Twistov

Where: Rich Mix as the starting point, then through the streets and Back-alleys of Shoreditch

When: November 3 of 2017 at 7:30 PM. Season ended the 18 of November and it was shown from Monday to Saturday at 7:30 PM.

About the makers: The play was written by Michael Wagg and directed by Sophie Austin; it was created between the association of Teatro Vivo, a non-traditional theatre company that brings to life stories and places putting the audience “in the middle of the story”, and Dash Arts, a creative force that challenges the way people see the world through theatre, music, dance and art.

The experience: The audience is asked to get involved during the play in two ways. One is that it does not happen in one single place, it means that actors and audience move around the streets of Shoreditch and visit different scenarios and live a variety of situations, requiring from the spectators and active and alert participation. Secondly, in some situations the performers talk directly to the audience, promoting discussion and critical thinking about life in London and its difficulties.

Due to the hour and the experience, it is necessary to be prepared for the weather and the walk, it may be very useful to carry a camera to take pictures of the streets of Shoreditch during the play and also some cash to have a soup or a drink at the end of the play (this is part of the experience, the opportunity to eat something in a curious and amazing place).

Twistov starts at the backyard of Rich Mix. You are given a tag, to write your name, your skills, and home, this also has a color that divides the audience into three groups.

After that you see a lot of birds talking and doing sounds, making the audience enter into the mood of the play. After this one bird gives an introduction to the idea of moving from one place to another and the difficulties of the journey, giving the space to three actors to introduce themselves, each one has a different quest and story during the play but they have something in common: London and its immigration issues and struggles, in other words, the hidden story of London.

Each group should follow one of the performers through the streets of Shoreditch. In the process you will visit different places, like houses or restaurants, you will have the opportunity to see the street art and to wander around shops, restaurants, and clubs, to end up in “the paradise” (or at least a sing arriving there called it like that) a place where you can have a bit of the hard times that an immigrant must live. In there you have a better look at the power structures ruling the city and each group has the opportunity to discuss it.

You can also buy a soup of a drink while you experience the last part of the play and listen to the stories of the actors, to finally understand who is Twistov and his name as a metaphor of hundreds of persons around the city living as ghosts.

At the end, you have the opportunity to explore the place and have a few more drinks or go back home through the streets of Shoreditch with a different point of view.

In general, the experience was amazing, I loved the fact that the audience felt the cold weather, because it makes people more compassionate about the complicated situations a lot of people living in London. As I am from another country it was really nice to get to know Shoreditch in a deeper way with this play, the opportunity gave me the need to wonder those streets again, so that I can discover all its places and people.

In a more political way, Twistov talks about those things that people try to avoid in everyday conversations and give the space for discussing and understanding how immigrants build the London we know today. I was very surprised about the diverse nationalities of the actors and how Dash Arts is compromised with giving voice to those people that cannot usually speak.

In terms of form, the event was very well organized. There was always somebody with the group paying attention to everything that was going on around the group. Every time I got distracted this person helped me go back to the situation, so that I did not miss anything. Also, when there were people curious about the actor and what he was doing this person gave them flyers and invites them to participate in another opportunity.

The story was confusing at the beginning, but then I found out that that was the idea, because the identity of most of the immigrants changes so many times that their lives start being confusing; this was a really nice detail.

The only thing I did not like was that, due to the narrow of the streets, sometimes I could not listen to what the actor was saying because I was very far from him and the area is noise, it is better to be as near as possible to the actor to have the chance to listen everything he says, or maybe the organizers can prepare smaller groups, so that everyone can listen and participate in the same way.

Something really nice about the play was that everyone was engaged with the story; some people from the audience talked to the actors as if it was a normal conversation and participate during the discussions with jokes and thoughts. We also had a moment for dancing, in general people were smiling and having a good time, it was the warmest moment of the night.

Twistov was a really good experience and many ways; it touched the importance and sometimes forgotten situation of immigrants in London; the entire event was very well organized and the actors did a very good job, each one with its own experience. I totally recommend the play and I am sure that it would be very enjoyable for any type of audience.

For further information, please visit:

http://www.teatrovivo.co.uk/twistov/