Venue: The Lowry
Where: Salford
Analogue Theatre, with support from the New Wolsey Theatre and the Lowry, have developed this immersive experience for one audience member at a time, a work in progress for next year’s Edinburgh festival.
Comissioned by Farnham Maltings, Lecture Notes follows one performer, Philip Desmeules, a shadowy character: sometimes close in front of you, sometimes a reflection in a mirror and sometimes just an impression of someone near you.
Director Liam Jarvis has cleverly created movement for not only the performer but also the audience. As the only audience member you find yourself being several different characters within the plot and are occasionally asked to follow instructions to move the whole story forwards.
Set in a darkened room with simply a leather chair and a few props, this is not theatre for either the faint-hearted or for those who like to sit back and relax. However if you are willing to be open-minded and creative in your thinking, this is a truly evocative event.
The show already works very well so it is to be hoped that there are only tweaks made to what is a very thought-provoking encounter with yourself.
– Helen Jones