SS Arcadia
Stand & Stare Collective
Mayfest 2010
I join the other passengers in the first class waiting room, which also happens to be my local sandwich shop. A quartet of glum-faced girls wave sparkling cocktail stirrers at me and periodically set off party poppers over the heads of my fellow passengers. It is the first surreal moment of many. We climb aboard the ship and are introduced to the Captain, a dashing silver fox,with sparkling teeth, gleaming eyes and a firm handshake. His co-captain (a much younger and radiantly beautiful ginger fellow) is also a master of charm, flashing me a grin that makes my heart melt. As they both ascend the decks to rapturous applause the voyage begins, the crew literally exploding from each of the ships rooms and going about their duties.
The ship rumbles, clatters and clanks. The lights flicker. I am alone in my adventure and this proves to be to my advantage, as I am able to slip easily between the decks of the ship and drink in every last detail of my surroundings. I start on the sun deck, where the only drink served is a Sea Breeze. I am taught syncronised swimming by an over enthusiastic and slightly domineering instructor to the strains of jaunty period music. I visit the dining room and witness the fine entertainment laid on for those lucky enough to be invited to dinner. I find myself in a dressing room and shortly emerge dressed as a sailor…
The ship is not all it seems. Below the cheery casino, hair salon and bar there is a seedy underbelly, only to be discovered by crew members of the ship. It just so happens that I now look like a Sailor, so I attend a job interview which grants me access…
As is expected with this kind of immersive performance environment, it takes an inquisitive audience member to really see and experience the show. With companies like Punchdrunk taking the monopoly on large scale immersive performances there is a worry that the sets of smaller performances may not be able to live up to the often filmic detail of those of these bigger companies. Stand and Stare prove that this is not the case. The sets are ramshackle and careworn, but detailed and considered. By setting the performance in a four story house it is easy to play along with the crew as they speak of above and below deck and this play makes the experience richer for bolder audience members who are able to throw themselves fully into the game.
There is some disparity between the costumery of the ships crew and the time period the ship appears to be sailing through. The SS Arcadia spans the ages and makes a mockery of time and logic. Modern day characters interact with those in period costume and at first I am not sure why this might be. As I begin to think I have seen everything in the performance, I notice characters are beginning to alter their behaviour. The Captain seems to be experiencing mental health issues, the mother of the small boy now has a drinking problem and a black eye. This keeps me interested and adds a new dimension to the performance which stops it from getting stale. More and more is revealed to me as a go, but never in a crass or too clearly signposted fashion. It is a case of the more you look, the more you see.
In the culmination of the cruise, the ship faces peril and an evacuation is instigated. As alarms sound we are ushered down to the stairs “to the lifeboats”. We find ourselves in the belly of the ship. It is dark and noisy. Torch beams shatter smoke as the crew light the way. The chaos reaches a frenzy and I am certain that the end is in sight, then there is silence. Here is a good point to end.
SS Arcadia merges storytelling seamlessly into the immersive experience, and other than the two crass and jarring items in the basement it presents an excellent, energetic and very considered experience. At the end of the performance the door is flung open to the street and we exit. I am still dressed as a sailor as I emerge into the sunlight and part of me wants to climb straight back on board for another cruise. The SS Arcadia was indeed the trip of a lifetime.
Michael Jones
20th May 2010
Tags: experience, immersive, mayfest, review, ship, ss arcadia
