An Afternoon Of Playback Theatre @ Sweet

Review by Emma Ainley-Walker | 19 Sep 2013

The company of An Afternoon of Playback Theatre are seasoned Fringe attendees and they certainly know what they're doing. What they are doing is sharing their own stories and collecting stories from the audience to then reconceptualise into short performance pieces for the players. It is interactive theatre at its most equal, in that the performance is led just as much, if not more, by the audience as the people on stage. 

They create an incredibly open and friendly environment, which makes it easy for the audience members to share their own stories. In addition, it doesn't act as a therapy session where a group of strangers suddenly start confessing their deepest darkest moments or hidden secrets. Instead, the company tend to focus on the lighter everyday tales, eliciting information about the storyteller to then capture in their reproduction of what has been told. It is an impressive skill the way they start by asking something simple about your day and then suddenly get someone to open up. Not many people can do that with such ease.

A special mention should be reserved for Richard Brocks, the man who makes the music happen and is responsible for creating the entire atmosphere behind what the performers themselves can do. Sitting in the back corner behind his keyboard and surrounded by instruments, he manages to glue the whole piece together, as well as filling any silences and thus avoiding any uncomfortable moments.

It is a fun, easy sharing experience for everyone to enjoy. Go along with a story to share and embrace a rare Fringe moment where you really can get to know the performers in front of you. 

 

Run ended http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/theatre/afternoon-of-playback-theatre