unpacked

I am completely knackered.

Six hours of workshops today, one chicken mayonnaise sandwich, a quick tour for a potential Goldsmiths MA, a trip up to Zone 2 to see a show and networking afterward and I am absolutely wiped. Not to mention I have this bizarre little sore throat and an open faucet in my right nostril. What a way to start the weekend.

Since my final project includes puppets, one of the guys in my class invited me along to see a piece of theatre by a company called Unpacked--which comes from the fact they can pretty much fit their entire show into a suitcase. Tonight's piece was a brand spankin' new one called "No Obvious Trauma" which was about a woman in a sanitorium and the possibility she might have had an affair with one of the doctors previously. What made the show absolutely captivating was the way they used the set and props. Basically it was two frames with green fabric stretched over it, a desk--all on wheels--and a wheelchair that they manipulated to make different places and settings. They also used a projector and puppets, which were carefully packed away in the desk drawers. The coolest part came right in the beginning, where one person flashed the empty projector across the screens while another person opened and closed the desk drawers in a rhythm. I couldn't figure out what the hell it was supposed to be until I heard a whistle and realised they'd created a train. So cool! I really appreciated the way they could tell a story simply but in a really interesting way. No kitchen sink drama here.

Afterward we went to the pub and I got to meet the company. Basically it's a group of former MA students who started working together after they graduated. They were all really friendly about sharing their experiences and encouraged me to send along my play. there's a possibility they might be able to work on it or at least help out with the actors we find. It was great to meet some "professionals" but I was getting a splitting headache, so I didn't get to pick quite as much brains as I would like.

Check out their website at www.unpacked.org