"6 Inspiring new short plays" by Lisa Williams for remotegoat
(photos by Sally Beaumont)
No, '666' wasn't a satanic theatrical gathering, but rather 6 new short plays, directed by 6 different directors and performed by 6 actors as a script-in-hand performance at the Tristan Bates Theatre. The Lucky Dogs, a playwrights' collective based in London is doing a sterling job of creating and developing new performance work.
Whenever you get the chance to see new work, especially staged readings, I strongly encourage that you check it out. So quickly in today's society do we dismiss things that do not satisfy us immediately, expecting and wanting immediate gratification. The beauty of seeing new work, in this case staged readings, is that it is in progress. It isn't claiming to be a perfect polished production. It's a chance for the writers to see their words come to life on stage, some for the first time, for actors to work with original scripts and for directors to see who is up and coming on the writer's circuit. And for audience members, it's an opportunity to be a part of the process of a play you may very well see staged professionally in the future.
The strongest scripts of the six were 'Black Dog Day' by Sharon Kanolik and 'The Other Side of Everything' by Sally Beaumont, both exploring themes of identity - how people really feel about themselves despite what they project to the world and leaving the audience with something to think about after the lights fade down. I found some of the other scripts to be a bit challenging as an audience member - it was great to see writers playing with variations of story structure, but this sometimes led to a lack of clarity in the story itself. There is often just as much strength in simplicity and well-crafted characters, which script in hand performances such as these can greatly assist writers to achieve. Of the performers of the evening, Kate Walsh was the stand out - convincing and engaging in both roles.
Overall, an inspiring evening of new talent and an artistic collective with a great deal of talent. For more info about The Lucky Dogs, visit www.theluckydogs.net .
