I got to the room, same room where Carnivale was put on, and I should have know that something was going to be up. Before we go onto the room a guy comes up to us and informs us what is going to happen. There is off sense of urgency in the way he talks to us and very quickly we find out what is gong to happen. We are to put white ties on our person, around the arm or waist, and we will be fully involved in the performance, if we do not want to be part of it then we have to take off the white tie and hold it ar arms length.
101 put on FOUR shows a day, as well as Dracula at midnight, and they rotate all four plays so no play is played at the same time or in the same order. The play we saw was My Other, the other plays our My Choice, My Own, and My Duty. Walking into the room we are split up onto male and female, the women sat down and talked with ease, and the men stood in s circle to the far right of the women.
There was little said and you couldn’t really hear what the women had been talking about which would add a lot of polite tension later on. For us the performers would take turns walking over to us and talking to us, making us straighten out, touching our shoulders, hands, and getting more close that you would think acceptable.
The performance itself was intense, provocative, and strange. Your not really given much, your not told much but your loyalties fall in line and you feel strangely connected with the cast. As the play starts to remove us from the performance they begin to create a conclusion for this world.
This was incredibly brave performance, they have really taken their time in developing their idea and the cast worked well together. Your connected to it more than you would think and the way the guys talk to you your almost seduced into this world they have created.
C soco (studio 4) 15-30 Aug at 11:00 (0hr40)
Tickets £7.50-£9.50 / concessions £6.50-£8.50
Additional performances daily at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 Recommended age 16+
To book tickets call 0845 260 1234.
Dracula - C Soco
Much like Doctor Faustus or any number of Shakespeare plays Dracula is a classic that has seen many interpretations, even a Mel Brooks spoof, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to expect from this. Them being the same people behind 101 I thought it would have a certain feel and look to it and I wasn’t mistaken. As the doors open two of the characters walk down the stairs and we are let into the studio, people dotted all over the place, one guy chained to the central pillar. One thing for sure is this adaptation is not going to be your typical Transylvanian story, and gone to are the fangs and capes…this is like nothing you have seen before.
All the cast where dressed in white sans one or two of the members. The studio added a very scary and realistic backdrop of the asylum which was well lit and and the atmosphere was high. Tension between the key performers was frantic and mesmerising and was very physical with the patients throwing themselves on te floor with a real force during one such scene I could swear I saw some bruises on one of their backs.
One of the most frightening and beautiful scenes came when the doomed youth walked up the central mast which was handled with class and provided a sad, scary, and memorable moment, also the song sung by the lost souls is terrifyingly haunting.
‘The cast were amazing in their roles, they where believable and creative giving you a genuine sense of who there where and what they wanted to do. Their adaptation was not cheap and they seemed to refuse to pander to an audience who wanted to see something ‘easy’ and forced you to follow them. This was a great play to watch by a cast who are putting in one of the most dedicated performance of the fringe this year. Stand out and beautifully done.’
C soco (studio 2a) 15-30 Aug at 24:00 (1hr05)
Tickets £8.50-£10.50 / concessions £7.50-£9.50
Recommended age 14+ To book tickets call 0845 260 1234.
