We already spend vast amounts of our time looking at screens and interacting with electronic devices, and the technology is evolving fast and creeping deeper into every aspect of our lives. First it was computers, then mobile communications, then the internet; what comes next? Anyone whose nerves are set on edge seeing a group of people staring at their smart phones in a restaurant will be deeply unnerved by The Grid.
Last night some 50+ performers from Young Everyman and Playhouse exploded onto the stage of the New Everyman for their first full scale play in the new building. Alumni of the YEP Alex Joynes and Laura Kate Barrow have co-written and Katie Scott and Christina Eddowes have worked with YEP young technicians to design and light the production, all under the direction of Chris Tomlinson and Matt Rutter.
After a prologue that looks like an Apple product launch, the stage comes vividly to life, transporting us to a future world where wearable devices have given way to an even more deeply connected way of being and where everyone is permanently connected to The Grid. Some astonishing stage movement (which was stunning viewed from the Ev circle) showed us hordes of people who no longer know how to touch or even talk to one another.
But what happens when The Grid goes offline?
Disconnected from what has become their world, its inhabitants wander like refugees in some sort of post-apocalypse scenario. One by one, individuals begin to make connections with each other and start re-learning how to communicate. The story divides into a number of separate threads played out in interwoven episodes. By the time we approach the conclusion we’re catching glimpses of hope that human interaction may have returned in the absence of the all-controlling Grid, but will it last?
This is an astonishing piece of ensemble work with some very complex choreography in the movement, but the main body of the piece offers opportunities to see individual performances from a large number of the cast members, and it is in these scenes that we are able to see just how important the YEP are for developing the people who will populate the stages of our future. There is some very skilful acting and a casting director could have a field day watching this showcase of new talent.
The piece is very much presented as a collaborative effort and none of the individual performances are named, and I understand that there will be cast rotation half way through the week with different performers swapping lead roles with the supporting cast. Keep an eye on the faces in this production – many of them surely have a future on the stage if they want it enough.
I found it a little ironic to see tiny pools of light in the stalls below me as people couldn’t resist surreptitiously checking texts from time to time on smart-phones inside their handbags. Normally this would be a source of irritation in the theatre but here it almost added more truth to the story being played out before us. But be warned, ladies and gentlemen in the stalls, the gallery can see you!
The irony wasn’t lost on me either, when my first inclination on leaving the auditorium was to switch my iPhone back on (yes, it had been turned off, not just on silent) in order to tweet about what I’d just seen. The Grid is already nearer to us than we might like to believe.
The Grid lasts approximately 140 minutes, plus one interval and runs at the Everyman until 26th April, with performances at 7:30pm and a 2:00pm matinee on Saturday. With tickets at £6 / £4 this has to be some of the best value performance you’ll see this year… why not go twice and see the cast rotation?
There is some excellent production photography on Brian Roberts’ Blog here:
http://brianrobertsimagesblog.com/wp/the-grid/
And for more info and to book tickets visit:
http://www.everymanplayhouse.com
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