The Paper Birds is a devising theatre company with a social and political agenda and the question they pose is ‘Who do you care about and why?’
The theme of the show was whether we understood forced displacement and how do we actually feel about it. The second underlying theme was whether technology was ruining the younger generations, making them unable to socialise, increasing their anxiety, or is technology making us over exposed which then makes us care less?
It was a reasonably bare stage, a few props, some TV screens which captioned the words, and a large 3-sided screen unit where the actors could perform inside while images were projected on the two sides and roof.
If we wanted to, we could access a provided QR code in order to interact – there was no obligation. Any answers we gave were anonymous and the results were projected on the screens within a few seconds.
The performance was a mixture of talking to the audience about the themes of the show and asking questions for the onscreen answers, in between movement-based storytelling. With the use of the screens, the actors told the story of someone being forcibly displaced, and their journey.
This person only had time to take a back-pack as we watched the story we see how they are moved through different countries, how their paperwork never seems to be correct, and when they do reach temporary accommodation they are utterly alone. It was very impactful.
The contrast of talking and then the performance worked very well, in my mind it made the storytelling more powerful as the emotions were portrayed with the body and the face. The talking prompted our thoughts about the main theme, but also about social media and the things we see with a strong reminder that everything is curated and has an agenda.
The format was very interactive and consequently highly engaging, which of course was the point – to get us fully engaged to see if we do care. They asked one question at three different times in the performance, regarding how we feel about forced displacement. As expected our views changed through the show, which was good to see.
This performance is the side of theatre which gets forgotten about, we all like happy, glossy musicals however we forget how powerful theatre can actually be when it asks the hard questions, when it pushes you to think differently. It’s exciting, even if you don’t fully understand it or yourself.
Well done New Wolsey Theatre!
Photos: Will Green