Collisions

Sunday 2nd June 2019

Collisions @ The Etc Theatre, Camden

An hour or so of improvised theatre, featuring our Sussex Way neighbour, Tom Barnes. Aki and I took the bus to Camden Town and walked up the High Street. The area is a magnet for the homeless, and some hardy souls had set up a soup kitchen and were doling out provender. The pavements are blackened and stained with last night's vomit. Camden Town has long since lost it's allure...

The Etc Theatre is housed above the Oxford Arms and is tiny, smaller even than I'd recalled. It was a warm night, and the room was hot and sweaty even as we took our seats. The audience numbered maybe 10 or 12, and we were asked to volunteer what was on our minds. I thought this a particularly open approach to garnering the raw material to feed the ensuing improvisation. The Showstoppers team, on the other hand, ask very specific questions of the audience, which gives them a much more certain framework from which to evolve their show. 

As a result, I felt the themes gathered were treated in a way that didn't give us a rounded 'play', as advertised, but a series of unconnected scenes and monologues. It was pretty slow going for the most part, though I enjoyed a couple of the monologues, particularly one delivered by one of the older actresses who we discover going through her dead mother's wardrobe trying to pick out some clothes in which to bury her. She painted an extraordinary picture of the walnut grain on the wardrobe doors, and described each dress along with an associated memory...great stuff.

Tom was keen that I join the rehearsal slots, every Monday night, but I'm not sure it's quite my cup of tea, though I think I'd enjoy it. I'd rather find some comedy impro to get involved with...will see.