Janet McNulty
Paul Bayes Kitcher and Kieran Sheehan have been involved in a research programme looking at the effects of addiction and the journey of recovery. They have been working with rehabilitation centres and have used their experiences to inform their new work, My Name Is...
I saw the performance at the Rose Theatre in Ormskirk this evening.
From outside the auditorium I became aware of a pounding rhythm and as we filed in I realised the performance had started. Two young people, a man and a woman, were moving to the repetitive rhythm, possibly in a way that indicated they may be drunk or on drugs and perhaps in a nightclub. Another man and woman appear and there is an almost ballroom feel as they start dancing.
This work is very episodic and gives you plenty of room to imagine the stories behind the action. In one scene there is what seems to be an ideal family; the son becomes agitated, the parents seem to be laughing at him ....
In other scenes the movements mimic what we see on the television news of youngsters extremely drunk in the streets. Does this lead to addiction?
Some of the scenes are disturbing; all are thought provoking and compelling. There are some beautiful lyrical moments in amongst all the jagged movements. The music is a mixture of recorded words, a recorded backing track and a live guitarist and is very effective in helping set the scene.
For me, this work gave a feeling of how it is possible to become an addict almost without realising - how easy it is to go to a nightclub with friends and drink too much too often and before you know it you need a drink. How it may be to feel an outsider and to find a release through drink or drugs.
It certainly gives food for thought.
The company are also performing this work at The Liverpool Everyman on 4th June, The Pulse Festival in Ipswich on 6th June and Brindley Place Runcorn on 25th June. I would strongly recommend it.