Monday, March 9

Tag: The Flames

The Flames – Traverse Theatre
Scotland

The Flames – Traverse Theatre

The much loved over 50s ensemble group,  The Flames return to the Traverse theatre with another verbatim-style, mixed medium show. Produced by Tricky Hat Productions, The Flames uses each ensemble member’s personal memoirs to collate together a story.  In this case, the connecting theme of all these individual memoirs was jealousy. Alongside the candid monologues, video and text was projected onto the back wall of the stage.  Quotes, presumably taken from the ensemble, were projected - each providing a different outlook on how they define jealousy.  As well as this, black and white video of the ensemble was also projected.  From raw close-ups that captured a wide-range of expression and emotional depth, to wide shots that artfully superimposed its subjects as...
The Flames – Traverse Theatre
Scotland

The Flames – Traverse Theatre

The Flames is a performance company for people over the age of fifty. Each member of the ensemble (I counted approximately 22) tells a moving story from their own past. The theme of the stories is ikigai, a Japanese term often translated as “purpose”. Ikigai is about the things that bring value and meaning to life. Each performer speaks in turn, while the others set the scene with movement (choreographed by Aya Kobayashi), reacting with excitement or disdain to the speaker; becoming waves, or an ID parade; stamping out the rhythm of a train. They tell stories about lifelong friendships; sleeping rough in Helsinki; and uncovering family secrets. One participant tells us about the time she literally walked a mile in someone else’s shoes. She ended up with sore feet. Film footage (desig...