Sam salutes the Magpies and uses them to read his future. In a piece of theatre that uses technology, spoken word and audience participation, it explores the objects we use and the stories we tell about them.
YesYesNoNo theatre company make work concerned with discovering what democratic artistic endeavours can look like. They are an award-winning, Manchester-based theatre company that delves the exploration of theatre as a democratic space. The company’s aim is to create a space where real experiences are expressed through unreal means. [Insert Slogan Here] is a relatively simple concept that creates intrigue about how we view the everyday things in our lives and how they push our story forward.
Standing on stage with desks either side, Sam is joined on stage by two people that each creates either the music or video to accompany Sam’s moments of spoken word on stage. He begins the show talking about an experience with heightened description and intensity, each word that he spits out is laced with intricate detail and has the audience gripped to his narrative.
He talks about a car, the Volvo XC60 to be exact, that is created and personalised to give the feeling that you are in complete control. Using the idea of his car he invites an audience member on stage to use his pile of cardboard boxes to create their vision of a car on stage. Whilst they are doing that, he asks them simple yet interesting questions that draw out an insight into the audience member’s life, and makes them think about something they may never have thought too deeply about before. Most people would run a mile at the thought of audience participation but Sam’s delicate approach makes the room feel like an entirely safe space.
Throughout the show he has someone build the car, customise the car and personalise it, all by asking them questions about the experience of their first kiss, first friend and first home. Each conversation varies in depth and interest but the whole show is crafted so excellently that we find ourselves drawn into every piece of dialogue, whether rehearsed, improvised or absurd, it all moulds together to form a moving piece of theatre that really makes you think.
[Insert Slogan Here] is on at Push Festival at HOME Mcr and information can be found here.
