Orestria

Picture taken by Daniel Etter.

I admit, I have come late to the day for Orestria, it's already way past transfer and a hundred or two reviews and meditations. I have even already seen the sorely disappointing Bakkhai, the second 'Greek' in the Almeida's seasonal trilogy. I've well and truly missed the cultural zeitgeist. So my reflections will be personal, with the hope that some universality will be contained within.

On Set Design in the The Trial, Young Vic.

When you put a conveyer belt on the stage, people often say things like; Why did they do that? I think the more appropriate question is; Why wouldn't you do that? English audiences are very suspicious of set design, they feel it is too tricksy, an add on, a bit of frou frou. I heard several complaints as I left the theatre after watching 'The Trial' at the Young Vic (all, I observed, from middle aged men and women, though don't ask me to reflect on this) about the set and the costumes. 'What was the point?', 'Too weird', 'What's wrong with just normal theatre and normal staging?' Were there similar comments being made after the introduction of the revolving stage in Les Miserable? I don't know, I wasn't there, but maybe.

Bakkhai, Almeida.

Hair

The hair did the talking. Sometimes I liked what it said and sometimes I didn't.

Why we should dance like no ones watching and watch like no ones dancing.

I was hanging out with my 8 year old niece the other day. We were driving along (I was driving, I don't let her drive, I am a responsible adult). I was trying to explain my job to her and her dad asked what her most favourite bit of theatre was. She didn't say Matilda which I know that she loved and she didn't say Billy Elliot which she also enjoyed, although she was disappointed the bad lady (Maggie Thatcher) never appeared and she did, at one point, ask why Barry was so upset ('You mean Billy? The main character?').

No, she didn't say any musicals in fact, she said, 'Watching my dad dance.'

Preston Bill, Andy Smith, Z Arts Theatre, Flare Festival, Manchester.

Scenes for a conversation after viewing a Michael Haneke film, El Conde de Torrefiel, Contact, Flare Festival, Manchester.

Actress, Sleepwalk Collective, Contact, Flare Festival, Manchester.

Cuncrete, Rachael Clerke, Martin Harris Theatre, Flare Festival, Manchester.

When you talk about 'The Swimmer' will you talk about yourself?, Antoine Fraval, Martin Harris Theatre, Manchester.

Fifteen words on each show from Thursday nights triple bill at the Flare Festival, in no order of heirarchy.

Flare Festival Opening, Contact, Manchester.

The Circulation Game, Ashley Williams, Martin Harris Theatre, Flare Festival, Manchester.

Whoaaa Steady! Leentje Van de Cruys/University of Salford, Martin Harris Theatre, Flare Festival, Manchester.

Photo Credit: www.twinkleglitter.com

Duckie, Border Force, Brighton Dome, Pride 2015.

Have you ever experienced that unnerving intimacy that occurs at passport control?

They gaze into your eyes, their focus only on you, they want to know everything about you, they smile, you smile, then they hand you back your passport and tell you to move on. You leave blushing, whispering to yourself something about uniforms and jet lag and head straight to the bathroom to splash your face with cold water.

Maybe.