The Factory
When I first heard about the new piece, based on accounts of what happened at , I felt some apprehension. The idea of a theatrical experience aspiring to recreate the sensation of being led to the gas chambers verges on the insulting; how could a group of well-fed theatre goers get anywhere close to the horror of what took place in the concentration camps? Would the result be absurd rather than involving?
Performances of take place in the , a series of windowless cellars, through which the audience is led by a small group of actors. Playing the role of both guards and prisoners, the actors perform scenes in which the audience take the part of the crowd: ordered about by the guards, implored to take action by the actors who play out fellow prisoners. The power of this production lies in its simplicity, in the pared down script which repeats lines over and over, and the unshowy but affecting performances. The prisoners compulsively seek answers that won't bring them any comfort, while the guards' repeatedly shouted orders are a form of violence.
The cast are all excellent, but the one female member - Emily Bruce - stands out. She has a tricky start with a scene demanding that she mime being beaten for an extended period - incredibly challenging to do well, and she doesn't quite manage it. As the play goes on, however, she gives a very moving performance as a prisoner who wants to survive, and if that isn't possible then at the very least to be remembered.
This is an impressive theatrical event because it shifts our perspective, however briefly, from that of passive watchers of documentary or readers of history books. For a short time we take part, we observe and then we leave - what we take from the experience is left to us, which is exactly as it should be.
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