Theatre Review: One On One Festival @ BAC

By Hazel Last edited 164 months ago
Theatre Review: One On One Festival @ BAC

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You have to take it all personally; that's the best way to deal with the extraordinary encounters in the One On One festival at BAC. You can't be anonymous, you can't hide at the back, you can't go silent when asked to sing up: it's just you and a performer working together to make the performance happen. Just walking into a room feels like making an enormous contribution; this is perhaps the most rewarding, satisfying element of this challenging festival - how important YOU the audience member is to the production and processes of theatre.

Our pre-arranged itinerary meant we were booked for four performances with free time in between to explore peripheral encounters and mini-shows in the building. It's impossible to go into detail about the things we saw, the things we did - each journey is unique, each encounter is different, no two performances can or will be the same. We went to hospital in the attic, becoming a patient hoping that today would be the day to be well. We heard the first thought that came into a man's head. We sang an Elvis song in a tiny forest. We went to hospital again for a deep clean treatment of the soul. And we joined a lovely conspiracy led by the mysterious Rabbit, involving answerphone messages, stickers, boxes behind pillars and kind words.

It doesn't make sense until you've been there yourself - and even then, you'd probably not recognise your own experience in the above description. Because it's all about you, what you bring to the performances, what the performances ask of you. We recommend you be bold, book a ticket and see if you like going one on one. We think you will.

One On One Festival, BAC, until 18 July. For more information and to book tickets, go to the BAC website.

Last Updated 09 July 2010