Instructions @ Summerhall
Instructions' central premise of a volunteer actor performing a play they don't know has its issues, but the show's use of technology is undeniably magnetic
There are two parallel stories in Instructions, directed by Nathan Ellis and produced by Subject Object. One is about the actor who volunteers to undergo the experiment of performing a play they don’t know – today, it is Nikhil (no last name given) who receives instructions via a monitor and headphones. The other story revolves around an actor auditioning for a film and the mystery of how the film was made with him in it, even though he was never actually present, hinting at the use of AI.
The actor agrees to do the show without fully knowing what they are getting into. The audience reads captions in silence while he is projected live onscreen and fed dialogue and instructions.
Inviting different actors to perform each night is a trend that often results in self-conscious, giggly acting – far removed from the cold readings recommended by old Michael Shurtleff, renowned for his book Audition, in which actors must immediately embody their characters and give their all. You would think that seeing an actor 'in the shit' would be thrilling, but in this case, it feels more painful than playful. The instructions seem more like impositions than offers, creating a force-fed quality that is unsettling.
It also feels as though the audience, like the actor, is compelled to go along with it. Any genuine opportunity for play is wrung out. Unsurprisingly, the actor quickly gains the audience's sympathy.
The show's blurb describes Instructions as exploring themes of AI, creativity and the dying days of capitalism. Both actors – the real one and the fictional – and the audience agree to do the show without fully knowing what they are getting into, feeling compelled to go through with it because, after all, there’s payment involved and an expectation to fulfil.
Is the show ultimately about consent and the illusion of having consented? What is incredible is that Instructions never fails to entertain, and the use of live video projection and captioning is undeniably magnetic.
Instructions, Summerhall (Old Lab), until 26 Aug, 1.10pm, £10-17