The Abattoir Pages

Synopsis

This Hallowe’en, the infamous horror author Helen Mayer will hold court at a debauched secret party. She will share the perverse and warped research conducted inside the old abandoned abattoir, which was the genesis of her greatest work. In this dark playground, the very nature of human terror has been tested, abused and fed into the living story 'The Forest'. The author invites you to solve the puzzle and unlock the terrifying history within the old and powerful pages hidden throughout the slaughterhouse. Each holds a key to learning the truth of an ancient tale, which will ensure your survival. Tonight, a debt will be repaid to blood dishonoured. An eternal nightmare rises up from the depths of the dark boreal forest, in the shadow of the mountain. It comes to feed on new meat inside an old abattoir.

Our Review:

23 October 2009

The audience for The Abattoir Pages queue on the street next to a sign reading ‘Helen Mayer’s Private Party’, before being called in one-by-one and icily instructed to sign in. The eerie hostess then leads us into the bowels of the building, where the fun starts. The first part of the evening is an exhibition by 21 artists, including video installations, sculptures and weird dead things in medical jars. As instructed, the audience shuffle around in silence, watched by members of the cast, dressed in animal heads and tuxedos. The effect is unsettling, like a David Lynch nightmare, and no one wants to stray too far from the crowd.

Eventually one of the characters calls everyone together and announces that we are to witness some of the last work of (fictional) visionary writer Helen Mayer, who has since retired. Disconcertingly, the audience is then divided up and escorted, by the animal-heads, to various rooms and spaces to meet ...

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Latest User Review

Louise Taylor - 24 November 2009:

I thought the production was fantastic- I had an amazing time exploring the space and following different characters. I got split up from my friends and when we all went to the pub after we compared our journeys through the performance, and we tried to piece the story together. I thought all the performers were fantastic and I loved the story. I spent a lot of time looking through the archives, so I learnt a lot about the story before the performance even started. I would recommend their work to anyone. ...

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