Concept, Text, Direction, Video and Costume Design: Choy-Ping Clarke-Ng 吳彩萍
A concept piece by Choy-Ping Clarke-Ng 吳彩萍 allows us to eavesdrop and snoop into the lives of the characters put forward. Attendees were advised to bring headphones and were provided for those without. Meeting at the Dublin Theatre Festival box office, the audience are then guided a couple of metres away to a street in Temple Bar. A projector fills the first storey of a window with film. The performance begins with voices in the earpieces as the digital curtains are opened. It is a confusing and eerie feeling. The audience are now voyeurs.
The show does not have a chronological plot line. There is sufficient character development but no moral lesson or takeaway. It rather pushes the boundaries of what actually comprises “theatre.” Film, dance and music merge seamlessly to present questions. Several of which are never answered in the course of the performance. The audience is tasked with filling in the gaps. The prominent feeling after this show is confusion. Watching the characters through their window, one can make the comparison to a cage, something so familiar post lockdown.
The collaboration of mediums is interesting and different but the execution is poor. This is through no fault of the creator and artists but rather the location of the performance. Temple Bar is flooded with footfall at any time of the day but especially at night during these performances. Passersby interrupt by questioning the audience, stopping and staring at the group of people with upward tilted heads. The audio is also sometimes lost due to the congestion of cars and crowds. Publicans are expected, it is Temple Bar after all. While it adds to the ambience, some of the drama is lost. A lesser populated street may have been more suitable.
The entire performance was unexpected; a welcome breath of fresh air. As part of the Dublin Theatre Festival, the variety not only enriches the programme but proves that Irish theatre making is advancing towards modern and non-traditional forms.
Lasting for 20 minutes, it is not a massive commitment and viewers will not regret taking part. It leaves the audience with questions just as the whole picture is never revealed when peeking through a window at any given moment.
A must watch for those wishing for something new and different during the Dublin Theatre Festival.
Runs until 8 October 2022.
