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Audience, by Belgian company Ontroerend Goed, has proved to be one of 2011’s most brutal and controversial shows. Here the company reply to our review which labelled them ‘cynical hipsters’
WHAT WE SAID: ‘Audience opens with an informal talk from cast member Maria, about what it means to be in an audience. You’re not really supposed to talk; you need to clap at the end. We chuckle appreciatively. The joke is that of course we know this. We’re not just theatre-goers; we’re here to see one of the most notorious, manipulative experimental companies on the Fringe. We’re connoisseurs. The well-publicised conceit we’ve turned up for is that the audience are the stars of this show. There’s a camera turned on us; we sit staring at our own faces as the company pull us to pieces.
What seems apparent is that Ontroerend Goed have, to some extent, lost respect for their audience. They are famous on the Fringe now. We keep hurling those high star ratings at them; people are now queuing up in droves to be shocked out of their comfort zones. Is Audience, at some level, an experiment in how much we’ll take before we turn on them? After an appalling act of sexual bullying the performers sit amongst us and argue the rights and wrongs of it. Maria contests that we’re all cultured, privileged people; that it is no hardship for us to take an hour’s public humiliation, and perhaps this sentiment does drive the work. She’s detached, though; there’s no real weight behind her words. Somewhere along the way, Ontroerend Goed have lost the sense of curiosity about the live experience that made their early shows so fascinating. They come off as cynical hipsters now, aloof children pulling the wings off flies because they can. Yes, Audience will move and provoke you, but the final montage of crowds at the Nuremberg rallies and on protest marches feels like little more than a sop to meaningfulness. Oh, and if you’re wearing a skirt, don’t sit in the front row.’
WHAT THEY SAID: Dear The List. I love an audience. In the first place this show started as a celebration of the different universes that are there each night. To celebrate the live experience, which is unique to theatre, is at the core of our work. The beautiful images of the hands and faces of the spectators I’ve seen on the screen are definitely a proof of that. I wanted to take the audience further and share my own conflict between an individual and a crowd. I believe more in individuals but crowds seems to achieve more, for the better or the worse, and often in neglect of its participants’ personal desires. The manipulation for me in Audience is a reaction to the mass movements I see around me and I wanted to provide the audience with a metaphor of this. During rehearsals we looked for something that would divide an audience and prompt a choice. There have been many different reactions and each one of them was a valid one for me, and a proof of the moral integrity of people. As for our moral integrity, I came across this quote from Debussy the other day: ‘Art is a lie that provokes real emotions’. Theatre is make-believe and therein lies its beauty. The only thing we want to do with Ontroerend Goed is to adapt this beauty to our time. Yours sincerely, the Cynical Hipsters
Behind the scenes It’s those off-stage that keep the Fringe going. We hear some Assembly staff members’ highlights of the Fest
LAURA DONALDSON PRESS TICKETS OFFICER ‘This is my first time working for any festival. There’s always good banter in the Assembly press office. Meeting performers such as The Twoks, who have blown me away, and working for the same venue whose bill includes some of my favourite performers, like Kristen Schaal, have been massive highlights.’
ADAM THE OUTSIDER FESTIVAL KITCHEN ‘It’s been great. This is our first festival; we wanted to bring something fresh and exciting to surprise people and show them what’s possible for food during a festival. I’ve become an expert meteorologist. The Magnets, Lili La Scala, Jimeoin, Le Gateau Chocolat and Hannah Gadsby are often here.’
10 THE LIST 25 Aug–22 Sep 2011
CHARLOTTE WORKMAN FRONT OF HOUSE AT ASSEMBLY GEORGE SQUARE
‘My favourite experience was watching a group of people manically trying to spot The Magnets. The worst was accidentally trying to stop a comedian getting into his own show because he didn’t have a ticket!’
DOUGIE PROJECTIONIST, ASSEMBLY FESTIVAL EMILY TAYLOR MEMBERS CLUB BAR SUPERVISOR
‘It’s been great playing around on the new site – so aside from projection and pre-production work I’ve been able to do a bit of everything including groundworks (i.e. mud manoeuvring!).’ ‘This is my favourite VIP bar to have worked in, it’s got great atmosphere and the performers have all been very lovely – especially David Mitchell, Daniel Sloss and Paul Daniels who does magic tricks with straws for us.’
MICHAEL HARRIS PRODUCER / PROGRAMMER ‘Three words: Japanese. Endurance. Gameshow.’