It’s always a slightly concerning sign when you’re sent “tests”
to do before a theatre show. In the case of Invisible
Treasure from production company fanSHEN, we were sent some optical
illusions and a personality test. Presumably these were to get us “in the mood”
for the production to follow, but in reality it seems like little more than a
gimmick.
The show itself is…not really a show at all. We’re ushered
into a white box of a room that provides the space for this “immersive theatre
project”. The carpet is soft, a series of circles are cut out of it, coloured
rectangles litter the walls, and a huge, seemingly omniscient, fluffy bunny
sits ominously in the corner. A screen dictates instructions for each videogame-like
level and it’s up to the audience of strangers to interpret these and perform
certain tasks. These include feeding creatures projected on to the ceiling,
stopping a noise, and dancing to different styles of music. All seem designed
to ensure we lose our inhibitions and make fools of ourselves.
The best are those games that involve group participation
and collaboration. One “bonus round” had us standing in shape formations from a
circle to a star and it was up to us to arrange and organise ourselves. For
others, though, the instructions were far too obscure and with little visual or
aural feedback it was unclear exactly how to progress, no matter how relaxing
the music was.
Also unclear is the point of it all. It’s meant to explore
the ideas of teamwork and individual agency, but it all feels too vague and
never gets to grips with any one theme. Moreover, how is this theatrical? Where
is the performance? Or are we meant to be performing in our own bizarre show?
On exiting the box in the show’s final stage, the outside is
covered in questions and we’re invited to inscribe our answers with marker
pens. These vary from the heavily loaded (what can we do collaboratively that
we can’t achieve alone?), to the philosophical (who is the rabbit?), to the
open-ended (what next?). Indeed, what next? Clearly we’re meant to go away and
think about our time in the box with the rabbit, to consider how we live our lives,
our very existence.
Me? I went home for a cup of tea.
2/5
Watch: Invisible
Treasure runs at The Ovalhouse until 14th November.
Photos: Cat Lee
