Something A Little Different... Theatre Outside The Box
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| By
Harry Tennison
Last year, London played host to some of the most intuitive and exciting theatrical experiences. The immersive theatre specialists, Punchdrunk, took over a former postal sorting office in Waterloo and created the extraordinary 1960s world of Temple Studios, whilst The Kindness Of Strangers took five audience members at a time on an ambulance tour criticising the disintegration of the NHS. Whilst, arguably, last year was the pinnacle of pioneering theatre, this summer also displays a continued interest in stretching boundaries.
Les Enfants Terribles had taken over The Vaults at Waterloo to create an interactive version of Alice In Wonderland. It isn’t Alice who falls down the rabbit hole, but the audience, and you are required to decide whether to eat or drink. Samuel Wyer has created a distorted design that keeps you adventuring through the psychedelic maze of The Vaults, running until the 30th of August.
Punchdrunk collaborate with the National Maritime Museum to present Against Captain’s Orders: A Journey Into The Uncharted. As the title suggests, the child audience are required to go against captain’s orders. The script is littered with education inserts, but is heavily tailored for the kids but would definitely be worth taking you six to twelve year old to! Like Alice In Wonderland, Against Captain’s Orders concludes at the end of August.
After a 12 hour version of Macbeth in Balfron Tower, Poplar, RIFT return with Styx. Felix Mortimer, director, combines the solo journey that you take with a chilling soundtrack to create a truly postmodern adventure in a secret location in London. Whilst Styx has received very positive reviews, it does close on the 1st of August so you will need to be quick to grab the very last tickets!
Finally, David Winder returns to The Actor’s Church in Leicester Square with a new production of Pinocchio. Billed as containing “fairies, puppets, carnivals and talking animals”, it seems rude to miss this fun family night out! The production opens on the 27th of July and runs until the 29th of August.