Fiction comes to mac Theatre for two nights on Thurs 16th & Fri 17th October. Doors open at 8pm, with tickets priced at £14 (£12).
Created by Glen Neath (writer) and David Rosenberg (director), produced by Fuel Theatre, the 60minute show uses a combination of absolute darkness and binaural sound (sound recorded to trick the brain into thinking it is physically immersed elsewhere) to create ‘an anxious journey through the sprawling architecture of our dreams’. Or, as Fuel Theatre playfully offers, ‘it is an opportunity to get a 60 minute nap.’
Fiction invites the audience to don headphones, close their eyes and shut down their senses until they to ‘fall asleep… and dream’, whilst a ‘chaperone who knows the landscape’ leads the production’s narrative. Spooky stuff, but we are assured ‘nothing can go wrong… unless… no… just close your eyes.’ I’d love to see the risk assessment.
Following on from their previous production using sensory deprivation, the (generally) critically revered Ring, Fiction is the second collaboration from Neath and Rosenberg to be produced by Fuel Theatre.
Whilst receiving much acclaim from the arts press, with Andrzej Lukowski for Time Out stating ‘Rosenberg’s binaural sound design is immensely sophisticated’, Matt Wolf for The New York Times left a production of Ring ‘pretty much as you entered it, sight restored but awaiting illumination.’
But the power of the production approach (i.e. a narrative delivered in pitch black to an isolated audience) seems palpable across most experiences, with Deputy Editor for Wired.co.uk, Olivia Solon, even admitting ‘when one moderately gruesome scene was described, I found myself actively trying to have less sinister thoughts.’ And that was the Neath/Rosenberg partnership’s first crack of the whip.
Fuel Theatre, whose productions often challenge theatre’s more traditional approaches, has been celebrating their 10th anniversary throughout 2014; other Fuel Theatre productions currently running are This Last Tempest – a musical squeal to Shakespeare’s magical play, and Dusk – a child focused production where the young audience become part of the show.
Touring across the UK until November 8th, Fiction comes to mac Theatre before moving on to one date in Crewe and two dates in Cambridge.
Further performances of Fiction can be seen in Colchester, Folkstone and Margate – until the run comes to a close with two dates in Preston. Ed King will be at watching… well, hearing Fiction’s opening night at mac Theatre (Thurs 15th Oct) for a Birmingham Review.
Watch the official trailer for Fiction; click here or on the image below:
Fiction comes to mac Theatre for two nights on Thurs 16th & Fri 17th October. For further information & tickets, visit http://macbirmingham.co.uk/event/fuel-fiction/
For more on Fiction, visit http://www.fueltheatre.com/projects/fiction
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For more on David Rosenberg, visit http://www.requardt-rosenberg.com/
For more on Glen Neath, visit http://www.glenneath.co.uk/
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For more on Fuel Theatre, visit http://www.fueltheatre.com/
For more on mac Birmingham, including full event & exhibition listings, visit http://macbirmingham.co.uk/