By: Cathryn Macey
In our fast paced, digitally addicted world, switching off mobile devices every time we see a play is a treat a lot of us look forward to. So how might it feel to actively use a phone during a live production?
In The Paper Birds’ “Feel me”, we’re given the opportunity to find out. Mindless doom scrolling is swept aside in favour of a theatrical experiment that sees us using our devices to vote on core issues raised in the play.
The teenagers and young adults seem delighted to have their phones out; they’re used to being told to put them away on visits to the theatre. As a result, the start of this unusual and exciting show is incredibly relaxed and charged with youthful energy. Ironically, the largely young audience quickly become so engrossed in the action that phones are voluntarily put away and only come out when the three feisty female performers (Beckie Callow, Klara Kaliger and El Solly) urge us to take part and vote on a range of issues related to the refugee crisis.
The issue of forced displacement is at the forefront of “Feel Me.” Pretty near the start of the play, we’re asked about how much we empathise with refugees. A large projection of an outline of the human body is featured on both our phones and screens on stage and we’re invited to physically place a dot in or near the human outline to represent how much we empathise with asylum seekers.
A dot near or in the body represents great empathy whereas a dot far away from the body symbolises a lack of empathy. All of our responses are anonymously shown in real time on the main screen on stage and the uncomfortable but important question is asked again at the end of the play. In terms of creating a united audience that feel involved and invested in a play, this invitation for a communal, live response is absolutely brilliant and perfect for a young audience that are completely au fait with giving their immediate responses on line.
This is the show’s strength. Writer/director Jemma McDonnell takes the highly emotive issue of asylum and makes it accessible to a young audience that may have a limited understanding of the reality of life for people forced to flee their homes because of war or famine. Through a series of emotive dance sequences, relatable questions via our mobiles and satirical sketches, Callow, Kalliger and Solly show that the so called “snowflake” generation aren’t afraid to combat dated stereotypes about asylum seekers.
In perhaps the performance’s most entertaining section, the cast stage a live news based chat show about immigration. Seemingly making up inflammatory headlines on the spot, Kalliger and Solly do a great impression of the right-wing press. Initially they mock asylum seekers for staying in “top hotels” before quickly mocking us, the audience, for not joining in more actively with the debate. We’re filmed live as Kalliger and Solly create sensationalist headlines such as “Young, emotional audience refuse to take part in political debate”.
It’s a comic moment but a moment that painfully illustrates the danger behind using knee jerk and unfair headlines. It also reveals how easy it is to twist and manipulate the truth to shock viewers and readers.
Considering the events that took place near the theatre just a few months ago, a play that tackles misconceptions about asylum seems more important than ever. If you’re studying Media, Journalism, Politics or Drama, then this groundbreaking show that combines dance, drama and the live use of technology is an absolute must see.
(Suitable for viewers aged thirteen and over.)