Sphere

For the last 2 nights, I have been helping out at the Shop Front Theatre, on the bar for their show 'Sphere', which is the final of their 9 shows commissioned in their 'Are We Where We Are' series. Here's what Chris O'Connell has to say about the project.

"Are We Where We Are? is a two-year theatre project inspired by the work of the American novelist Henry David Thoreau, whose book ‘Walden: A Life In The Woods’ was published in 1854. In the book, Thoreau writes at one point: “We are not where we are, but in a false position”."

(Words taken from his blog post at http://www.theatreabsolute.co.uk/blog/2017/04/04/are-we-where-we-are-by-chris-oconnell/)

This is something that Chris and Julia found interesting, and turned the statement into a question to give to their actors, writers, and creatives to give a response to.

The 7 creatives wove their work together in a way I have never seen before. One sung responses between each performance, one coded some visual work as a response to the question, one responded through poetry, and others gave pieces about knife crime, social media and technology, homelessness, racism, and Brexit.

The night was fresh and enlightening. Despite the fact these topics seem heavy, the way they were written about and performed was beautiful and thought provoking.

The set up of the theatre itself was also refreshing. Everyone was sat round tables with lamps and blankets. The actors wove around people and ensured everyone could see everything.

The time I spent there was enjoyable and I loved being able to see the performance twice. Being able to work on the bar and speak to other likeminded people in Coventry about the piece and about themselves was really interesting. They also did post show discussions where I got to find out more about the pieces.

The 'Are We Where We Are' series is now completed! I am proud to say I have been to all of them except the first performance which I just did not know about in time. The publication on a whole has been really enjoyable.

The next piece at the Shop Front is 'Fugue In A Minor Key' By Richard Walls on 21st November 7.30pm.

If you are available you should go down and see it. Whatever the Shop Front do, it is always eye opening and enjoyable. The space also makes it quirky and more homely.

Thanks for reading!

Katie Xx