HYPER @ Summerhall

HYPER, by Ois O'Donoghue and Jaxbanded Theatre, begins with a prologue direct to the audience. The actors, playing versions of themselves, establish who the play is for (not us) and who we probably are (cis, straight). It's intentionally tell-don't-show; there can be no mistaking who this prologue is meant to address (despite its insistence that the show is definitely, 100%, not for us). 

From perhaps an overly technical point of view, the size of the Former Women's Locker Room at Summerhall turns this prologue into a bit of a stumbling block. The audience can see each other, and – not to be clocky – the actors' haughty invectives about us being predominantly cis and straight don't quite land. But it's clearly not about us (again, the show isn't for us, if you remember). The prologue addresses a symbolic audience of 'normies' – 'The System', one might say – who represent all of the hostile interactions and ignorant questions fielded by trans people on a day-to-day basis. 

The show carries this invigorating 'fuck you' energy all the way through. The intimate space is also a major strength; the audience is very much present in each scene. When the audience are called upon to read the lines of a toilet transphobe in unison, the weight of the discomfort was shared amongst everyone in the room. This brilliant moment asks the audience to inhabit and embody transphobia in an act of collective shielding, infinitely more meaningful than just helplessly watching it unfold. 

HYPER is strongest where it showcases the relationship between O'Donoghue as Immaterial Saoirse and Fiona Larmon as Saoirse. Their dynamic crosses the fourth wall, building a touching connection between an artist and the person playing a version of her inner self. Larmon's performance is an act of care, and O'Donoghue's an act of trust. 

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HYPER, Summerhall (Former Women's Locker Room), until 26 Aug, 8.15pm, £17