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FESTIVAL THEATRE | Previews
BUBBLE REVOLUTION A one-woman Polish fairy tale about the post-communist world
Describing itself as a Polish fairy tale, Bubble Revolution is a one-woman performance following Vica (Kasia Lech) as she explores her memories of growing up during and after the fall of communism. Vica’s colourful childhood dreams, such as endless supplies of Nutella, are abruptly broken when, as an adult, she experiences the monochrome reality of capitalism. A Polish Theatre Ireland production, Bubble Revolution is
performed in English with a Polish accent and a touch of Irish. Co-creator Lech explains that she is interested in the potential represented by a character trying to express her identity in an adopted language. This complicates the fairy story with a serious reflection on the place of the ‘foreigner’.
‘Why not use my own status of a “foreign body”, my Polish accent with Irish sneaking through it, to add more layers to the text? That is why Bubble Revolution is about growing up as communism in Poland was falling down, but it is also about reframing foreignness.’
Lech was part of the team who set up Polish Theatre Ireland in 2008, a company that merges Polish and Irish theatre traditions. John Currivan, director and co-creator of Bubble Revolution, was involved in the company from its early days. The role of intercultural collaboration and translation is central both to the play and to Lech’s creative process, and even led her to create a document for Currivan that translated and explained every Polish cultural reference in the play.
Vica’s journey through the colours, scents and sounds of her past aims to resonate with the audience’s own childhood memories. Through elements of immersive theatre and multimedia techniques, these cultural references become accessible to a non-Polish audience. With Lech’s academic background providing a strong understanding of theatricality, Bubble Revolution promises to be a powerful experience that successfully transcends cultural differences. (Adeline Amar) ■ New Town Theatre, 220 0143, 7–28 Aug (not 16, performances in Polish on 6, 20 Aug), 1.45pm, £9–£10 (£7.50–£8.50). Previews 4–6 Aug, £7 (£6).
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FASLANE The personal and political collide in tale of Scotland’s nuclear missile base I LOVE URSULA HAMDRESS Exploitation takes on new forms in this new theatre show
Drawing its name from Scotland’s operating base for the Royal Navy, and home to the Trident nuclear missile program, this solo performance by Jenna Watt explores the intersections between the personal and the political. Scotland’s hosting of Trident became a hotly debated topic during the political
upheavals of the 2014 referendum on independence, as Watt explains: ‘I became aware that I was desperately uninformed about this issue despite my family having worked in Faslane my whole life. I felt torn between what I wanted for my family and what I thought I wanted for my country.’
Having established herself as a bold theatre-maker with How You Gonna
Live Your Dash and Flâneurs, Watt continues her collaboration with dramaturg Louise Stephens and draws upon the immersive sound design of composer Kim Moore. In undertaking a topic at once global and deeply personal, Watt consciously
rejects the didactic in favour of the dialectic, presenting years of research from all sides of the debate in order to offer ‘a perspective that will be, at times, difficult for people with polarised views on the debate to swallow’. (Elliot Roberts) ■ Summerhall, 560 1581, 5– 28 Aug (not 15), 7.15pm, £10 (£8). Preview 3 Aug, £8.
100 THE LIST FESTIVAL 4–11 Aug 2016
Inspired by Carol Adams’ book The Sexual Politics of Meat, Gabrielle Zeno’s solo performance is an unflinching critique of the commodification of women’s bodies. Ursula Hamdress was a sow dressed up like a Playmate in the magazine for pig farmers Playboar in 1981. From this striking image, Zeno draws a link between an aspiring showgirl in all her finery, and the farming of sows for their meat. ‘During my research, I realised that the female body is an object used only
for profit,’ she says. ‘By focusing on female bodies valued in terms of aesthetic presentation and as objects to be consumed, Zeno asks pertinent questions around society’s understanding and representation of women. ‘I hope that I Love Ursula Hamdress will be a strong emotional and visual experience for the spectators, so that some of them really can take [away] awareness about the condition of women and farmed animals,’ she explains. And despite the violence of the imagery and scope of the themes, Zeno intends to engage audiences on a personal level: ‘I hope that it increases in the female audience the awareness about their own identity, and it will be a deep and intimate experience.’ (Lorna Irvine) ■ Spotlites, 240 5047, 21–28 Aug, 1pm, £10 (£8).