No better event for it given these uncertain and trying times we live in.
Covid-19 has changed the entertainment industry as we know it.
Gone are the days of sweating in packed out arenas, rubbing elbows with strangers at the cinema, and sitting in a room chock full of people to check out a play.
Now the only plays we’ll be checking out are those that have been live streamed, pre-recorded, or featuring actors who are successfully performing at least two metres away from one another to an audience that has more than halved its size.
A decent time for the industry it is not, but that doesn’t mean that people haven’t been busy finding new and novel ways for us to enjoy a performance or two, all the while ensuring the good health and safety of those who are involved.
In some cases, these new and novel ways aren’t even Covid related at all – they just happened to involve minimal people, a box with an actor inside, and a remarkable unique live performance that’s entirely free of charge.
That’s what Theatre For One is – a mobile performance space for one actor and one audience member.
Conceived and created by the Olivier award-winning designer Christine Jones and designed by LOT-EK architects, the space is part peep-show booth, part confessional… and completely visceral.
Theatre For One is coming to Dublin’s Abbey Theatre this autumn as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.
The mobile made its first Irish appearance in Cork last summer, to rave reviews nonetheless, and this autumn it will be making its mark in the foyer of the Abbey Theatre – all appropriate social distancing measures in place, of course.
Produced by Landmark Productions and Octopus Theatricals, the space will feature short plays by six of Ireland’s leading writers – Marina Carr, Stacey Gregg, Emmet Kirwan, Louise Lowe, Mark O’Rowe and Enda Walsh.
Theatre For One is, according to The Irish Times, “theatre distilled to its purest, most intense version, then injected directly into the vein.”
Sounds like a decent enough shout, yeah.
“As we begin to emerge from the pandemic, we are all craving an injection of live theatre,” said Anne Clarke of Landmark Productions.
“Theatre for One delivers that shot of liveness with thrilling intensity. We are delighted to be part of the Abbey Theatre’s new season, are looking forward to being part of this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival, and grateful to Dublin City Council for making it possible.”
Details of the Theatre For One performance schedule will be announced shortly.
