28th April 2011
‘About those who have been condemned to silence-
I shall write’
In a disused shop on Whitechapel Road, a fledgling company and a team of dedicated youngsters, inspired by the work of Amnesty International, attempted to voice to the stories of those we chose to ignore. In this highly evocative production this young company took their audience on a physical and emotional journey, with an admirable honesty and humility that far exceeds their age and experience.
Instead of preaching from a stage this production was in a hidden venue easy to miss, immediately embodying the heart of the issue and it was through this impressive location that this performance really came into its own. Audience members were segregated and guided around the venue, creating a sense of personal discovery and hence an ownership and responsibility for the stories that unfolded. The young performers themselves were a testament to the real events they portrayed; in such intimate spaces there is little room for pretence but it was in this environment that they truly excelled. They were captivating in their sincerity and as an audience you were inexorably enthralled by the story they told. This was again heightened by the subtle contact when being guided around the space; through their confident eye contact to being guided by hand, the audience were physically accompanying them on this journey and not just listening to their story but feeling it. For such young performers to reach this level of intensity is both a tribute to themselves and their direction.
A real triumph in this performance was the powerful use of imagery within the site. From the simplicity of hanging light bulbs in the windowless space that created an eerie, oppressive lighting, to the paper swans and single balloon in the closing sequence that gave a feeling of hope, even in such darkness. It was in these subtle touches that the strength of the three independent directors could really be seen.
The use of technology throughout was also significant; both within the production and as part of it, the beautiful soundtrack became a dialogue that punctuated the silence and the injection of media devices made the inequality a current and ongoing issue. The tangled web of phone cables and mobile phones that formed almost a cage became a metaphor for communication on the whole; although as a society communication is ubiquitous, it is still fundamentally flawed as to communicate honestly you need a voice of your own.
'Crimes of Conscience' was by no means a flawless production; but it unquestionably demonstrated the raw talent of this young company and their unfaltering integrity in the pursuit of truth and justice. The individual performances were outstanding and were performed with the charisma and poise of established actors; U4RIA have certainly made their mark on Whitechapel Road and beautifully yet poignantly demonstrated the plight a hard work of Amnesty International.
I shall write’
In a disused shop on Whitechapel Road, a fledgling company and a team of dedicated youngsters, inspired by the work of Amnesty International, attempted to voice to the stories of those we chose to ignore. In this highly evocative production this young company took their audience on a physical and emotional journey, with an admirable honesty and humility that far exceeds their age and experience.
Instead of preaching from a stage this production was in a hidden venue easy to miss, immediately embodying the heart of the issue and it was through this impressive location that this performance really came into its own. Audience members were segregated and guided around the venue, creating a sense of personal discovery and hence an ownership and responsibility for the stories that unfolded. The young performers themselves were a testament to the real events they portrayed; in such intimate spaces there is little room for pretence but it was in this environment that they truly excelled. They were captivating in their sincerity and as an audience you were inexorably enthralled by the story they told. This was again heightened by the subtle contact when being guided around the space; through their confident eye contact to being guided by hand, the audience were physically accompanying them on this journey and not just listening to their story but feeling it. For such young performers to reach this level of intensity is both a tribute to themselves and their direction.
A real triumph in this performance was the powerful use of imagery within the site. From the simplicity of hanging light bulbs in the windowless space that created an eerie, oppressive lighting, to the paper swans and single balloon in the closing sequence that gave a feeling of hope, even in such darkness. It was in these subtle touches that the strength of the three independent directors could really be seen.
The use of technology throughout was also significant; both within the production and as part of it, the beautiful soundtrack became a dialogue that punctuated the silence and the injection of media devices made the inequality a current and ongoing issue. The tangled web of phone cables and mobile phones that formed almost a cage became a metaphor for communication on the whole; although as a society communication is ubiquitous, it is still fundamentally flawed as to communicate honestly you need a voice of your own.
'Crimes of Conscience' was by no means a flawless production; but it unquestionably demonstrated the raw talent of this young company and their unfaltering integrity in the pursuit of truth and justice. The individual performances were outstanding and were performed with the charisma and poise of established actors; U4RIA have certainly made their mark on Whitechapel Road and beautifully yet poignantly demonstrated the plight a hard work of Amnesty International.
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