The Parlour Showrooms on College Green became a pop-up theatre venue for a night, with a launch party for Theatre Uncut. This international event ploughs into its third year, to inspire theatrical productions in more than 17 countries.
The festival features seven short plays by seven playwrights on a political theme. They are provided royalty-free for anyone to perform anywhere, anyway they like, throughout the month of November.
Originally started as a response to the planned arts cuts by the coalition government, this year’s political theme revolves around the provocation, ‘Do we all get more right wing in hard times?’
The launch event co-organised by Kitty Wheeler Shaw from the physical theatre company Guilty Party spiced things up with a jam session from a variety of acts, to surround the occasional speech.
Centre-stage, however, was a performance of one of the seven plays, Amanda by Kieran Hurley, simply, but entertainingly directed by the Wardrobe Theatre’s Matthew Whittle.
It evolves around the joy of that relaxing moment when you’ve thrown a sickie and sink into a beautifully-scented, hot bath. The question is, however, does the relaxer really deserve to take the time off? What guilty secrets are she trying to shy away from?
The play was sensitively interpreted by just two actors. Alison Campbell subtly captured the guilt pangs intermingling with the desire for oblivion, while Meghan Leslie peppered the scenario with witty observations. Together they convincingly transformed a barren set into a luxuriant bathroom.
Amanda will be performed at the Tobacco Factory later in this month and there are several performances scheduled for the other plays around Bristol.
Of course, there is also still time for you to put on your own version royalty-free before the end of November.
By Anthony Story
