Central Saint Martins is possibly one of the prettiest London campuses I’ve had the pleasure to walk around, perhaps with the exception of King’s College London of course. Not that I’m biased in any way. An adaptation of Origo Mundi’s The Origin of the World, as part of the university’s BA Directing Showcase Festival, premiered here this week. As one of the three remaining 14th century Cornish plays, I was keen to experience something that may not have been available to me anywhere else in London theatres.

What immediately hit me was the fact that it was immersive theatre. The actors, whilst having a stage, certainly did not stay confined to it; they buzzed in and out of the audience, all the while performing as if they weren’t there. There’s something about being in a darkened theatre that, as an audience member, makes you just a figure in a seat. This refreshing take on theatre meant the audience were a part of the experience itself, and the control is put back into your hands, so to speak… you can decide how much you want to join in on the action. What did I do? Hid in the corner like the absolute wet lettuce I am.

It has to be said, however, that a large amount of the audience were clearly the actors’ friends, so it almost felt like they were too enthusiastic to participate. I don’t know if this is a ridiculous notion but even the ‘spontaneity’ of the whole thing felt very rehearsed.

The play itself focused on stories from the Old Testament, including the Creation story, Cain and Abel, and many others. For a story that is embedded so within society – even hermits know who killed Abel – they did surprisingly well with the material. Their use of costume was reflective of 14th century couture, and the fact they did the entire show in a Cornish accent pleasantly surprised me. Props to Callum Adams for switching from his original American twang.

The construction of the set was very organic and it really showed that all three actors fully utilised the little materials they had. I genuinely think the best theatre comes from just having a creative vision, and they certainly knew where they were going in terms of direction. Olivia Warren’s songbird aesthetic definitely added to the production, as well as the camaraderie between Jed O’Hagen and Adams.

Overall a pleasant way to spend a Tuesday afternoon, even if it did feel a little like Bible study. I’d recommend.

Origo Mundi, The Origin of the World is playing at Platform Theatre. For more information and tickets, see the Platform Theatre website.