Immersive theatre is becoming increasingly popular and at this year’s Flatpack Festival, theatre company The Other Way Works have created a new production titled A Moment Of Madness that puts you in the heart of the action.
The company aim to allow their audiences to explore places and perspectives using real world spaces and emerging technologies. In this production you are invited into the world of political scandals. It involves staking out in multi-storey car park in Birmingham city centre using surveillance and evidence to expose corrupt politician Michael Makerson.
It’s a really interesting idea that is quite complex but as you go along more things begin to make sense. Without spoiling the experience, the audience are given the task to spy on Michael and find out what is really going on. This includes a fully immersive theatrical experience in the car park where different team are located in different stationary cars and given tasks to do, all whilst a group of actors are continuing the story around you. Everyone is a suspect and anything could be part of the performance, so it’s a thrilling and exciting hour and a half of suspense.
The actors are superb, you meet Lily played by Deborah Tracey who is stern and serious as you addresses the group with their challenge. Despite any giggles from unsure audience members, she never breaks character and improvises brilliantly to rogue questions. Equally, Laurence Saunders is fantastic as Michael Makerson the corrupt politician. He is excellently over the top and resembles the classic stereotype of a politician with his pompous persona. His interactions with Shaban Dar and Hussein Kissar are coy and mysterious which works well when they’re acting questionably during the production.
Without giving too much away, A Moment Of Madness is a well devised and interesting piece of immersive theatre. Not only do you feel part of the action but it also has a real ‘escape room’ feel with the puzzles and challenges you do as an audience member. I’d definitely recommend getting a group together and spending the evening right in the heart of a political drama.
Touring to Waterman’s Arts Centre in Brentford and Stockton International Riverside Festival, information can be found on their website.
