer can be seen above the stage. He has a god-like presence over the presentation: he has an aura of a master manipulator pulling the puppet strings of the entertainers on stage.

The performance itself questions the role of the audience and blurs the definition of performer and voyeur. Actress Agnieszka Wielgosz is situated in the audience, where she develops a dialogue with the actors on stage. This can be confusing at times, but A Multimedia Thing offers questions and not a strict linear narrative.

A Multimedia Thing is a rare and unique piece of theatre and feels like a true avant-garde experiment. The structure is somewhat difficult to follow, but the experience is more than engaging, where the audience feels privileged to have witnessed something so distinctive.