Short Plays, Big Stories, The Bull
On Thursday night, I had the privilege of attending ‘Short Plays, Big Stories’, the latest project from Indigo Arts Collective, at The Bull.
This production was refreshingly different from the host of performances we’ve been enjoying this Fringe season, in that within the brief hour’s run time, we witnessed a whole conglomerate of short pieces. Firstly, I must commend all the efforts put into the staging, for at this event, we were taken from a pub in Camden, to a 1920s dance hall and beyond. Each performer brought their set to life and transformed the atmosphere of the room.
There was a content warning on the door which I do believe was fully warranted as the themes raised were indeed BIG. From discussions of mental health, loneliness, fear and isolation - our cast navigated their individual worlds with a raw and honest humanity. Indeed, whilst each act was a definitive shift from the next, there were wholly conducive moments which reminded us of our shared attributes, the connectedness of mankind which transcends settings, eras, situations. All of which reminded us that life can be so many things, quaint, messy, challenging, inspiring and so much more.
Our first act looked at modern relationships. Most of which are, nowadays, played out online via apps and websites, where we cannot quite decipher genuine emotions of feelings of togetherness in the ether. We investigate the nature of inflicted solitude and isolation, via the comparative case study of ‘Nigel No-Mates’ - the famous New Zealand Gannet who was the sole member of his species living on an island. To tackle his loneliness, the government erected sculptures to keep him company. The issue was, when real gannets landed on the island, Nigel shunned them, preferring his artificial companions. The play asked us - why, with all these ‘social applications’ are we lonelier than ever? Why do we choose to live out our relationships in the digital sphere - and is this real connection? Perhaps if we made the time to properly reach out, actually commit to those plans to meet up IRL or even just give our mates a phone call, we would all feel better for it.
The next play was an innovative take on the classic tale of Macbeth. Now this really was the epitome of a ‘big story’ told in a very short space of time. And yet, with a clever and humorous take on the three witches, Lady Macbeth as a pub landlord and of course the haunted and remorseful Macbeth himself, safe to say it was pulled off well. Achieved mostly due to the casts impressive ability to render down the Shakespearean plot to its core elements. The well-known characters in Macbeth were wonderfully embodied and decidedly fleshed out. The resonant components of the original story were tackled head on, but with humour and depth. This made for wonderful, brief entertainment with the full force of the whole story.
Next, we entered the world of the first woman in Greek mythology, Pandora (she with the box). Cursed with insatiable curiosity by Zeus, she led us on an investigation of what drives us towards transgression. Clasping to the tangible and tormented by a struggle to contain her own imagination - the play really got down to the depths of human nature. Examining the inner psyche of this largely overlooked female character, we explored the archetype of the woman cursed with a fate out of her control and ‘incapable of her own distress’. We witnessed her question her womanhood - struggling against the patriarchal forces that kept her confined, her inner demons and insecurities and even her own humanity. Was she in fact the architect of her own downfall? The conductor of her own destiny? Or merely a player in a game beyond her control?
Finally, our last act revolved around an ‘Emcee’-esque figure, a Cabaret-style master of ceremonies who promises us - ‘theatricals!’ Set in the glamorous and transformative period of the 1920s - our character’s story begins when, at their lowest point they turned to God, and met their redemption in the form of a rebellious nun. Our character finds both their imagination and their heart captured by this extraordinary figure and begins a journey of passion and liberation. It traversed themes of gender identity and forbidden love. Same-sex relationships were, at this time, relegated to certain safe-spaces or ‘clubs’. This is not to say, however, that police raids on these more inclusive institutions were not a constant threat.
On the whole, each piece in the turn was an explorative and revealing journey. All had enough potential and material to warrant even further development, and could have easily taken up the whole hours run time - and more. I am amazed, therefore, that so much could be conveyed in so little words. These plays were open, honest and, most importantly real. We were gifted with a selection of narratives with so so much to give. I congratulate the entire cast and crew on what is, in many ways, a triumph.