Nine years ago, in a movie theatre in Colorado, at the opening screening of the Dark Knight Rises, a shooting took place. Screen 9 uses verbatim text from survivors of the tragedy and, through four fictional characters, portrayed with empathy by the four actors of new company Piccolo Theatre, uses this text to tell the story of the night and its aftermath.
The socially distanced layout of the EICC space works well in making the audience feel they are in a cinema space. The opening of the show is not immediately clear in its intent, but as the performance unfolds, the premise becomes clearer – that the survivors are meeting to discuss their experiences on camera. As the events and the actors move to the audience, the simplicity of using only voices and the text, rather than sound effects, demonstrate in a non-sensationalist way what everyone went through. It is extremely effective, ensuring the focus of this piece remains on the victims and survivors.
The four-strong cast give sympathetic and engaging performances. It is an emotive subject, especially during the debate on gun control between the survivors: what Kate Barton has done as writer of this piece is demonstrate the complexity of the issues in a world where freedom as a concept has a range of ideals. A thought-provoking production that reminds us of the fragility of life, but also hope.
Show Times: 17-22 August @ 14:30; 24-29 August @ 20:40 (22 August – captioned performance)
Ticket Prices: £11-£15