After SUN

A lot has been said.

Thoughts maturing, no one is a harsher than we are.

"The first weekend of March 2014 was interesting. On Saturday night, I lived through two hours of shame for the wickedness of man brought onto me by “Twelve Years a Slave”. On Sunday night, I lived through two hours of dream about my legacy on Earth brought onto me by “SUN”. Both meant to help me think about the destiny of humankind and my role in it. There is always something hopeless about being forced to feel guilty for the past you cannot change. There is always something hopeful about being invited to consider your inevitable end and what you can change whilst still here. How would you choose to learn the same lesson? Through shame and guilt? Or through dream and hope? Later that Sunday, “Twelve Years a Slave” won an Oscar. My personal Oscar went to “SUN”.

- Oxana Popkova | seen on 02 Mar 2014

"Collectively they struck me at various times as the children of Forced Entertainment, Punchdrunk, Shunt and maybe even Samuel Beckett. Not yet at those levels of accomplishment but with a commendable sense of aspiration." 

- Donald Hutera, The Times | seen on 23 Feb 2014

"The play is a uniquely experimental venture, presented by the National Art Service who have been creating independent theatre since 2010. They say: “We believe in respecting our audiences and their ability to think for themselves.” As you re-enter the world via the crowds of Shoreditch High Street, SUN certainly keeps you thinking."

- Kate Knowles, The Upcoming | seen on 06 Feb 2014

"The setting of the piece was inspired, the huge partly lit church echoing to the sounds of the action and repeatedly transformed by innovative light and sound design. The audience shuffle in and are seated nervously on pews inside the vast nave of the church, not knowing what to expect. The actors are, at times, uncomfortably close but this only adds to the intensity of this brave and thought provoking play.

For those that like their theatre linear and straightforward then this might prove difficult viewing. For anyone willing to try something bold, thought provoking and experimental then this comes highly recommended. Just one tip though: wear plenty of warm clothes. Cavernous churches in an English winter aren’t the warmest of places. I left the church feeling cold, slightly dazed yet ultimately glad of the chance to witness this spectacle."

- Chris Bridges, Plays to See | seen on 7 Feb 2014

"Beckett, if he was still alive, and loved Roland Emmerich movies"

- Jason Fitzpatrick | seen on 05 Feb 2014

"EXCELLENT ACTING. I thought everyone was very good, I was intrigued by the variation in acting styles and choices. I can see an ecliptic group of people who brought their own flavours to the broth." 

- Ana Lucia RG

"... though some of it washed over me, other bits engaged or made me think. It took place in a cavernous church and there was great use of sound, so it became hard to tell whether there was really a storm or police cars outside, or whether it was all happening inside. At one point, apropos of nothing, I imagined a plane flying through the stained glass window at the end of the church and killing us all." 

- Richard Herring | seen on 23 Feb 2014

"It reminded me of a trip I once had, where I took so much acid I thought I had died. I loved it." 

- Reuben Forster | seen on 03 Feb 2014

"SUN very often hits the mark. A marriage disintegrates painfully, pointlessly; played first by one pair of actors then repeated in tandem by others, echoing and overlapping, marking the plurality of what we so commonly regard as utterly singular experiences. The concept of ownership disintegrates. Friends gather on the last night of the world and have no real idea of what to do. There is no sense of panic, or fear, just a somewhat uncooperative question mark hanging in the air. What would we do on our last night on Earth? Dance, drink, say everything we have left unsaid? Contemplate suicide? Or have completely inane conversations and eat dry spaghetti? The willingness to explore all of these avenues is one of Sun’s strengths; the revelation that there may be no revelation at the end of days, that it is an insurmountable concept which may not engender profound acts, but ordinary, seemingly purposeless and therefore sincerely human ones."

- Mary Halton, Exeunt | seen on 6 Feb 2014

☀☀

reviews

Reviews are wonderful in many ways. An idea has germinated into something real, and here are people who generate new material from it, around it, thoughts, ideas, opinions, a conversation begins. We've been looking at all the different ways to use this to its maximum potential. Whilst star ratings and press opinions are useful, at the end of the day, what is equally important to us is the feedback we receive separately from audiences, especially those outside the 'industry'. In light of that, here is a selection of both press and audience feedback we've attained from our first two weeks of performance.

/////Press Reviews/////

/////Audience Feedback/////

"It made me feel glad to be alive, alive and human."

"It reminded me of a trip I once had, where I took so much acid I thought I had died. I loved it."

"Beckett, if he was still alive, and loved Roland Emmerich movies."

"Spellbinding... I don't know if I could see it three times, but I'll certainly see you next week. 

"Extraordinary - a privilege to see SUN tonight - the lightness of touch economy, of Alan Fielden's writing and direction - creative cast - sound scape pitched perfectly to allow disorientation (was that police car on the track or outside?) but for me the star turn were the candles!!! The beautiful simple poetic candles - thanks to Ziggy Jacobs lighting design."

-----

Across the board is a unanimous acknowledgement of the ambitions and high quality of production. Reading many of the media reviews brings me back to a time (not so long ago) where we were having a lot of trouble articulating what SUN was about. In a way, the critics have done that for us. I wonder what image is conjured when all these descriptions are put next to each other. Let's see... 

"A group of people sit around a table, eating the remains of the food that they have left, waiting for a major event to occur. Conjoined twins glory in the freedom they have been granted when the fabric of society has changed and they can escape the world of hospitals. A woman reveals that she’s been having a long-term affair but none of it maters fully as the human race is on the brink of extinction.

This play has a slightly experimental air; toying with absurdist concepts, serious drama and hyper-reality as well as a healthy blend of humour."

Chris Bridges

"A marriage disintegrates painfully, pointlessly; played first by one pair of actors then repeated in tandem by others, echoing and overlapping, marking the plurality of what we so commonly regard as utterly singular experiences. The concept of ownership disintegrates. Friends gather on the last night of the world and have no real idea of what to do. There is no sense of panic, or fear, just a somewhat uncooperative question mark hanging in the air. What would we do on our last night on Earth? Dance, drink, say everything we have left unsaid? Contemplate suicide? Or have completely inane conversations and eat dry spaghetti? The willingness to explore all of these avenues is one of Sun’sstrengths; the revelation that there may be no revelation at the end of days, that it is an insurmountable concept which may not engender profound acts, but ordinary, seemingly purposeless and therefore sincerely human ones."

Mary Halton

"The end of the world is fast approaching and everywhere people are whispering, shouting, arguing, laughing, getting drunk and dancing with one another in final, desperate attempts at communication and connection."

Kate Knowles

"The lamps are going out all over Europe (and the rest of the world) in National Art Service’s devised show ‘Sun’, a ponderous and pretentious piece that philosophises about the apocalypse. Against the magnificent backdrop of Shoreditch’s St Leonard’s Church, we watch couples, siblings and groups of friends trying to cope as the sun goes down for the last time in a series of fragmented, if loosely chronological scenes."

Honour Bayes

five

© Jemima Yong

ten

rehearsals: week 3

© Jemima Yong

writer/director

“The writer must be four people: the nut, the moron, the stylist, the critic” - Susan Sontag.

"A director must be a policeman, a midwife, a psychoanalyst, a sycophant and a bastard” - Billy Wilder.

And the writer/director?

Well rested, ideally.