Olivia KielyTheatre over the phone — another trend of the Covid era. I’d forgive some scepticism from theatre lovers around the format’s credibility; I too had similar doubts before experiencing my first over-the-phone performance two months ago. And yet, that show turned out to be one of my favourite performances to date. Having had such a great first experience, I was hopeful my return to this unique genre would prove equally rewarding. Unfortunately, A Thousand Ways Part One: A Phone Call, is lacking a true sense of connection.
The premise of A Thousand Ways Part One: A Phone Call is undoubtedly intriguing; a three-way call with you and two strangers. One voice is that of the second audience member, your partner in this performance. The other is the voice of the narrator, who sets up the story and guides the experience.
As I have up until this moment never been acquainted with the person on the other end of my phone, there is little I can tell you about my German-accented companion. Throughout the phone call, I learn that they have blue eyes, grey hair, can knit, can’t rewire a lamp and that they went to primary school with their neighbour. These and the other snippets into this stranger’s life, are surprisingly effective at bringing two faceless humans closer together. And yet, the structure of the piece often proves to be counterproductive. In the middle of me getting to know the voice on the other line, we are interrupted by a story which holds no benefit to the overall piece. The jumps in narration feel clumsy and awkward, repeatedly cutting off the parts of this piece which actually allow me to bond.
Theatre during lockdown has often been plagued by an inability to truly connect with its audience in the same way as live theatre. Zoom, YouTube, Vimeo, I’ve sampled the delights of each, but they still feel impersonal in comparison to the real thing. Interestingly, a phone call offers a happy medium. For me, conversations over the phone are normally reserved for my nearest and dearest, possibly due to the fact that they usually end up being two-hour free therapy sessions. Therefore, theatre delivered via telephone maintains a personal touch that other technology reliant formats haven’t. This means fewer obstacles standing in the way of that sacred connection between audience and performer. It’s a shame that this piece doesn’t manage to use this to their advantage.
If there’s one thing that’s never good when you’re on the phone, it’s a bad connection. It is exactly that which causes this piece to diverge from its key aim to connect two strangers in these strangest of times. I enjoy spending time with my blue-eyed knitting enthusiast, but with the piece’s repeated detours, our attempts to connect keep being put on hold.
A Thousand Ways Part One: A Phone Call is playing until May 29 2021. For more information and tickets, visit Take Me Somewhere festival online.