It's all for you - the One-On-One theatre experience

Article: A theatre play - all to yourself
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10661292

Bolshi Theatre, Moscow, Russia

I was attracted to the article by its headline 'A theatre play - all to yourself'. A traditional view of theatre performance is to give a collective experience to the wider public. The solo experience here certainly suggests some oddity.


I like the way the writer uses scenes to take the readers on a journey before introducing the One-On-One Festival. I did imagine myself being greeted by 10-year-old boy outside the theatre on a Saturday night, and then followed him down to a dark alleyway and into a car before meeting the performer.


If the main focus of theatre is on the human being, artists and performers should justify not only their work but also who they are as dynamic human beings. The One-On-One Festival has done a great job in achieving this goal. The writer stresses that audience participation at this festival is at its 'very highest level'. Taking part in the show gives the audience a completely different theatre experience. With just £17.50, you will be the sole audience member in the show where you are catered for and entertained. It's all for you. What's the harm in trying?

Punchdrunk's The Masque of the Red Death

Photo: Tristram Kenton

I'm particularly interested in the writer's idea of 'being intimate with a stranger'. To what extent should the audience be intimate with the performer? That leaves us to find out. Readers are encouraged to face their fears if they are not the type of persons who are comfortable with strangers. This is something i doubt. Is 'facing your fears' the aim behind the festival? Or is it merely a product of human creativity? No source is given in the article to support this.


The article has given a brief account of the 'performance' in the festival, such as The Star of Nurse Knows Best, where the audience is being put to bed and treated as a patient; and an 'adventure' where the audience will enter a wardrobe to find a secret room where an actor will dress him/ her up in odd clothes. Together with a video showing these performance, readers are able to get a glimpse of what actually would happen in the festival, which may help them decide their suitability to attend the show.


I would suggest the writer to include in the article details of similar festivals in other countries for comparison. In an article 'For your eyes only: theatre just for you' published in The Guardian's website, the writer shares his experience with several one-person shows in Toronto. It give readers an insight into the power and popularity of this new art form. Art is something everyone can share and enjoy, and is not limited to physical boundaries.



Other sources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/may/08/one-on-one-theatre


Photo courtesy of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/may/08/one-on-one-theatre