"I think that the most important feature of theater is the act itself. It's not actually what is said or what is done. It's not the plot or the storyline. It's the act of gathering human beings in space and time together to experience something."
"Sleight of hand and subverted expectations are load-bearing features of A Mirror's architecture. The wedding is in fact an elaborate smokescreen for the real main event, a performance staged outside the purview of the Ministry of Culture, the omnipresent entity that presides over the play's every beat."
"These intrusions dissolve the boundary between actors and audience, transforming us into collaborators - or co-conspirators. We are all subject to the same draconian laws, all equally vulnerable to punishment simply for being here, and nevertheless we're taking the same calculated risk, together."
Isaac Lamb, a Third Rail Repertory member, emphasizes that theater's core value is the act of gathering people together rather than plot or dialogue. Sam Holcroft's play, directed by Lamb and opening at CoHo Theatre, exemplifies this principle through an elaborate production design featuring a wedding ceremony that serves as a smokescreen. The actual performance occurs hidden from the fictional Ministry of Culture, an omnipresent oppressive force. The production uses sleight of hand, subverted expectations, and warning car horns to create tension and dissolve boundaries between actors and audience. Spectators become collaborators and co-conspirators, sharing vulnerability and risk with performers under the play's draconian laws.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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