Got a ticket to the Saturday night performance of BLANK, for the usual reasons. There were a number of both famous (and infamous) faces in attendance.
Continuing the formal experiment that marked White Rabbit Red Rabbit, Nassim Soleimanpour brings us BLANK. In a joint effort between audience and performer, the gaps in the script are filled in to reveal a story that celebrates the human imagination. As formally inventive as it is engaging, Blank reverses the typical theatre experience: A script riddled with blanks leaves the audience in charge of how the story will unfold. The concept might be simple, the result is nothing short of empowering as a random audience member sees his or her future determined by the imagination of others.
Known for plays without directors, sets and rehearsals, the acclaimed Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour takes it to new extremes. Each night Nassim’s play full of blanks is to be completed by a new performer before a live audience. The play becomes a story machine to share the life-story of the playwright, the performer and a random audience member.
It's similar to White Rabbit, Red Rabbit (WRRB) (no rehearsal, etc), that much I knew going in. Like WRRB, each show in the run is done by a different performer. The performer for this night was Sharifah Amani, who I suppose did oh-kay, all things considered? She missed her place in the script a few times and had to rewind, but what to do?
Long story short: it involves a marker, stack of paper and having to be open to have a theatre full of randos know random bits about your life. It's like a game of Mad Libs with someone's life and a live theatre audience. She picked this lady in the front row who REALLY didn't want to be on stage to be the "protagonist" of the crowd sourced "story machine". I'm sure when she came to the show, she wasn't expecting to BE the show. My introvert self feels terrible for her.
Rest of the audience wasn't any better at the improv than she was when told to fill in the blanks for her post-show future (everyone had to fill in one blank at a time, passing the mic along). Luckily it didn't get to where I was. There was even a mock funeral at the end for the "protagonist" where everyone (except a certain someone) stood up for.
If you hate audience participation in your theatre-going as much as I do, don't go to this. Or do, but make sure you sit towards the back of the house. There's only one show left as this goes up, but if you want a different theatre experience...
Rest of the audience wasn't any better at the improv than she was when told to fill in the blanks for her post-show future (everyone had to fill in one blank at a time, passing the mic along). Luckily it didn't get to where I was. There was even a mock funeral at the end for the "protagonist" where everyone (except a certain someone) stood up for.
If you hate audience participation in your theatre-going as much as I do, don't go to this. Or do, but make sure you sit towards the back of the house. There's only one show left as this goes up, but if you want a different theatre experience...
- Everyone was wearing those beige head mics, which didn't do much for sound, honestly. Chew Kin Wah (who was seated in the row in front of me) loudly asked why wasn't she projecting (which she could as a stage performer) her voice. She gestured that it wasn't her choice. But I think they killed her mic afters so that she could...? I mean, these are professional stage actors lah, they can PROJECT one.
- It takes most people longer to think up of a lie on the spot than it is to tell the truth.... unless you're a sociopath.
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