Preview: Attempts On Her Life

‘It’s not acting: it’s far more exacting than acting.’

How do you attempt to stage a play that has no set characters?

That has no indication of the set in the script? That has no props list? Or suggested sound or lighting effects?

That has no setting or time?

Or concept?

The answer: collaboration. A lot of it.

Devising. Discussion. Development.

Thinking.

Credit: Johannes Hjorth

Hao Feng, Actor: ‘For me, this entire process has been synergistic. You cannot deal with any one of Crimp’s scenes by themselves. You really have to see them all as one whole piece.’

These final days of technical and dress rehearsals have seen the whole process come together for the cast and production team.

Jack Parham, Set Designer: ‘The set is an interactive space. It almost gets built throughout the play, resulting in a cumulative effect as the detritus of life is strewn across the stage.’

17 attempts on her life are ready to be performed in Corpus Playroom.

17 little microcosms of unrelated events that try to take the imaginary and turn it into reality through the use of physical movement, media and sound.

Credit: Amelia Oakley

Chris Born, Actor: ‘In the rehearsal room, we try to make statements which are explored by physical ideas, and we underwent the process of refining or denying those initial ideas.’

Jen Hutchings, Sound Designer: ‘Some of the scenes have a continuous soundscape, which takes away the agency from the stage itself: voices, like the play itself, are dislocated.’

It can almost be described as a Smoker, but for drama. It’s like a sketch show, but serious.

Although it’s not always serious. It is sometimes funny.

Sometimes there is a narrative too. And a concept.

Credit: Johannes Hjorth

Johannes Hjorth, Photographer: ‘It is a different kind of storytelling.’

Every night, the cast will attempt to create something concrete out of abstraction.

There will be a lot of twitching. And string.

Beatboxing.

Perhaps some sock puppets.

‘Attempts On Her Life’ opens this week at 7pm at Corpus Playroom, running from Tuesday 24^th February – Saturday 28^th February. Tickets available online.