@ Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, on Fri 5 Jun 2015
Performer, writer and sound designer Chris Goode has an exceptional relationship with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. Previous shows Monkey Bars and Men in Cities enjoyed successful Fringe runs and excellent reviews all round. Expectations were then understandably high for the prolific company’s new production, a piece of verbatim theatre called STAND.
Activism is the topic of the performance. STAND (a collaboration with the Oxford Playhouse) tells the story of six individuals who stand up and take action in the causes they believe in. The stories are intertwined with one another during the performance and express the personal inspirations behind the performers’ need to follow their instincts and make a difference.
There are six performers on stage who each read extracts from interviews that were conducted with community activists. The interviewees were local to Oxford, but the topics of fracking, corporate sponsorship and anti-gentrification resonate beyond the local areas that are described. This gives STAND a universal perspective and adds to the gravity of the narrative, as the topics depicted could be relevant in any community.
STAND is a performance about people and what can be achieved if individuals stand up together and fight for the causes they believe in. Each individual activist spends the majority of the show sat on office chairs, as they wait to take turns reading the extracts from the interviews. On paper this could seem dull and unappealing, but on stage it paints a striking image, as the audience anticipates where each story will go and who will get to speak next. The monologues are augmented with subtle music which adds to the passion and lifts the emotion.
What makes STAND such an engaging and important performance is its ability to ignite the flame of activism. Watching the actors on stage telling stories about how small actions can make a big difference is a stirring experience. It would not be surprising if the audience spend the commute home thinking about the ways they can be involved in important causes in their own communities.