The flyer says “This candlelit promenade performance will guide you though different worlds within Inverlochy House.” I was expecting something that referenced the history of the house. What I got was an exploration of storytelling and creativity.  Each sketch happened in a different room in the house and didn’t seem to be connected to any of the others.

It started in a twinkly candlelit hallway. A cheerful woman welcomed me in and invited me to take a glass of wine. All of the audience then followed a man with a lantern along the hallway into a room. Here we heard a seminar on the Afterlife. Quite thought provoking, although I wanted more opportunity for interaction between the audience  and the seminar leader. Next we wound our way into a room which contained a woman in a full bathtub. Tiny candles lit the space. A CD player was next to the bath. The woman told a story about a terrible thing that had happened at her work. This was the most appealing of the sketches for me. Her longing for connection played against her desire to seem in control. Next it was up narrow stairs into a room dimly lit by orange lights. A recording warned us against behaving in a certain way. The group I was with immediately reacted against that although we were fairly controlled for the most part. Along another hallway into a room with chairs to watch home videos from 2003. Young men talked about their home town, places they’d visited, their families, and played up to the camera. It was cut together from different videos. The most successful bits for me were when comments were juxtaposed against actions. Down sweeping stairs to the hallway where we were treated to a microwave cooking show. It was clear in structure but I was less clear as to why it was in the hallway. Finally we were ushered into a room with a pianist who played a few bars of music then the rest of the performers walked in and just like that the show was over.

I found this an interesting hour, watching as the performers explored ideas. It wasn’t fully successful for me as some of the ideas seemed half formed. Perhaps some more development would allow for more layers in performance.

  • Residence, on at Inverlochy Art School, March 1, 2, 3 2013