R E V I E W S

A warm and charming set welcomed the audience; a bed in the centre, two cabinets full of boxes and fairy lights. The simplicity was refreshing, but with two microphones placed downstage and a play about the teenage brain, I was looking forward to what chaos would ensue!

The play began with some uncertainty from the company, which very shortly turned into a burst of energy and confidence when more characters were introduced to the audience. Furthermore, the surge of excitement rose higher when audience participation began, including taking selfies with us and playing games. The stage became completely full with young actors, yet the spacing of everyone worked wonderfully with the thrust staging in the studio. Soon enough, the boxes that were hiding beside the bed were turned upside down. Each actor had a box that contained something personal: cuddly toys, books, magazines, item of clothing etc. This was our new set, and the stage was alive with so many memories and personal events. Their aims of honesty and individuality truly resonated with myself and I began to reflect on my own teenage and childhood years.

Although there were times of hesitation, these were easily forgotten when a new character or scene appeared. A highlight of the night was the character Apollo, played by Trystan Polledri. His natural stage presence was an absolute joy to watch and, with each line, he raised the bar in terms of projection and line delivery. Another peak was the use of movement, in particular the surreally impressive timing of everyone putting their clothes away using mime.
A simple moment which brought a pure stillness amongst the madness of loud music and messy floors.

Throughout, we meet various parents full of different personalities. I was overtly impressed by the characterisation by the actors and how they used different vocal qualities and gestures to create these parents. I particularly enjoyed the delivery from Tom (Fran Diver) and Katie (Holly Jenner) - their comedic delivery was ideally placed amidst the reflective piece.

I was thoroughly impressed with the use of live video and projections that were involved throughout the production, it added a new and fresh layer to the show, and it was evident that the company had fun working with it! Apparently, this is the first time something like this has happened for a youth theatre show at York Theatre Royal, I can only hope that they keep pushing the boundaries with this and explore different technologies and methods.
 

Project G set out to tell us about their personal lives, through live streaming, physical interaction and fictional characters. Their intentions for the play sang true throughout and I really look forward to seeing their next show.