Creator: Papergang Theatre
To dream: a euphemism for attending a protest. Papergang Theatre makes a stand at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham this week with Dreamers, a piece exploring the aftermath of the 2019 Hong Kong riots.
Upon entering the performance space, the audience is swept up into the hustle and bustle of a faux-marketplace. A cluttered set design of scaffolding draped with torn materials somehow becomes magical through the infectious energy of the company. The performers enthusiastically gather audience members to visit their stalls, but there is no real pressure for shy viewers to involve themselves in the busy scene. It is equally satisfying to witness the delightful spectacle from afar as the charismatic company commands the stage from behind their pixelated cartoon masks.
A siren blares and the optimistic scene disperses in an instant as the audience is reminded of the true nature of the piece. Dreamers is a protest piece; merely by acknowledging the discontentment in Hong Kong the company is taking a risk. This is further emphasised by a mock introduction focusing on confidentiality and legal agreements. This sets up a difficult balance which the piece must maintain, to say ‘something’ without saying very much at all. Papergang Theatre are mostly successful in this mission, as there is an atmosphere of threat during even the silliest conversations.
A big component of Dreamers is the use of the messaging app Telegram. Audiences must join a group chat specific to the night’s performance and they receive information in the chat throughout the show. This is a highly engaging tactic which creates anticipation at every phone buzz. An automated voice reads all messages posted in the chat, which audience members are free to contribute to, and this naturally leads to some spontaneous laughs. Even funnier are the topical multiple choice questions with dry, sarcastic answers which constantly breathe fresh energy into the piece. There is true comic genius at play within the structure of these Telegram sections, which unfortunately risks upstaging the work of the performers onstage.
There are a lot of excellent moments in Dreamers, which thrive most when it leans into its absurdity. A sequence in which one performer lays on a blow up bed as it inflates from scratch is genuinely mesmerising. Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the dangerous context, the piece’s most effective and affecting moments are non-verbal.
Overall Dreamers is a very innovative and imaginative production which is structured creatively. The piece is extremely engaging in some parts, but for such a high-stakes production the level of tension is inconsistent and the episodic structure occasionally loses momentum.
Runs until 11 June
