Devised by the company based on an idea by Christine Devaney
Co-Directed by Christine Devaney, Maria Oller, and Jo Timmins
Composer David Paul Jones
From the moment you step into the Traverse foyer, it is clear that The Table is not a piece of theatre meant to be passively observed. Instead, audience members are immediately confronted by the cast and asked a deceptively simple question: “Who invited you?”
Audiences are handed maps to navigate their way into the performance space. Some audience members are directed to enter via the stage itself and, as there are already performers on stage, the boundary between spectator and performer has already been blurred. A pre-recorded soundscape echoes over the auditorium, listing guests who would be invited and those who wouldn’t be, and why—ranging from Donald Trump to Kermit the Frog.
This ambitious, intergenerational collaboration between Curious Seed, Lung Ha Theatre Company, and Lyra is a beautiful exploration of space and belonging. The sheer joy of the production lies in trying to decode its hierarchy. Co-directors Christine Devaney, Maria Oller, and Jo Timmins have crafted a world where it is happily impossible to differentiate between professional facilitators and participants. Whether executing fluid, repeated movement motifs or building into large, joyous ensemble numbers, the question of who is leading and who is following becomes entirely irrelevant.
At the centre of it all is the literal and metaphorical table. The production brilliantly unpacks the object’s significance through projected artwork and a poignant text sequence that traces a table’s journey from a living tree to a social centrepiece where things like size dictate status.
In a standout middle sequence, cast members are forced to justify what they “bring to the table” to gain entry, resulting in pitches that range from a Michael Jackson dance routine to a heartfelt, “well, all my friends are in there.” It is a sequence that encapsulates the production’s greatest triumph: balancing unpredictability with a deeply safe, supportive, and warm environment.
By the time audience members are invited onto the floor to dance at the climax, The Table has successfully transformed a room of strangers into a community. It is a messy, unpredictable, and moving reminder of what happens when we make room for everyone.
Runs until 20 June 2026 | Image: Peter Dibdin
