Fiction @ Unity Theatre, Liverpool

If you are looking for a taste of experimental theatre then it is worth keeping an eye on the programme of Liverpool’s Unity Theatre. With plays never running plays for more than a few nights and thus in increasingly high demand, the Unity is committed to presenting work that is both challenging and unusual – work that pushes the boundaries of contemporary theatre practice and nods towards the future trajectory of live performance.

Fiction is one such work.

‘You are invited to a lecture,’ it begins. ‘You know that the subject is probably important and it would be useful to hear what the speaker has to say but you can’t keep your eyes open. You will fall asleep and you will dream.’

Fiction is a performance that takes place entirely in the dark.

The second collaboration between director David Rosenberg (co-founder of Shunt) and writer Glen Neath, Fiction utilises binaural sound (a recording method that uses two microphones, arranged with the intent to create a 3D stereo-sound sensation for the listener, as though they're actually in the room with the performers or instrument) and complete darkness.

Intended to lead the audience through the sprawling architecture of their dreams, Fiction follows the success of Ring – Rosenberg and Neath’s first collaboration that delved into the performative possibilities of darkness and sound through the context of a self-help group.

Commissioned by Cambridge Festival of Ideas with help from Dr Tristan Bekinschtein of Cambridge University’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Fiction provides a theatrical experience of ‘lucid dreaming.’

It may sound absurd that a medium as inherently visual as theatre commits itself to absolute darkness, but perhaps the strongest images can be seen only with your eyes tightly shut… Try it out – if you really hate it there is always the option of a 60-minute nap.